Stambourne

In this issue:

• STAMBOURNE PARISH COUNCIL
• ST. PETER & ST. THOMAS BECKET PARISH CHURCH
• SERVICES AT STAMBOURNE FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS
• WHAT’S ON AT THE CHAPEL
• STAMBOURNE LADIES GROUP
• STAMBOURNE ACTIVITIES
• OTHER ACTIVITIES

Parish Council

Each year at the Annual General Meeting the Chair and Vice Chair are elected and roles reviewed. Here is the make-up of the Parish Council for this year:

• Neil Pyman – Chair
• Andrew Drysdale – Vice Chair/ Tree Warden
• Michael Crago – Emergency Plan
• Martyn Fall
• Karen Grant – Footpaths
• Val Kerrison – Church Warden
• Vanessa Young – Village Hall Representative

Pavilion

Thanks to a grant from Braintree District Council’s Councillor Community Grant, 30 new chairs have been bought for the Pavilion. Bookings are coming in for the summer. A review of fire safety has taken place and the booking conditions have been updated to reflect this.

If you book the Pavilion, please ensure you read the booking conditions carefully.

The Pavilion can be booked using the details on this page »

Playing Field

The next equipment safety inspection is due and will take place soon. Plans are underway to install grass protection mesh over the vehicle access point from the car park onto the grass.

Highways

As you will know, potholes are a major problem on all the roads. Essex County Councillor Peter Schwier was at the meeting and there was an in-depth discussion about the problems and what ECC are doing about this. The potholes that have been in the village for some time have all been reported in. Highway problems can be reported direct to ECC Highways or let me know and I can report it – photos are always helpful.

Potholes can be reported on the Essex County Council website »

The Speed Indicator device now has several locations in the village and will be moved around regularly. It does appear to be slowing down traffic.

Finance

The accounts for the year ended 31st March 2024 have been completed, approved by the internal auditor and are available on the website.

Parish Council Meeting Dates 2024
• 18th July 2024
• 19th September 2024
• 21st November 2024

All are Thursdays at 7.30pm in the Village Hall unless shown otherwise.

More details may be found here »

Full minutes are available here: stambourne.com/parish-council.

Debbie Hilliard, Parish Clerk

debbiehilliard614@gmail.com, 01440 785 629

As there were no objections or new applications, the results of the Annual General Meeting of the Parochial Church Council, held on 30th April was as follows:

• Churchwarden – Val Kerrison
• Secretary – Nick Haywood
• Treasurer – Jane Waller
• Committee members – Bob Bradfield and Oscar Pickess

Val Kerrison, Churchwarden

valeriekerrison@outlook.com, 01440 785 752 or 07879 816 362

Visit: Wendy the Detectorist »

A walk and talk with viewing of Wendy’s interesting historical finds. If you have anything you’d like to bring along that you have found in the ground please do so as Wendy can help you identify it.

Pub afterwards for those who would like to do that.

• Thursday, 13th June 2024
• Time: TBC
• Free for members; £TBC for guests
• Radwinter

Fish and chips supper »

Join the Stambourne Ladies Group for our fantastic annual Fish ’n’ Chip supper, hopefully accompanied by a beautiful sunset!

Fish and chip yumminess, followed by a surprise dessert. Bring your own drinks. There will also be a fun raffle with great prizes (contact Lorna or Zoe at one of the numbers below if you would like to donate a prize).

Guests are welcome. Round up your friends and family and make a day of it! 

• Wednesday, 10th July 2024
• 6pm for 6.30pm
• £6 for members; £8 for guests
• ADVANCE BOOKINGS ONLY
• Stambourne Pavilion, Church Road, Stambourne CO9 4NP

Outing to English Spirit Distillery »

“English Spirit distillery have opened the doors to their Grade II listed Black Barn at Great Yeldham Hall, and would like to welcome you in for a distillery tour and tasting like no other. The Black Barn, is home to twenty copper pot alembic stills, the home of English rum, and The UK’s biggest collection of scratch distilled spirits & liqueurs, including…vodka, gin, rum, brandy, single malt, liqueurs, and more!”

• Date: TBC
• Time: TBC
• Cost: TBC
• English Spirit Distillery, Great Yeldham Hall, Church Road, Great Yeldham CO9 4PT

Village Hall available for hire »

Hiring Fees, including heating and electricity:

• For residents: £8 per hour
• For non-residents: £10 per hour

This includes heating and a kitchen.

There is also a table tennis table and carpet bowls is available.

To hire the Stambourne Village Hall:

Contact Rosemary Horton on 01440 785 339 or by email at: rosihorton1@gmail.com for more details.

Craft Market in Stambourne »

• Saturday, 20th July 2024
• 10.30am – 1.30pm
• Stambourne Village Hall, Church Road, Stambourne CO9 4NP
• FREE ADMISSION!

Contact Coral Fordham on 07876 553 332 for more details.

Knit & Natter Club »

• Every Thursday
• 5pm – 7pm
• The Green Man, 3 Church Lane, Toppesfield CO9 4DR
• THE Stambourne Knitting group: get crafty with knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidery, quilting and more!
• Bring along your projects, share ideas and tips, get inspired or just come for a chat. Everyone welcome!

Contact Anna on 07944 696 527 for more details.

And if you can’t knit/won’t knit? That’s fine! Just come for a natter and to meet friends (or make new ones). Whatever your levels of craftiness, join in!
More info »

Photos courtesy of Wendy, Christina and Zoe.

Aurora Borealis

On Friday, May 10th 2024, the village witnessed a very rare display of this phenomenon. They could be seen after one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years hit Earth. The last one was in 2003.

The northern lights generally appear in high latitude regions such as the Arctic or Scandinavia and more commonly between September and March. 

Their colourful glow is caused by a stream of charged particles that have escaped the sun (known as solar wind) interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. The particles hit our atmosphere at high speed and combine with oxygen and nitrogen to create a multicoloured burst. A green glow is associated with oxygen while nitrogen causes the appearance of purple, blue and pink.