Stambourne

In this issue:

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

Pavilion

The Pavilion is in good order and bookings are already coming in for the summer. If you would like to book it, please use the contact form.

Playing Field

There are a couple of minor repairs needed to the play equipment. This is underway. A new footrest is needed for the large rocking horse. This has taken slightly longer than planned as there has been some difficulty in identifying the correct footrest with the company. We hope to have this completed soon.

Footpaths & highways

We continue to report via the online tool at Essex County Council and anyone can use this to report any highways or footpath issues.  Photographs are always useful. 

A big thank you to our Stambourne Wombles who are out an about regularly in the area litter picking to keep our village tidy!

Financial Year End 31st March 2023

The annual accounts have been finalised and approved by the internal auditor. They will now go to the external auditor for approval.

Details of finances are available here »

Coronation

The event was a great success and everyone who attended said they had a lovely time. As I have said before, it takes a great deal of work from volunteers to organise these events. Thank you to everyone who helped!

Defibrillator

The new defibrillator has now been installed at the Village Hall.  This was funded by the Parish Council from the Bonfire Night proceeds and now means we have two in the village, the other at the Chapel in Chapel End Way. There will be an open training event taking place in the village hall — date to be arranged.

Parish Council Meeting Dates 2023
• 20th July 2023
• 21st September 2023
• 22nd November 2023 (Wednesday)

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

We had a congregation of twenty four  on Easter Sunday for Rev. Liz’s last service at Stambourne before her retirement. Thank you to those who attended and helped with or prepared the refreshments. Thank you to Zoe for the lovely cake!!

On 30th April 2023 at Sible Hedingham Church was Rev. Liz’s “goodbye” service. This was well attended and we enjoyed singing, readings, presentation of gifts and cards followed by a wonderful buffet lunch which was provided by each Church in the Benefice.

We all thank Liz for her hard work in Stambourne and the Benefice and wish her a happy and well deserved retirement.

A special Coronation Service was taken by Malcolm Buckland on 7th May 2023 with a small congregation and later on that day Stambourne held its own celebrations on the Playing Pield which was very enjoyable and we were blessed with good weather!

The Benefice is now in an interregnum period of approximately 6 months while decisions are made as to what/who the Benefice requires to lead us as we go forward.

Rev. Justin Tomkins, Associate Priest (who is part time) and  lives in the Great Yeldham Vicarage and Rev. Caroline Brown, Associate Curate are available should anyone require advice on any Church matter or you can contact me (details below) in the first instance.

First, thanks to everyone for making the plant sale so successful. We received donations of over £400 for our build project and over £100 for the Farleigh Hospice. So thanks to all who came and took away plants and donated, shared in refreshments, and had a good chat! And to all who donated plants and helped. Without you all we could not have had such a lovely day.

And now is the time to start growing everything and reaping the harvest. You may have noticed that what the Bible says is true. “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37 English Standard Version of the Bible). And this is true in all walks of life. Many people would like to receive but are unwilling to give, would like their rights, but not their responsibilities, would like what their neighbours have without the work and effort to get it.

And yet we heard at the coronation the Christian basis for our country: “to serve and not be served” and this is the way in Christian life. We seek to love and not to receive love (that comes about by loving!). We seek to give and not to receive (and yet those who give always seem to have more!). We seek to gain possessions rather than being satisfied with what we have got (not coveting what our neighbour has). We are willing to work seven days a week rather than taking one day of rest every week.

All these things are the different ways God guides our living. Completely different to what we are taught in school or in life, and yet, which of us does not enjoy Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol which shows a man changing from one way of living to another! And ask any Christian, even though life is no more trouble free, or easy, we can feel joyful and at peace by living this way.

If you would like to know more, come and find out, any Sunday, or any day at all and we would love to share what it means to live differently and what peace we can have in that living, despite all that goes on around us!

Hope you have a lovely June and can enjoy the fine weather!

Every blessing,

Adrian Burr, Minister

A big thank you to Zoe Hughes for organising our village picnic to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. Up until a couple of weeks beforehand it looked like nothing was going to take place. Zoe called a meeting in the Village Hall at which sixteen people turned up and from that our celebration evolved.

On Sunday, 7th May from 3pm until 8pm people sat and enjoyed their picnics on the Playing Field whilst listening to the music provided by Reflections, chatting with friends and neighbours, looking at memorabilia, especially the cloth on embroidered signatures of residents living in Stambourne in 1982.

Thank you to all who helped on the day including the ladies who provided refreshments, Cathy for doing the barbeque, Steve and Anna for displaying the memorabilia and for designing and printing the leaflets. Also to those who put the bunting up around the Playing Field and to Oscar for transporting the tables and chairs. The music by Reflections was much appreciated.

However, the biggest thank you of all must go to Zoe for putting it all together!

The celebrations were concluded with the lighting of the beacon and singing of the National Anthem.

Fish and chips supper »

Join the Stambourne Ladies Group for a fish ‘n’ chips supper at the Pavilion in Stambourne! Fish and chips yumminess, followed by home made crumble, custard and cream. Guests welcome. Bring your own drinks.

• Wednesday, 12th July 2023
• 6pm for 6.30pm
• Stambourne Pavilion, Church Road, Stambourne CO9 4NP
• Contact Lorna on 07980 922 636 or Zoe on 07740 723 057 for more details

Knit & Natter Club »

• Every Thursday
• 5pm – 7pm
• The Green Man, 3 Church Lane, Toppesfield CO9 4DR
• 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!
• You don’t need to be a member of the Stambourne Ladies Group to join us
• 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 »

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. More info »

Don’t forget you can use the Village Hall for your celebrations or clubs, parties or get togethers.

If it’s not used there is a risk of this great amenity being lost.

Dog fouling

Not only is dog fouling unpleasant but poop from dogs can carry germs, like bacteria and parasites that can make people sick.

Please remember that it is an offence not to clear up after your dog has fouled and it could result in a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice. Members of the public can report any incidents of dog fouling online at on the Braintree website or by contacting Braintree District Council Customer Services team on 01376 552 525.

Bonfires

As neighbours spend more time in their gardens over the summer, please consider others before lighting a bonfire; ideally please let your neighbours know in advance.

In addition be aware that as the summer progresses the surrounding areas will get drier (hopefully!) and do not light fires on field margins or where sparks or embers could “jump’ into standing crops or stubble.

Litter

While we have the wonderful Wombles who collect litter around the village, it would be wonderful if there was nothing to collect! Littering is an offence. A person is guilty of littering if they throw down, drop or otherwise deposit any litter in any private or public place open to the air, to which the public have access. Littering attracts a £100 Fixed Penalty Charge.

You can report littering, including from a car using the Braintree online form or by telephoning 01376 552 525.

Mini library

In need of a book to read? Look no further than the phone box in Church Road where a selection of books for children as well as fiction and non-fiction books can be found.

Thanks to Iona for transforming our phone box into Stambourne’s very own mini library.

Competitive Show in Toppesfield

Toppesfield & Gainsford End Village Show

A great afternoon for all the family

Raffle, stalls, competitions & refreshments

• Saturday, 16th September 2023
• 2pm
• Toppesfield Village Hall, Toppesfield CO9 4DR
• Contact Ann Read on 01787 237 464 for more details