1

Stebbing Scene Your Village — Your Magazine

Edition No: 135 Autumn 2015

It wouldn’t be summer without cricket on the green. The friendly and light

hearted match between the Church and the Village team has provided seasonal

jollity for a number of years, as has the vintner’s match report (see page 43).

The Scene is feeling just a tiny bit smug at the moment, having been awarded

a certificate of merit for our efforts in the Best Community Magazine Awards. I

was on holiday at the time but Karen Howe, Deputy Editor, and Jackie Kingdom

represented us at the awards evening; Jackie’s account on page 3 tells you just

what I missed.

I hope you are continuing to enjoy the magazine; yours is the only judgement

that really matters to us. We do need your help though to ensure the Scene

doesn’t get stale, so please write to us with your ideas for future editions.

Richard Foot Editor

The Church team received their annual thrashing at the hands of Stebbing CC

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The Stebbing Society will be holding - on behalf of Stebbing Community

THE ANNUAL STEBBING VILLAGE FETE

SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 27TH 2015 at 1.30pm

MILL LANE CRICKET FIELD

Arena Events ◊ Felsted School Band ◊ Village Organisation Stalls

Side Shows ◊ Games ◊ Bouncy Castle ◊ Archery ◊ Coconut Shy

Fun Dog Show ◊ Crockery Smashing ◊ Children’s Roundabout

Face Painting ◊ Classic Cars ◊ ...and Much More

BBQ ● Beer Tent ● Teas & Refreshments ● Ice Creams

Free Admission & Parking

Please come along and support your local Community Organisations

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Essex Life Community Magazine Awards

When the email popped up in my

inbox the content looked exciting.

It was an invitation for the Stebbing

Scene team to attend an awards

evening at Grey Friars Hotel, East

Hill, Colchester - “A reception with

refreshments and canapés starts at

6.30pm.” Stebbing Scene had been

shortlisted for an award in the Best

Community Magazine Awards from

over forty entries. We have entered

the competition for many years but

never quite made the big time, in

spite of encouraging rejections.

Karen Howe (Deputy Editor) and I

were the only team members available to go on Thursday 11 June. On Googling

Grey Friars Hotel, a building with a lot of scaffolding had appeared on the screen

but we set off optimistically. The routine rush hour journey took almost two

hours. When we reached East Hill, the hotel seemed to be in hiding; no clue on

the street, other than a small finger post pointing along a narrow road of Victorian

cottages. “Take left turn” was my instruction and we found ourselves in a

deserted building site. On our right, a shifty looking fellow stood guard at ornate

double gates, viewing us suspiciously. “Excuse me, please could you tell me

where the Grey Friars Hotel is, please?” (once more for good measure). He stood

aside and, miraculously, the gates opened. Do we go through, I asked Karen?

“Nowhere else to go” was her succinct reply.

A palatial entrance greeted us on the inside. We went in, to the obvious relief of

two representatives from Essex Life magazine. All around us, in the wondrous

marble foyer, stood smiling members of the hotel staff. The bar sported dozens of

glasses of Bellini and Champagne ready for us to select. We were the only guests

in sight. Clutching a glass apiece, we were escorted along a marble corridor with

mirrors and sparkle all around. Our footsteps echoed on the gleaming floor until

we arrived in a reception room. To our relief, a few other guests were there,

seated at tables. Young waitresses served tiny delicate canapés, describing the

contents of each with reverence and awe - and this was how we spent the next

hour, waiting for other villages’ representatives to arrive. Proceedings

commenced after 8.30pm; following the usual speeches, Ashdon, Great Notley,

Great Totham, Pleshey and Widdington received Finalist Awards. Stebbing Scene

gained a Certificate of Merit and first prize was awarded to The Thaxted Bulletin.

The evening had been strange. The hotel was not yet open to the public, although

all the staff were in place. It is a seriously glamorous venue but we left feeling

empty. Those tiny bites soon evaporate, so clutching our award, we finished the

evening at Nando’s in Braintree before returning to the relative sanity of Stebbing.

Jackie Kingdom - Photo: Essex Life Magazine

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Stebbing History Society Outing - 22nd August

This happy crew shared a very pleasant Saturday afternoon together wandering

the streets of Clavering under the guidance of the village’s Local History Recorder,

Jacqueline Cooper.

Having learned much about the castle (or more accurately, the area where the

castle once stood), the church, and some of the more important houses in the

village, the group sauntered back in the sunshine to the Fox and Hounds, where

they enjoyed some excellent tea and cake. It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit, if

perhaps a little too hot for some in the sun - but given the turn in the weather

which followed there will be no complaints on that score! RF (Who was behind the camera)

INVITATION TO ALL LADIES

You are cordially invited to join Stebbing ladies for a get-

together on the following dates:

◊Sept 23rd: Andy Milne giving an entertaining talk on

Real World Driving, his experience as a driving instructor.

◊Oct 28th: Naturals Clinic from Dunmow showing us

treatments that they offer.

◊Nov 25th: Our Christmas celebration with food & Neil

Bull, a wine expert, helping us to appreciate our various

wines.

RSVP: Val Stokes 01371 856882 valstokes@mail.com

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Safer Stebbing

We wanted to update our village

community on what has been happening

since our public meeting in April.

There has been a lot of activity in our

steering group meetings, but not much to

show for it yet. We are learning that

communication with county and national

highways agencies, road safety charities

and the like is a game for the patient!

We have initiated conversations with

Brake, a road safety campaigning charity,

and also with the Essex Highways Panel.

We have put together a project plan, based on the suggestions made on post-it

notes at the public meeting. This is effectively divided into four sections:

◊Community engagement ◊Things the Primary School can do

◊Things the Church can do ◊Things the Parish Council can do.

As progress is made on the latter three we will let you know, but this article is

mostly about the first one, community engagement.

As was pointed out at our public meeting, all of the people who have been caught

speeding in Stebbing are Stebbing residents. Many of the cars that have crashed

recently on the High street have been local people too. Very frequently, when the

Safer Stebbing Facebook page receives photos of inappropriate parking, we know

whose car it is; they are our neighbours, our friends.

A major way of achieving our goal of a safer Stebbing is if we all make a concerted

effort to drive carefully, within speed limits, and park considerately. With that in

mind, at the Village fete on 27th September, the Safer Stebbing Team will be

collecting your signatures and handing out cards detailing the Safer Stebbing

pledge – a promise to drive soberly and carefully, and park considerately. Our

pledge is based on one used by Brake (which you can see at www.brake.org.uk/

pledge) with our additional pledge about sensible parking. Our table at the fete

will also give you the opportunity (if you missed the meeting in April) to find out

more about the sort of thing involved in Safer Stebbing’s campaign strategy, and

sign up to help with things like Speed gun patrol and the village parking team. We

look forward to seeing you there.

With best wishes,

The Safer Stebbing Team

@saferstebbing Search for “Safer Stebbing”

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THE DORCAS SOCIETY

Invitation

We would like to invite you to our Harvest Lunch on:

Friday 9th October 2015 Stebbing Village Hall, 12.30pm

Tickets £7.00 (includes a glass of wine or soft drink) from:

Ann Pattenden 856476 or Dorothy Pelham 856733

Please ensure you buy your ticket early as numbers are limited

◊Everyone is welcome so please come and support us◊

Stebbing White Hart presents...

QUIZ NIGHT

Wednesday 21st October at 7.30pm

Proceeds in aid of

Stebbing Dorcas Society

Teams of up to 6 players.

To reserve a table ring Nick 856383.

Entry £5 per head.

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A Message From Our Vicar

Dear Friends,

I’m sure you are aware that I serve four villages, and

four parish churches. I regard them all as a kind of

family and, like all families, we do some things

together and some things apart. At Christmas and

Easter, as well as other special occasions like

ordinations, confirmations, or other excuses for the

bishop to visit us, we get together for worship. But up

until now we’ve done most of our fundraising

separately - in Lindsell, in Stebbing and in the Salings.

I’m pleased, therefore, to say that the four churches of

the benefice are coming together to organise a Rock Choir concert on 31st October

in St Mary’s Stebbing. All four churches will share the profits, and the

organisational efforts, of the concert. I know that there are several “Rockies”

among our readers, and I’m really looking forward to hearing you all sing in a very

enjoyable concert - if last year’s was anything to go by!

If however you’re unfamiliar with Rock Choir, you can look them up at

www.rockchoir.com/gallery. The choir’s repertoire includes songs from the shows,

rock and pop classics and gospel tunes.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now, price £10, from Janet Pinkham (01371

870549). There will be a licensed bar during the interval. Places are limited to

200 so don’t delay! Owing to the lack of a car park at Stebbing church, car

sharing is recommended to avoid congestion in Church End.

I look forward to seeing you there.

With best wishes,

Tim

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Stebbing Primary School helps you to make amazing friends, learn amazing facts and meet

the best teachers. (Bronwyn Dixon-Smith)

Essex County Council

Stebbing Primary School Stebbing, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3SH

Executive Headteacher Mrs Karen Wallace

Telephone 01371 856260 Fax 01371 85609 www.stebbingprimary.co.uk

Another successful year has drawn to a close at Stebbing Primary. The children have had the opportunity to take part in so many fantastic activities and have had such a variety of experiences.

As the year 6 pupils venture to pastures new, I asked them to write some words to summarise their feelings towards our school and the experiences they have had.

Thank you Year 6 for creating such amazing memories; we will always treasure them. We wish you the best of luck as you continue your educational journey.

Miss Mawson (Head of School)

A brilliant school and great

with learning. (Amber Rosewell)

An amazing, fun-

filled wonderland.

Stebbing is where I

got a massive boost

in my education, It

is an amazing

environment!

(Millie Clark)

Stebbing School

is the best and

makes sure

you get the best

out of it!

(Lucy

Pickford)

Stebbing School pushes you to do

your best in everything.

(Isabel Atherton)

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Stebbing School is welcoming and always

helps you with a problem. When you start

in reception or whenever you start, you

feel like you’ve been here for years.

(Tegan Yapp)

An amazing school!

(Felix Wilson)

It’s

the most

fun school in

The whole world!

(Callum Campbell)

Stebbing School is brilliant in so many

ways, such as: lessons and teachers.

(Joshua Newsome)

Stebbing School

is confidence boosting and

pushes you to achieve

your potential

(Oliver Brinkley)

Stebbing School has

given me a boost and

has done the same to

everyone else.

(Bam Mayne)

Stebbing School has an amazing

army of teachers with

brilliant lessons!

(Joseph Gustavina)

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Stebbing Village Stores

A date for your dairy!

A cheese and wine tasting, followed by a ploughman's

supper, is planned for Friday, 16 October at the

Friends Meeting House. The wines will be supplied

from our store and selected carefully to accompany

the delicious cheeses, which will be supplied by a new

shop in Dunmow called Parrish Cheeses. Parrish's now

deliver weekly to the Village Store. After the tastings

of the cheeses and wines, there will be wine available

to buy, by the glass, to compliment your supper. We will also be selling cheeses

and bottles of the wines on the night to take home - or else come into our store to

buy any time. Tickets will be available shortly. Any profit, after expenses, will be

accrued for the benefit of the community. Make a note of the date!

Parrish Cheeses supply us with beautiful

specialist cheese, which comes wrapped and

ready to take home. Every week there is a

different selection of three different types.

The Wookey Hole, cave aged, cheddar flies

off the shelf. This is made from the highest

quality rich milk from the Somerset pastures.

If you like Blues you will love the Cheshire

Blue, which is a creamy and salty blue,

packed full of flavour. The Somerset Brie is

almost good enough to die for....the original

English Brie from Lubborn. It melts in your

mouth - so soft and creamy. To avoid

disappointment, come along to your Village Store on a Thursday when the delivery

comes in. The prices are identical to those of the Dunmow shop - so what could

be better than that!

The Tea Room continues to thrive and, although school holidays have taken some

of our regular customers away, this has been more than made up for by the

builders working opposite the school. We now make bacon and egg rolls and take

away teas every day. Our sausage rolls are becoming very popular and the cries

of disappointment can be heard the length of the High Street when a customer has

discovered the last one was sold a few minutes earlier. Sausage rolls, like our

cakes can be ordered in advance.

From September, the Tea Room will be offering a hot cooked lunch, two days a

week, probably Wednesdays and Fridays. The lunch could consist of shepherds pie

and baked potato, lasagne, chilli with one of these being available each week.

Notices/menus will be available in the shop nearer the end of August.

If you are interested contact Peter Hall on 01371 856410

or e-mail: artist4243@aol.com.

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13

A Stebbing Harvest

In late July and August, Stebbing residents

cannot help but be aware of the activity that

goes on from first light, and often until after

dark, in the fields all around the village. This

activity brings great change to our landscape in

a surprisingly short period of time - it also of

course brings in the harvest.

In conversation with Mark Lanyon, who farms

much of the land around Stebbing, I learned that

the harvest has generally gone well, thanks to a

lot of uninterrupted dry weather, although yields have been disappointing in some

crops. The barley is a case in point. Harvesting began on the 21st July and,

although it looked fine and it was possible to bail all the straw while nice and dry,

the grain yield was a little disappointing. This was probably due to the dry three

month dry period we enjoyed from the end of April through to July. The barley

grown this year is used primarily for animal feed and generally produces bigger

yields than malting varieties, which balances lower market value. Next year the

farm is contracted to grow barley for brewing.

Next came the rape, which again looked well enough, despite a lot of difficulty in

getting it established last year - due to flea beetle and pigeon damage. The crop

was again dry, so no drying costs were incurred, but the yield was some 30-40%

down as the dry period had resulted in fewer pods and smaller seeds than usual.

This situation is exacerbated by the fact that market prices are currently low - and

show little sign of rising. It has been decided not to grow rape for next year.

The first wheats (planted after the land has been used for a different crop) were

again dry and quick to harvest and they yielded well. The second wheats (planted

on land where wheat was grown last year) produced a below average yield, having

suffered more from the earlier hot dry weather and from the growth of a lot of

black grass, which can seriously reduce crop yields - through competition for

nutrients, particularly nitrogen. Between the first and second wheats, the winter

beans (planted last October) were harvested. They yielded well and all achieved

human consumption grade; many will be exported to the middle east.

Harvesting of the second wheats was completed on the 11th August, which is one

day earlier than Mark normally begins combining wheat. He had expected some

months ago that it was going to be a latish harvest but the dry weather resulted in

crops coming on more quickly, albeit with smaller yields. Overall however it

turned out to be a fairly average year.

Cultivation for next year is of course underway; attempts are being made to kill off

as much black grass as possible and the fields are being ploughed, pressed and

rolled, to start drilling new seed from around the 20th September. So the

ploughed fields of autumn are with us once again and the season of mists and

mellow fruitfulness beckons. RF

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PATRICIA PILGRIM NURSERY SCHOOL

Stebbing Green (off B1256) - under 10 minutes

from Braintree, Bardfield and Dunmow

Places available Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm

Open All Year

Pre-school educational programme sessions

1, Saling Road, Stebbing Green, Dunmow,

Essex CM6 3TD

Tel: 01371 856594/856702

www.patriciapilgrimnursery.co.uk

facebook.com/patriciapilgrimnursery

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One of the fruits of harvest

Even regular beer drinkers may not think of their

chosen beverage as being one of the many fruits

of harvest, but those of us familiar with the old

song about the ill-treatment of John Barleycorn,

are reminded of it each harvest time. Despite

being cut off at the knee, and even being ground

between two stones by the miller, John

Barleycorn prevails:

Here’s little Sir John in a nut-brown bowl,

And brandy in a glass

And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl

Proved the stronger man at last!

Before brewing can commence, the barley goes through the process of malting,

where it is steeped in water to encourage it to sprout, after which it is turned

regularly and dried. It is the sugar produced in this process which ferments to

produce the alcohol. There are many variations resulting in malts which range

from very pale through to chocolate and black malts. The different varieties of

malt that are used, together with the addition of hops, determine the flavour

characteristics of the beers produced.

The setting up of the Hart of Stebbing Brewery by Nick Eldred and Bob Dovey, in

2007, was in one sense a return to the age old practice of brewing that once went

on in many ale houses around our village. Although this gave way centuries ago

to inns and taverns buying beer from

commercial producers, the development

of micro-breweries from the 1970s

onwards has encouraged an increasing

number of pubs, to become brewpubs,

i.e., to brew their own beer.

The Hart is a five barrel brewery, which

is probably the most common size of

micro-brewery. A barrel is a capacity of

36 gallons, which is the same as four 9

gallon casks or firkins. For ease of

handling and storage, each brew made

in the Hart generally employs around

half of the full capacity of the brewery.

The main ingredient of Hart of Stebbing IPA is water - and hard water is generally

best. The local water is quite satisfactory but needs to be treated (to adjust

carbonate and calcium levels) and left to stand for 24 hours before use. Failure to

do this changes the taste of the beer considerably. The water is than heated in

the boiler to between 77 and 80 °C and a small amount of it added into the mash

(Continued on page 17)

John Barleycorn

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17

tun, where malts (crystal malt, chocolate malt

and torrified wheat) are added and stirred to

the consistence of a sloppy porridge, which is

then covered and left for an hour. Then the

remaining water in the boiler is slowly

sprinkled onto the malty porridge. It passes

through the mash evenly, drains out of the

bottom and is pumped back into the boiler.

This process takes about 30 minutes or so,

after which the mash (or grist) in the tun is

discarded. In breweries which generate larger

amounts, it can be used to feed pigs.

The liquid in the boiler is now referred to as

the wort and it is ready for the addition of

hops which, in the case of Hart IPA, include

the varieties, fuggles, wgv and bobek. This

wort is boiled for an hour and Protafloc tablets

are added at the end of the boil to prevent a

haze forming.

After boiling it is allowed to stand for a few minutes to let the hops settle to the

bottom and the wort is then pumped to a fermentation vessel via a heat

exchanger, which cools it from near boiling to 26°C. It is now tested for sugar

content and minor adjustments can be made if needed - but generally they are

not.

Powdered yeast is now added to the wort and it is left to ferment for 2-3 days,

before being tested with a hydrometer for specific gravity and hence alcohol

content. The reading for Hart should show an ‘alcohol by volume’ (ABV) level of

3.5-6%. If the result shows it is still lower than this, the wort is left to work a

little longer.

When the correct level is achieved the chiller is turned on to stop the yeast and a

litre of finings is added to the beer before it is left to cool and settle. The beer is

then ready to be put in casks, with the addition of a half pint of finings to each

firkin to ensure that the end result is perfectly clear.

So there it is; John barleycorn was taken roughly from the field, where they

“served him most barbarously” but now we can enjoy his resurrection as a

foaming glass of good British ale. All we are missing is the nut-brown bowl!

RF

(Continued from page 15)

The boiler

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Moving home?

Chartered Surveyor available

for

Home Buyers reports and

full building surveys.

For more information please contact

John Emery on 07775 924837 or

07725997613

jrebuildingsurveyors@gmail.com

19

Stebbing Village Community Bus

Hire a 15 seat Mini-Bus

For details, please telephone:

(01371) 856 892

Power Cut? Contact UK Power Networks

Neighbourhood Policing

I thought I would let you know the new dates for street meetings, held at

Stebbing Village Stores. Due to high demand for officers at the moment I have

been asked to only do one street meeting a month and, because I cover a large

area, I am only able to do a street meeting in Stebbing once every 2 months.

The dates are as follows:

◊Tuesday 15th September - 10-11am

◊Tuesday 10th November - 10-11am

Although Stebbing has been very quiet with regard to crime lately, I would still like

to remind the village community to make sure all their outbuildings are secure. It

is always a good idea to review security, both inside and outside your property.

Kind Regards,

Kirsty

PCSO Kirsty Smith 71259, Uttlesford Neighbourhood Policing Team

Dunmow Police Station, Chelmsford Road, Dunmow CM6 1LW

Opening hours: 12:00 - 18:00 hours, Monday to Saturday

External Tel: 101 Ext 400333 Uttlesford NPT Mobile: 07989174801

Email: Kirsty.smith@essex.pnn.police.uk Website www.essex.police.uk

20

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For more information and booking call Liz Williams on

Stebbing 856965 or Mobile 07866 312070

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21

Stebbing Garden Club News

Garden Club members have participated in two events since publication of the last

Stebbing Scene in June. Many plants at bargain prices were to be had at our stall

at the Friday Morning Market and my thanks go to those members who donated

plants, produce and their time to make it such a success.

As a change from the usual pattern, our meeting later in the month took the form

of an ‘open gardens event’ when some of the brave (or foolhardy) amongst us

opened our gardens to the scrutiny of other members. A slightly nerve-wracking

experience for some of us, I doubt there were any such misgivings felt by the

owners of the star garden, Snares Hill Cottage, which is also opened to the

general public under the National Gardens Scheme.

Our first event, after a long and leisurely summer break, is running

our usual stall at the annual Stebbing Village Fete on 27th September

– where we will be selling plants, produce and home-made jams and

chutneys. Just for a change, you will have the opportunity to guess

the weight of the garden gnome. He is a fine hand-painted example

of the species and, if you guess correctly, he could be all yours to

take home!

If gnomes aren’t quite your thing (each to their own), there will be plenty more on offer so please pay us a visit.

We resume our meetings in September with a varied line-up of speakers, themes and activities. Until the Christmas break these are:

Garden Club meetings are held in Stebbing village Hall on the 4th Monday of the

month at 8pm and visitors are always given a warm welcome. Margaret Rufus

If you wish to more about our activities, please contact Jane Foster, Tel: 856466

28th Sept Soft Fruit Growing – tips from the a professional

Speaker from RHS Hyde Hall

26th Oct The Secret Life of Garden Birds Mike Logan-Wood

23rd Nov Making Christmas Wreaths - members have an opportunity to make a seasonal wreath and take it home to decorate their front door.

Margaret Rufus

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23

From St Mary’s Church

Registers

Marriage:

Stephanie Bussell and Stuart Newman

were married at St Mary's Church,

Stebbing, becoming Mr and Mrs Newman

on 8 August 2015. Reverend Cilla

Hawkes conducted a beautiful wedding

ceremony which was the highlight of the

newlywed’s day and enjoyed by all.

Ceremony marking 20 years of

marriage:

On Tuesday 25th August a special

ceremony marking 20 years of

marriage between Steve and

Sharron Sparrow took place, due to

bad weather, in the church. The

service was conducted by Canon

Jeff Hayward . Olivia Farr read the

poem; ‘The beauty of love’ and

Cathy Beaven read an extract from

‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.’

Refreshments were served in the

church and churchyard.

Photo - Jackie Kingdom

Confirmation:

On July 8th, a confirmation service was held at St

Mary’s. Candidates from Stebbing, the Five

parishes and the North Blackwater parishes were

confirmed by the Rt Revd Roger Morris, the

Bishop of Colchester. It was a great

encouragement to hear the stories of faith of the

candidates, who varied in ages from young

teenagers to the retired. Copious amounts of

cakes were consumed by the candidates and their

families and friends after the service.

Stebbing’s confirmation candidates:

Vicky Skilton, Seraphina Goodbody, Steve Traveller, Bishop Roger Morris, Jack Verallo, Stephanie Foile.

Stephanie and Stuart Newman

24

25

From St Mary’s Church Registers

Baptism:

On Sunday 23rd August the grandchildren of Michael and Jackie Kingdom were

baptised at St Mary’s in a service led by Canon Jeff Hayward.

Funeral:

On May 29th the funeral of Mrs Violet Allum took place at the parish church,

followed by a burial at Bishop’s Stortford. As befitted a lady of her tradition and

culture, Violet’s family and friends attended in their hundreds. The hearse was

drawn by four beautiful black horses and there were almost too many cars to

count in the cortege. The Church has rarely seen so many floral arrangements of

all shapes and sizes. A moving tribute, written by Violet’s family was read out by

Revd. Tim Goodbody, and the congregation listened to some of Violet’s favourite

music during the service.

David Barron 29 May 1938 – 3 July 2015

David and Wendy Barron, with their daughters Sue

and Elizabeth were residents at Tile Cottage,

Stebbing Green for many years before moving to Gt

Dunmow.

David died following a long illness on 3 July 2015. A

service of celebration and thanksgiving for his life was

held at St Mary’s Church, Dunmow on Wednesday 15

July 2015 and was conducted by Reverend Ruth

Patten. A tribute to David was given by Gill Donmall-

Hicks and readings by Tony Shaw and Sue Butler.

Donations were made to the RNLI Lifeboats and St

Clare’s Hospice in his memory.

Obituary

Heather Marjorie (Bonnie) Burleton 1925 – 2015

John and Heather Burleton moved to Stebbing in 1951 to help

run the family bakery business and post office for 25 years at

what is now Bakery House, High Street. Heather was a good

bookkeeper and became the sub-postmistress; a well-

respected position in those days.

(Continued on page 27)

26

WEST ESSEX JUDO CLUB

Class Times

Tuesdays

6pm – 7.30pm Novices & Juniors

7.30pm – 9.30pm Advanced & Seniors

Saturdays

10am – 11.30am Novices & Juniors

11.30am – 1.30pm Advanced & Seniors

Held at

Stebbing Village Hall, Mill Lane, Stebbing

Contact Faith on 07595331073, faithpitman@aol.com

or via Facebook

NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME YOUNG OR OLD!

27

She was born in 1925 in Uxbridge, the youngest of five children. The family

moved to Combe Martin, North Devon, when Heather was a young child and she

always regarded Devon as her home.

Heather joined the WAAF in 1942, serving initially with 19 Group Coastal

Command based at St David’s in Wales. Later, whilst stationed at Chivener, she

met Flying Officer John Burleton, a night fighter pilot serving with 108 Squadron.

It was he who gave Heather her lifelong nickname, ‘Bonnie,’ and this was the

name she was known by to everyone in Stebbing. They married in Combe Martin

at the end of the war in 1945. Her wedding dress was made from a silk

parachute.

The young couple moved around several RAF stations where John was a flying

instructor. Their son Tim was born in 1947 and daughter Sue, in 1951. Sadly,

John died at the young age of 49yrs. Bonnie continued to run the post office but

the bakery was closed and was sadly missed by its customers.

In her 40’s, Bonnie decided it was time to learn to drive. It took five attempts to

pass her test but she got there in the end. After retiring from the post office,

Bonnie led a very active life. She loved to travel, visiting much of Europe, the

Mediterranean, America and the Caribbean. When Sue and her husband lived in

Dubai, Bonnie visited on 21 occasions. Back home, her skills turned to flower

arranging, gardening, simple DIY and she was treasurer of the carpet bowls club,

where she won many trophies. Bonnie had great style.

Sadly, when she was 80yrs, Bonnie suffered a massive stroke which paralysed her

left side. It was a terrible blow for one so active and although she lived for

another ten years, she never came to terms with her disability. After the stroke,

Bonnie moved into The Croft, Dunmow but, with the

difficulties this presented to her family for visiting, it

made sense for her to move to Gosberton House,

Lincolnshire, just ten minutes from Tim and his wife,

Tina. It also meant Sue could visit for longer periods

too. Bonnie settled here but could, at times be

‘challenging’. The staff, however, always remained

patient and were aware of Bonnie’s weakness for

Cadbury’s chocolate.

Bonnie had three grandchildren, of whom she was

immensely proud, taking a great interest in all they did.

Just three days before she died, Bonnie became great-

grandmother to Matthew and Francesca’s daughter,

Bella. Even though she was very tired, Bonnie fully

understood her new status and kept repeating the name; ‘Bella’.

Tim Burleton & Sue Maybanks

(Continued from page 25)

28

All jobs, from a leaking tap to extensions

Don’t hesitate to call for a free quote

Steve: 07771 573688

Office: 01371 856443

Visit our website for past projects, more information and

testimonials

WWW.MultitradePropertyServices.co.uk

Multitrade2@btinternet.com

29

Eating Out

Carluccio’s

16 North Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2LQ

Tel: 01279 504630

Needing a restaurant that could

accommodate a wheelchair user in our

party of six, we made enquiries several

weeks before to ensure that the place

we chose was able to provide both

delicious food and all the adaptations

our family member needed. Several

restaurants advertised disabled access,

but few had space in their bathroom

provision for carer-assisted use.

Carluccio’s stood out because of their

total ease and confidence in assuring us

that everything was in place. They showed us all the adaptations, guiding us

through from parking on the road directly outside, to parking the chair at a very

suitable table.

On the evening in question, we found parking for two cars in a nearby car park,

next to the police station on Windhill, whilst our blue badge carrier parked easily

outside the restaurant. Disabled access was to the side of the building, bringing

us onto a series of gently sloping, blonde oak ramps into the dining area. There is

alternative access via one or two steps into the tempting delicatessen area and

thence on into the restaurant.

The night in question was muggy but the air conditioning was quietly efficient and

the table arrangement airy and uncluttered. If you do happen to go in summer

when conditions are a bit sticky, you may like to take something to sling round

your shoulders in case it does become a bit ‘fresco’. The restaurant also offers

free Wi-fi.

As may be anticipated, the food is Italian and the drinks available are those you

would expect in Italy. Peroni Nastro Azzurro is the only beer on offer, with a

choice of pump or bottle; there are no squashes or cordials so one of our drivers

was disappointed that lime and soda was not an option!

Service was friendly, helpful and relaxed. It was a complete Italian experience

with no need to speak the language! Menus are in Italian but many dishes are

commonly recognised in England and all dishes are described in English.

Most importantly, the food was absolutely authentic and delicious. All plates were

returned empty; we will certainly be visiting again. The price for six diners,

including wine, beer and soft drinks was £205. All agreed that it had been a

memorably good evening.

Wendy Kibblewhite

30

Stebbing Village Open

Gardens Weekend

26 & 27 June 2016 (Provisional date)

We would like a variety of gardens,

large and small, new or established to

be open for visiting this weekend,

either on both days or just one day.

We are gauging interest from the

village in this event and publishing the

provisional date in this issue of the

Stebbing Scene to plan, for 2016, the

gardens which are included. If you

would like to enter your garden, please

contact the organisers.

Initially, please contact Vicky Skilton

01371 856 257

31

Manicures/Pedicures

La stone/Bamboo/Thai Massages

Facials/Tanning/Waxing/Tinting

Jessica Nails/Gel Nails/ Lash Perfect

Free Parking Gift Vouchers Available

Please call Jessie on 01371 823192

32

The good and the bad on Stebbing Green

My candidates for the epithet ‘good’ are butterflies,

and the ‘bad’? - well that’s Himalayan balsam, an

impressively tall plant with pretty pink flowers.

Please read on to discover why I think they deserve

their respective labels.

This year I decided to commit more time to

voluntary work and signed up to Essex Wildlife

Trust’s butterfly monitoring scheme, part of the UK

Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UK BMS). This

involved a little bit of training to identify the butterflies I would be seeing and

setting up a route that could be regularly walked. Stebbing Green was chosen

because it’s an area of lowland meadow and a Local Wildlife Site and the walk

includes the adjacent Daphne Rogowski Meadow. Both meadows, if they’re

managed sympathetically, will provide a haven for grassland butterfly species

amidst our intensively farmed landscape.

Since setting it up it’s just been a case of counting

butterflies each week on the pre-determined walk and

logging my results on the UK BMS website. If it rains, is

too windy or cold, butterflies don’t come out and so

neither do I - perfect! Just occasionally it involves

netting a butterfly for identification purposes, as the

differences between some species are minute. So if you

see a mad woman rushing about

with a large black net, it’s only me.

So why are butterflies good? Well they are valuable, not just

for their own sakes but as indicators of the ‘health’ of the wider

environment. They react rapidly to the slightest habitat or

climatic change, so when butterflies are doing well, you can be

assured that other insect species will be doing well, as will the

birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals that depend on

them. Of course, the converse also holds true.

I have yet to complete a full year’s monitoring, as I

started half way through the butterfly season, so it’s too

soon to say whether the range of species and numbers of

grassland butterflies I’ve recorded are as they should be,

but to date I’ve seen: small skipper, Essex skipper, large

white, small white, brown argus, common blue, red

admiral, painted lady, small tortoiseshell, peacock,

gatekeeper, meadow brown, small heath and ringlet. Red

admiral and painted lady are migratory species and, in

common with small tortoiseshell, peacock, and small and

large whites are wide ranging and just as likely to be seen in gardens as on

grassland. The others are true grassland species, their larval food-plants for the

most part being grasses or grassland herbs.

Ringlet

Common blue

Gatekeeper

Brown argus

33

Now we move on to the other (hopefully temporary)

resident of Stebbing Green, Himalayan balsam

(scientific name: Impatiens glandulifera). A few plants

were spotted last year, growing along the bed of the

River Ter on Stebbing Green. This year, the numbers

of plants had greatly increased and I joined the second

of two Stebbing Parish Council work parties, on the 31st

July, to help pull the plants to prevent them spreading

further.

Himalayan balsam comes from the West and central

Himalayas. It was introduced to this country as a

garden plant by the Victorians (who else?) in 1839 and

was first recorded growing in the wild in 1855.

Preferring damp ground, such as that along river

banks, it spread rapidly along the waterways and is now to be found throughout

Britain, growing along rivers and in other damp habitats.

If the scientific name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a close relative of Busy

Lizzies, those short brightly coloured bedding plants that are great for a shady

spot. You can see the family resemblance in the way the pink-purple flowers and

seed capsules dangle from their stalks and in the shiny succulent leaves and

stalks. However that is where the similarities end. At up to 2m tall (one season’s

growth), dense stands of the plants out-compete native species in ecologically

sensitive areas and can impede river flow at times of high rainfall, increasing the

likelihood of flooding. In autumn the plants die back, leaving the banks bare of

vegetation and liable to erosion.

As it only lives for a year, you might think its

impact would be equally short-lived, but its

very success in colonising the British Isles is

due entirely to its ability to produce and

disperse large numbers of seeds. Each plant

produces about 2,500 seeds which explode

from capsules when ripe, scattering them up

to 7m away. Those which fall in watercourses

are carried further downstream to start a new

colony.

Himalayan balsam is listed under Schedule 9

to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with

respect to England and Wales. As such, it is

an offence to plant or otherwise allow this

species to grow in the wild.

Margaret Rufus

More about less welcome visitors to Stebbing Green on pages 37/39 - Ed

Himalayan balsam in the River Ter

Parish Council working party - nearing the end of their work

34

35

The Mad Medic

Hello everyone,

Wishing all of you health and happiness, free from worry.

I’m going to get my embarrassing stuff out of the way first; it's

no use pretending that my life is a cocoon of sophistication

because you would never believe me.

Faux pas number 1

I sent a text to a dear friend, saying that I couldn't wait to see her but, when I

read it afterwards, the predictive text had changed it to, “I can't be arsed”. My

friend wasn't impressed. Predictive text has caused me to rudely address

someone as a fogey - and to make people think my son's name is Lukewarm.

Faux pas number 2

I went to Chelmsford and decided to take the ‘Park and Ride’ bus from Chelmer

Valley into town. Anyway, on I trotted and sat down on the last empty seat,

which was actually facing a bus full of passengers who decided, in their state of

advanced boredom, to stare at me. After a few minutes it became a bit

disconcerting - so I had a fiddle about in my large handbag to take my mind off

the piercing stares. Ah hand-cream, I thought, and proceeded to gently squeeze a

small ladylike blob on to my hands, discretely from the tube inside my bag. Well!

- the loudest noise erupted from my bag as a huge dollop squelched out in a

crescendo, which didn't require a psychology expert to know what the passengers

were thinking. They looked at me with such horror. How could I say, "Ooh! the

Queen and I don't do things like that"? They had already indelibly memorised

every detail of my mortified face for future reference. As they filed past me to exit

the bus it was clear, from the loud tutting, that I was being shamed - never to

‘Park and Ride’ ever again.

But not to worry, all is on track for my next big renovation project in Mumbai,

helped by a generous donation from John and Violet Freeland of just over £250 to

help my darling children - instead of having gifts for their wedding anniversary and

birthday. I am truly grateful to them for their kindness and can't wait to give

photos to them when we get back. Our trip is being filmed, so hopefully, you will

see what we get up to. Thank you for taking time out to read this.

Take care and keep safe..

Lots of love,

Valerie xxxxx

You know where I am if you need me.

Gingerbread Room, 14, Warehouse Villas, Stebbing, CM6 3SU

Tel: 01371 856935 munchkinpie63@gmail.com

36

37

STEBBING PARISH COUNCIL

DEFRIBILLATOR FOR STEBBING

In the last edition of the Stebbing scene, I reported that the PC was hoping to

place a defibrillator in the redundant red telephone kiosk - outside the telephone

exchange in the High Street, on the corner of Motts Yard. I am pleased to

inform you that the proposal was agreed unanimously at the May Parish Council

meeting and the unit was installed on 27th July. It is now registered with the

Ambulance service and is fully operational.

An awareness session for the public has been arranged for Wednesday 16th

September, at 7:30pm, in the School Hall. It will be given by the Community

Heartbeat Trust, in conjunction with The Parish Council, and should last

approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. The session will cover the following:

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

5 minutes to save a life

Physiology of the heart

How to recognise SCA

How to dial 999

What to expect

Questions you will be asked

How to do CPR and why

How to use your AED

Recovery position/turning a patient

Handover to the Paramedics

Governance and support programmes

After the awareness training you can be issued with a certificate if you wish.

The Parish Council looks forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the

session - you never know when you might need to use it.

Greg King, Clerk to Stebbing Parish Council

The Old Stables, High Street, Stebbing CM6 3SG Tel: 01371 855805

Travellers on the Green

Travellers arrived on Stebbing Green on Friday 31st July, at about 9.15 in the

evening, and set up camp at the end nearest to Old Ryes and Manor Cottage. This

was then followed by a second group on the Saturday night which spread to the

right of the original encampment, nearer to the Village end.

The Parish Council received calls from Stebbing Green residents and contacted the

Police and Essex Countywide travellers unit to report the arrival of the travellers.

Letters were delivered to all Stebbing Green residents on the Saturday morning,

asking for email addresses to enable the Parish Council to keep residents informed

about developments quickly. The Parish Council worked in conjunction with the

Police and the Travellers Unit, over the weekend, to prove ownership of the land.

The process of getting the travellers removed started on Monday 3rd August.

38

39

STEBBING PARISH COUNCIL

Travellers often arrive on Friday evenings as they know the Travellers Unit only

works from Monday to Friday.

Travellers setting up

encampments on private

land, whether that be a

farmer’s field or a green

owned by a Parish

Council, is a Civil, not a

criminal matter. A

'Direction to Leave',

giving informal notice to

leave within 24hrs, was

issued by the Travellers Unit, on behalf of the Parish Council, on Tuesday 4th

August. This expired at midday on the following day. As the Travellers had not

moved by the deadline, application was made to the Magistrates Court and

summonses issued on Friday 7th August for a hearing on Tuesday 11th August.

Over the weekend, three caravans left the village end encampment and two more

arrived at the other end. During late Monday afternoon and early evening, there

were definite signs of activity and, by approximately 7.30pm, they had all left.

This was obviously a great relief to the residents who had endured sleepless nights

due to the constant noise of the numerous dogs barking, quad bikes speeding over

the green and worries that the large fires that were lit every day could set light to

one of the numerous thatched cottages situated very close to the encampments.

Obviously this was not the end, the mountains of fly tipped rubbish from the jobs

the travellers had been doing over the week, including vast amounts of green

waste, along with old kitchen units and associated electrical goods and sinks, had

to be cleared up at the Parish Councils expense. To make matters worse, ditches

around the area had been used as toilets, presenting its own set of difficulties.

Parish Council representatives and residents of Stebbing Green met on Tuesday

11th August to look at the way forward to minimise the risk of this happening

again. A working party was formed with members of the Parish council and

residents to look at the areas that need protection and the best way of doing this.

Finally, travellers usually need to work while they are in an area, so using services

from leaflets put through doors for gardening, small building jobs, or general

clearance may be providing work in the Stebbing area for the travellers and

encouraging them to come again. Leaflets from travellers can usually be identified

by the lack of a landline number or address. Make sure you ask the right

questions, as you may inadvertently be encouraging them to come back again if

the pickings are rich enough and it is up to the employer of people doing work to

be sure that rubbish being taken away from your property is going to be disposed

of correctly and not fly tipped; you can also be prosecuted under the

environmental protection act 1990!

Greg King, Clerk To Stebbing parish Council

40

English Tuition

Julie Bull B.Sc.(Hons), Dip. E.L.S., C.R.B. checked

I am a highly experienced English

tutor living in Stebbing, offering

tuition to help to develop

confidence in the subject and to

prepare for exams, including

common entrance, 11+, GCSE and

A Levels.

Please contact

Email: juliebull@btinternet.com

Telephone

07890 540059 or 01371 856 768

41

Stebbing Cricket Club News

As we near the end of a successful cricket season, we are well

placed for yet another promotion and even have an outside

chance of a third successive divisional championship. At the time

of writing, we lie second in division 2 with 5 games to play.

There have been excellent individual contributions from many of

our players during the season, most notably 90+ run innings

from Neil Bartlett and Simon Sargent and 4 wicket hauls by Mel

Hussain (twice) and Simon Sargent ... but not a century or 5

wicket haul yet, so there’s still an opportunity for someone else perhaps to be our

first to pass one of these milestones this season.

The team also reached the cup semi-final but went no further yet again, this time

losing to 1st division side Wivenhoe. One of these years we will go that one step

further and compete in a knock-out cup final.

Our remaining fixtures are listed below:

◊Sun Sept 6th Great Totham (A) ◊Sun Sept 13th Elmstead (A)

◊Sun Sept 20th West Bergholt (H)

On the social front, it was disappointing that Kevin Farr’s fund raising event at Pri-

ors Hall had to be cancelled because of poor advanced ticket sales and even poor-

er weather on the day ... a rare rainy day in an otherwise warm and dry summer.

I hope I will be able to report on a more successful day of better weather for our

Vice-Presidents lunch in late August.

We again thank our vice-presidents and commercial sponsors, the White Hart, D &

A Hills, Dennis Locks, Eddy Parsley Associates and Daniel Brewer Estate Agents for

their continued and generous support of the club.

Adrian Farr, Club Secretary

The Vice-Presidents’

Lunch on 23rd August

and a home friendly

match with Hatfield

Heath to entertain.

A big thank you was

given by the President,

Kevin Farr, to Phil

Barker for all his work

and to Nick and staff of

the White Hart for the

excellent food and

drink.

Only the weather let us

down.

42

43

The Annual Stebbing XI vs Church XI Cricket Match

Friday 3rd July 2015

It is amazing to think that this fixture is in its 12th year, although the

thought of the Church Team winning is about as likely as Stebbing

receiving city status.

In time honoured tradition, the village team batted first and it was soon apparent

that the usual was in store. A score of 32 for 1 wicket heralded the arrival of the

Gallian lads and a certain Kevin Meakin, who quickly took the score to 114. Then

Steve Hooper arrived and the score reached about 136. The innings score was

144 for 3. With regard to the Church fielding, special mention must be made of

Gary Bentley, who was like a veritable greyhound in the out field and our young

bowlers did very well - Matt Troup, Jack Verallo and Dan Cohen.

In fear and trepidation the church opening batsmen approached the wicket and, lo

and behold, the Gallian boys struck again. They took the wicket of our star

batsman, Ant Challis, who recently got married and, as he and Becs are expecting

their first baby, his mind was obviously not on cricket – many congratulations to

you both !

Steve “Stumping” Hooper, behind the wicket, was in good form and, after royally

abusing and sledging the Vintner, had the temerity to stump him; I was only

trying to get away from the abuse! Our Captain, James Crick, who has recovered

from an injured shoulder, managed to restore some order to the score and the

Church finished on 86 for 9.

Thanks must go to Steve Sparrow and Wally for their excellent umpiring skills.

They frequently looked on with a bemused expression at some of the antics that

purported to be cricket! Grateful thanks also to Paul Short for scoring; how he

managed to see through the throngs to record events is one of life’s mysteries!

We reckon at least 100 people were watching (See photo) and, as ever, many

thanks to Cath, Becs, Michelle, Fran and Sharron for helping with the bar.

Donations made £412.00 for the “Way Forward Project” at St Marys. Chefs

extraordinaire, Tony Lunt, Paul Barnes and Pat Smith did a magnificent job in

feeding so many people.

And so another annual cricket

match draws to a close and if

you refer back to the first

paragraph about “city status”

you will all be delighted to

know that Stebbing still

remains a village – and a

very beautiful one it is too,

made special by the people.

Please don’t forget to support

the cricket club and go to

their home matches!

The Vintner

44

45

West Essex Judo Club

West Essex Judo Club celebrated their first anniversary at Stebbing Village Hall

this week.

Coaches, Thomas Cousins (Manchester Commonwealth Games Silver medallist,

twice Junior European Champion and Junior World Silver medallist) and Faith

Pitman (Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist and Croatia Grand Prix

Gold medallist) have been teaching at the new venue since last August and the

club numbers have grown considerably, ranging in age from 5 upwards.

The club, sponsored by Mercedes Benz of Hertfordshire, have had visits from

Polish clubs as well as other local clubs and athletes, including Peter Cousins

(World Bronze medallist and European Bronze medallist), who came especially to

train with the coaches.

"We look forward to another successful year and welcome new members of any age or ability," Chairman Andy Kiberd said. For club and class details please contact us via the BJA website or our Facebook page.

46

47

Stebbing Bowls

This year’s bowls season is nearly ended

and what a great season its been for us.

This was our second year in the North

West Essex Bowls Association League with

our promotion to Division B. We have

learned a lot and risen to the challenge. It

was a nail biting last match which left us

in second place in the Division and

therefore promotion next year to Division A. Everyone involved has grown in

skill and confidence and enjoyed the matches. We will strive next year to

conquer the big boys in the next division.

At the same time we also continued a programme of friendly fixtures with local

clubs and continue to win more than half our matches. This, together with

internal competitions, has made us a very lively club with something for

everyone - whatever level you wish to play at. However, you can still just

come for a game when it suits you. There is no pressure to be competitive

and we always enjoy ourselves.

Notably this summer, two

groups of people approached us

to learn some basics and have

an evening of fun. These

people had seen us bowling

and wanted to have a go

privately amongst themselves.

So one evening we hosted a

group of accountants and on

another evening a group from a

local cricket club, and together

with a BBQ and drinks everyone

had a fun evening. If this

appeals to your group please

approach us at any time as our

coaches enjoyed the evenings

too. The added bonus for us was promoting the game to people who

otherwise we might not have reached.

We continue to have an open evening policy on Thursdays starting at 6.30 pm

when any one can join us to try the game. All we ask is that your bring some

flat shoes.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any enquiries

John - 856155 or Pat - 856211

Stebbing Bowling Club 2015

48

Felsted Pest Control

John King

Registered Professional Pest

Technician

felstedpests@live.co.uk

Tel 07896 288 135

Public Liability Insurance

6 Alderton Close, Felsted, Essex CM6 3EL

49

The Life of William Perry

Michael Perry, the owner of David Lipson’s

Photography in Dunmow, recently passed us a

copy of a cutting from the Essex Chronicle.

Dated May 1930, it is an account of his Great

Grandfather, William Perry’s interesting life.

William, a native of Stebbing at the time of the

interview, was in his 93rd year. What follows is

a précis of the article.

When William was 10, he left Stebbing for

Chelmsford to work as a Chimney sweep for a

Mr John Reed. Eight years later, in 1856 and

with the Indian Mutiny in full swing, he decided

to join the Army and so enlisted in the 94th

Regiment of Foot. After training, the regiment

set sail for India but it was to be a long journey.

In the Bay of Biscay they encountered a storm;

the Captain was washed overboard but the

waves then washed him back! The ship was

damaged and they had to return to Plymouth. The ship was refitted and left again

for India but this time the engine shaft fractured and again they had to return to

Plymouth. The third attempt was successful and the regiment landed in January

1858. Although the mutiny had been largely quelled, there was still much unrest

and they had to sleep with their rifles loaded and bayonets fixed, with their arms

through the rifle slings to prevent them being stolen. Despite this he recalled that

he did not fire a single shot at the enemy during his ten years army service. He

was stationed in Peshawur, still today a centre of unrest.

When he returned to Stebbing, he started a chimney sweeping business, which

grew to include most of the big houses in the area, including Easton Lodge, Horam

Hall, and Felsted School. For forty two years, with a little horse and cart, he swept

the local chimneys. During this time, at the age of 44, he married a lady twenty

years younger, who bore him eleven children. Chimney sweeping was so dusty

that he often drank two or three quarts of beer at a time.

The 1901 Stebbing census lists William and his family living at Church End with (at

63 years of age) a young son, Alec, of 8 months. Of his six sons, five fought in

the First World War and he too wanted to enlist, but at 77 they thought him a little

too old. All his sons returned, although one was wounded. He remarked to his

interviewer that he had seen seven different vicars during his years in the village.

William died in 1934.

Thanks once more to Stebbing History Society for raiding their archives and supplying this

interesting little snapshot of a piece of Stebbing’s history, which they first published in

November 2009. -Ed

50

Did you know that this issue, and back copies, are available to download at

www.StebbingScene.uk

STEBBING AFTERNOON CARPET BOWLS

THURSDAYS 2.00–4.30pm at the Village Hall Cost £1.50 including tea and biscuits

Newcomers welcome Informal instruction and encouragement given

Contact: Pat Hopwood 856183

TUESDAY AFTERNOON BADMINTON CLUB - PLAYERS NEEDED!!!

The Tuesday afternoon badminton club is looking for more players to swell

numbers. We play in the Village Hall, Mill Lane, 2pm - 4pm

If you are interested in joining us, please contact

David Arnold Tel: (01371) 856271

WEDNESDAY EVENING BADMINTON

New members needed

Wednesday evenings 8pm-10pm (except 4th Wednesday of each month)

In the Village Hall, Mill Lane

Contact: Graham Phillips

Tel: (01371) 856021 or Mobile: 07971573414

STEBBING EVENING CARPET BOWLS

THURSDAYS 7.30PM at the Village Hall Cost £1.50 including tea and biscuits.

Guidance, encouragement and a warm welcome all come free.

Contact: Roger 856348 or Ann 856476

STEBBING BOWLS CLUB

Welcomes new members of all ages

Experience not needed - free tuition - come and try it at our very friendly club

Contact: Pat Going 01371 856211 Dennis Hustwitt 01371 856137

SAVE YOUR OLD STAMPS

Please save your old postage stamps, whether British or foreign, as I collect them to help The Leprosy Mission, which works with sufferers from leprosy in many parts of the world. They are also glad to receive old picture postcards of any kind. If you have any, please drop them in to me at 6 Oakfield, Stebbing or phone me on 856325 and I can collect them.

Thank you

Anne Howard

51

The Scene Crossword - 135

Well it’s harvest time again and this provides the theme for this quarter’s cryptic crossword where there are a number of crops to find.

To see how many of you are paying attention - a bottle of wine goes to the first correct grid drawn out of the hat at the end of September. If you don’t want to cut it out, you can print the page from the copy of the magazine uploaded to stebbingscene.uk

Answers to the Editor at Stone Cottage, or care of the Village Stores.

Solution to Crossword no: 134

Across

1 British Rail goes to East and West to hostelry that make its own beer (7) 5,8 Sin and feel bad about leguminous 25ac crop (5) 8 See 5 (5) 9 Poisonous plant composted to grow rat (7) 10 Consume in great part (3) 11 Vulgarity in low priced headland (9) 13 Birds do it to mixed packet - poor appetite?(4,2) 14 Patterns of fibre in wood gathered in 25ac (6) 17 Greet a bus, gathered at 25ac time. (9) 19 Scatter seed for pig (3) 21 Wheat, second to last; queen follows in sun, wind or rain (7) 23 I’m in labyrinth - gathered in 25ac (5) 24 Reddish and out of practice (5) 25 Gather in her vast confusion (7)

Down

1 Good book Habib let in (5) 2 Stretchy Castle I bounced around (7) 3 Sell drugs to professor for baby buggy (9) 4 25acrossed, malted and used in 1ac (6) 5 Don't give one of these for fruit (3) 6 Run away together, but East pole returns (5) 7 Hates Ed returning to exams (7) 12 Piece of clock works less than a full week (4-5) 13 Mail raw returns after conflict (7) 15 Breathe in to enthuse (7) 16 Hot planet in which fire is set (6) 18 25 acrossed and dried for 22ac - or smoked (5) 20 Hat we reassemble - gathered in 25ac (5) 22 Hot agreement for horses (but ensure 9 is absent!) (3)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15

16

17 18 19 20

21 22 23

24 25

52

Garden Waste Collection

The green skip service will be at:

High Street Stebbing

(By the Downs)

10.15 - 11.15 am

Every Saturday until

Saturday 13th December

53

A Birder’s Holiday

In early August this year I spent several evenings

watching swifts and swallows feeding over my garden,

preparing for their long journey south to southern Africa

for the winter. Just a few days later I was watching

them, or their cousins, feeding over the Isles of Scilly,

off Cornwall, before continuing their journey. I am

always slightly surprised at the number of people I talk

to in Stebbing who have visited the Isles of Scilly but,

given how beautiful they are, perhaps I shouldn't be. I

first visited Scilly in October 1983 and since then have

only missed visiting one year.

From the birders point of view, Scilly in autumn can be

an amazing place, with rare American and Asiatic birds

turning up on most of the 5 inhabited islands. Each of

these is subtly different - but lovely in their own

particular way. So why were Jane, my long-suffering

birder's wife, and I visiting in August? The answer was a

small sea bird, Fea's Petrel, a little known bird which was first recorded in British

waters in July 2001 and tends only to be seen from remote headlands and boat

trips specifically targeting rare seabirds. Fea's Petrel is only known to breed on 2

islands, Madeira and Cape Verde, and only comes ashore to breeding burrows at

night to avoid predation by gulls.

We arrived on Scilly on Friday 14th August and, that evening, we both went on

the organised trip on the good "ship" Sapphire from 5pm to dark. Conditions

were very good for finding rare seabirds, that is windy and rough, which helps

spread the chum (a delightful mixture of rotting fish, oil and popcorn) which

attracts seabirds from miles away. One tip I learnt on my first trip was to keep

upwind of the chum, others didn't and about a quarter on board were seasick. We

saw some excellent seabirds but sadly no Fea's Petrel and on the way back to St

Mary's, the main island, got soaked.

On the 15th I went without Jane on the 8 hour day time trip; it was much calmer

and we saw some more great birds but no Fea's. On the way back, discussion

took place about the next day's trip. All the locals were predicting it would be a

waste of time as the weather forecast was for flat calm and they were talking of

going to Seven Stones Reef to do some fishing. Given this forecast, I decided not

to go and to keep my promise to Jane to have a leisurely breakfast and walk the

North Coast of St Mary's in the sun. At about 11.55am I received 2 simultaneous

text messages, the first said "Fea's Petrel under the belt?" and the second "Hope

you are on the trip?" I got out my birder pager and the second message said

"11.40 Sapphire six miles SE of Scilly, Fea's Petrel flew up the oil slick and spent 5

minutes flying around the boat at distances down to ten feet". I couldn't believe

it, after hundreds of hours spent on boat trips and sitting on headlands, I had

been so close!! (note from long suffering wife, suicide was being contemplated at

this point and not only by HSJ!)

Continued on page 55

Fea’s Petrel

54

55

We then visited Old Town Churchyard, overlooking a wonderful bay and open sea.

Not only is it the burial place of Harold Wilson but also there are around a dozen

graves of sailors and airmen from the Second World War whose bodies were

washed up on the islands, their average age being about 21. So having put life

into perspective I started thinking about next years trips and will undoubtedly

return for another bash - but this time I will go to sea whatever the weather

forecast!

Howard Jolliffe

Richard’s Rant!

As I become more irascible with each year that passes, my wife

and the friends that I have left, are treated ever more frequently

to my rants about matters which, although they may seem petty

to others, nevertheless are parts of the fabric of everyday life

which succeed in annoying me every time they are encountered.

As I do not want to burden my wife and friends any further, I

thought it might help to share my rants more widely so that

others could help to carry the load. So if you are reading this,

thank you.

But why should you continue to read it, you are no doubt asking yourself? Well,

perhaps there are at least a few like-minded curmudgeons out there who, in

reward for my unloading on you, would welcome the opportunity of broadcasting a

rant of your own. We have had aging celebrities giving vent to their

dissatisfaction with modern life on television but what about the voice of the man

and women in the street I ask? It is time we had our say!

In a future issue, I wish to have a rant about some village matters such as the

relative neglect of Bran End by the powers that be. Have you seen the state of

the pavement that mums have to take their pushchairs along to get their children

to nursery or school? Have you seen the parents pushing prams and shepherding

children along the pavementless road to the recreation ground with traffic

speeding past in excess of the 40 mile limit?

But for now, and to illustrate the pettiness that might be expressed in this page, I

want to mention Tesco. Why do I keep receiving little slips telling me that I can

have money off my next shop - but I can’t have it now. It is nice that they bother

to compare prices with the competition, given that in doing so they are telling me

that I would have saved money by going elsewhere. But then to tell me that I

have to keep my little piece of paper for a refund which I’ll receive next time I

come to be overcharged - and to be given another piece of paper promising a

further refund of the excess they have taken from me this time, is infuriating.

What is most painful is that I can’t moan at the staff, as I recognise that they are

just as fed up with the nonsense of it as I am - and they are stuck there all day!

So there it is, whatever you want to get off your chest and however brief you want

to make it, I hope that this might become the page for expressing your angst

about big or little things. Please write - it’ll make you feel better.

Richard

56

57

The Rodings and Surrounding Area U3A

The Rodings U3A held a very busy and lively Open Day on

the 4th August. Over one hundred members and visitors,

saw displays of the work of several interest groups, bought

plants provided by the two Gardening Groups, played

boules and partook of home-made refreshments (Pimm's and fruit punch). This

year there were a lot of paintings from the Art Group and a new group, Digital

Photography, showed impressive examples of their skill. The Writing Group's

booklet of stories, poems and articles, that members have written throughout the

past year, sold well. Many members put their names down on waiting lists for

groups which are full. It is hoped that second groups for popular subjects will

start up in the coming months. All in all, this year's Open Day, the fifth held since

The RU3A started in 2011, was judged to have been the best so far.

On the 19th July, a coach load

of members visited

Sandringham Flower Show.

The weather was kind and

there was lots to see. Royalists

were pleased to catch a glimpse

of the heir to the throne and his

duchess.

During the summer months,

many members are busy with

grandparenting duties and

holidays, so less is organised

and some of the interest groups take a break. The Walking Group keep on

walking and Table Tennis, Badminton, and many others don't stop. The latest

group to start up is Knitting and Crochet, which has an ever increasing

membership and provides an opportunity to work and talk at the same time.

It is always pleasing when members, who may not have attended any of the

meetings or activities we promote, join a group and start to play a more active

part in our organisation. The whole point of the U3A movement is shared learning

and so the more members actively participating the better. Joining groups and

contributing to the learning process is a way of fulfilling these aims.

The RU3A membership year runs from the 1st September to the 31st August, and

the Membership Secretary is currently busy renewing memberships. Subject to

ratification at the AGM, the annual subscription is being reduced to £15.00.

Increasing numbers of members paying subscriptions has allowed us to

recommend that step, putting our subscription in line with other well established

U3As in the area.

The Rodings U3A website, which can be accessed by typing The Rodings U3A into Google,

contains all there is to know about the RU3A. However you are also welcome to -

email ru3ainfo@yahoo.co.uk

or telephone Louise Searl on 01277 362043 with any queries.

An 'Adult Learning Experience' for members in the Victorian classroom at Braintree Museum in July

58

59

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

As soon as Stebbing Green was free of caravans, vans and other

associated vehicles, you will have seen, if passing, a great deal of household

rubbish in sacks, as well as bags and bottles on the grass areas and in the

ditches. On closer examination, you would have found both green and building

waste tipped in many places around the Green.

Apart from its being upsetting to see the Green looking like this, it is

environmentally harmful to it. The Parish Council decided to act quickly to

minimise the effects of the rubbish and detritus that was left.

Over three days, and around 90 voluntary man hours, a group of Parish

Councillors and residents from Stebbing and Stebbing Green, worked together to

pick up and bring together all that was left to be taken away or burnt if possible.

The bonfire was fed over two days with the green waste that was left behind and

all the rest of the rubbish was loaded into three skips. The cost of these skips has

had to be met out of the Parish Council’s budget, as well any subsequent costs to

come. There is still more to do but that will take more time. It was very sad to

see the Green left so abused and damaged but heartening and satisfying to start

its return.

Once again I would like to sincerely thank all those who gave up their time to

clean up the green.

Cllr Sandi Merrifield

Hi Richard,

I am attaching a picture showing the handover of £4010 to Claire of Macmillan

Cancer Support at David Hunt’s farm the other day for information.

Dick Hughes

Readers will recall the ‘Vintage and Classic Tractor Run’ featured as the front cover story in the Summer issue. Well done to all involved! Ed.

60

61

Letters to the Editor

Dear Richard Foot,

When I look out the window, all I see is cars, motorbikes and vans

whizzing past my house. It worries me because I know that some

people are going above the speed limit. This makes Stebbing very

unsafe for children, adults, pets and wild animals. I have seen double the number

of wild animals getting hit by cars than when I moved to Stebbing four years ago.

Also my family pet cat was killed on the road so we need to make sure this doesn't

happen to other pets, or worse, a person. So please spread the word, “SLOW

DOWN IN STEBBING” to family and friends so that we can make Stebbing a safer

place. Thank you, Esme Clayden, year 5 student at Stebbing Primary School

Music at The White Hart

Sun 27th Sept Hogshead 3pm

Sat 24th Oct Elvis 8pm

Sat 28th Nov Sean Dillon 8pm

Sat 5th Dec Elvis 8pm

Sat 19th Dec Blue Light Taxi 8.30pm

Stebbing Village Hall

Available for hire, for all sorts of occasions:

Family events ♦ Birthdays ♦ Funerals ♦ Christenings

♦ Wedding Receptions

Village clubs ♦ Carpet Bowls ♦ Badminton ♦ Table Tennis

♦ Pilates

Meetings ♦ Stebbing Ladies ♦ Garden Club ♦ Friday morning Market

♦ Over 60s ♦ History Society ♦ NCT pre-natal classes

♦ First Aid Courses and Quiz Nights

Why not start a new group? Chess, Bridge, Music, Dance,

Craft, Floral or anything else? We have vacant slots on

Monday morning and afternoon, Tuesday & Thursday mornings

in the main hall.

The Pelham Room is available for smaller gatherings.

We have lots of pre-school toys, suitable for a Toddler Group

or a Parents & young children Coffee Morning.

If interested, contact our Steward, Donna - Tel: (01371) 856 607

62

Stebbing Directory

AFSS/Stebbing School

Badminton

Beavers

Bell Ringing

Bowls Club

Brownies

Carpet Bowls

Church – St Mary’s

Church Flowers

Cricket Club

Cubs

New Dorcas Society

First Aid Training

Footpath Rep

Friday Morning market

Friends Meeting House

Garden Club

History Society / Archive

Guides

Guides – Senior Section

Judo Club

Ladies Group

Meals on Wheels

Medi-Call EMS

Minibus

Over 60s

Parish Clerk

Police

Rainbows

Scamps

Scouts

Stebbing Society

Tennis Club

Village Hall

Village Stores

White Hart

Office

Graham Phillips (eve)

David Arnold (afternoon)

Maxine Walker

John Gilbert

Pat Going

Loraine Irani

Pat Hopwood

Tim & Ruth Goodbody

Hazel Kerr

Adrian Farr

Please update

Joan Bazlinton

Val Mulcare-Tivey

Brian Martin

Sue Tekell

Angela Newbrook

Jane Foster

Derek Towler

Sue Brown

Sarah White

Andy Kiberd

Gina Going

Ann Howard

Val Mulcare-Tivey

Adrian Greenway

Eve Stephenson

Greg King

All non-emergency

Liz Hooper

Sophie Osborne

Andrew Lipski

Jenny Nichol

Erika Taunton

Donna Kiberd

Nick Eldred

856260

07971573414

856271

856232

856516

856211

07788 412813

856183

856080

856993

856691

Please update

856495

856935

856664

873225

856464

856466

856680

07915 648952

856032

856607

856211

856325

856935

856892

856293

855805

101

856814

856103

07595690009

856401

07841 904362

856607

856380

856383

Please help us to stay up to date - tell us about changes – Richard Foot 856122

63

Stebbing School Fete

This year’s weather was

glorious and the attendance

from the school and village

was outstanding. We were

bursting at the seams with

things to see and do,

including: Braintree

Bowmen, Mercedes Benz,

The Toy Box, several craft

stalls, five brilliant class run

stalls, bouncy castle, go

karts, coconut shy, tractor

and our regular tearoom, bar

and barbecue stalls. The

hard work of several

volunteers and AFSS members ensured it all came together; planning had

started as early as September 2014 and an early start on the day itself meant

everything was set up in time for the opening.

Prizes including a Mercedes Benz for the

weekend, £100 of Next vouchers from Daniel

Brewer Estate Agents and a meal for two at

The White Hart pub from Nick Eldred,

ensured a brilliant raffle - thank you to all

our fabulous donators!

The day was a great success and we would

like to thank everyone who organised, helped

out and attended; we raised a brilliant

amount of money for the school.

Special thanks to Andy Kiberd

(Chairman), Alison Pertwee (Vice

Chair), Donna Kiberd (Secretary) and

Mark Francis (Treasurer) for all the

work before, during and after the

event.

Here's to another successful year

ahead fundraising!

64

DISCLAIMER

The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate but the publishers cannot assume responsibility for errors. Stebbing Scene is delivered free to all Stebbing residents and its existence depends on our advertisers. However, the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for resulting transactions.

Stebbing Scene is your magazine and we hope that you enjoy receiving it each quarter.

Thanks to our advertisers, we are able to produce a professionally printed magazine, which is delivered free to every household in Stebbing. Our first priority is to entertain and inform village residents, but we hope that in doing so we can ensure that advertising with us is worthwhile. For most people in the village, when seeking local tradesmen or services, the natural first source of information is the Scene. If you own a small, or large business, why not place an advert in ‘Stebbing Scene’. Prices range from £30-£95.

We can only produce a magazine that meets the needs, and satisfies the interests of Stebbing residents if you continue to send us articles and reports of events and social activities in the village. We welcome photos, reports and announcements covering all aspects of life in Stebbing. Let us have your views on the magazine and on how we can improve and develop. If you have an opinion, a moan, or a suggestion then please contact one of the team.

Please send contributions to:

Richard Foot (articles, reports and letters) stebbing.scene@hotmail.co.uk

Karen Howe (advertising) karen@howetraining.com

John Pitkethly (queries about delivery) johnpitkethly@hotmail.com

Copy date for next issue is 15th November 2015

All contributions are welcome. E-mail is preferred where possible, but even handwritten contributions are accepted (if we can read them).

Wendy’s Picture Puzzle

Where in Stebbing is this?

Please send entries to The Editor: Richard Foot

stebbing.scene@hotmail.co.uk

Closing date is 1st October 2015

Results will be published in the next

issue. A bottle of wine to the winner, who will be drawn from correct entries.

Winner of the Summer 2015 (#134) Competition

Many of you correctly identified the garden wall of ‘Fairview’ in the High Street and the winner of the draw was:

Diane Troupe

This quarter’s picture is more difficult but still only 5-10 minutes walk from the bowling green