STAMBOURNE NEWSLETTER
APRIL/MAY 2011

Published and distributed by Stambourne Parish Council No 202

Parish Council Meeting – Thursday 17th March 2011

This was the final meeting of Stambourne Parish Council before the elections in May 2011. We were pleased to welcome Cllr Finch and one member of the public.

Before the meeting proper began Cllr Finch presented the following matters to the Council:-


    Questions were invited on the above and other issues. One matter raised was that of policing in rural areas and the time it takes for police to respond when telephoned. Concerns were also expressed over the possibility of the police station at Great Yeldham closing. Cllr Finch undertook to make some enquiries and respond on this issue.

    Pavilion - Martyn reported that the downpipe in the toilet has popped
    out and needs attention. Oscar will take a look. The Home Schooling group has been using the pavilion for shelter during their sports sessions but have been advised that the water is switched off for the winter.

    Playing field - The “No Dogs” sign has been fitted. The field has been rolled and cut for the first time this year.

    Highways – Again there are a number of potholes and trenches at the edge of roads requiring attention throughout the parish. These have been noted and reported for repair.

    Gritting – As you know gritting of our roads has been a major issue this year. What usually happens is that the gritting lorry travels through Stambourne via Dyers End from Finchingfield and then out towards Great Yeldham twice a day in bad weather. The Parish Council have requested that Dyers End be gritted once a day only and that the 2nd service should be

    diverted to travel through Chapel End Way thus making the other end of the village accessible and safer. Essex Highways are considering the suggestion and we hope to have a positive outcome in time for the next winter season.

    The next meeting will take place on Thursday 19 May 2011 at 7.30pm in the village hall. There being no other business to discuss the meeting closed at approximately 9.00pm.

    Debbie Hilliard
    Clerk
    Tel: 01440 785629
    Email:
    Debbie.Hilliard@Duffields.co.uk

    PROPOSED WIND FARM AT CLARE
    Details are being received of a proposal for a wind farm at Clare. No doubt more details will appear in local press in due course. However, we understand that full details of the proposal can be found by contacting groups in Clare.


    COUNCIL TAX
    You should now have received your Council Tax details from Braintree District Council which shows the rise in the parish element of the Council Tax for Stambourne. The Parish Council endeavors to keep any outgoings as low as possible and get best value for money. The Parish Council has not raised its element since 2008 and some research has shown that our cost to Council Tax payers is significantly less than those of neighbouring parishes. As a public body all of Stambourne’s accounts are open to view by parishioners by contacting the Parish Clerk.


    LOCAL ELECTIONS
    Parish Elections are due to take place in May 2011. If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor, nomination forms and details can be obtained from the Parish Clerk (details above) or by contacting the Monitoring Officer at Braintree District Council.


    Letter from the Church Warden Richard Day 01440 785580


    The church at Great Yeldham was full. The service went like clockwork. The Bishop's sermon was inspiring and the singing raised the roof. The reception over

    in St Andrews school was buzzing. All in all my licensing service was a wonderful occasion and my thanks goes out to all who worked so hard to make it happen. Stephen Cotterell Bishop of Chelmsford says that as ministers in a leadership role we should hit the ground kneeling not the ground running. In other words prayer has to be our prioriority.

    So although there is much to do here my first priority must always be prayer and I will be saying daily prayers in St Andrews, Gt. Yeldham, Tuesday to Friday, so if anyone would like me to pray for them, or a loved one please don't hesitate to contact me on 01787 237138
    revbarbara8@btinternet.com


    Footpaths



    Could everyone using footpaths within the parish please make sure they clear up after their dogs.  Some parishioners have reported that there is a lot of mess on some paths around the village.  There are dog bins provided for this purpose.  Please do everything you can to keep the footpaths clear and safe for everyone to use.

    Stambourne Congregational Church Adrian Burr 07983 656166


    In the last issue I posed the question “what is happening to our world?”. Earthquakes in New Zealand and now Japan have prompted people to start thinking. Is this how it all comes to an end? For the people of Japan it must be so hard to look at the devastation and death all around, to know of loved ones lost and to hear of so many tragedies, but now we also here of the miraculous escapes.

    We were reminded the other week of a hymn writer Horatio G Spafford, who endured a loss of all

    his possessions in the great fire of Chicago in 1871 and, having sent his wife and children on to Europe, he heard that the boat had sunk, leaving only one of his daughters surviving. He followed on a few days later and as he passed the spot where the boat had sunk, he penned these words....

    When peace like a river attendeth my way
    When sorrows like sea billows roll;
    Whatever my lot you have taught me to say,
    ‘It is well, it is well with my soul’
    And it is through these words that we can endure so much more than we think we can. It is knowing that we have a loving God who knows our troubles and our pains, and who hears our cry as we say “Why?”

    And that is why many of us join together to worship on Sunday mornings and other days in the week. It’s not because we are super special, perfect people, but because we know that we are ordinary folk (“an army of ordinary people” the song says) that we recognise there are things we don’t fully understand, like why such tragedies occur. We have the Bible which tells us these things
    will happen. But that it is not God’s will that causes them, and that we can pray for protection against them. And we can come and find comfort in Jesus.....

    We are here to share in troubles and concerns, to explore those big questions and to ask why? And to ask God for protection from these things.

    Sunday services or Coffee and Teas on Tuesday mornings are times when we can get together and talk through some of these issues and explore life together and perhaps even put our world to rights, even if only for a short time! They are times when we relax together and talk over what we can do and how we can respond. If you have questions then do come and join us. We would love to explore the questions and even perhaps find some answers!

    Adrian Burr, Minister, Stambourne Chapel 07983 656166

    We are here to help at times of need and to help you at times of Funerals, Weddings, Christenings and Baptisms, and all life events.
    Sunday Club for children will run EVERY Sunday after Easter. All children are welcome! We are organising activities such as arts and crafts, stories, and games on the theme of the week.

    Preachers for April and May
    Services are at 10.45 am each week unless stated otherwise

    3rd April
    SUZZANNE PILLANS
    International Speaker and evangelist
    includes Sunday Club

    10th April Derrick Crick includes Communion
    17th April Dianne Thomson includes Sunday Club
    22nd April Adrian Burr - Good Friday Communion Service 10am
    24th April Adrian Burr - EASTER SUNDAY Family Celebration

    SUNDAY CLUB WILL BE HELD EVERY WEEK FROM MAY ON
    1st May Mark Inman
    8
    th May Adrian Burr
    15
    th May Dianne Thomson
    22
    nd May Adrian Burr
    29
    th May Chris Stirling

    We are sorry we have had to cancel the Coffee morning and apologise to anyone who turned up. We look forward to joining together to raise money for charitable causes in the coming weeks.

    EVENTS AT CHAPEL

    8th March – 12th April every Thursday 10-12am at the Chapel.
    A Weekly Bible Study for Lent on the Freedom that we can have in Christ

    Easter Services will be at 10am on Good Friday and 10:45 am on Easter Sunday in the Chapel. All are warmly welcome.

    The Chapel is open for coffee, a chat, and prayer on Tuesdays from 10-12pm.

    SUZZANNE PILLANS
    International Evangelist and speaker

    Will be speaking at HARVEST MINISTRIES Wethersfield
    on Saturday 2nd APRIL 10am-1pm (URC Hall)
    “Stepping out in Faith”

    And then speaking at STAMBOURNE CHAPEL

    3rd April 10:45am
    MOTHERING SUNDAY


    Joh 1:39 He said to them, "Come and see."

    Buy a Pew!!
    The Chapel is updating! Our aim is to allow us to use the space within the chapel more flexibly for worship and for other activities such as the holiday clubs. (Note: Next Half Term we have a two day Holiday Club!)

    So we have added some chairs to the chapel and so would like to sell a few of the pews. These originally came from the old chapel built in 1865, but may be from the previous chapel in which the young Charles H Spurgeon worshipped when he was a young boy and when he visited his grandfather James Spurgeon, minister of the chapel from 1810-1864. The short ones are 3 seaters and around 6 ft long. The longer ones are 5 seaters and are about 10 ft long. (that’s 2m and 3m approx!)

    If you are interested in a pew please let me know.
    Adrian Burr 07983 656166


    CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY CLUB
    MAY JUNE HALF TERM - 1st - 2nd JUNE

    10-12am for ages 3-11

    COME AND HELP IN THE MISSION

    FUN, FOOD, STORIES, GAMES


    Parochial Church Council Annual General Meeting.


    The AGM of the Parochial Church Council will take place on 6th April in the Church Tower Room at 7.30pm.

    Everyone is welcome to attend.



    Stambourne Community Cook Book

    We are hoping to produce a Stambourne Community Cook Book and would like to include your favourite recipes. If you have a recipe which has been passed down the generations of your family' or one with a local connection, or an interesting story; then so much the better, but all contributions will be gratefully received.

    Please send recipes to Jane Waller, White House, Chapel End Way, CO9 4NX e-mail: pjanewaller@yahoo.com

    or

    Sheila Harvey Robin Hood Barn, Finchingfield Road, CO9 4NJ e-mail: sheila.harvey26@btinternet.com.

    If all goes according to plan the book will be on sale locally later this year and any proceeds will go towards the maintenance of our historic church.

    St. Margaret’s School, Toppesfield PRESS RELEASE

    What a lot of fun we have been having at St Margaret’s during the last couple of months.
    Class 1 are finding out lots of information about China and enjoyed a ‘Chinese Day’ which included a visitor, who provided the children with lots of interesting information and activities to take part in.
    The whole school enjoyed this day too; at lunch time we were treated to a special Chinese menu. It was lovely to see so many parents and relatives join the children for lunch.

    Class 2 are really enjoying their topic of ‘chocolate’ especially their chocolate tasting day when they were really thinking about their senses and the adjectives they could use to describe what it was like to see, smell, touch, hear and finally taste the chocolate!

    In Class 3, the children are focused on science and design technology as their topic is ‘The Fairground.’ They have had great fun designing and making prototype shaky hand testers demonstrating their electric circuit skills, ready to use when they design and make their own fairground ride.

    On the 3rd March, the whole school took part in the National ‘World Book Day.’
    Many children brought in their favourite books from home and along with books from our library it was wonderful to see the mixing of the classes enjoying sharing the books with each other.
    We also had a visit from the library service who showed us some of the newest books out on release as well as read us some extracts to wet our appetites!
    These books have been added to our library and are proving very popular.

    The Employing Monitor scheme, where children have the opportunity to apply for a job and if successful earn points which can be exchanged for child friendly goodies, is going extremely well.
    The children have really taken on board the concept that they are able to save their points each week in order to gain a larger gift, as well as be responsible in completing their job to the best of their ability. Well done Monitors

    On the 18
    th March, in order to join in the fundraising of Comic Relief,
    the whole school took part in a talent show.
    We have so much talent across the school and it was wonderful to see so many children and adults keen to take part and show us their various talents ranging from dancers and singers to violin and Freddie Mercury impressions!


    Every child and adult brought in a £1 donation for the privilege of being able to dress in casual clothes; which included many in fancy dress too!

    The amount raised was a fabulous £154.76!!  Thank you to all who took part.


    Stambourne Village Jumble Sale and Cake Stall


    Saturday, 14th May, Starts 2pm

    Entrance 50p

    All proceeds to Essex Air Ambulance

    Helpers required Friday 13
    th May

    Please bring all donations to Village Hall, Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

    Any information, please ring Louis on 01440 785720 or Jane 01440 788110


    Village Agent




    The Village Agent is a pilot scheme run jointly by Mid-Essex NHS, RCCE and Essex County Council.  They are there to provide a link between those living in rural areas and any services and benefits they may need.  For example - arranging a benefits review for an elderly person who may be entitled to more benefits than they currently claim.
     
    Our village agent is:
     
    Richard Ould
    Mob: 07540 720610
    Email: richard.ould@vaessex.org.uk
    General enquiries: 0800 9775858
    http://www.villageagentsessex.org.uk/ 



    New Opportunities at Toppesfield Community Shop



    DO YOU WANT TO:-
    •Meet new people
    •Make new friends
    •Become part of a thriving business
    •Contribute to your community

    Yes, you can do all this by becoming a volunteer at Toppesfield Community Shop. Training, tea and coffee FREE!

    It is great fun working in the shop. You can do as little or as much as you want . Whatever fits in with your home and family commitments. Everyone has


    something to contribute, not just serving in the shop, and new ideas are always welcome.

    One of our volunteers is not able to work in the shop but does the beautiful window displays. We also have a fun social time and volunteers and their partners can enjoy a Shop Supper in January, a delicious ploughman's supper after the AGM in May and a barbecue in July.

    So please, if you have a bit of spare time, do join our merry band of volunteers. Just pop into the shop at any time and chat to the volunteer on duty or give me a ring for further information. I look forward to hearing from YOU.

    Ann Read
    tel: 01787 237464
    email: skomerann@tiscali.co.uk

    Haverhill and District Rotary Club



    Did you know that the Haverhill and District Rotary Club raises and distributes over £5000 every year to various good causes? Local support in recent years has gone to children’s and youth activities, music groups, scouts, volunteer centres as well as St. Nicholas and East Anglian Children’s hospices.

    As part of Rotary International, we have also contributed to the worldwide polio eradication programme, donated funds to water, medical and educational projects in Africa and funded shelter boxes for immediate disaster relief in Haiti and elsewhere.


    We are actively seeking new members

    Would you like to find out more about the activities of the Haverhill and District Rotary Club?

    Would you like to have some fun and fellowship whilst at the same time raising money for good causes?


    If so, please visit our website at www.haverhillrotaryuk.org.uk or call Tony on 01440 764811 (daytime, Monday – Friday

    Diary Dates



    April

    Wednesday 6th, 11.15am-12.15pm
    Essex Police Mobile Police Station, Village Hall

    Wednesday 13th, 7.30pm
    Stambourne Ladies’ Group, Village Hall. “The Life of Badgers”
    Vanessa Young 01440 785122


    May
    Wednesday 4th, 11.15am-12.15pm
    Essex Police Mobile Police Station, Village Hall

    Wednesday 11th, 7.30pm
    Stambourne Ladies’ Group, Village Hall. “A talk on osteoporosis”
    Vanessa Young 01440 785122

    Saturday, 14th May 2pm
    Jumble Sale, Village Hall
    Louis on 01440 785720 or Jane 01440 788110

    Thursday 19
    th 7.30pm
    Parish Council Meeting, Village Hall

    Further ahead….
    Saturday 10th September
    Toppesfield and Gainsford End Show, 2pm onwards