PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – THURSDAY 17th JULY 2013The latest meeting of the parish council took place on Thursday 18th July 2013 at 7.30pm in the village hall.

Pavilion – The pavilion has been booked several times through the summer and it is great to see it well used. The research into grant funding for work on the pavilion and playing field continues. Prices have been found for a picnic bench, noticeboard, and rubber mesh for the grass and enquiries will now be made into sources of funding. Martyn will look into companies to seek advice on the pavilion roof as to whether it needs re-roofing or whether the asbestos can be coated.

Playing field - The safety inspection is due and Debbie will arrange this.

Highways - The potholes are a continuing problem and no repairs appear to be taking place at the moment within this area, despite our reporting them in regularly. Martyn will contact Cllr Finch regarding this matter. It was agreed to obtain 1 tonne of salt through the Winter Saltbag scheme with Essex County Council for use in the parish.

Footpaths – There are a couple of minor issues to be dealt with and they will be reported in.

War Memorial – You may have noticed that the war memorial in the churchyard is looking in need of some maintenance. The parish council is liaising with the War Memorial Trust and the Church to undertake some restoration. We will keep you advised on progress. If anyone has any information on the history of the war memorial I would be very interested to talk to you about it.


The next meeting will take place on Thursday 26th September 2013 at 7.30pm in the village hall, Stambourne. There being no further business to discuss the meeting closed at approximately 8.45pm.

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







Debbie Hilliard
Parish Clerk
Tel: 01440 785629

Email: Debbie.hilliard@duffields.co.uk

ST. PETER & ST. THOMAS BECKET PARISH CHURCH

Church Wardens’ Report
Despite her illness, the Vicar has continued to take Communion Services according to the arranged pattern. At the last PCC meeting on the 19th June it was decided not to have a service on the 1st Sunday of each month.

We have been concerned about the possibility of the Chancel Repair Liability on the old Glebe land. It has been discovered, thanks to the work done by David Waller and Don Jenkins that these were redeemed in 1936 for all the Parishes in the Benefice.

Church Wardens
Richard Day
Val Kerrison

List of services for August, September and October 2013

9.30 Sunday 4th August. No Service.
9.30 Sunday 11th August Holy Communion. The Vicar
9.30 Sunday 18th August Morning Prayer. Ministry Team
9.30 Sunday 25th August Holy Communion. The Vicar
9.30 Sunday 1st September Morning Prayer. Sally Croft
9.30 Sunday 8th September Holy Communion. The Vicar
9.30 Sunday 15th September Morning Prayer. Ministry Team
9.30 Sunday 22nd September Morning Prayer. David Brown
9.30 Sunday 6th October No Service
4pm Sunday 13th October HARVEST FESTIVAL. The Vicar
9.30 Sunday 20th October Holy Communion. Rev. Richard Caink
9.30 Sunday 27th October Holy Communion The Vicar

STAMBOURNE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Adrian Burr
From the Chapel

What a heat wave!  And after all that cold and wet weather.  It's made everything late in the garden and in the fields. Farmers should be well into harvest by now and there have been no sightings of combines in fields yet!  But crops are looking good.  They seem to have caught up and particularly the flowers have been  spectacular!

And sometimes life is like that.  All is going well and then a cold snap comes in and makes life harder.  Everything seems to go wrong and it seems difficult to make ends meet, and sometimes we can get very down and can't see a way out.  But then for many things get back on an even keel and the sun comes out again and we can see a way forward, and all looks rosy again. But for many people today in this world, rosy never seems to feature.  There is no food, there is no money, no job, no way of finding clean water.  We can only say how blessed we are!

And to help those who are not so blessed we have raised over £200 for Pastor John in India for the orphanage - thanks to all who contributed. And we are now preparing for the annual Shoe Box appeal.   While we have gathered most of what is needed, we can always use more small toys for children (not war toys!), both boys and girls.  Small cuddly toys go down well too, but must have the CE label on them and be  as new...  We will be holding a box wrapping day in late September and a box filling day in October. You are all welcome to come along and help and to see the wonderful way in which these boxes, filled with love, are received by children who have nothing.

At the Chapel we have been blessed by the first wedding of this century in our building. And what a great way to celebrate a wedding! Our congratulations to Sheryl (nee Berman) and Norbert Karsai for their wedding on 18th July. 

The chapel was once again full and we enjoyed the legal and the spiritual aspects of marriage - before state with the signing of registers, and before God with the promises made to one another! All the more poignant because it was all done on the day that the Queen signed the royal assent for the new marriage bill.

We look forward to the Summer with holidays and the children's club on the 27-29th August in the mornings. We have two afternoon events when children and adults of all ages are welcome to come along. 

Kevin Moore is a very able artist as well as the organiser and leader of the children's club.  On the 27th he will be leading an open session of art and craft in the chapel where all are welcome to come and have a go at making or creating something.  He will be on hand to lead and guide us all, regardless of our talent (or lack of it!)..  On 28th we will be holding a fun games afternoon, again with Kevin leading. 

So send your children to Holiday Club in the morning and then come along for a fun event in the afternoon!  Please call me to book a place or email me at aburr@inbox.com or visit our Facebook page on Stambourne Chapel!!

Have a great Summer....            
Adrian Burr
Minister


STAMBOURNE CHAPEL
HOLIDAY CLUB
27th - 29th August
10am – 12pm
2-4pm
27th Fun Games
28th Family Fun Afternoon

GROUND BREAKERS
by
KEVIN MOORE

Kevin will be leading our Holiday Club this year..

Willing helpers needed!

Search ‘Stambourne Chapel’ on Facebook for further information

Toppesfield and Gainsford End
Village Show
*****

Sat 14th Sept 2013
2.00pm
Toppesfield Village Hall
*****************
Competitive Show
Art Exhibition

Lots of Stalls Games Sideshows

Grand draw Refreshments
***********
Cricket Match
Toppesfield -V- Old Southendians

2.00 start on Toppesfield Playing Field

A great afternoon for all the family

Further Info :Ann Read 01787 237464

Toppesfield Village Stores Presents....

Village Markets.
From the Village, for the Village

August 10th
September 21st
October 12th
November 9th
December 7th – Christmas Market

Saturdays 10:30 – 12:30 Toppesfield Village Hall

TOPPESFIELD SCHOOL KIM HALL

Well it’s been another fun packed term at St Margaret’s with no signs of slowing down at the end!

We have the wonderful Dave ‘sculpture man’ in school as I write, working on a whole school sculpture. This will be displayed in the school lobby from September. A huge well done to Alex Hasler whose winning design ‘Super Apple’ is our new recycling mascot.

Thank you to all the parents and members of the community who helped with collecting your old electrical items which has enabled the children to enjoy this wonderful experience.

A fond farewell goes to our year 6 children who will be starting a new journey as they move to their secondary schools in September. Love and best wishes to our leavers this year: Lauren-Mae Cooke, Jade Henderson, Georgie Kybert, Charlotte Walker and Joseph Thomson.

As well as the children leaving, this year we are saying a sad farewell to Mr and Mrs Bagshaw. Both have been fantastic not only academically for the children but also in providing opportunities for the children to compete in many sporting events in the consortium.
Both will be missed but we all send our love and best wishes as they start their retirement.

It’s going to be a busy summer holidays with the remaining work being completed on our new class room, ready for 4 classes in September.

Let’s hope the sunshine continues; happy holidays everyone!

CORONATION PICNIC – A THANK YOU
Thank you to everybody who came and made the Coronation Picnic on the 2nd June such a success. Everybody enjoyed themselves and talked to neighbours and others from "the other end of the village"!  We even had good weather.

Well done everybody.

MARTIN FAMILY HISTORY

Todd Martin, who lives in London, Ohio, has been researching his family history and knows that his Martin ancestors were resident in Coggeshall in the early part of the 18th century and subsequently, at least some of them, came from the Toppesfield/Stambourne area.
(Something that can be confirmed by looking at the Stambourne 1901 census records where there are many Martins listed.) But strangely, none remain in Stambourne

He would dearly like to try and finalise his research by making contact with current members of the Martin family who probably still live in this area. If you are a Martin or you know a local Martin, Todd would be pleased to hear from you or them. His e-mail contact is kmarti22@colombus.rr.com.

He would, of course, be pleased to share the results of his detailed researches with anyone who is kind enough to make contact. Please pass this message on to anyone you think might be relevant. Also, please be assured that there is nothing devious about this request; there are no hidden internet scams involved!

Martyn Fall
Chairman, Stambourne Parish Council

BIRDBROOK BARN DANCE – A THANK YOU

Just a quick thank you to all those who supported the Murder Mystery evening in april which raised and amazing £500 for the Charity Thrive Africa.

The Barn Dance which was held at Bailey Hill Farm in Birdbrook in May raised an amazing £2780 which was for the Essex Air Ambulance and The West Suffolk Hospital Neonatal Unit.
 

WHAT’S ON LOCALLY
Friday 16 August
TEDDY BEARS’ PICNIC
A rare opportunity to picnic in the garden at Melford Hall; bring your picnic and your favourite teddy bear. Name the bear and find where the bears have hidden their treasure in the secret island, draw and colour - prizes up for grabs for all these events
Venue: MELFORD HALL, LONG MELFORD
Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/melford-hall/things-to-see-and-do/events/

Thursday 22nd August 2013
2:00 PM - GUIDED WALK AROUND CLARE
Walk by local historian Phil Gryce will visit Clare Castle, the Priory, and the town, ending at the Museum. £3 per person, under-16s free, residents of Clare £2. Proceeds will go to the Museum. Book with Phil at 01787 278192.
Contact: m.m.smith1@btinternet.com on 01787 277249
Venue: Clare Ancient House Museum in Clare.

Sunday 25th & Monday 26th August 2013
JOUSTING – KNIGHTS OF ROYAL ENGLAND
A weekend of Jousting with the knights of Royal England, market and craft stalls, plus a Maypole with music and dancing and the Norfolk Longbowen will be showing people how to shot. Admission: Adult £12.50, Child and Concession £9.00, Family ticket £37.00
Venue: Hedingham Castle, Bayley Street, Castle Hedingham, Essex CO9 3DJ

September 1st – CLASSIC AND VINTAGE CAR SHOW
Venue: Hedingham Castle, Bayley Street, Castle Hedingham, Essex CO9 3DJ
Website: www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk

Saturday 7th September 2013
10:16 AM - LONG MELFORD BOOK FAIR
This is the biggest and longest running book fair in Suffolk, with 26 experienced dealers offering a wide range of secondhand, out of print and collectable books for saleOpen 10am to 4pm. Admission £1.00, children free.
Web Site: www.missingbookfairs.co.uk
Venue: Memorial Hall (opp Bull Hotel) in Long Melford.

Saturday 7 September – Sunday 8 September 2013
THE DUXFORD AIR SHOW
Website: http://www.iwm.org.uk

AUGUST AUDLEY END SUMMER CONCERTS
Various open-air concerts throughout summer including Katherine Jenkins, Michael Ball, Ronan Keating, Kim Wilde
Website: http://www.audleyendconcerts.com

Saturday 14th September
MEDIEVAL OPEN DAY, CASTLE BAILEY AT SAFFRON WALDEN MUSEUM
Free entry and activities at the Museum to share the results of the excavation on the Common and to explore the Norman origins of the castle and market town.
STAMBOURNE WEATHER WATCH

Temperatures in July have finally started to warm up, despite the recent heavy thundery showers affecting Stambourne. As shown on the two graphs below (average temperatures and maximum temperatures each day), 2013 has largely been cooler than the previous year. However, July is the exception having a maximum temperature of 31.1 on 22nd compared with a high of 28.3 in July 2012.

MOBILE LIBRARY TIMES AND DATES


Chapel End Way, Stambourne Arrives 16.35 Leaves 16.50
Village Hall Stambourne Arrives 16.55 Leaves 17.30

Dates (all on Wednesdays):

August: 7th, 21st
Sep: 4th, 18th
Oct: 2nd, 16th, 30th
Nov: 13th, 27th
Dec: 11th






DIARY DATES

AUGUST
7th & 21st, Mobile Library, Chapel End Way (16.35), Village Hall (16.55)
14th, Stambourne Ladies Group, 7.30pm, Village Hall

SEPTEMBER
4th & 18th, Mobile Library, Chapel End Way (16.35), Village Hall (16.55)
26th, Parish Council Meeting, 7.30pm Village Hall

Items for the next Newsletter by 17th September Steve Platt Tel : 01440 785638 or Mobile : 07767 357016 Email : me@stephenplatt.com