Reasons to be Excited!

PARISH NEWS

St. Michael and All Angels, Claverdon • All Saints, Preston Bagot

March 2012

We have all sorts of reasons to be excited about 2012. It‟s the Queen‟s

Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics and one of those occasional years

when we can best see the Northern Lights. (We booked a holiday in Norway

to see the ‘aurora borealis’ only to read in the newspaper the following

morning that the northern lights were already visible in Whitley Bay!) All in

all 2012 is a year full of celebrations.

2012 is also a leap year. There are of course all sorts of lovely folk traditions

associated with leap years, the most popular being the idea that women may

propose marriage only in leap years. In some traditions this may only happen

on the „leap day‟ itself. Should the man refuse the proposal it is said he must

offer some significant compensation. Those who are born on February 29th

have the odd experience of only having a „proper‟ birthday every four years.

In ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, Frederic the pirate apprentice (who has a leap

day birthday) discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st

birthday rather than until his 21st year. Clearly he had reason to feel quite

hard done by. My daughter and I each have birthdays between Christmas and

New Year and we often allow ourselves to feel hard done by because they get

submerged into the rest of the festive season.

Just before Christmas I was in Rwanda and shortly before that Penny and I

were back in Malawi. I don‟t think I can recall ever encountering the concept

of birthdays in the African bush. It‟s not that they might have them at the

wrong time of year or even have them only every four years – they just don‟t

have them. In a place where there are no records of birth and death, there is no

real way of having birthdays. It is quite normal not to know your age let alone

your birthday.

Celebration in the bush is waking up on a new day. When survival is the daily

task, birthdays don‟t figure in the reasons for celebrating. The SaltMalawi

Trust, which is so wonderfully supported in our villages, brings life to the

hungry and needy. Food, clean water, orphan care and Christian compassion

make the difference between life and death. The good news is that they don‟t

need to wait for a special year or for a birthday – every new day is a cause for

celebration.

Phil Hanson

Don’t forget to….

Spring Forward on ….

March 25th 2012

THE MONTHLY HMM...

Surprised by Joy

In the very early New Year, before even I had broken my resolutions, we

headed off to the Cotswolds for a day out at Birdland – that remarkable

creation of the late Len Hill, the Bourton on the Water builder who achieved

fame and notoriety as the Penguin Millionaire.

One highlight was undoubtedly just after lunch when the penguins had theirs.

The smaller Humboldt penguins were fed in their pool whilst a knowledgeable

keeper told us something of their habits and biology.

The King Penguins themselves were just a treat. The keeper could recognise

them all by sight and she had really to embolden a young woman who had the

honour of helping her to share out the fish (someone had bought her the

honour as a birthday treat) as one of the penguins pecked her boots and

trousers importunately. “I‟ve heard of being peckish but that‟s a bit too much

Spike!” she chastised the naughty bird. “The problem with Spike is that he

was deserted by his parents and was raised by his keepers. He‟s a lovely bird

but he does think he‟s human.”

Later, we followed the nature trail round a meander of the river Windrush.

Some nicely sited hides offered good views of various feeders and a run of

bright water up to a sharp bend. There were long-tailed tits, great tits,

chaffinches and sparrows, blackbirds and robins. We saw from the list that a

hawfinch , a rare and powerful bird with a powerful beak that can crack

cherry stones for fun, had been seen but somewhat cynically I sensed we‟d

not see much ourselves.

It was by now late afternoon and the dying sun offered no warmth. I scoured

the bankside vegetation hoping for something and there it was, puffed up like

a little blue ball – a kingfisher not 10 yards distant, stock still until he turned

to show us his orange belly and breast.

I was surprised by joy and so were a young family whom we hushed as they

entered the hide so that we could point out the unexpected. As we left I read

the visitors book and the childishly formed words: „It‟s my third time here. I

always love Spike.” I smiled to myself and imagined myself as a child once

more, a child who was often surprised by joy and I resolved to change my

resolutions for2012. „I will open myself up to wonder and let myself be

childlike more often.‟ I noted in my journal that night – perhaps the best New

Year‟s resolution I‟ve ever made! James Holden

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

September 3rd

to 13th led by Canon David Tilley.

Visiting Jerusalem, including the holy sites, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the

Holocaust Centre. Best part of a day in Bethlehem. Then up to Galilee for the

sites of Galilean ministry of Jesus and back to airport at Tel Aviv via the

coast. Optional day visiting Qumran, Masada and a float in the Dead Sea for

those who wish. More information from Gill Evans 842690

AFRICAN PALM CROSSES

Have you ever wondered where your Palm Crosses come from, and how they are made? And how they get here? If you buy African Palm Crosses, you will be giving extra work to people whose only other source of income is the sale of their cashew nuts. Any money they earn from palm crosses is used for the usual household necessities – clothes for the parents and their children, salt, soap and any money required to get to the nearest hospital for medical treatment. You will encourage people in their daily lives. 50 palm crosses (yes, 50) will set you back the princely sum of £7.80; 100 will cost £15.60 and these prices include VAT and carriage! Visit www.africanpalmcrosses.co.uk to see a video clip of the crosses being made. Afri-can Palm Crosses; 46 Brandon Street, London SE17 1NL

Superfast Broadband

You may be aware of the project that is under way to bring super-fast broadband to rural areas, under which Warwickshire County Council, along with Solihull and Coventry Councils have been allocated £4.07m by Government to help improve broadband connectivity. That amount has to be match-funded by the local authorities, and the private sector are expected to invest a considerably larger amount to ensure that all properties achieve speeds of at least 2Mbps and 90% of properties achieve at least 24Mbps by the end of 2015. Stratford District Council is participating in this which means that users on the Claverdon Exchange could be in line for benefiting, but only if the demand is shown to be there. The way that the demand needs to be shown is to complete a simple questionnaire which can be found at http://www.cswbroadband.org.uk/

Firstly, we are delighted to welcome Gill Evans to the

Parish Council and also by the large attendance at our

recent meeting where John Horner gave us a presentation

of the results from the Parish Survey. This time we had a

response from about 40% of the residents. This has highlighted the demand for more

affordable houses, small office and craft units.

Stratford District Council are in the process of preparing their housing proposal and it

is envisaged it will focus on housing in the smaller towns and sustainable villages. We

are a sustainable village. It is therefore important that we develop the survey into a

village plan to enable us to control the development policy. To this end we are

suggesting establishing a Community Land Trust which would enable affordable

homes to be made available for purchase by people with a connection with the village

and key workers. We hope to have further recommendations available at our meeting

on 5th March. I would like to thank Simon Lawton, John Horner and Tony Rogers for

their hard work in connection with the survey.

Recent decisions included a vote to recommend refusal for the proposed development

for housing at Greenfingers off Kington Lane on the grounds that the proposal did not

meet the needs as indicated by our housing needs survey and the council also

considered that they could not support the new farmhouse and buildings at Hercules

Farm. In addition, I attended part of the public inquiry regarding Heart of England

Farms. We now await the inspector‟s decision.

The Claverdon Sports and Youth group has been established. The first aim is to

construct the new building on the recreation ground. Fund raising is to start in earnest.

An initial AGM will be held in the DM Hall on 6th March. Please attend and help

provide facilities for the young people in our community.

Some settlement of the trenches onto Langley Road has been observed. Severn Trent

will be asked to investigate.

David Burman has kindly offered his field at Park Farm for a beacon to celebrate the

Diamond Jubilee of our Queen. This will take place on 4th June.

Please note the next Parish Council Meeting in the Dorothea Mitchell Hall will be on

Monday 5th March 2012.@ 7.30pm, please attend and have your say.

The full meeting minutes, and more, can be found on the web at www.ukvillages.co.uk

and typing Claverdon, and also at the Post Office, the Church Centre and the

Community Shop.

Alan Latter Chairman

CLAVERDON PARISH COUNCIL NEWS FROM THE PARISHES

FUNERAL AND THANKSGIVING SERVICES 11 January – Thanksgiving Service Joan Loman at Claverdon 13 January Thanksgiving Service of Kay Penrose at Claverdon 18 January – Funeral of Mary Horrocks at Preston Bagot. BAPTISMS 15 January Baptism of Lily Hart (parents Laura and Ian) at Claverdon NEWCOMERS Elizabeth , Alistair, Matthew (13) & Christopher (10) Hinch, Langley Road Terry and Jane Connolly, 19 Glebe Road Neil McLester and Ali Horn, 14 Park Close

NEWCOMERS PARTY

Church Centre – Friday, 23 March, at 7.30pm. All new Claverdonians should have had an invitation to our traditional ‗welcome‘ evening, but if you haven‘t then please do come along anyway. All village organizations will be represented so you can learn what‘s happening this year, (and more well established villagers are also invited!) Please ring me if you‘re hoping to come so we can supply SUFFICIENT PUDDINGS and WINE (!!) to last the evening! Tricia Hardy 842351 CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING 19 January in loving memory of Jack Percival on what would have been our Diamond Wedding from his loving wife Dot and family. 6 February in loving memory of Glenn John Read, love from Carol & Rachel 9 February.to mark the first anniversary of the death of Paratrooper Conrad Lewis in Afghanistan with love from all his family and friends 12 February in loving memory of Ann Ferguson Docherty. 15 February in loving memory of Victor Wylie on his birthday - Judith and family 18 February, Happy Birthday Sam, love from Mom and Rachel.

Easter Services ETC

To be a pilgrim is to undertake a journey with a spiritual purpose. This walk will use the

“Coventry Way”, an established circular footpath, and will follow the Sherbourne river into

the City Centre – a total of around 50 miles.

It will end at Coventry Cathedral for a Pilgrim Celebration on the evening of Palm Sunday,

1st April 2012.

The pilgrimage is intended to be a celebration of peace and reconciliation, as part of the

Golden Jubilee of Coventry Cathedral in 2012. A cross of nails, Coventry's symbol of

peace and reconciliation, will be carried by the pilgrims and there will be evening Pilgrim

Services at churches along the way.

It's up to you what sort of pilgrim you will be. Some will be 'Strollers', taking a short walk

each evening and slightly longer walks on Saturday and Sunday, starting on Monday 26th

March.

Some will be 'Striders', who walk the complete Coventry Way and Sherbourne Walk in a

weekend, starting on the evening of Friday, 30th March. Basic sleeping accommodation

will be provided for this challenge and advance registration is essential.

Alternatively, you could be a 'Saunterer' and walk just a part of the route, taking it entirely

at your own pace.

Everyone, church-goer or not, who wants to participate is welcome. If you are in a walking

group or a youth group leader why not register a group for the weekend challenge?

If you would like to walk all or part of the Pilgrimage, give support in prayer, or be a link

for your church, school or group, contact us:

Coventry Pilgrimage Planning Group, c/o 1 Hill Top, Coventry, CV1 5AB

Email: thecoventrypilgrimage@yahoo.co.uk Telephone: 07938 403290

The Coventry Pilgrimage - 26th March to 1st April

13th March 7pm to 8.30pm. Candlelit Church, Claverdon Church. 5

th April - Maundy Thursday

7.30pm Wootton Wawen 6

th April - Good Friday

12.00pm Preston Bagot 1.00pm St Peter‘s, Wootton Wawen 2.00pm Claverdon 7

th April

7.00pm -10.00pm Candlelit Church, Claverdon 8

th April - Easter Day

7.00am Sunrise Service – Yarningale Common 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP) at Preston Bagot 11.00am Holy Communion (CW) with Canon Andrew Dow at Claverdon 11.00am Holy Communion (CW) with Revd.Terry Mason at Wootton Wawen

Bishop Christopher‘s route Day 1 – Sunday, 25th March, Shipston on Stour to Tysoe via What-cote, Honington, Idlicote, Oxhill

Day 2: Monday, 26th March,

Middle Tysoe to Burton Dassett via Ratley, Radway, Avon Dassett

Day 3: Tuesday, 27th March,

Fenny Compton to Radford Semele via Harbury, Gaydon, Bishop‘s Itchington, Ufton and Offchurch

Day 4: Wednesday, 28th March, Rad-ford Semele to Kenilworth via Emscote, Leamington Spa, Warwick

Bishop John‘s route Day 1 - Monday, 26th March,

Atherstone to Chilvers Coton via Mancetter, Hartshill, Nuneaton

Day 2 - Tuesday 27th March,

Monks Kirby to Newbold on Avon via Stretton under Fosse, Pailton, Harborough Magna Day 3 - Wednesday, 28th March, Bilton to Grandborough via Dunchurch

Day 4, Thursday, 29th March,

Long Itchington to Stretton on Dunsmore via Birdingbury, Frankton and Princethorpe

Tuesday 6th March at Claverdon Church Centre at 1300 Keith Parr from Coventry Cathedral will be speaking on the subject of Broken Britain. After the summer of riots and problems with unemployment we need to find time to pray about what practical help we can give.

Tuesday 6th March - St. Peter’s Church, Wootton Wawen at 1300 James Holden will speak on environmental issues on behalf of A Rocha

SOUP LUNCHES DURING LENT

Local LENT Course

On Eagles Wings - St John's Gospel led by Revd. Dr. Richard Cooke. Wednesdays 29th Feb., 7th March, 21 March and 28th March.

Poetry Mass— Led by Revd. Dr. Paul Edmondson

Wednesday 14th March

7.30 - 9.30pm at St Laurence Church, Rowington.

Contact Revd. Keith Mobberley on 484332.

Obituaries

JOAN LOMAN 1920 - 2011

“If every church had a Joan Loman how fortunate it would be.” “Joan was the back-

bone of the church.” - The remarks of former vicars‟ wives, Phyllis Ross and Sheila

Freeman. It was a fact that Joan‟s dedication came truly from the heart. In Joan

there was both a Martha and a Mary: practical and busy, quiet and prayerful in her

faith.

Kent was Joan‟s county of birth but she became firmly rooted in Claverdon after she

came to work here as a children‟s nurse. How could she know when she called at

the forge to ask Robin Loman to oil the squeaky wheels of the children‟s pram, that

she was destined to remain in the village for the rest of her life! They were married

at Claverdon Church on Boxing Day 1939, the beginning of her seventy years of

service to the village, including serving petrol from the pumps at Forge House and

driving children from outlying areas to school!

Joan joined Robin in his close involvement with the church. Her devotion to the

care of the church leaves memories of her arranging flowers, polishing the pews,

cleaning brass and silver, laundering altar cloths and, every day, faithfully

unlocking and locking the church door.

After Robin„s untimely death in 1980, Joan took comfort in the support of her family

and friends. She was proud of her family, with six grandchildren and five great

grandchildren, who all loved her dearly. After suffering a fall about three years ago,

she was unable to return home and lived at Woodside Residential Home in Warwick.

She died on Christmas Day at the age of 91. We express our sincere sympathy to

Cyril and Janet and all the family.

MARY HORROCKS 1931 - 2012

The daughter of James and Dorothy Albutt of Preston Bagot Farm, Mary was born in

1931 at the home of her grandmother at Kite Green. One of her earliest memories

was helping her father on the milk round and filling customers‟ jugs with milk. .She

gained a wide experience of calving, lambing and pig rearing and was an enthusiastic

member of the Young Farmers Club.

Mary married Peter Horrocks of Claverdon at All Saints in 1951. While living at

Hillside at Preston Bagot, misfortune struck them in 1957 when Peter and Mary and

their two little sons, Gerald and Douglas, contracted polio. Whilst Peter and the

children recovered Mary was paralysed and became wheelchair-bound. With love

and support, her optimistic nature came to the fore and she was remarkable in the

care of her family.

Peter and Mary built their home, “Brookfield” in Preston Bagot, in the early 1960s.

In spite of her disability, she insisted on helping with the construction, and from her

wheelchair, applied the preservative treatment to all the timber, an example of her

determination to lead as active a life as possible.

Mary sadly died at home on 3rd January. We extend our deepest sympathy to Peter,

Gerald and Douglas, to grandchildren Thomas, Lucy and Ross and all the family.

Obituaries

TOM McQUILLAN 1938 - 2011

Born in Belfast in 1938, one of three brothers, he spent most of his working life as a

Civil and Structural Engineer working for Birmingham City Council on major high-

ways projects, including the Aston Expressway and Dartmouth Circus. In 1986

Tom went to work for Coventry City Council and, responsible for maintenance of

flyovers, underpasses and bridges, he was affectionately blamed for all the City‟s

traffic jams.

He took early retirement in 1994 and, having learnt about the mysteries of computers

and databases, he worked for A.S. Atkins on a project extracting information from

old drawings and making the information available to all engineers within the Mid-

lands motorway networks. The original contract was for 12 months, but lasted eight

years.

Tom and Phyllis married in 1961, and their three children, Caroline, Andrew and Ian

are all married, and between them they have five grandchildren, Alex, Christopher,

Gabriel, Robyn and Lucy. Ian and his wife Becky are eagerly awaiting their first

child in February. Tom believed in a loving secure home as a foundation for his

children‟s life along with a good education which he provided. Resident in the vil-

lage since 1994, Tom was buried in Claverdon‟s peaceful churchyard where wife

Phyllis says she knows he is at peace.

KATHERINE ELLEN PENROSE 1917 - 2011

Katherine Penrose died on Christmas Day A modest and unassuming person, she was

much loved and respected with a full and interesting life. She was a devoted wife for

seventy years, a mother of four children and as well as her long service as a magis-

trate she still found time to become a keen and knowledgeable gardener.

Born in Cape Town, Kay came to England in 1937 to train as a physiotherapist at St

Thomas‟s Hospital, London, where she met Joscelyn and they married in 1941.

After the war, Jos held posts as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at hospitals in Ox-

ford and Bristol before taking up a position at the Coventry and Warwickshire hospi-

tal, when he, Kay and the children - David, Judy, Alison and Janet - lived in

Leamington Spa.

Kay became a magistrate on the Leamington Spa Bench in 1961. With characteristic

dedication to her duties, she later became vice-chairman and was Chairman of the

Juvenile Panel for many years.

In 1967, Jos and Kay bought a plot of land at Holywell and built The Field House,

creating a beautiful garden. With the move to 21 St Michael‟s Road in 1997, she and

Jos contented themselves by making another lovely garden. Our sincere sympathy is

extended to all the family.

CLAVERDON COMMUNITY SHOP

As we‘ve said many times the foundations of our community shop are our volunteers, without whose commitment and dedication the shop just wouldn‘t open. The other essential ingredient is our customers, and your support is growing year-on-year. Therefore, to support the volunteers we need now to take on a person in the role of supervisor to provide the vital support the shop needs. The successful applicant will be responsible to the merchandising team and cover work in the back office, implementation of shop procedures and stock checks. We estimate that the role will require an input of initially about 10 hours a week and for that level of commitment we realise that we need to pay them. If you are interested in this role then please give me a ring on 01926 843707.

Bye for now Barry Cleverdon

We had an excellent meeting this afternoon, and were pleased to welcome new members Joan Clarke, Kate Corfield and Vera Heyes. Then followed part of an amusing one-woman show by local actress, Ginny Davis, which most of us

could identify with……imagine accompanying your teenage son on a school trip to Marrakesh together with his best friend and his ostentatious mum, who is ‗awfully perfect and perfectly awful‘ (with whom you had nothing in common) and with whom you had to share a bedroom!

As a schoolgirl Ginny loved to make her friends laugh, but eventually qualified and was called to The Bar….after marrying and having a family she fulfilled her original ambition by writing humourous plays and performing in Warwick Prep. PTA productions Then, nothing daunted, she appeared ‗On the Fringe‘ in Edinburgh and since then has gone from strength to strength, appearing at all sorts of venues, near and far. We all felt that she must have made many more people laugh at her stage performances than she would have done at The Bar! Great entertainment.

The next meeting will be held in the Dorothea Mitchell Hall on Tuesday, 6th March,

from 1pm to 3pm. when John Clews will speak on ‗Action for Birds – RSPB‘. New members are always made very welcome.

Kath Kaveney – Claverdon WI President

cLaVerdON WOMeN’S INSTITUTe

Upcoming Church Centre Events

Cafe Church Monday 26 March at 2.30 pm

Claverdon Church Centre

Everyone very welcome!

A short and simple service with plenty of well-known hymns and

songs in a cafe atmosphere including tea and home-made cakes!

If you would like a lift please contact Bev Beaumont 01926 843510

For further information ring Gill Evans 01926 843234/842690

Children’s Easter Workshop Good Friday 6 April 10.00 am-11.30 am

Claverdon Church Centre

Easter crafts for every age with songs and the Easter story

Treats for the children and coffee and cake for the grown ups

Children £3.50 – Grown ups free!

Gill Evans – 01926 842690/843234 Sue Holt - 01926 840331 Natasha Butler – 01926 840013 Sarah Breen – 01926 840049

Is Parenting Teenagers Easy? 5 week course in May 2012 1930—2130

Claverdon Church Centre

We have few opportunities to learn this life-skill and often „parent‟ as

we go. Mostly, this is a natural step but there are still times when

guidance doesn‟t come amiss. Claverdon Church is offering „Courses

for Life‟, one being the Parenting Teenagers Course.

If you would like to join the 5 week course please contact any of us

John & Sylvia Knightbridge 01926 842795

Penny & Phil Hanson 01926 843421

or Anthony & Ros Belcher 01926 842494

HeL’S KITcHeN

Roast Salmon (serves 4)

This is an ideal recipe for a light lunch or evening meal. It is

easy and quick to prepare and looks really colourful.

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets 3 ramiro peppers 3 courgettes 16 cherry

tomatoes olive oil 1 small lemon fresh parsley or chives

or tarragon.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200c/400f/Gas mark 6.

Halve the peppers lengthways and thickly slice. Also thickly slice the courgettes, but

leave the tomatoes whole. Then toss them in a little olive oil until they are well coated.

Spread the vegetables singly onto a large, shallow baking tray and roast for 20 minutes.

Lightly season and then lay the salmon fillets on top, together with a lemon slice on

each fillet.

Roast for another 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the salmon is

cooked. Sprinkle before serving with freshly chopped herbs.

Helen Archer

QUeeN’S JUbILee NeWS

WANT TO SING IN A CHOIR?

Let‟s get together a CLAVERDON VILLAGE CHOIR to celebrate the Queen‟s

Diamond Jubilee!! No experience needed….all ages….no auditions....you just

need to want to sing and have some fun, and be in Claverdon for the Jubilee

weekend in June. Practices start in April.

Have a word with Jonathan Evans (01926 842690) if you are interested!

Terry and Jane - A Special Thank You Terry and Jane would like to thank all those who have made us so welcome into the

Claverdon Clan. From a gorgeous hot casserole to enjoy on our first night (quite

traumatic, the move not the casserole (!) yes, and that was pretty good too!),

the lovely visits from our old friends bringing with them bottles of wine, bouquets

of flowers, and dozens of cards, it really has been quite amazing. It‟s taking quite a

time for us to adjust, after our beloved home at Uplands Farm, but both Dominic and

Oliver have been quite incredible in making the move as less traumatic as possible.

Anybody who is thinking of 'downsizing' don't procrastinate!!! Once again thank

you all, I am beginning to feel part of the Claverdon Colony, (sorry, that was too

good to miss!). Connolly - Terry and Jane

Phyllis, Caroline, Andrew and Ian - A Special Thank You

Thank to all friends and neighbours for the support and kindness shown during

Tom‟s long illness, including Doctor Gill, the staff of Claverdon surgery, niece Mrs

Florence Campbell, and Mr & Mrs John Lucas for “just being there”. If you made a

donation to the Myton Hamlet Hospice and the Liver Unit at the Queen Elizabeth

Hospital, the family thank you most sincerely. The amount donated has not yet been

finalised, but once again, thank you for your generosity.

QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE

June 2012

Exciting plans are taking shape so

make a note in your diaries NOW!!

Sat 2 June - evening supper, songs and celebration in the Church Centre Contact Nicky Arnott 842110 or Gill Evans 843243/842690

Sun 3 June - morning open-air church service

- afternoon cricket match, picnic tea and family fun

Interested in playing? Contact Vince Hammond 842691

Mon 4 June - afternoon „bring and share‟ party with entertainment at the DM Hall

Contact Lucy Wade 843412

- later, join the evening light procession round the village

to Park Farm for lighting the Jubilee Beacon

PLUS - from May 29 to June 4…..a village scarecrow trail

Contact Tricia Hardy 842351

Let’s all celebrate with Her Majesty!!

JUBILEE MEMORABILIA

There must be quite a few „slightly mature‟ villagers who have accumulated „Royal‟

data which they‟d be prepared to show everyone.

Newspapers, books, pictures, plaques, boxes, mugs, anything with a Royal flavour

will be exhibited in the Church Centre some time during the Jubilee week-end, so

please ring Tricia on 842351 if you‟d like to be involved.

District Council

The 2012 season is fast approaching - despite the chilly weather... Junior and Youth cricket will resume after Easter, open from 5-14 year olds on Tuesday evenings at the Rec. U14 and U12 teams are entered again into the local league, and to get the eye in early there will be indoor practice for 11-14 year olds at Warwickshire College, Henley on Friday evenings, starting on 13th April. Junior and youth registration will be on Tuesday 17

th April, when there will

be chance to ‗recycle‘ that kit that no longer fits – more information to follow! For the 1

st XI, fixtures start with a friendly at Inkberrow on Sat 28

th April,

with the league campaign getting under way on 5thMay at Kenilworth. Pre-season

nets will be Thursday evenings in Henley through April. In the meantime pitch prep, AGM, kit de-mothballing – much to do! All fixtures and club info can be viewed on the club wesite: www.claverdoncc.org

The major event for the District Council this month is the release of the new draft of the Local Development Framework for consultation. The Parish Council has been asked to comment and I also suggest that anyone who wishes to contribute should write in. A copy of the framework is available on the district council web site – search for core strategy ldf. The main proposals affecting Claverdon are:

Removal of the rigid 30% by volume limit on extensions, replacing it more in line with Government guidance that an extension should be in proportion.

Designation of Claverdon as a Local Service Village which means it must take a share of the District‘s allocation to LSV of 2,800 homes. Pro rata for Claverdon this would be 70 new homes.

35% of new homes to be ―affordable‖ and funded by developers. Possibly new housing estate size to be limited to 2% of the total housing stock in the village which for Claverdon would be 10 houses.

Gypsy and Traveller sites would principally be located in the Avon valley and not in the Green Belt although special circumstances could still be used to allow sites in the Green Belt

Village plans to become a material consideration in determining planning applications.

Although the LDF is a consultation document the previous Government‘s regional spatial strategy still is operating and will take precedent until the consultation period has finished and comments been incorporated into the LDF which has then been approved by a Government Inspector. If you need to contact me about any matter relating to the District Council please

telephone 01926 842068. John Horner

Claverdon Cricket Club

Neighbourhood Watch

Les is now home from hospital and we all wish him a full

recovery. In the meantime he reminds us that the next police

surgery is Tuesday, 27 March at the DM Hall commencing 7:00pm

followed by a coordinators meeting at 7:30pm

THE HENLEY AND BEAUDESERT SOCIETY

Our next meeting is on Thursday 15th March in the Baptist Church Hall at 8.00 pm when Roger Pringle will give a talk on ‗Shakespeare and his Local Back-ground‘. Visitors and new members are very welcome. Further details from Pat Kench on 795419.

Henley-in-Arden Methodist Church

Preparations are continuing for the Henley Community Library to share the use of our premises, and during March there will need to be some installation works carried out. Then we look forward to welcoming the wider community, we see ourselves as fully available to serve all comers, just as our Lord Jesus did before us. Sunday Services, all at 10.30 am are:

4th, Mr James O Steele.

11th, Mrs Sheila Brown.

18th, Revd Helen Bell (Sacrament).

25th, Mr Telfryn Pritchard.

MUSIC FOR EVERYONE

Wootton Wawen‘s Diamond Jubilee events in June will include five concerts in St. Peter‘s Church under the banner of ―Celebrations and Jubilations‖. All will take place during the week commencing 10

th. June – starting with an organ re-

cital plus strawberry tea and concluding with a new programme by the well-known ―Armonico Consort‖ based on the Queen‘s Coronation. There will be something for all tastes and ages. Please keep the dates free in your diaries – more details later!

‘Love in action’ WOMEN’S BREAKFAST WITH

Steph and Geoff Claverdon Church Centre - Saturday 10 March at 8.00 am

Steph didn't even realise there were any homeless people in Leamington but in 1990 she

heard God's call to go and look after them!

Since 1991 Steph and Geoff Devlin have been working through the Leamington Christian

Mission to 'meet the need' of homeless people in Leamington and Warwick......

Their converted buses parked nightly at the Jephson Gardens have been the base to hand out

hot soup, sandwiches, tea and coffee - and often bedding - to people living on the streets.

Other projects run on a large scale include distribution of food parcels and Christmas

presents and organising holidays for the many needy families in the area. This „ordinary‟

couple, through God‟s „love in action‟ have transformed the lives of so many people who

live on our doorstep.

Reserve 10th March in your diary and book tickets now from Joy Cater: 01926 842149 Gill Evans: 01926 842690/843234 Sarah Breen: 01926 840049

Penny Hanson: 01926 843421 Liz Rayner: 01564 792737

From Muck to Inspiration Claverdon Men’s Breakfast Saturday 12th May 2012

Ken Neilson is an „exiled Scot‟ who spent his whole career in agriculture –

starting in practical farming which led on to management development within

his consultancy „KGN INSPIRATION‟. He has just retired from 3 years as

National President of Gideons International (UK).

He will use his life experiences to reflect on those who inspire us and why

together with a light-hearted look at the motivating force which drives our values, our attitudes and our actions.

Please contact Martin Pleasance 01926 842532 for ticket information.

Upcoming Breakfasts

It Takes Two….

Written by the Revd Terry Mason

Most people who live in Claverdon and its surrounding community will have had

some contact with the Parish church. There is an army of committed people who

are daily involved in the life of our parish church and whose efforts contribute to

its special place in our community and lives. Two key people involved in the ad-

ministration of the parish are Gill Evans and Sue Holt. Many will know Gill and

appreciate her passionate commitment to the church centre and to the many groups

she is involved with, nothing is too much for her and Gill‟s work with people of all

ages is invaluable.

Although not so well known, Sue Holt is an equally valuable member of the team

who has recently become secretary to the vicar and offers additional administrative

support for my role as the Area Dean. Previously Sue had been involved with

maintaining the web site and data bases for the parish but her new role includes

dealing with the high volume of administration that arises through the vicar‟s pas-

toral work in all three parishes. Sue handles all enquiries concerning baptism, mar-

riage or funerals as well as dealing with the high volume of internal business and

communications generated daily in the vicarage. When making enquiries people

can contact either the vicarage or the church centre office to receive any guidance

needed.

CLAVERDON CHURCH FLOWER ROTA

Everyone appreciates the beautiful flowers which appear in Claverdon Church week by

week. It is sad to say, though, that the number of folk who volunteer to do this is

becoming fewer. It isn‟t an onerous task; you would perhaps only be called upon once

a year. You don‟t have to be a flower arranger, perhaps use the occasion on the

calendar to celebrate an anniversary or birthday. If you would like to help contact Pat

Burgoyne (01926 842206 or email malc_pat_burgoyne@btinternet.com)

J.John coming to Coventry Cathedral

The very popular Christian speaker J.John will be speaking at Coventry Cathedral on

Saturday 17th March at 7pm.

Contact http://www.philotrust.com/events/viewevent/244#.Tzkp11yu55Y if you would

like more details

THE MONDAY CLUB

Our January 9th meeting seems a very long time ago now. It was an opportunity for members to exchange news after the Christmas break, as well as to discuss Club plans for the coming months. Sadly, we heard of the death on Christmas Day of Joan Loman who, before going into residential care, was for many years a loyal member of the Monday Club. Joan was very involved in Club life and will be affectionately remembered by all those members who knew her. We offer our sincere condolences to Joan's family. On January 23rd, Dot Percival was the caller for our Bingo session, in which Sheila Clarke

and Hugh Jones emerged as the lucky prize winners. Many thanks to Dot for hosting an

enjoyable afternoon's entertainment.

On February 6th, David Wood was our guest with a talk on his forty years as a thatcher.

Starting as an apprentice, he has gone on to become Chairman of the North of England

Master Thatchers Association. Mr Wood had brought along a selection of materials used in

the art of thatching and demonstrated how tied bundles of straw or reed are layered onto a

roof and secured with hazel wood pegs, the ends of the bundles then being pushed into

position and neatened with a flat tool known as a “Leggett”. There was a comprehensive

display of other tools of the trade such as shears, a mallet and even an old, but still

efficient, butcher's knife! In past times, blackberry bramble or wound straw would have

been used to tie the bundles, and Mr Wood demonstrated how incredibly strong these

natural materials are. However, these days manufactured twine is used. It was also

explained that softer, rounder straw thatches are traditionally found in the West Country,

whereas water reed, giving a sharper appearance, is used in East Anglia. Every thatcher

has his own signature ridge design and Mr Wood displayed a sample of his. However,

some clients, not content with this, like to have a straw animal or bird atop their brand-new

thatch. Mr Wood doesn't favour these additions to his work but, in order to satisfy a client's

wishes, he has a supply of ready-made ones, such as squirrels, on stand-by. There was

much amusement in the room when, with the aid of a length of pole, he demonstrated his

somewhat brisk method of attaching the squirrel to the roof. Enough said! Mr Wood later

took members' questions and Richard Peel proposed a vote of thanks.

In closing , an early reminder to all friends, old and new. Please note that the Monday

Club's annual Market and Coffee Morning will be held on Saturday, April 28th at the

Church Centre. Look out for more details in next month's magazine.

Events to note:

March 5th 'A Day in Court'. A talk by David Berry.

March 19th Our Annual Flower Show.

April 2nd A light-hearted look at 'Modern Manners' with David Howe.

Hazel Luckett

Women’s World Day of Prayer

2 pm. on Friday 2nd March 2012

St John The Baptist Church, Honiley

Speaker: Diana Sliwinski, President of Mothers‟ Union, Coventry

‘Let Justice Prevail’

Men & women welcome

CLAVERDON Gardening Group

Our first meeting of 2012 took place at the DM Hall on January 17th

where Hilary Twigg gave a talk on easy pruning.!

On February 21st Adrian James presented Bodenham Arboretum through the seasons.

The AGM will take place on March 20th and be immediately followed by a members quiz

with a gardening theme and our 2012 trips will include The Spring Garden Show at the

Three Counties Showground and the home of the National Pelargonium Collection and

National Hedera Collection at Fibrex Nurseries.

If you wish to join this friendly group or participate in any events, please contact Mick/Iris

Kitchen on 843159 Les Edwards

CLAVERDON FIRST RESPONDERS

After our last meeting in January it was agreed we would change our name

to Claverdon and District CFR as we are now covering a wider area and

have members of the group spanning further afield than just Claverdon.

(New logo to follow). We are also in the throws of becoming a charitable

group too.

I have now recently completed my 12 hour observation ambulance shift (a big thank you to

Tim Cronin for letting me shadow him for the day). I am now ready and able to respond

after a very interesting day with West Midlands Ambulance Service to finalise my training.

Our fundraising efforts over the past year and your kind donations have enabled us to pur-

chase a second response bag, which should be with us any day now. We also need some

additional items not included in the standard response bag.

We are aiming to raise around £250 to enable us to buy essential kit:

Pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff and stethoscope for the group. If anyone has a stetho-

scope they could kindly donate, any help would be greatly appreciated.

We are a small group of trained individuals in Claverdon/surrounding areas who are volun-

teers for West Midlands Ambulance Service and are the first point of contact when a 999

call comes in as a first response to an incident in the area, where an ambulance is required

but could take some time getting to the scene. We are trained in many areas of first aid and

the use of an automated defibrillator unit.

If you are interested in helping as a Community First Responder or would like to know

more about the role, please get in touch. Paul Johnson, Claverdon CFR

Contact Details email Claverdon.CFR@gmail.com

Or follow us on twitter @ClaverdonCFR for details of future meetings.

The New Year and New Term has begun with lots of exciting activities and we have

welcomed three new children to our group, so there have been a lot of “getting to know

you” games and songs.

We have been exploring “ice” and made a “small world” Arctic region with polar bears,

penguins, seals, reindeer as well as sledges, explorers, caterpillar trucks and skiers not

to mention icebergs.

Following our visit to Henley Ice Cream Parlour in December we have set up a “Role

Play” Ice Cream Shop selling a delicious selection of ices and lollies to eat in or take

away. The till is in constant use and clip boards used to take orders.

Once again we visited Hill Close Gardens with the older children to take part in a Bird

and Garden watch. Wearing our listening ears we went in groups of 6 looking and

listening for birds, we saw lots including a flock of chirping sparrows and a very

friendly robin in the children‟s garden. The children made bird cake, a bobbin robin and

a mask to take home. They have been watching visiting birds on the feeder at the

Church Centre. More recently we have been celebrating Chinese New Year with

dancing to Chinese music, using chopsticks to eat noodles, trying Chinese food, making

Ang Pow envelopes and copying Chinese writing.

Our Road Safety visit from The Little Green Bear Club was great with discussions,

songs and stories about staying safe near traffic, Stop Look Listen before we cross the

road, wearing a safety helmet on bikes and scooters and wearing bright colours when

walking near a road especially when it is dark or getting dark. All very important things

to understand. We are looking forward to all the changes in Spring and to be able to be

outside more now we have had our Astroturf replaced thanks to a generous grant that

was applied for. With thanks for your continued interest and support. Laura Holden Manager 843353

Obituary—ROBERT (BOB) C.N. DEVEY

Bob‟s wife Anna, son Steven, daughter Jo and his brothers from the Welsh Borders,

along with a large number of family and friends packed Claverdon church on 24th No-

vember for a service of thanksgiving for Bob‟s life. Bob was a civil engineer working

in South Africa and other parts of the UK and moved to Claverdon in 1986. He be-

came involved in village life and a prominent member of the Tennis Club for many

years, being a very active member until his sudden illness in November. Bob married

Anna in 2002 and shortly afterwards they moved to Hatton. Bob retired only a year or

so ago enjoying pursuits such as golf, cycling, walking and, of course, tennis.

There were many contributions and anecdotes during his service, most notably illus-

trating his light hearted banter on and off the court and the well-known Bob Devey

disarming smile. A former colleague told of the considerable professional esteem in

which he was held along with a number of other former associates all keen to share the

service. His brothers provided a loving and touching insight into his younger years

and his son Steven gave a moving tribute to his father and he will be much missed by

his family and friends and all who knew him.

CLAVERDON SCHOOL

One of the highlights of our Spring Term calendar is Science Week. We had a great week before half term. Our older pupils in Key Stage 2 all went to ‗Think Tank‘ in Birmingham for a day of exploration and investigation. They had a really good day. Some of the comments were; ‗Think Tank was amazing. I loved it, I learnt so much. The Space workshop was so cool…‘ Isabelle ‘…Year 4 went to the classroom and did detective work on a robbery. Then we had lunch. After lunch we looked around the museum. Then we had to come back to school. We had a really fun time.‘ Millie and Maddy ‘We went to the Think Tank and it had lots of amazing levels. We went to the massive planetarium and we looked at the North Star and we looked at the Moon. We had lunch with lots of different schools and then we went in the past area where we looked at old machines and a water tank.‘ In preparation for Science Week, we contacted a company called Living Eggs. The company supplies fertilized hen eggs and an incubator. Within three days of arriving in school the eggs cracked and a brood of ten little chickens hatched. Children and adults found it fascinating to watch their growth and behaviour. In the second week the chicks visited children in their classes and all children had an opportunity to handle the chicks if they wished. During one of our assemblies we talked about the scientist Jane Goodall, who investigated and studied chimpanzees. We learnt that because of her work, we know that chimps use tools. We made some comparisons between our studies of the life cycle of hens and what we have been able to observe ourselves and how we all enjoyed extending our knowledge and understanding through close observation and practical experimentation. We learnt that sometimes things go well and we get the results we hoped for and that sometimes things don‘t go exactly to plan – lessons for life! Throughout the week there was a very lively atmosphere in the school as children asked questions and carried out experiments with enthusiasm. Weeks like this are important as they create opportunities for practical learning and for cooperative teamwork. Everyone in school does their best to support a positive, creative learning environment all the time and such exciting projects help to support and reinforce quality learning, good behaviour and social skills throughout our whole school community.

Kate Gover

Headteacher, Claverdon Primary School