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Churn News December 2017
The Parish Magazine for: Bagendon, Calmsden, Churnside,
North Cerney, Perrotts Brook & Woodmancote *
Please send all article submissions to: [email protected]
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Pastoral Letter – December 2017 Are you looking forward to Christmas? The
season is fast approaching and preparations are
underway, presents being bought and wrapped,
decorations being readied (organised people
probably have theirs up already)! Your Christmas
may even include a visit to church, maybe to see
the children in the nativity service on Christmas
eve or to attend a carol service or the traditional
Christmas midnight service. The story of the birth
of baby Jesus is simple and beautiful, and mixed
together with the other narrative of Father
Christmas bringing jollity and gifts to children and
grown-ups alike it all adds up to a happy, festive
occasion.
Of course it is not so happy for many people;
some are lonely, some are consumed by
memories of loved ones now deceased, some just
can’t stand the blatant commercialism and forced
jollity of ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.
And lots of people who enjoy the Christmas
occasion find themselves feeling a bit isolated by
the Christian story that lies at the heart of the
season; that of a virgin giving birth to the Son of
God in a stable. Can we believe that? Really? So
for many people Christmas becomes a
celebration without a heart whose hollow centre
has more to do with tales of a bearded fat man,
flying snowmen or a mid-winter festival than the
extraordinary wonder of God’s love for the world.
Even people who have a sense of faith in God can
find themselves put off by the sentimental
children’s story that is the nativity: fluffy sheep,
chorusing angels, exotic wise men, donkeys,
wicked kings all combine to provide a lovely,
saccharine fairy-tale-like background to a busy
family season.
The Bible doesn’t recognise that story. The story
of the incarnation of God told in the Bible is an
earthy, dangerous and dark one which speaks of
the huge risks of innocent love when faced with
the brutal reality of human ambition. We don’t
often read ‘the massacre of the innocents’ in
Mathew’s account when we are busy with
beaming shepherds clustered around a rustic
manger.
Tales of virgin births attended by three smiling
kings are romantic accounts of the wonderful,
astonishing moment in human history when God
chose to spend a brief time on earth as a human
being; to experience for himself the reality, pain,
joy and suffering of the human condition,
including what it feels like to die the painful death
of a convicted criminal.
It is this death and resurrection that lies at the
core of Christian faith that Christ has gone to
prepare a way for us to an afterlife ‘in my
Father’s house’ says Jesus.
That we have a God who cares enough for his
creation that he should intervene in this way is
astonishing enough and cause for all the praise
and worship we can muster at Christmas or at
any time. God is not distant from the joys and
sufferings of humanity, but deeply acquainted
with all we go through; we can come to God
knowing we will be received in our weakness with
tenderness and love by a God who understands. I
have an old friend who says: ‘God has changed –
God has got holes in his hands!’
This Christmas can I invite you to celebrate the
incarnation of God with us? because hidden
within that sweet story is the astonishing truth
that ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only
son so that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life’. (John 3:16)
We would love you to worship with us over the
Christmas season; service times for all the
churches across the Churn Valley Benefice are
shown elsewhere in this magazine and you can be
sure of a warm welcome. And do have a very
happy Christmas.
Revd. David Minns
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Community Notices ____________________________________________________________________________________ Carol Service, North Cerney
The carol service for
North Cerney will be
held on 21 December
at the Bathurst Arms.
Join us at 6:30pm!
This is a popular event and I hope that
everyone will come and join us for carols and
a joyful start to Christmas!
Sue Herdman, Churchwarden
Rural Cinema – “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
North Cerney Village Hall
Wednesday 13th December - 7.30 p.m.
Cert: 12A, Runtime 2 hrs. 10 mins.
Fantasy Drama Starring: Eddy Redmayne, Ezra
Miller, Colin Farrell, Jon Voigt, Ron Perlman, and
lots more!
An all new adventure returning us to the
wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. A
glorious fantasy-romantic adventure, all about
the wizards of prohibition-era America and the
wizarding Brit who causes chaos in their midst
with a bagful of
exotic creatures.
Don’t be fooled by
the Harry Potter
legacy – this is aimed
squarely at adults as
well as children!
Entrance £4: Mulled wine will be available!
Carols at St. Margaret’s, Sunday 17 December, 6pm.
Carols by Candlelight
Service at St
Margaret’s, Bagendon.
This occasion has
grown in popularity
over the years so do please come early in
order to find a seat! Seasonal refreshments
can be enjoyed after the service.”
Alison Saunders
North Cerney Reading Group
Our next meeting will be at 4pm. on 4th
December at Scrubditch Farm. To find out
more, please telephone
01285 831342. Jane
Wilkinson
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Community Notices _____________________________________________________________
Skittles & Supper Night Starting at 7pm on Friday
26 January, the village hall
is hosting a skittles and
supper night. There will be
a skittles game for those
who want to have a go (no
experience necessary), and a hot dinner for
all attending.
The bar will also be open selling mulled wine
as a winter special! What better way is there
to catch up with friends on a winters
evening? If you would like to attend then
tickets are £5 and please email:
[email protected] or call
01285 831355 to book your place.
Gareth James
Parish Supper at the Bathurst!
Do join us for the
monthly Supper Club
at the Bathurst Arms
on Monday, 11th
December at 7.00 - for 7.30pm.
Two courses for £12!
Starter: Crayfish tail and spiced orange salad.
Main: Chili con crane and garlic bread.
Desert: Lemon posset.
Sue Herdman
Perrotts Brook and Bagendon Village Carol Singing.
On Wednesday 20th
December a group will
be carol singing around
Bagendon and Perrotts
Brook, starting at
6.00pm.
If you would like to join
the group singing, or alternately would
like the carol singers to visit you, please
contact either Sally or Ghislaine.
All funds raised will be donated to a local
charity.
Sally Pollard 01285 831390
Ghislaine Venn 01285 831209
North Cerney Cycle Event – Coming Soon!
There will be a free cycle event at North
Cerney Village Hall on Saturday 20th January
from 2 to 4pm. Help
wanted! Call Anna
831751
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County Council Matters – An Update
1. Roads – As you probably recall, I’ve been
concerned about the state of our roads and
footways for a while. Now, some of the
weaknesses of the highways contractor Amey are
clear as it is under staffed and often cannot stick
to promises made. The highways contract is up
for renewal in April 2019 and is going to be split
into 3 parts – day to day maintenance, large road
schemes, and design work. Some contractor staff
will come back “in-house” to take back some
control. This is good news. The 3 contracts go out
to tender in December and the successful
contractors will be announced next year.
2. Cheltenham A&E – It was with dismay that I
read about concerns over the future of
Cheltenham hospital as a new NHS pilot will see
patients moved to Gloucester.
A letter circulated by Gloucestershire Hospitals
Foundation Trust gives details of service changes
over the coming months as part of a winter plan.
Until March 2018 all orthopaedic acute and
trauma patients requiring admission or surgical
intervention will be moved from Cheltenham
General Hospital to Gloucestershire Royal
Hospital. We’ve already seen Cheltenham’s A & E
reduced at night
between 8pm and
8am from a full
doctor-led service to
a restricted nurse-
led operation in
2013. In this latest
move, the day time
service is now being
cut back at Cheltenham A&E.
I’d like to see the restoration of a full 24/7 A&E
service at Cheltenham General. People in our part
of the Cotswolds rely on Cheltenham as their
nearest major hospital so this will mean extra
travel for them and their relatives. But what does
this really mean for the future of Cheltenham
hospital? Slowly but surely services are being
whittled away and moved elsewhere. The future
of this hospital is at stake – many people value it
a lot and I believe it must stay!
Cllr Paul Hodgkinson
From Your District Councillor….
North Cerney New Housing
The application for 12 new homes
in North Cerney (Land adjacent to
Churnside) has now been
approved. Plans can be viewed
via the CDC website and more
info coming shortly.
Chesterton Development Application
The single biggest application to hit Cotswold
District Council is to be decided at a meeting on
Tuesday 12th December in the Cirencester Baptist
Church starting at 10.00am.
Parking in Cirencester
The new car park development is progressing well
and is still due to be placed on the Waterloo car
park. Meanwhile, don’t forget that it’s FREE after
3pm in the Brewery and Forum Car parks and
that you can pay easily on the MIPERMIT app on
your phone. (You can even extend your stay via
the app so no more rummaging around for
change.)
I am always happy to hear from you directly if
you have any questions or wish to talk anything
through.
Yours, Cllr Jenny Forde
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.fb.com/FordeJen
Twitter: @JennyFordey
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Knitters/Crocheters – Thank You!
On behalf of the Royal British Legion
Women’s Section (Cirencester) we would like
to thank all the wonderful knitters/crocheters
who so generously gave their time to making
poppies for our display in the Parish Church.
This was the brainchild of our Chairman,
Eileen Chapman, who found the response
beyond her wildest dreams. The aim of the
project was to involve knitters/crocheters
from all the communities in Cirencester and
around. We have now received over 17,000
poppies which have made up a cascade 30ft.
long and the remaining poppies have been
made into crosses, etc. The work of attaching
these poppies has been done by a small
hardworking band of our members. Gifts of
poppies have been received from all over the
United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, France
and Norway.
We would also like to give a heartful thanks
to Pauline Farman who so tirelessly collected
poppies, personally visiting the homes of
knitters and by post. Having received the
poppies she then took them to us at the
church daily. Also a big thank you to the
knitting group,
the “Wild
Woolly
Women”
(WWW) who
also worked
hard in
spreading the
word and
giving advice to
would-be knitters, for example from their
stands at three County Fairs.
Again, thank you to all who wished to be
involved in expressing their thanks to the
millions of men and women who gave their
lives to the cause of peace. In the words from
the FEPOW (Far East Prisoners of War)
Prayer: “The price that was paid, we will
always remember every day, every month,
not just in November. WE SHALL REMEMBER
THEM”
Eileen Wright
North Cerney School News On Tuesday October 31st, the school unveiled
the brand
new play
boat on the
school field. I
would like to
thank the
NCSA, parents and wider community for
helping fundraising the money required.
We have busy Christmas period coming up at
the school, with a whole school nativity, a
stargazing WOW event kindly funded by the
NCSA and Key Stage Two theatre production
trip.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish
you all a Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Suki Pascoe, Executive Headteacher
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Scrubditch Care Farm News - December 2017
Cook books make the perfect Christmas
Presents!
We had a great evening at Made by Bob’s to ‘launch’ the Cook Book. Over 80 people crammed into the restaurant, and were treated to delicious canapes made by Bob and his team
(www.foodmadebybob.com), and a wonderful
cocktail made by Clarice and her mum from Sibling Gin a local distillery from Cheltenham. (www.siblingdistillery.com). Huge thanks to everyone who helped us with the Cook Book, especially to Paola Jefferies who persuaded Bob to host the event to launch the book, to Sue Gilling (one of our amazing Trustees) who took on the massive task of collecting recipes from friends and supporters of ours, and finally, to Alex Murray (www.silverdart.co.uk) for publishing the book.
The Cook Books are £10 each. They will be available locally in various outlets – Rendcomb Post Office, Made by Bob, and Miserden Nurseries, or direct from us at the Care Farm – 07966 255 631
SCF APPEAL: We have now raised over £60,000.00 towards our £125,000.00 total! If you would like to support us, you can donate by going to: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/scrubditchcarefarm
Thank you to Nick de Carles from Facsim who made us a wonderful thermometer for our appeal recently. (www.facsim.co.uk)
CHRISTMAS CARDS!
Our very popular Christmas Cards, depicting the
animals on the farm, are ready for sale. The cards
are £5 per pack of 8 cards (2 designs per pack) Buy
from SCF, Rendcomb Post office, and Miserden
Nurseries.
VEG BOXES
We still have lovely mixed salads in the poly
tunnel, and beetroot, turnips, leeks and delicious
‘flower sprouts’ and broccoli. Do ring us if you
would like anything
SONG FOR CIRENCESTER
SCF has been taking part in SONG FOR
CIRENCESTER this week! Iwan Lewis and his team
from Barn Theatre came over to the care farm to
do a video update from last year and to film us
singing ‘SONG FOR CIRENCESTER’ with them – they
are raising awareness of mental health and have
produced a single. Lots of businesses, schools and
community groups are taking part and coming
together to sing the SONG FOR CIRENCESTER on
SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER at the ‘lights switch on’ in
Cirencester.
DEMENTIA ADVENTURE
We are very lucky to have been chosen to take
part in a 3 year programme with Dementia
Adventure. Funded by the Big Lottery, Gerry and I
are attending training programmes so that we
can deliver projects at the care farm, for people
living with dementia. Do get in touch with us if
you know someone who you think would enjoy
being part of the project.
DATES
Christmas Spectacular – Wednesday 6 December
at Cirencester Parish Church – tickets from The
Barn Theatre – www.barntheatre.org.uk – The
Barn Theatre are great supporters of ours, and
we will be there on the night so do come along –
it’s a FANTASTIC EVENING!
End of term: Thursday 7 December
CHRISTMAS LUNCH FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER
SINGING AT DOBBIES – The Corisande Singers will be outside Dobbies on Sunday 17 December, singing in aid of Scrubditch Care Farm – so do support them please! Volunteers needed – please get in touch if you can spare a few hours to hand out leaflets on the day.
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Local Services
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DEADLINE FOR NEXT EDITION of Churn News is 21/12/2017
If you would like to submit an article
please send to: [email protected] or to discuss
contact the editor: Dr Simon Pow: tel: 01285 831137
For Advertising please contact Karen Searles: [email protected] or Tel: 01285 831118
Distribution coordinator Ghislaine Venn: Tel: 01285 831209
For Donations please contact Anna Thomson (Treasurer): Tel: 01285 831751
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Local Services
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Goal Setting – Why Bother? It’s everywhere these days, isn’t it? You have to have goals in life. How to achieve your goals.
Goal setting for beginners. But why bother? In these often stressful and challenging times, isn’t it
easier to switch off from all that striving and struggling with a nice cup of tea/glass of wine and put
your feet up in front of the telly.
Well, it depends on how you look at goal setting. If you see it as the endless pursuit of bigger,
better, more, then you might well be right to settle for that glass of wine instead. In today’s society
we’re forever being urged to have and do more, But if we continue to believe that the more we
have, the more we do, the better our lives will be, then we’ll continue to end up exhausted and
disappointed.
However, if we start to look at goal setting as part of the fabric of our lives, of who we are, rather
than something we need to achieve, then I think that’s a different matter.
To me, goal setting is about taking the time to decide what’s truly important to you in life. What
are the steps which, if taken, would lead you to a deeper sense of fulfilment, an expanded sense of
yourself and an experience of life being somehow better and richer?
Goal setting is about asking the questions “Who am I meant to be in this world? What do I have to
offer? How can I live in a way that brings me peace, happiness and contentment? What does my
heart truly desire?
Put another way, if we don’t ask ourselves those questions, we begin to stagnate, feel lost,
confused, and that life is without meaning and purpose. I suspect that many of us identify with
this state of being during these difficult times.
If this approach to goal setting appeals more to you than the ‘get, get, get’ approach then I suggest
you stop looking in the world out there for the goals you think you ‘should’ be achieving. Instead,
become more aware of that small voice inside which is wanting you to deepen your experience of
yourself and your life, to grow and truly thrive. Listen to the next steps that voice wants you to
take – and then take action. Oh, and if you happen to acquire a Porsche along the way – there’s
nothing wrong with that!
Wishing you the best,
Carrie
Carrie Rose is a life-coach, counsellor and author of the best-selling “How to Get From Here To There Without Going Anywhere – A Simple Guide To Living A Happier Life”. She works from a charming little barn in Stratton, Cirencester. www.carrierose.co.uk [email protected]
01285 862158
12
Local Services
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RENDCOMB SURGERY December COFFEE & CAKE MORNING
The Rendcomb Support Group will be holding a coffee morning on Saturday 02 December, 10:00-12:00 at
Winstone Village Hall. We would be grateful for donations of cakes or prizes for the raffle, any of which
can be dropped off at the surgery. We very much look forward to seeing you there.
CHRISTMAS HOURS
Over Christmas the surgery will be closed 23, 24, 25 & 26 of December and 30, 31 December. Over New
Year we will be closed 01 January 2018. If you have a medical emergency over this time please call 111 if
your emergency is NOT life threatening, call 999 if your emergency IS life threatening.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS
Please ensure you have enough of your tablets/medication to last you over the holiday season. Remember
to order in plenty of time, our dispensary staff need at least 2 working days notification to have your
medication ready for you. The holiday period is an especially busy time for the dispensary team and we
ask that you order your medication by Friday 15 December. This will ensure that the dispensary team can
have your requests ready in time for you over this busy period.
Sarah Maidens, Rendcomb Surgery.
7.30pm Saturday 13th January 2018
and friends on stage at the Griffin Centre, Rendcomb, Cirencester.
Doors open 6.45pm, Pay bar. Half of the proceeds to go to Cirencester Housing for Young People. Charity number 299821, www.chypthecharity.org.uk Tickets: £10 available from: www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/430401
IORA, is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter originally from Cirencester and moved to Manchester to study. Inspired by both life in the country and the city, she combines vocal and instrumental harmonies with electronic samples and sounds. This intriguing mix blends folk tones, a versatile voice and haunting arrangements. This summer she appeared at 2,000 Trees Cheltenham and Dot-to-Dot festivals in Manchester. Her single “Thieves’ Den” has been played on BBC Manchester Introducing.
Force of Habit, having met whilst supposedly studying for their history degrees at St Benet’s Hall, Oxford. Lance Baynham and Cormac Connelly-Smith spent three years being not particularly funny, and now plan on taking that mediocrity to the stage for all to enjoy.
Mark Gunner is a singer songwriter who accompanies himself on the bass guitar. A talented and versatile musician his set showcases his own compositions about love and life.
14
Local Services
JAMES ALLISON Ltd
BUILDING & RENOVATION
BATHROOMS & KITCHENS
MAINTENANCE & DECORATION
CARPENTRY & BESPOKE JOINERY
HARDWOOD DOORS & FLOORING
STONE & GRANITE FIREPLACES
Please call me to discuss your project
01285 653146 07899 812572 [email protected]
Pear Tree Cottage Baunton Cirencester
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