Welcome to the February Burbage News This one’s from Keith (Twitters can follow him atwitter.com/bionickeef) I’M BACK! well at least via the marvel of the internet. So what is happening in 2012, with one month already gone and those New Year Resolutions made and the ones that relate to chocolate already broken? Well at the Burbage News Gavin & I are flying ahead trying to see what’s new and hopefully exciting events, articles, etc that we can plan for the rest of 2012. So get your cup of coffee & the biscuits ready, read the rest of this editor’s comment and join in with us. Role vacancies at Burbage News: Seeing how much has been achieved since the revamp of the Burbage News took place in July 2010, and with my accident, Gavin and I have finally had to own up to the fact that we need more help to not only keep the magazine’s standards but to improve them wherever we can. So are you up for a challenge? Because at the end of the day IT IS YOUR MAGAZINE. So make that call or e-mail and join Gavin, Bill, John, Debbie and myself and enjoy that sense of achievement when the next edition drops through all the letter boxes in Burbage. So what are we looking for?: Community Pages Liaison: All local groups now have the opportunity to place and edit their own mini-website. They may need some help and we would like to have an advisor who can liaise with groups and help them set up and maintain their pages (if needed). You would also assist with any magazine-related queries Online News and Diary Editor: Doing exactly what it says on the tin! An editor is needed to keep the online Diary up to date and enter news items of interest to the community. You would also provide Updates (formerly 'Burbage Online'), BN Twitters, and organise the Diary pull-out
page for the magazine Event Organisers and Helpers: We hope the annual 'Festive Celebration' for Christmas in the village hall is going to become a regular event, timed to coincide with the Christmas Tree Sale and Market weekend in future. However, some people come to us with some great event ideas but do not know where to start. The Burbage News would like to help! Bring back the Gala Week? Organise an outing? An evening's entertainment? Set up a Club? Does this sound interesting? The new Burbage News website is up and running thanks to Gavin’s sterling efforts over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The aim is to make the website not only an area to see the Burbage News monthly magazines, and at some point in the future an archive area for back copies, but to make it a 100% “community” website where all manner of news items, upcoming events diary, links to local groups & businesses, can be found. We see this as an additional community benefit and it will work alongside the Burbage Parish website so that both diaries are in sync with each other. We hope you enjoy it: www.burbage-village.org.uk and do look at it today. When looking at the website please do not just accept it if you think something is not correct or could be improved. Let Gavin or me know so that we can review and update the site. Don’t think you will upset us as we both have big shoulders and want to move forward in 2012 and onwards. So enjoy 2012 and join in with the challenge we have set ourselves. -----------------------------------------------------Update: Since this, Keith has had problems maintaining his Internet connection at Savernake but is struggling through. He’s becoming a real techie now! G
Your Letters to the Burbage News Marr Green Farm Shop From February I have made the decision to close on Sundays and Mondays. This is for us as a family to get a better work life relationship. I hope you can understand why we have made these changes. The new opening hours are: Sunday and Monday - Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - 9.30 - 5 Saturday 9 - 5 Kind Regards Samantha Mitchener Christine McQuitty The McQuitty family would like to thank heartily the inhabitants of Burbage for their support and kindness to our mother, Christine McQuitty, who passed away in September 2011, and her beloved dog Walter. She loved living in the village and was always interested in its "goings-on". Best Wishes Alison McQuitty Litter picking As at today's date (21st January) there are now no vodka/wine bottles in Smithy Lane. I know this because, as a regular litter picker, my wife and I removed up to a dozen bottles this morning. Clearly the person or persons dumping them is intent on making it as difficult as possible to retrieve them as most are along the top line of the bank or perhaps they just don't care. Given that we have
fortnightly bottle collections, an increased number of rubbish bins in the village and there are bottle banks in both Burbage and Marlborough I am mystified as to the need for this thoughtless behaviour. Please, whoever you are, could you in future try and use one of the many proper ways of disposal and thereby help to maintain our pretty village. Details withheld on request The litter pick on Saturday 21st saw a small but determined group of 8 volunteers amassing a bounty of over 14 bags of collected rubbish and enough dumped refuse which filled our Sulo bin to capacity! With a few extra volunteers the whole village could have been cleared - can you help next time? More info on this on the village website: www.burbage-village.org.uk Fruit and Veg Club Calling all you budding foodies! I would like to set up a gardening club specifically for growing fruit and vegetables. The idea would be to meet about once a month in a different persons garden where we can exchange ideas, plants and help to those of us who are in need (me especially!). Any excess produce can be distributed amongst us and/or we can look at selling it back to the community. These are just some ideas which can be discussed and expanded upon but I would welcome some more from you. If you are interested please contact me Helen Buxton 01672 811877
Defibrillator Group Sally Flippence Burbage Community Defibrillator Steering group are pleased to announce that The Burbage Parish Council have very generously matched the donation from The Burbage News and the Friends of Savernake and are about to purchase our second defibrillator machine. That means we have just two more to get to make this scheme run effectively. The ideal distance from any machine is about Âź of a mile. As you may recall we are aiming to initially get four machines throughout the village by later this year, which we hope to build on in the future. If necessary, we will now be starting to do some fund raising to purchase the other two, any excuse to have a little fun along the way. We would greatly appreciate ANY help or ideas you have with the fund raising, however small it may be, these are YOUR COMMUNITY machines they may save one of YOUR lives in the future. We are also hoping to run some informal first aid courses where you would have the opportunity to see one of YOUR machines and refresh your skills in basic first aid. Please let us know if you would be interested in coming along or if you have any questions or queries or would like to get involved contact: Sally Flippence. Phone 07880 717 462 or Email sflippence1977@btinternet.com
BURBAGE SIGNING CHOIR Jean Bierschenk We have finished all our bookings for this season and I am pleased to say we were able to send £280 to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. We are meeting again soon, as we already have a booking for next season as I expect some of you will have seen in the last news letter and also in the Marlborough Gazette: We will be at the Festive Celebration in the Village Hall on 9th December 2012. I have also been asked to teach the Cub Scouts to sign their Scout Law which will be fun, I'm sure. I'm sure we will be asked back to some of our venues from last year especially Marlborough Lodge as one of my ladies was asked by a resident "If she was married"!!!! and watching the children and "Waiters" at Good Companions signing" Run rabbit Run" was hilarious. We are going to teach ourselves some more and different songs for this year and as I always say, if anyone would like to come and join us we do have some fun and it's all in a good cause. Contact Jean on 810451 or Cynthia on 810026.
Woman’s Own Helen Colling
...resumed this year and the group met on 21st January. Look out for posters around the village advertising the next session. If you are a stitcher, do join us. If you know someone who is - tell them about us.
A candlelight supper was held in December for members and invited guests. Members provided a selection of savoury starters and in time honoured tradition, the committee delivered delectable desserts. All were most appreciated, second helpings were taken and little remained. The evening was rounded up by a table quiz, jointly won by two teams [one of which was the committee again!!] There were two raffles, Marion Parmenter, Jan Richie, Sue Shires, Jenny Palmer and Sarah Scott were lucky winners of the first raffle and Elaine Dutton won the second.
We usually meet in the Church Centre on a Saturday morning about once a month.
February’s meeting should prove to be a most interesting talk: Jane Nicholson on My work at Number 10 Downing Street what - secrets may thus be revealed!
Contact Helen Colling 810949 or Kay Francis 811093 for details. We’ll look forward to seeing you.
Woman’s Own welcomes new members of all ages and new ideas - with the New Year well under way, why not join us?
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Healthy Diet Rules #1 Petra Gericke Rule - No fast food
‘Fast food’: All take-away that you can order over the phone or get at a fast food chain, or ready-to-eat meals from the supermarket. Why?: Fast food is too high in carbs, too low in protein, contains transfats and lacks nutrients. Instead: Prepare your meals from scratch. Make a meal plan for one week and go shopping for all ingredients needed that week. When meal time approaches you then have everything you need at home. Keep it simple and use lots of herbs and spices.
We are enjoying being back to our normal routine and meeting our friends again at Tiddlywinks. We ended last term with a lovely Christmas party complete with lots of Burbage Baby & Toddler Group . party food and a visit from Father Christmas who gave all the children a little present of a book. So far, over the last few weeks we have been having fun with stampin gour hand prints and using our imagination with play dough. We have lots of exciting activities planned over the next month, which includes baking some biscuits! Please do join us if you would like to, it is a great way to make friends. For more details contact Rachel on 07990878593. Our sessions are held every Tuesday during term time from 9:30am to 11:30am at Burbage Village Hall for all preschool aged children and their parents or carers. It is a very friendly group with lots to entertain the little ones and fresh coffee, cakes and plenty of chat for the grownups! We look forward to welcoming you soon.
We have several new things for the children at Pre-school this term. Our new scooter and bike shed is now complete allowing children to leave their bikes and scooters at Pre-school until home time. Work has also started on the new sensory garden with several items already installed including a musical sound wall. Our new topic for this term is ‘Transport’ with lots of exciting related activities to look forward to. Burbage Pre-school is open for children from 2½ - 5 years during term times. Morning sessions are: Monday – Friday 9.15am – 11.45am Lunch club is: Monday – Friday 11.45am – 12.30pm Afternoon sessions are: Monday & Wednesday 12.30pm – 3.00pm. Anyone interested in their child joining the Pre-school can contact our Pre-school Leader, Mrs Janet Burstow, on 01672 811420 during Pre-school hours or 01672 810736 at any other time. Our website iswww.burbagepreschool.org.uk You are welcome to visit us at any time, we are located behind the primary school, however access is via the footpath opposite the church. WWW.BURBAGEPRESCHOOL.ORG.UK
White Hart Quiz Nights
Good Companions
Jane Dyson
Bernard Patterson
Quiz nights at the White Hart are back on Thursday evenings, the fun starts at 9pm – get there early to bag a table. Marc and Paul do a great job of hosting the night and the halftime chips are legendary (Thanks Pauline!). There’s a raffle too!
The 48th Anniversary Meeting of The Good Companions Club was celebrated in style with The Kennet Singers entertaining members with favourite songs, of World War 2 vintage, and numbers from their recent Christmas Show.
The entry fee of £1.50 per person and the raffle proceeds all go to local charities. Burbage Youth Cricket and Riding for the Disabled are recent beneficiaries and there are many others. During February the focus will be on the splendid local initiative to get more defibrillators for our Village. Come along it’s a great way to spend a dark and gloomy evening!
Somehow four Elvis lookalikes crept into the Village Hall with The Kennet Singers to render a selection of his familiar ballads. A good sing-a-long swept the party to tea and cakes for all, members and entertainers alike. Next meeting: 2pm in the Village Hall Wednesday15th February for the Annual General Meeting.
BURBAGE FILM CLUB The Burbage Film Club shows films every 2nd & 4th Wednesday at The British Legion Club in the Skittle Room. Film details will be advertised on the Club premises or contact us to find out more: Steve & Sandy Rex: 01672 810 854 Or by email: familyrex@btinternet.com
FOR SALE Paula Rosa Kitchen installed 1997
Coffee N Browse’s Silent Auction Friday 3rd February in the Church Centre
♦ 5 wall units with shelves (30cm, 40cm, 60cm, 60cm & 60cm wide, all 78cm high, 30cm deep) ♦ 4 bottom units, includes stainless steel sink with right hand drainer (30cm, 30cm, 40cm, 130cm wide, all 85cm high however feet are all adjustable) ♦ 1 double oven (fan assisted) with grill in top oven. AEG Competence Model, 3210BU-W, 720mm. Requires case to sit in, (stood on box for display purposes), 59cm wide. ♦ 1 integrated AEG Oko_Favorite dishwasher. 2 trays plus cutlery. 60cm wide. Very little use. Points to note: There are no work tops. The large bottom unit has holes cut into the sides to allow pipes in and out from the sink/taps. 1 bottom unit is missing 1 of the 4 feet, but when installed it’s not required. 1 30cm wide bottom unit has a broken top cross-support but this does not hinder operation. Contact David Butler on 01672 811415 / 07879 471716 to view or discuss. PRICE: best offer (in aid of Savernake Forest Scout Group & the Burbage News) Photos/info: www.burbage-village.org.uk
At February’s Coffee N Browse we will be having our annual silent auction and this year we are raising money for the British Heart Foundation, in memory of our dear friend Richard Flint, from the White Hart. You can bid for some great quality items, such as photo albums, candles, smellies, tins of chocolates, alcohol, some goodies kindly donated by Haine & Smith opticians, a delicious meal voucher from the White Hart & lots more. COME & HAVE A BID! Last bids 11.35 am. Also on the morning the fabulous tables to browse include: Pam Lovell‘s handmade Greeting Cards & Craft Collection; Marie Hattersley’s handcrafted jewellery; Jean Weller’s quality Greeting Cards; Chloe Groom’s luxury pearl jewellery; and the Book & Jigsaw Swap. Enjoy a yummy doughnut with your beverage (£1.50 for adults, children 50p) plus there’s a children’s’ play area and a free competition to win some chocolate liquors! Future Coffee N Browses: 2nd March, 30th March & 4th May. There are 2 Coffee N Browses in March as the April date falls on Good Friday. Back to the normal ‘first Friday of each month’ in May. “Keeeeep Browsing!!”
Burbage Village Hall Sandy Rex - Chairman I would like to introduce myself to you as the new Village Hall Chairman as from 21st December 2011. My husband, Stephen, and I have lived in the village since August 2007 and I have been a Village Hall Trustee since April 2010. My general aim is to promote and expand the use of the village hall to the benefit of the community. My intention is to complement, not compete, with the other organisations in the village Here are some basic guidelines about what you can expect from your village hall committee: Meetings – The relevant agendas and Minutes (pre-approved) will be posted on the hall’s notice board and the date of the AGM will also appear in the Burbage News The Committee If you are interested in joining the Trustees, please contact me. Philip Marsh, Treasurer for the past 3 years, has indicated that he would like to stand down in April, so we will need to find a replacement. Philip will be happy to explain what is involved to any interested party but assures me that it is not very onerous. Minute secretary This would preferably be a volunteer role and could easily be performed on a rota basis. The minutes would be produced by someone independent of the committee. Public attendance You are invited to attend and you will be invited to speak on matters that interest you, as part of the discussion. On occasion it may be necessary to change the procedures for a meeting or a specific subject, and these will be announced at
the beginning of the relevant meeting. You will also be able to read about any significant news/changes here in the Burbage News and online where we are part of the main village website, www.burbage-village.org.uk Volunteers - General Whatever your talents or skills, I would love to hear from you if you are interested in helping. No commitment is necessary and there are plenty of new ideas out there just waiting for the opportunity to be tried. Would you be able to help in the kitchen occasionally? Please let me know. Saturday: Village hall opening. One idea I would like to explore is to have the hall open one Saturday a month (for now) as a market/meeting place. I would like to encourage craft and produce sellers tables, hot and cold drinks (and cake!) in a friendly environment and an opportunity for local organisations to ‘Meet & Greet’ you all, on the weekend. I appreciate there are many of you who cannot get to week-day activities and this might be a nice way to give you the opportunity to become involved. If this interests you (or your group) please let me know. Only when there is sufficient support for the idea can we actually do it – so your input is vital to this project. I would like to ensure every resident in Burbage is aware of the facilities our wonderful village hall has to offer. If you have ideas and/or would like to help in any way, please get in touch Email familyrex@btinternet.com Or telephone (01672) 810 854 Burbage Village Hall is a registered charity, number 35478
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www.savernaketeam.org.uk Savernake Team Letter February 2012
Robert Grist , Assistant Curate robert.grist2@btinternet.com 01672 811431
Robert Grist, Assistant Curate writes: As we enter February, love is in the air once again! Who can fail to notice that the shops are filled with Valentine’s cards and roses? It’s a time when we’re encouraged to buy cards and flowers for our loved onesM.although I do my best to resist! However the present day retail custom of sending cards and flowers is far removed from the lifeM.in fact livesM.of the two Saints Valentine after which the day is named. The present day custom is said to have been attributed to John Donne who wrote a marriage song for Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I, when she married on St Valentine’s Day in 1632. But the Saints we really commemorate are Valentine of Terni, a Bishop, and Valentine of Rome, a priest. Both were martyred in the middle of the third century on the Flaminian Way, the road linking Rome and Terni. We know little about their respective lives and deaths, although there are basilicas dedicated to each of them. But there is enough truth in both stories to remind us that living as Christians was difficult and led to persecution. And it’s no different nowadaysM. We’re fortunate in this country that we still can profess our faith openly and worship freely; but there are so many areas of the world where confessing that you’re a Christian is tantamount to the death penalty. How can it be right that families are separated or worshippers massacred for worshipping the God of love? That remains a question which we struggle to answer. Later in the month, February 22 is Ash Wednesday when there will be services in some of our churches to mark the start of Lent – the period of forty days reminding us of the time Jesus’ spent being tempted in the wilderness. It’s traditionally a period of study and penitence during which we begin the focus on Easter and our Lord’s passion; ultimately his supreme act of love by sacrifice on the cross. It’s also a time when we consider giving things upM.only to take them up again immediately following Easter! But this year I’d like to encourage you all to take something on instead. At Burbage time has recently been set aside to pray for the world. To remember before God those places where there is violence, persecution, war and intolerance. So perhaps throughout this Lent we can all remember those places and reach out to them in prayer as an act of love for the whole of humanity. With every blessing Rob
Friday 2nd March Women’s World Day of Prayer www.wwdp-natcomm.org Registered Charity Number 233242
All are welcome - men, women and young people
Talk by Major-General Dickie Davis. In Aid of the Sudan Seeds and Tools Project On the evening of Tuesday 10th January, the restaurant in the White Hart was crowded, as the audience eagerly anticipated a) a fish supper, b) a talk by Dickie Davis on his three tours of duty in Afghanistan, illustrated throughout by slides. First of all, he was posted to the country as Commander of the UK Provincial Reconstruction Team, based at Mazar-e-Sharif, in Northern Afghanistan, talking to the local warlords, and trying (with success), to get them to decommission their private armies; one slide showed a fleet of ex-Russian military vehicles which had been handed over, looking extremely sinister and dangerous. His second tour of duty was based at Kabul as Chief Engineer of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and he recounted the difficulties in rebuilding Kabul Airport, using second-hand material for the runway, scrounged from elsewhere! Finally, he was appointed as Chief of Staff, Regional Command (South), based at Kandahar. What was evident from Dickie's talk was that the Afghanistan he had experienced was not the Afghanistan of the media, which by and large tends to concentrate on fighting, casualties, and plans of battle. Dickie's role was one of peace-making, reconstruction, and building for the future. The media picture of warfare in the Helmand province is extremely different from the situation in much of the country, where peace is ardently desired. Dickie spoke of his work with the Afghan government, of talking to the Minister of Education, who bewailed the illiteracy of many of his teachers, and to local chieftains. His pictures showed us much of the positive side of the work of ISAF and other organisations, working to rebuild a country devastated for centuries by war and invasion. Vast strides have been made, in women's rights, for example, and in reducing the influence of the Taliban. Dickie's talk was, amusing, instructive and interesting; it revealed a situation which, together with media coverage, presented a more balanced picture of Afghan life. We were well rewarded for our attendance – and the fish supper was excellent as well! Ken Moore. 17/01/12
Working through
Building Bridges
Helen Barrett (The Lady Loves Jazz) will be performing at All Saint’s Church, Burbage on 25 February 2012 . The concert will start at 8pm. Helen will perform a wide variety of traditional and contemporary jazz songs made famous by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Eva Cassidy.
Helen was one of the first talented students to graduate from Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and has now been singing professionally for over ten years. In 2008 she moved to Somerset following a successful touring career in New Zealand and has since enjoyed sell-out performances across the UK. Helen has performed for prestigious audience members including HRH Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and former prime minister Tony Blair. This charity concert is in support of the All Saints’ Church Sudan Appeal. Tickets cost £15 (with 4 for the price of 3), available from Steve Colling on 01672 810949 Working through
Building Bridges
Patient Liaison Committee June Brew - Chair A Winter’s Journey Stay Warm, Stay Healthy with Wiltshire Good Neighbours A Winter’s Journey is a new service from the Wiltshire Good Neighbour Scheme that is designed to help you to keep your home comfortably warm during in the colder winter months. Your local Good Neighbour Coordinator will work with you over the coming weeks to support you to stay warm and healthy during this difficult time of year. The Journey starts with a quick look at how you might pay & save money on your energy bills including giving you plenty of energy saving tips for around the house.
The committee is pleased to report that on the first analysis of the patient survey the results so far are very favourable. The Doctors, Nurses and Receptionists are the most highly thought of, to say nothing of the dispensary and all the facilities. The full results will be available shortly and will be posted on the Surgery website in this column as soon as they are available, and also posted on the notice board in the Surgery. Once again thank you all for your help. Also a big thank you to Marie Hattersley who is doing sterling work in collating the results! The Committee still need to hear from you please! patientliaison@hotmail.co.uk
Regular visits from your co-ordinator will ensure you have the security & support you need to stay healthy & warm. This on-going support can range from something as simple as picking up shopping during a particularly icy period to something as complex as arranging transport a medical appointment after a heavy snowfall. Your local Good Neighbour Co-ordinator is here to help you through it all. For further information or to sign up for ‘A Winter’s Journey’ please contact your local Good Neighbour Co-ordinator: Mary Soellner 07557 110418
Bulpitt Print Andover 01264 363600
Round-up from outside the village Where more details have been provided to the Burbage News (*), these will be available on the village website: www.burbage-village.org.uk Saturday 10th March, Mill on the Brue, Somerset* Be a Superhero - Zip slide to raise funds for Action for Children 300metre zip-slide across a stunning river valley See website diary for more details and the poster Saturday 17th March, Castle Quarry, Tytherton, Bristol* Be a Superhero - Zip slide to raise funds for Action for Children Launch from a cliff-top across a beautiful lake See website diary for more details and the poster
www.burbage-village.org.uk The sister website for the Burbage News Savernake Forest Scout Group Jim Luff - Group Scout Leader If you can cast you mind back to late November, a number of our young people helped out with the Jubilee Tree Planting. It was great to be part of a bigger village event and to help make part of the future landscape of the village. Our next outing the following week was to Tesco’s at Tidworth for a bag pack on Saturday 3rd December. Another great effort from the Scouts (and the leaders) helped us to generate much needed funds for the group. It’s really nice to know there are so many generous people out there. Unexpected shoppers at the store included our District Commissioner and our County Commissioner! We have also been successful with our grant applications to BEAM and the Pewsey Area Board. For everyone in the village who voted for us for the BEAM grant, my most sincere thanks. Our Scouting activities ended with all groups having some pre-Christmas fun. The beavers had an unexpected visit from Father Christmas, who had some unexpected reactions from some of the Beavers!! One beaver was going to set up CCTV in his room to capture Father Christmas delivering presents, but we all know that his magic can get around that easily. All three sections are up and running now for the spring term with fully packed programmes. The Scouts will be out with the Explorers next week, navigating themselves around the village. We should hopefully have three assistant cub leaders appointed in January and the full investiture of our Beaver Leader. If you are interested in helping with any section of the group or would like more information, please e-mail t.house39@hotmail.co.uk or by calling 01672 567007, letting us know which section you are interested in and your contact details.
During the Clergy Vacancy For enquiries about : Weddings, Funerals or Baptisms, go initially to Mrs. Debbie Brown, Church Administrator, who will liaise with the appropriate people; Debbie is in the Church Office every weekday morning: 01672 810853. For problems which you feel need the help of a minister: For questions concerning Young People’s worship: go to Rev. Linda Dytham: 01672 811025. For matters which Lay Pastoral Assistants may be able to help with, go initially to Mrs. Sue Masey, who will liaise with the appropriate people: 01672 810308. For House groups, cell groups, the first Wednesday of the month Mid Week meetings, the Renewal Day and the parish weekend at Ammerdown (including bursaries), go to Mr. Barry Smith: 01380 860593
Forthcoming event in aid of our project to provide seeds & tools for the people of Southern Sudan: Jazz Concert with the Helen Bennett Trio Saturday 25th February 8pm in the church Tickets £15 to include a glass of wine Tickets available from Steve Colling 01672 810949
Working through
Building Bridges
From the registers: Baptism: May they grow in the Christian faith:
15th January 2012 Margaret Ruth Cooper We welcome them into the life of the Christian Church.
Memorial: May they rest in peace:
21st December 2011 Robert Stanley Flippence ‘Bob’ We remember their families and friends in their grief.
Looking for new clergy We were disappointed not to be able to appoint a new Team Rector in November. The post has now been re advertised, so please keep this matter in your prayers.
Mother’s Union AGM 22nd February, at 2pm in the church centre. This is the AGM, followed by a time of preparation for the Women’s World Day of Prayer, to be held in Little Bedwyn on the 2nd March 2012. Further details from Mary Ford on 810209.
Building Bridges
with the
Helen Barrett Trio Saturday 25th February 2012 8.00pm All Saints’ Church Burbage in aid of the Building Bridges Seeds & Tools project in Southern Sudan Tickets £15 to include a glass of wine or 4 for the price of 3! Available from:
Steve Colling 01672 810949 Working through
Tearfund Registered Charity no: 265464
From the Diary Further events/dates: 4th Feb Men’s Breakfast 07.30am in the Church Centre. Further details from Dickie Davis 01672 810527. 22nd Feb
Mother’s Union meeting—2pmi n the church centre. Contact Mary Ford for more details 01672 810209.
22nd Feb
Ashing Holy Communion service 8pm in the church.
25th Feb
Jazz Concert with the Helen Bennett Trio 8pm in the Church. Tickets £15 to include a glass of wine. Tickets available from; Steve Colling 01672 810949.
2nd Mar
Women’s World Day of Prayer—2pm at Little Bedwyn church.
18th Mar
Mothering Sunday—11am Family Service
25th Mar
AGM
www.savernaketeam.com/burbage-and-tidcombe REGULAR EVENTS Fill The Gap-every Thursday 12-2pm in the Church Centre. Great atmosphere, all ages welcome, come and join us!
Coffee ‘n’ Browse First Friday of each month 9am-12noon in the Church Centre, meeting locally to help families afar! See you on Friday 3rd February
Booking the Church Centre: Please contact: Rob Hartwell on 01672 810839 or email: Ailesbury1@aol.com
Who’s Who at All Saints’ Team Vicar........................
Vacant ............................................
01672 810258
Assoc Priest ......................
The Revd Linda Dytham.................
01672 811025
Asst Curate .......................
The Revd Robert Grist ..................
01672 811431
Churchwardens.................
Joy Guy .......................................... Peter Devenish ...............................
01672 810767 01672 810296
Church Life Coordinator....
Barry Smith.....................................
01380 860593
Administrator.....................
Debbie Brown .................................
01672 810853
Church Centre Manager ...
Rob Hartwell ...................................
01672 810839
Lay Pastoral Assistants ....
Sue Masey......................................
01672 810308
Magazine Contributions.......................churchofficeburbage@gmail.com
February Service Pattern Mid Week Meeting
1st February
8.00pm
5th February
8.00am 11.00am
8th February
9.30am
12th February
8.00am 11.00am
Morning Prayer Holy Communion
19th February
8.00am 11.00am
Holy Communion All Age Worship
Holy Communion All Age Worship Mothers Union Holy Communion
22nd February
8.00pm
26th February
8.00am 11.00am
Morning Prayer Family Service
7.30am
Morning Prayer
Every Friday Morning
Ashing Holy Communion
HAINE & SMITH RENEWAL DUE:
ROB HARTWELL DECORATOR
For all your decorating requirements, domestic and commercial, interior and exterior
01672 810839 / 07989 287669 ailesbury1@aol.com
Footpaths Geoff Hill
KENNET VALLEY DRIVING GROUP (KVDG) REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1074359 – A MEMBER GROUP OF RIDING FOR THE DISABLED ASSOCIATION INCORPORATING CARRIAGE DRIVING
LOOKING FOR A NEW CHALLENGE? KVDG has vacancies for adults (16+) with physical disabilities who would enjoy the challenge of learning to drive and control a horse and carriage in all situations. We drive on the Marlborough Downs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and are a friendly group wanting to teach all aspects of carriage driving. NEW HELPERS ALWAYS WELCOME For more information contact Maggie Lewis on 0845 241 5396 or email: kennetvalleydrivinggroup@gmail.com
The path clearance programme is continuing. Over the last couple of weeks the hedge at the start of the path from Eastcourt Road along side Chris Wheeler Construction to Fir Green (and then onto the very end of the Eastsands track) has been cut back making this path much more useable. This is a useful path from the top of Eastcourt to join up with the footpath network to the east of the village. It is not however a good route for dog walkers as it has no less than four stiles in the space of 400 metres! Wiltshire Council has now provided the necessary materials to mend broken stiles and this work will be carried out over the next few weeks. I think I know where most of the problems are but if there are any stiles you know have a problem please let me know and I will make sure they are on the work schedule. Finally work is continuing on improving path signage with about 70% of the paths in the Parish dealt with.
BEAM Martin Hamer - Treasurer The Annual General Meeting of BEAM was held in the Village Hall on Thursday, 24th November 2011. Following a postal ballot of members, the organisations receiving BEAM Grants this year were:The Savernake Scout Group:
30 Votes - £500
The Burbage Village Hall:
22 Votes - £350
The Burbage Village News:
20 Votes - £350
After the allocation of grants, those members present were invited by the Treasurer to consider making a donation of £100 towards the Burbage Youth Council. This was unanimously agreed by those present. Membership Enquiries to Mr Mervyn Jones, 01672 810576
Charity quiz for NACC! Harriet Leitch On the 7th of January 2012, the night had arrived for the charity quiz event of the year so far, held in the Burbage village hall. A fun and enjoyable night that turned out to be a fantastic success! The hall was packed out with friends and villagers who had come to support this event in aid of NACC, the National Association for Crohn’s and Colitis, a charity which I was very keen to support in light of being a sufferer of Crohn’s disease myself. With a brain teasing quiz, raffle, auction and even some time for some cheese and biscuits, the evening raised an incredible £2, 400! I was overwhelmed with the success of the night and I would like to thank all those who supported us in making this event such a great success; to all those who donated prizes for the raffle and the auction and to everyone who joined us on the night, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I would especially like to thank the following: AGA tourism and Easyjet Bayan Audio Crowne Plaza Hotel, London Elm Tree Motors, Marlborough Esso Garage, Burbage Paul Foston Golf Academy, Kent PAUL hairdressing, Marlborough Post Office, Burbage Sue Brady Catering, Burbage Tesco, Marlborough The Tuesday Club, Burbage The Work Life Company, Burbage Three Horseshoes, Burbage Waitrose, Marlborough
Jennie Watson Michael Tupman William Titmus Debbie Giacobbi Elaine Dutton Janet Burstow Jan Fortune Jane Lamb Lisa Bernard Lynne Copp Linda Towers Laura Werrell Molly Maidement Sheila Hart
A special thanks goes to the quizmaster extraordinaire Colin Brown, who hosted the evening and without whom we would not have had such a fantastic quiz and smooth running and fun evening. Thank you once again to all those who supported me.
The next litter pick is at 10.30am on Saturday 18th February Meet outside the village hall and help our small band of regular volunteers tackle the rubbish problem. We are entering the Best Kept Village competition again this year With YOUR help we might not come last again
Spirals Market Supports Brain Tumour UK Hazel Wyatt Spirals Market at Devizes Corn Exchange on Sunday the 12th Feb 104pm is a craft fair for handmade goods only made by talented local people. Leigh will have a table at Spirals Craft Fair and will be spreading the word about Brain Tumour Uk. For more information about Leigh and why he raises money for Brain Tumour UK please see .www.leighsbrainwave.co.uk. Leigh and his wife Katie with help from local people have raised over £6000 for Brain Tumour Uk. Entry to Spirals Market will be by donation to Brain Tumour Uk, and proceeds from tea and coffee will also be donated. There will be lots of crafts on sale, and Brys Cupcakes will be providing the cakes & Little Casting Company will be exhibiting, bring along your copy of the Burbage news to receive 10% discount To see other dates for Spirals Craft Markets please visit www.spiralsmarket.co.uk
Sports Club 200 Winners Results for the January draw:£5 £5 £10 £10 £50
78 6 124 107 46
Doris Elkins Mrs H Kent E Coker Mrs J Deck R Giddings
For more information contact: Ros McGowan (01264) 791324 or Daphne Carter (01672) 810461
Burbage & Easton Royal British Legion Club The March Newsletter For members old and new, or not yet joined - this is the Official Club Newsletter Gavin Ketchen, Chairman.
At the time of writing this, the new committee is approaching our first AGM on Friday 27th January 2012. So although this is being written in advance, I can say that our financial position is extremely good. According to the records, the previous year was pretty dire, with the Club reporting an overall loss. However, for our first year there was a complete turnaround with a significant increase in revenue, and even more important a reduction in outgoings. Memberships have risen and our entertainment expenses have reaped the rewards we hoped for. We can move forward with the utmost confidence that if the effort and manpower is there, then we can continue to build and maintain a healthy British Legion Club. One that not only makes us and our members proud, but one that is getting noticed by th e Roy al B ri ti sh L egi on organisation itself. We’ve already planned some great entertainment for this year but we are desperate for help. Our committee is a small band of hardworking volunteers and we are blessed with some wonderful individuals who are an immense help both behind the bar and behind the scenes. Come on - join the team!
What’s happening at the Burbage & Easton Royal British Legion Club? All events are open to non-members (may require signing-in)
Any Saturdays that aren’t listed, keep an eye out for the latest news by either visiting our webpage on the village website (www.burbage-village.com), phoning the Club (810369) or looking out for the posters! Film nights and other (new) events will be advertised in the Club Saturday 11th February : Urban Jungle with our Valentine Night One of our regulars - extremely popular and very good! Get an early start to your romantic plans with a night at the Club Saturday 25th February : ELVIS IS BACK! Elvis gave us one of our BEST live performance nights last year and we re-booked him on the spot. If you’re an Elvis Fan then this is where you must be. Don’t miss this one! Saturday 17th March: Race Night! We’re doing it again! Last year we had a race night. The place was packed out and it was a huge success. We’ve asked the same company to come back and do it again. You can sponsor a race, buy in as the owner or jockey or simply bet on the tri-cast - it has a £250 payout when full. Contact Michelle 07795 188 490 or Arthur 07796 233 633 for details. After 7.30pm phone 810369
VENUE HIRE If you are looking for a venue for your Birthday Party, Anniversary Celebration, Wedding, Christening or Funeral reception, or perhaps you just need a meeting space, then why not look at the facilities offered at Burbage and Easton Royal British Legion Club. The Main hall has a dance floor perfect for dancing the night away to a disco or a live band. Our well stocked bar and friendly volunteer bar staff will always look after you. Our separate skittles alley is an ideal place for smaller parties or meetings. The club also has a fully equipped kitchen that anyone hiring the hall has access to. Prices: Whole venue: From £10 per hour Skittles Alley only: £10 for up to 3 hours What else the club has to offer: Snooker table, pool table, several darts boards, TV and quiz machine. For more information and a viewing of our facilities please contact: By email: berbl@burbage-village.co.uk By phone: (01672) 810 369 (7.30pm – 11pm) In person, by calling into the Club and chatting to one of the volunteers Follow us on Twitter! Simply go online to: twitter.com/BERBLClub
WESTCOURT BOTTOM RENEWAL DUE:
U rennans b f j iltshire Z roundwork 9 [ aulage V ontractors
Driveways ~ Tarmac or Gravel Road Surfacing All Weather Gallops Drop Kerbs & Horse Menages Car Parks Aggregates Supplied Soakaways Top Soil Concreting Tipper Hire Block Paving Digger Hire Patios
AVONBRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
General Haulage
RENEWAL DUE:
For FREE Quotations & Advice Tel: 01672 810380 ~ 07802 217301 Brennansofwiltshire@gmail.com Local Authority Approved
SPIRALS MARKET RENEWAL DUE:
Meet Your Community – Val and Graham Clowes Interview by John Guy 'You're never too old to learn' is the old saying. Never mind all that stuff about teaching old dogs new tricks! I discovered that Val and Graham Clowes certainly don't believe this. Val retired from being a legal secretary to bring up a family. Since then she has been involved in learning and teaching so many different subjects that it made me feel quite exhausted just thinking about it! She is involved with such subjects as quilting, family history, wine appreciation, card making and even Apple Mac computing after she acquired her son's old Applemac computer. Where does it ever end? Maybe I should try to improve on my very limited Spanish after all.
also became a member of the Kennet U3A o r g a n i s i n g committee, which i ncl ude d two years when she was its chairman. Her computing skills had d e v e l o p e d enough for her to to create and operate the Kennet U3A websi te, www.u3ainkennet.org.uk, and produce various DVDs. Val is always enthusiastic and willing to share her experience of computing, especially to those in 'The Third Age.'
Some of this learning was, of course, through The University of The Third Age. (U3A) Val and Graham first became involved with U3A after doing a computing course in Devizes. They joined U3A in Kennet having di scovered tha t the re wa s a Computing group within the U3A. Later U3A in Kennet which was formed twenty years ago grew in number and split and formed a new Devizes group. There is also a newer Pewsey group as it split again and all three groups continue to expand. Val became i nvolved wi th various computing groups within the U3A. She
Val and Graham were married at 9.30 am on Monday 24th March 1958. Only because they wanted to be different and not get married on Saturday! The florist forgot to deliver the flowers and Val had chosen hyacinths which she wanted made up into a star-shape using individual bells. This didn't happen and both her bridesmaid (her Niece) and she had to do with three chunky hyacinths made into a ribbontied bunch; Val's in white, her niece's in pink! The photographer forgot to turn up until they rang, (no mobiles in those days) by which time the car (a rather lush Bentley of its time) arrived,
got them to the church which was at Dilhorne, near to Cheadle in Staffordshire, and on to the reception in the village, by which time the photographer had managed to find them and took them back to the church with a hired car (They didn't own one in those days) a Morris 1000 with a split windscreen. Val said, 'I think today it would have completely spoiled a wedding day but back then, to us, it added to it all.' They had their honeymoon in London where they stayed at the Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch and whilst they were there they visited the Ideal Homes Exhibition, where they purchased their first two comfortable arm chairs for their first home together in Cheadle. A more memorable wedding day than most of us experience!
group of men that had assembled the sports club pavilion which had been moved from Bristol in bits. They later created the tennis courts and the cricket pitch. Many of us remember this area as the sports field attached to the Red Lion public house. At this time Val was also the Clerk to the Parish Council. Later in the 1979 Parish Elections both Graham and Val were elected as Parish Councillors when she, together with Frank Jeffries, produced the first village newsletter, the predecessor to this magazine. (Our parents! -Ed)
They celebrated their Golden Wedding four years ago when they had a family holiday in Italy. They visited many of the notable places like Pisa, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Rome, which they really enjoyed. They usually spend their holidays in France which they are very fond of. They have moved around quite a lot because of Graham's work as a sales manager for 'Yardley' the cosmetics company which no longer exists. They lived in Cheadle, Nottingham, Hendon, Chandlers Ford and Stone (Staffordshire) before moving to Burbage in 1979. He has now been retired for about twenty years.
In the 1980's Val opened 'Square One,' a shop in Marlborough, which sold c o s m e ti c s a n d j e we l l e r y , b u t eventually closed down when the building (the Merchant Venturers) was sold. She then worked at St, John's School in Marlborough as a teaching assistant. After this she taught Parchment Craft in many colleges around the country. She explained to me that parchment craft was an ancient Ecclesiastical craft used by the Spanish Nuns as far back as the 16th Century to decorate Bibles and other objects. It was revived when a Columbian woman (Martha Ospina) taught it in Holland before exporting it to the UK. It is basically making paper look like lace. I wondered if she used parchment when she was Clerk to the Parish council (without the lace)! Val also managed to find time to become a member of the Woman's Own group in Burbage. Where does it end!
As well as Val's involvement with U3A they have also been involved with many other local projects. Graham explained to me that he was part of a
If you would like to find out more about U3A you can ring Val at 811070, or go to the website: www.u3ainkennet.org.uk
Burbage Parish Council www.burbage-pc.org.uk First of all, on behalf of the whole Parish Council, may I wish everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year – and in particular your PC Chairman, Keith Amiss. As you may know he is still recovering in hospital after undergoing major surgery following a car accident. Whilst still in a lot of pain and a long way from full recovery he remains extremely upbeat and positive and determined to get back to full fitness and returning to help run the council. We all wish him the very best and look forward to welcoming him back. This month’s update on Parish matters includes: 1) Now that we are at full strength as a council, work has begun on empowering the various subcommittees that will form the basis on which the council actually gets things done. At the moment, the full council meets for around 2 hours each month, and it is not long enough to get things debated, agreed and actioned. By utilising the smaller sub-committee format, they can get more deeply involved in actually debating and organising things and then report back to the full council with recommendations for action. This is a more productive use of our resources than waiting for a full council meeting to debate the
minutiae of the various issues – this invariably leads to items not being resolved for months and wastes time. The first subcommittee to operate this way is Planning – and it appears to be working very well. You are all welcome to attend all sub-committee meetings and (with the exception of the Finance Committee) are entitled to be considered for co-option to be a member. Everyone is welcome; please look at the notice boards or contact the clerk for more details. 2) Speaking of notice boards, I hope you will all have seen the new ones appearing in the village – we now have a nice large notice board outside the Londis that can contain more information on council activities and is part of our stated aim of better communication – so we maintain traditional methods of keeping in touch as well as more modern ways such as the web site and twitter! 3) You will know that we have a Public Access Defibrillator on the wall outside the White Hart, and it is the aim to support the provision of up to 5 more throughout the village. I am pleased to say that the council has agreed to the purchase of a second defibrillator which should be placed outside the 3 Horseshoes in the near
future, Further defibs are dependent upon things like matched funding, donations etc, and Sally Flippence is co-ordinating the Defib Action Group – this is not part of the council but the council does support the initiative. They will be holding meetings shortly to discuss ways of getting funding and you are all invited to help – look out for details via notice boards, web site and twitter.
support this initiative.
4) As reported last month, your PC are delighted to support Wiltshire Rural Arts, and the BRATS are organising their first event in the village hall in early February – please see details elsewhere in this magazine. The aim of WRA and BRATS is to bring a variety of quality entertainment to the village which we would either not get or have to travel miles to see. If you want to have more events like this on your doorstep, then please
To contact the Parish Council, please email clerk@burbage-pc.org.uk. A full list of councillors’ names, addresses and telephone numbers are also on the web site, or alternatively they are also listed on the notice board at the Post Office and Londis
5) Finally, I would like to give advance notice of the Annual Parish Meeting – this will be held in Burbage Village Hall on Wednesday 4th April 2012. It is your chance to see what your council has been doing for the last year and what plans they have for the next year and everyone is encouraged to attend.
Colin Brown Vice Chairman Burbage Parish Council www.burbage-pc.org.uk
Burbage Rural Arts Touring Supporters
New Young Jazz Singer to visit Burbage Tammy Weis , blond and photogenic, is an engaging live performer with a Peggy Lee-like sense of cool. Having uprooted herself from Vancouver, she has found a niche in London, working with musicians such as the Pianist Tom Crawley, who has become a prime song writing collaborator. A dapper rhythm section accompanied Tammy at Ronnie Scott’s as she sang jazz, country and pop numbers reminiscent of Norah Jones to critical acclaim. Her beautiful and sensual voice will bring magic to Burbage Village Hall at the commencement of her short tour with “Live Arts Village Venues”. “Tammy Weis has the magic of a great and great is what she is”: Julian Joseph. This concert at 7.30 pm on Thursday 9th February is a new venture supported by The Parish Council. Tickets are available from the Burbage Post Office and Londis Store in East Sands or contact 01672 810142. See the village website ‘EVENTS’ page www.burbage-village.org.uk
March 2012 Edition Please send your news and articles from around the village by no later than Wednesday 15th February. Use these details for Classified Ads, letters and messages: Email: bneditor@burbage-village.org.uk You can post or deliver articles by hand to the editors below: For the next issue, please send all correspondence to Gavin Ketchen: 01672 811990 5a Webbs Way, Burbage. SN8 3TF Cover Designs, contact Bill Mather: 01672 810924 Interviews and help with articles, contact John Guy: 01672 810767
Business Advertising (colour) Annual Rates (12 copies) Inside front/back page (annual only) Full page.............................£500 Half page ............................£325 Quarter page ......................£200 1/8 (business card) .............N/A Other pages Full page.............................£450 Half page ............................£275 Quarter page ......................£165 1/8 (business card) .............£70 ---------------------Monthly Rates (per copy) Full page.............................£55 Half page ............................£35 Quarter page ......................£25 1/8 (business card) .............£15
Event Advertising Due to rising costs, we regret we must now charge for event advertising, including postevent articles, This does not affect the free space available to our regulars, but additional space may be chargeable Local groups/charities, per issue: (up to) Half page (black/white ...... £10.00 (up to) Full page (black/white)...... £20.00 Non-local groups/charities, per issue: (up to) Half page (black/white) ..... £15.00 (up to) Full page (black/white)...... £30.00
Burbage News Burbage News is the independent local community magazine for Burbage, with over 800 copies being distributed each month. Items are welcomed from clubs, organisations, businesses and the public but may be edited for legal reasons and/or to fit the editorial space. Every care is taken to ensure that articles and wording do not offend, but no responsibility can be accepted for statements made by the subscribing authors. The views expressed may not represent the views of the Burbage News editors. Articles submitted to the Burbage News will also appear in the online version. If your article contains personal information for yourself or others, such as a birthday, name, address, telephone number or email address &c, you can have this information removed or replaced from the online copy before it is posted. You MUST inform the Editors when submitting an article IF you want any changes made to the online version, including the contributor acknowledgement for articles. It is otherwise assumed you give and/or have obtained the relevant permission (s) from others, for any personal detail/s (or other information) which is reproduced in the online copy of any issue of the Burbage News
UNIQUE LIVERY OPPORTUNITY A small picturesque yard just outside of Hungerford has livery spaces available. This peaceful 10 box yard also has a fantastic Monarch horse walker, a Martin Collins surfaced outdoor arena, plenty of turn out and miles of local hacking right on the doorstep without having to go on a single road. Whether it’s part, full, competition, schooling livery or even somewhere to send your horse to be cared for whilst you are away on business/holiday we can offer all of this and more.
For further information contact Amy on: 07768648787 amywestcottallen@yahoo.co.uk