PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – Thursday 16th March

The latest meeting of the Parish Council took place on Thursday 16 March 2017 at 7.30pm in the village hall, Stambourne. We were pleased to welcome Richard Van Dulken, our Braintree District Councillor.

Richard Van Dulken advised the Parish Council that it has been proposed the parishes of Stambourne, Toppesfield and Great Yeldham be moved to the Saffron Walden MP’s constituency but they would still remain part of Braintree District.

Pavilion – The booking conditions for the Pavilion have been reviewed and agreed.

Playing field - The annual inspection of the play equipment has been carried out. Please note that no dogs are allowed on the playing field and some extra signage is going to be arranged.

Highways – Potholes are a continuing problem in the area. As always you can report any highway problems at www.essex.gov.uk and follow the links.

Footpaths – The bridge at the start of footpath 17 at Chapel End Way has now been repaired. There are some waymarker signs missing where footpaths 1/24/27 merge and the sign for footpath 22 has rotted and fallen over. These will all be reported to the Footpaths Officer at Essex County Council.

Planning - there are currently two appeals taking place for Moat Hall Farm (no 16/01482/FUL) and Primrose Cottage (no 16/01148/FUL). An application has been received for Fieldside Lodge (no 17/00400/FUL).

War Memorial – We hope you will all agree that the War Memorial looks so much improved after its renovation. We would also like to thank Stambourne Church for its donation towards the cost of this work. The Parish Council are now looking at ways of improving the lettering on the memorial. More details to follow.

There being no further business to discuss the meeting closed at 8.30pm.



Full minutes and agendas are available on the village website www.stambourne.com

Debbie Hilliard
Parish Clerk
Tel: 01440 785629
Email: debbiehilliard614@gmail.com

SUMMER FUN ON THE FIELD
on Saturday 1st July 3pm

There is not going to be a fete this year, so we are going to try something a bit different.

We are holding a meeting on the 24th April at 6pm in the village hall, so please come along so we can all make it a great day.

Please contact Lesley on 07889 745180
or Vanessa on 01440 785122
or turn up on the 24th April



ST. PETER & ST. THOMAS BECKET PARISH CHURCHIn the last month there have been two Holy Baptism Services in the Church. It was lovely to welcome Florence Onslow & Summer Warren to the Church with their Parents, Godparents & families.  Rev. Liz Paxton officiated at both Services.

Gt Yeldham Church have a Flower Festival from 27th - 29th May & would welcome support from Stambourne Villagers.

The pattern of Services for the next two months is as follows:

APRIL 2nd. Morning Prayer         9.30am
APRIL 9th. Palm Sunday - Benefice Communion @ Gt Yeldham Church 10.45m
APRIL 16th. EASTER SUNDAY - Holy Communion    9.30am
APRIL 23rd. Morning Prayer         9.30am
APRIL 30th. Benefice Communion Service @ Toppesfield Church 11.00am

MAY 7th. Morning Prayer          9.30am
MAY 14th. Holy Communion       9.30am
MAY 21st. No Service @ Stambourne Church (Please see notice board for other Services in  the Benefice).
MAY 28th.    Holy Communion       9.30am

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!

Dutch Musicians Concert -  playing light classical & show tunes in Stambourne Church - Saturday May 6th - 7pm.  Light refreshments.  Donations on the night.  No need to book.  

For further information contact 01440 785752 –
Val Kerrison -  Churchwarden







Priestly Ponderings

New Growth – Easter is quite late this year and that often means glorious spring flowers are available in our gardens – the hedgerows are bursting with May blossom (a month early) and our Churches are beautifully decorated for the Easter season after the austerity of the Lent season.

We are all affected by the turning of the seasons and the surge of new growth in our gardens and parks, the arrival of the songbirds in our gardens creates in us, too a desire for new beginnings. The garden centres and D I Y stores do a booming trade as we decide to re-feather our own nests and revitalize our environment after the long winter.

It’s also a time to revitalise your spiritual life, and there are lots of new ways that you can do that, now, here in Stambourne and in the wider area. You can encourage your 5-11 years old to come along to the Easter Holiday club on Tuesday 11 April at 2pm in St Peter’s Church, Sible Hedingham.

You can encourage your teenagers to come on a week’s camp in the summer at Soul Survivor (call Rev Liz for more info on this one).

Its not all for the children either - there’s a men’s breakfast with a speaker at the vicarage in Castle Hedingham on some Saturday mornings and if you really want to kick start an interest in faith matters then come along to the Alpha course starting after Easter. Just like the spring plants in your garden which need feeding and watering your own life does too. You know that’s true on a physical and emotional level – so don’t leave out the spiritual level. It’s time to do some thing new.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

At Easter we remember Christ’s sacrifice and the wonderful overturning of expectations on Easter Morning with the resurrection of Jesus. The whole world was new – I hope to see you on Easter morning - come and fine out what a difference Easter can make to your life.

With every blessing.

Rev Liz Paxton liz@paxtonconsulting.co.uk 01787 277270




STAMBOURNE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Adrian Burr
From your Chapel …

Well in case any one hasn't noticed - God's not Dead!!. We have watched two films of that title now and both come up with compelling legal arguments as to the truth of that statement. Some will say that they don't believe, but then the existence of something or someone is not dependent on an individual's belief.

Some believed the earth was flat, but that didn't mean it was! So our belief doesn't make something true, for if we believe in something that is dependent only on us believing it, then it is man made, and manufactured and, as we have seen so often, from communism to dictatorships, those sort of beliefs fail.

And yet Christianity has survived. Not just for 100 years or a 100 years but for 2,017 years and is based on a faith that was founded some 3000 years before that!

It's a trick question I often ask people at Easter time. How long ago was the first Easter when Jesus died on the cross? It's a trick question for several reasons. Some people don't know that our calendar is based on the date of the birth of Jesus Christ and so are not aware that they need only to subtract Jesus age at his death from the current year.

Others know that fact but are not sure when he died (33 years later), and the cleverer people will know that our calendar has been changed a few times (a whole 11 days was lost when the change from Julian to Gregorian calendar was made, and this was at a different time in different countries.)

A further complication is that today we believe that the Romans managed to get Jesus birthday wrong by 3 years! And to further complicate the matter the first Easter was based on the Jewish calendar not the Roman one or the one we use today!! So it's not a simple question to answer. And there are lots of other not-so-simple questions relating to Easter.

Why does the date move each year? (That is to do with the Jewish calendar which is based on lunar months). Why do we relate it to chickens and eggs? That's all to do with new life which we see springing up around us, but all to do with the new life we have in Jesus the Christ which is all due to the Resurrection. So we can see it gets all very complicated, but the story behind Easter is very simple.
Come along to an Easter Service and find out what its all about and the difference it can make to your life...

Easter Services: Good Friday at 3pm - reflection on the events leading up to Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday 8am at the Chapel followed by breakfast and then at 10:15 am a service of Easter Celebration, with coffee and refreshments afterwards.

DATES for your Diary
Saturday April 1st – Easter Craft Day 10-2pm - Card making, dough modelling, and any other Easter crafts you can think of!
Sunday 7th May at 6pm The Story of the Psalms in Song. We will be singing through the five books of Psalms and reflecting on their story.
Tuesday 16th May at 10am - 2pm Plant Swap and sale. Bring your plants for swap and sale and we will provide the drinks and snacks.
WORSHIP AND ACTIVITIES
Every Sunday
Our Worship Service is held at 10:45 am followed by coffee
1st Sunday join us for a Communion Service
2nd and 3rd Sundays Lively Worship Services sometimes with visiting preachers
4th Sunday - Service followed by Lunch together
Every Tuesday - 10-12am Coffee and Chat. Discussion and craft over coffee and biscuits. Come and join a little time out for fun and friendship! (This may change to Thursdays after Easter - watch our notices)
Every Tuesday – Stambourne Worship Team Practice evening. Join us at 7pm for prayer, and 7:30pm for the music. If you play an instrument or sing we would welcome you to come and see whether you could join us.
Every Wednesday - 7pm Intercessory Prayers. If you would like prayer for your needs or for a friend or family member then please let us know or come and join us. Drop a note through our letter box ...
Every Thursday – 2pm House Group and Bible Study – Open to all. Call if you would like to join with us.

Contacts: Adrian Burr, Minister, 01440 730211, 07983 656166, aburr@inbox.com
Brian Mead, Secretary, 01371 345377, railnutter@gmail.com

Facebook: Stambourne Chapel
“SUPERFAST” BROADBAND IN STAMBOURNE - UPDATE

BT/OpenReach are currently finishing the work on the new telephone cabinet that will supply fibre broadband to Stambourne. Their fastest product, called BT Infinity, will probably be offered to those areas of the village that are within a certain distance of the cabinet at Hill Farm where they can guarantee a speed of at least 30Mb/s. However, the “Superfast Essex” scheme, run by Essex County Council have recently updated their likely future coverage of parish and is listing houses further out of the village as being unavailable for Superfast speeds.

I have contacted them for clarification about this and asking if those properties who won’t be offered BT Infinity will be offered a lower speed but still much faster product than is currently available. This is called “BT Unlimited Faster Broadband” and provides speeds upto 25Mb/s using the same technology as BT Inifinity but at a reduced speed due to the distance from the cabinet.

Hopefully, Superfast Essex and BT will clarify this soon and the whole village will benefit from the work they have been doing to bring fibre broadband to Stambourne.

Halstead and District Local History Society

Thursday 20th April 2017
Exploring a Mediaeval Manor at Goldingham Hall, near Bulmer – A talk by an old friend of the Society, Ashley Cooper

Thursday 18th May 2017
Jumbo: Iconic Image of Colchester’s skyline – a talk by Brian Light, Chairman of the Balkerne Tower Trust

All meetings commence at 7.30pm
Baptist Church, Hedingham Road. Halstead, Essex, CO9 2DA
Membership: £15.00 per Annum (£25.00 Couple)
Under 30 years of age: FREE
Visitors: £5.00
For more information see www.halsteadhistory.org.uk




SLG Stambourne Ladies Group
You are invited to come along to our friendly monthly get-togethers in the Village Hall which is transformed into a bistro every second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm.

Our annual membership fee is £10 with £2 being paid at each meeting. A buffet is laid on by our catering team together with tea, coffee and cold drinks (wine glasses are to hand if you wish to bring along your own vino or favourite tipple). We look forward to welcoming you or call Annabel (785809) or Vicky (785528) for a chat.

NEW! Club Outings and Interest Groups – contact each other, choose from the assortment and invite others along. Updated monthly - your suggestions welcome.
Latest News from SLG
8th FEBRUARY - Tudor Queens – Kendra Jones promised a whirlwind tour of the Tudor Court and that’s what we got! An entertaining and educational hour defining the relationships King Henry VIII had with the women in his life. Kendra brought along tailor-made garments of the time which had been painstakingly copied from detailed designs taken from portraits.
8th MARCH - 20th Century Fashions – Vanessa Howard has been collecting vintage clothing and accessories for over 30 years. She discussed the changes in women’s fashions over the past 100 years and illustrated these with various, gorgeous examples. This was a must for anyone fascinated by fashion history and was enjoyed by all.
12th APRIL - History of Harrods – Eve Regelous gives an interesting and surprising talk on the history of one of Britain’s most famous and exclusive stores.
10th MAY - Annual dinner – Nine Jars Bistro, Haverhill.
14th JUNE - My Creative Journey – Amanda Sutherland. A talk on her career path through Film, Television and Theatrical costume design with amusing and inspirational stories along the way.
12th JULY - BBQ at the Pavilion.
9th AUGUST - No meeting.
13th SEPTEMBER - Fashion Show at M&Co, Haverhill (open to everyone).
11th OCTOBER – Little known Stambourne Facts by Tony Bayley (open to everyone).


8th NOVEMBER – Cheese and Wine (open to everyone).
13th DECEMBER – Dramatic Ditties (open to everyone).

SLG 2017 Club Outings & Interest Groups

Munch Bunch
Blue Egg / CM7 4PY – anytime Timbers / CM77 6RA – anytime Cressing Temple Barns Spring Food & Home Fair / CM77 8PD – 11th to 12th March Suffolk Flower & Food Show / IP3 8UH – 15th to 17th April Essex Fine Food Show / CM3 1QP – 13th to 14th May
Culture Creatures
Audley End House / CB11 4JA – anytime Fitzwilliam Museum / CB2 1RB – anytime Twelfth Night / Haverhill Art Centre CB9 8AR – 6th April Julius Caesar / Haverhill Art Centre CB9 8AR – 25th April Clare Art Exhibition / Town Hall CO10 8NN – 29th April
Greenfingers
Blue Egg Garden Centre / CM7 4PY – anytime Scotsdales / CB22 5JS – anytime Beth Chatto Gardens / CO7 7DB – anytime Suffolk Flower & Food Show /IP3 8UH – 15th to 17th April Plant Sale / Ridgewell Garden Society John 01440 788286 – 13th May Plant Swap / The Chapel – 16th May Revitalise Your Borders / Ridgewell Garden Society John 01440 788286 – 8th June
Chick Flicks
Haverhill Arts Centre Cinema – leaflet attached My Feral Heart – 19th March Trainspotting - 4th April The Artist’s Garden – 21st March Lion - 5th & 19th April Loving – 27th March Toni Erdmann – 10th April Denial – 28th March Hidden Figures – 11th April Hacksaw Ridge – 30th March Viceroy’s House – 18th & 24th April
Femmes en Forme
Lara Scott-Norris, 07764 753104 – Lara is a “gym for people who don’t like going to the gym” Eve, Stambourne 07941 569992 – Eve is a highly qualified Holistic & Beauty Therapist Slimming World / Haverhill – Jo 07724 611311 or Weightwatchers / Haverhill – Anita Johnson 03457 123000 Pilates, Body Balance, Studio Cycling, Core Stability and more / Haverhill Leisure Centre 01440 702548
Knit & Stitch
Summer Craft Market / Clare Town Hall CO10 8NN – 6th May Blake House Craft Fair / CM77 6RA – 20th May Clare Craft Fair / CO10 8NN – 2nd December Can you sew, knit or crochet? Please share your talents with SLG Members.
Stambourne Litter-pick 19th March.
We had a very successful morning with lots of Stambourne residents turning up at short notice to volunteer to fill bags kindly supplied by Braintree Council.  We estimate that 40 to 50 bags were filled.  Thank you to all the volunteers.
We❤Stambourne.


Just a few of the villagers who took part



Stambourne Defibrillator Awareness Training.
It's estimated that over 25 residents applied to attend the course being held on 23rd March in our Village Hall.  The defibrillator (donated by The Horse & Groom) is located on the wall of our Chapel in Chapel End Way (entry code C159X) and is checked regularly to ensure it's in good working order.
Village Hall Quiz Night

Saturday 27th May - 7.30pm Start.

£10.00 per person.
£5.00 for under 11 yrs. old.

Buffet Meal & Desert.

Bring your own drinks.

Come and have a laugh - meet your neighbours.

Ring Cath on

785678


Jumble Sale

The next Jumble Sale is on 6th May at 2pm. This time we are raising money for the Essex Air ambulance and the Samaritans Purse. I need volunteers please!  I need help on the Saturday setting up and selling. Also I would like to sell more refreshments this time, so I need donations of cakes please. They don’t have to be home made.

If you would like to put forward suggestions of local groups we can raise money for please get in touch. I would like to change the second donation each Jumble.

If you can help please contact Annabel on 01440 785809 or annabelpetrus@msn.com.
Working from home? Want free advertising? Join our Local Services Directory.

If you offer a local service: cleaning, plumbing, gardening, babysitting, electrical work, odd jobs, dog walking, hairdressing, IT support, in fact anything that might be useful to local people, then contact me with your name, list of services you offer and your contact details and I’ll include them in a list to be distributed as a leaflet throughout the village. Deadline for applications 15th April. Contact me by email: fionabayley@btinternet.com or by telephone 01440 785495 (evenings only) . Fiona Bayley.


VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGS



For Village Hall bookings, please contact Rosi on 01440 785339 or email at rosihorton1@gmail.com.







DIARY DATES

April
12th Stambourne Ladies, Village Hall, 7.30pm
24th Meeting regarding “Summer Fun” event, Village Hall, 6pm
May
6th Jumble Sale, Village Hall, 2pm
16th Plant Swap and Sale at The Chapel
27th Quiz Night, Village Hall, 7.30pm


Items for the next Newsletter by 17th May
me@stephenplatt.com Tel: 07767 357016