LETTER FROM OUR
MINISTER
Dear Friends,
As I write this letter, Mothering Sunday has
been and gone, and we are only a few short
weeks from the greatest of all Christian
festivals, Easter.
The secular world makes such a big deal of
Christmas, when we celebrate Christ’s birth,
and so little, really, of Easter.
Hot Cross Buns, the traditional fare of Good
Friday, made to commemorate Christ’s death
on the cross, are now available in
supermarkets virtually all year round, rather
than only being available (or, in our case, and
in the case of many other families I am sure,
only home-made) on Good Friday and Easter
Saturday, and they are now almost
completely divorced in the public
consciousness from their original purpose.
Easter Eggs also seem to get onto the shelves
earlier and earlier (I even saw some creeping
onto the shelves a few days after Christmas!)
and the majority of them seem to be more
dedicated to celebrating the Easter Bunny
than the Saviour of humankind.
Fewer people - and by that, I mean fewer
churchgoers - seem to accord any priority to
taking part in the traditional Holy Week
Services. Not so long ago, Good Friday (being
a Bank Holiday) saw the vast majority of
church members who were able to walk
taking part in a Walk of Witness through
their towns or suburbs. The previous
Maundy Thursday evening, quiet services
commemorating the Last Supper and our
ministry of service would be very well
supported.
It isn’t so now. Christians are less and less
supportive of ‘extra’ services like Maundy
Thursday, or Walks of Witness, or any other
truly public expression of their faith. They
still happen, and the stoic faithful still
shoulder their home-made crosses and raise
their banners, but it seems that even some
Christians are beginning to look upon Easter
weekend more as a Bank Holiday (or ‘family
time’, as I have heard it called, as if the
Church were not part of our family’s life)
than as what it is - which is the pivotal event
in the life of the Church and the cradle of our
faith as individuals and as a community.
It’s strange, really, because the Christian
Churches would I am sure given the
opportunity - all say that of all the festivals it
is Easter which denotes who we are as
Christians: Easter, with its mixture of
despair and pain, ecstasy and joy, rather than
Christmas: and yet, ask a non-churchgoer
which is the most important, and most will
say Christmas!
The world needs to hear the message of
Easter - the message of hope, of peace, of the
triumph of love over hatred, of the message
proclaiming the eternal love of God for all his
children, and our living hope in Jesus Christ.
It’s a message which can transform lives: not
just the lives of we who have believed for so
long, for whom if we are honest this might be
‘just another Easter weekend’, but the lives of
people whose only knowledge of Easter is at
the moment connected to barbecues and
Easter Bunnies.
I wonder how much we in the Church have
been in some sense seduced by the
downplaying of Easter in the wider world,
and ourselves don’t any longer see our Easter
faith as having the importance that it does in
the tradition of the Church and should in
the Church’s ongoing life.
They need to hear about the hope of Easter they need to hear that its witness is of pivotal
importance to changing the world to conform
to God’s purpose of love, and peace, and
wholeness, despite the evil which despoils
the beauty and promise of human life: and
they need to hear it from all of us - all
Christians, not just Christian ministers and
preachers.
If we don’t take part, how can we speak of
what we believe? If we do not speak of what
we believe, outside the church, how can we
share the message? If we do not share the
message, by prioritising Easter ourselves,
how can we expect those who we would wish
to draw into the life of the body of Christ we
call the Church themselves respond to God’s
call to follow Jesus?
Have a peaceful and blessed Easter, as
witnesses to God’s grace through the life,
death and resurrection of his Son our
Saviour, Jesus.
With every good wish,
Alan Jenkins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTES FROM THE VESTRY
It does not seem possible that already we are a
quarter of the way through the year as I write this.
As I reflect on the many ‘important and
meaningful ‘ dates in the life of our church, I
thought I would like to share some of my thoughts
with you of those dates that have already passed,
and the most important Christian festival, which
will soon be almost upon us.
After a joyous and meaningful time as we
celebrated Christmas, our annual Covenant
Service took place. This is usually celebrated on
the first Sunday of the year, and is at the heart of
Methodists' devotion and discipleship, and their
dedication in working for social justice. In this
service the Church joyfully celebrates God's
gracious offer to Israel that, "I will be their God
and they shall be my people".
Early Methodist gatherings were called 'societies'.
John Wesley encouraged different kinds of small
group to develop, so that both leaders and
members of the societies could receive support
and challenge in their faith. The supportive small
group has been found to be one of the most
powerful ways for people to feel that they belong
and to learn and grow.
In our church at Wimpole Road, we have small
groups, i.e. the Prayer Group and the Bible Study
Group, to name just a couple. These groups meet
regularly, and all are welcome.
We also have many organisations that use our
lovely church: Brownies; Rainbows; Cubs;
Beavers; Toddler Group; Thursday Circle; Choir;
Sunday Kids Club; the indoor Bowls Club and
the annual Holiday Club All of these contribute
hugely to the life of our church in so many ways.
We hope to continue a mid-week communion
service on a regular basis, this was started last
year. We are part of the Soup Run that is led by
the churches in Colchester. We have regular
hirings of our premises and these all lead to a
picture of a church that is active and busy.
It would be good to give prayerful consideration
to ensure that we all remain aware that we in the
church are part of a team and we too are learning
and growing, so that when older members of the
congregation are no longer able to be as active a
part of the church, as they were previously, there
will be people able to step up and continue the
jobs that are done at the moment by ‘the few’?
Recently, I have attended many meetings and
gatherings, both in my work life, (as I still work
one day each week) and in the life of the church.
The message is coming through loud and clear,
that:
 ‘We cannot continue as we are doing.’
 ‘There is a big cultural change’
 ‘We cannot stay the same’
 ‘There are too many risks in trying to do
this as we have always done it, and do
nothing’
These are the thoughts that I am hearing and it is
good to focus on these when thinking of the
future of the church. We are all aware that the last
Church Council/Church General Meeting had
more attendees than usual, which was very
pleasing and encouraging to see. This after all is
an opportunity and a chance to hear about what is
going on around the circuit, and within our
church. It is also a chance for any attendee to be
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able to give their views, and to comment if they
wish on what is said.
understanding of the death and resurrection of
Christ.
At this meeting, however, time ran out, so this
will mean that the next Church Council
Meeting, will be a ‘Conversational Meeting’ and
we are all urged to be there.
The Easter story is at the heart of Christianity
We will soon be approaching Easter. Easter
commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It
is the most important Christian festival, and the
one celebrated with the greatest joy. Easter
Sunday is of course the culmination of Holy
Week.
It will be on Sunday 16 July and will take the
form of a Faith Lunch, following the morning
service led by Alan, and then into the ‘open’
discussion.
This opportunity will enable items of importance
to be discussed and the views of everyone sought,
and recorded. {If you would like to be there, but
cannot get there, speak to a steward, and it should
be possible to arrange a lift for you.}
We are now in the period of Lent. Lent begins
forty days before Easter. During Lent, we enter
into a season of preparation, self-reflection and
repentance when we seek to literally ‘turn around’
and realign our lives and focus toward God. It is a
time to give up things as well as take on new lifegiving practices, helping us rid ourselves of
distractions and our own selfish desires. By doing
so, we seek to live and love as more faithful
disciples of Jesus Christ.
The recent Circuit Meeting that I attended happened to be on Ash Wednesday. Before the
business part of the meeting, there was a penance
service, and everybody took part. I found it very
meaningful and thought provoking, and I know
that others did too.
The ashes our pastors smudge on us during Ash
Wednesday worship come from the burning of
last year’s Palm Sunday palms. They are to
remind us of our mortality and call us to
repentance - seeking God’s forgiveness for our
sin, both the things we have and have not done.
The first day of Lent marks the beginning of a
period of reflection and penance. In the Bible,
sprinkling oneself with ashes was traditionally a
sign of one's sorrow for having committed sins. In
the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday also
marked the beginning of preparation for the
Churches are filled with flowers, and we sing
special hymns and songs. As can be seen in the
important ‘Christian Church Festivals’ I have
referred to above, we strive to be an active
church in every way. Our steward’s team and
others give of their time tirelessly to ensure that
we seek to promote what is said on our mission
statement.
We would warmly welcome any help from any of
our worshippers, as has been said, there are many
‘jobs’ that are enjoyable and rewarding, and it
really is team working.
I would also commend to you the extracts from
page 20 of our latest quarterly magazine. This
gives us some idea of how much is also being
done in the circuit, of which Wimpole Road is a
part.
Margaret Clubb
{The Minutes of the March Circuit Meeting
can be found on page 20}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRAYER CORNER
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the beauty of the spring
time, for spring flowers and for all new life,
which comes into our world.
At this Easter time we thank you for Jesus
and the resurrection hope he brings to us all.
As we think of our church family, a dear
member has recently passed away and several
others have worries and concerns, or are unwell
at this time.
We bring them before you Lord, and we
thank you for the love you give to us in Jesus.
3
Amen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REV MICHAEL HAYMAN
An Appreciation by Martin Broom
I remember the first time I saw
Michael Hayman. It was a Spring Sunday
evening in 1975.
Michael had been appointed to the
Colchester Circuit and would be taking
Wimpole Road under his wing that
September. The Stewards had arranged to
visit him that Sunday and to meet at a small
country chapel in Norfolk where he would be
preaching. We would then go back to his
Manse and meet with his wife and family.
We were driving slowly down a
country lane following directions and
expecting to see the chapel at any moment.
Suddenly we were overtaken by a grinning
‘apparition’ on a motor scooter. It was
Michael who had correctly guessed that this
unknown car clearly looking for a small
chapel could only be filled with strangers
from Colchester. There was instant
engagement.
the midweek meetings when he could and
was to the forefront at Bazaars. Perhaps his
greatest enjoyment was the exciting table
tennis doubles enjoyed after Men’s Club,
from which he would emerge (still wearing
his clerical collar) hot but ready to tackle
another week.
He was always supported by Sheila
who herself took a full part in the life of
Wimpole Road (in those days a very crowded
one).
There will be many in the
neighbourhood who like us at Wimpole Road
will remember Michael with affection. Many
have observed, ‘He was a lovely man’ and it
was good to have known him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Following the service we were pleased
to meet with Michael his wife Sheila and their
children Paul, Stephanie and Jackie where we
discussed the strengths and weaknesses of
Wimpole Road.
Michael duly arrived that September
and stayed for 7 happy years. He was a
popular figure who drunk a great deal of tea
as he was a wonderful visitor. He lead from
the front and was an inspiration. He was the
driving force behind the 1979 (our 75th
celebration) renovations. I was Property
Secretary at that time and we spent many
hours in a cold church dealing with problems
but the result when we reopened after three
months on Easter Sunday was a delight.
Michael enjoyed everything he did.
Services were never dull, he attended many of
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as a church of the Colchester Methodist
Circuit.
There is a Songs of Praise Service held
normally once a quarter on a Sunday
afternoon, which is attended by one of the
Circuit Ministers where numbers vary
between 12 – 20; this is followed by light
refreshments and a chance to have a chat.
A Communion Service is held on the last
Tuesday afternoon of each month at 4.00
p.m. with tea and cake before the service also taken by a Circuit Minister.
Messy Church is held on the last Monday
afternoon of each month from 3.15 to 5.00
p.m. where we normally get between 15-22
children from Fingringhoe and Langenhoe
Schools.
Helen Coppin, the Circuit Outreach Worker,
together with members of the Management
Group and other helpers staff this venture,
where a theme is set, which runs through the
whole afternoon and the children really enjoy
the different crafts, and normally cooking or
baking is also included.
There is a Lunch Club held on the first
Saturday of each month, where a two course
lunch is provided for the mainly older
residents.
FINGRINGHOE METHODIST
CHURCH
I know that several of the congregation of
Wimpole Road hold Fingringhoe Methodist
Church close to their hearts for various
reasons, so I felt as the Colchester Methodist
circuit is considering the future of several of
its churches at present, I would give you
some idea as to what still goes on there.
In 2009, due to falling numbers it was
decided to cease having a regular Sunday
service but to keep the church open as a
Circuit resource under a Management Group,
consequently the church remains operating
This is attended by people from Abberton
and Rowhedge as well as Fingringhoe itself,
and around 25 people enjoy a nice lunch
cooked by some of the Management Group
with a chance to meet and have a chat with
fellow village folk. The meal concludes with a
‘Thought for the Day’ provided by Ann Brook,
a member of the Management Group.
The Monday Coffee Morning has long been
a tradition at Fingringhoe, and still is very
well known, since the Post Office started at
the church this has become even more
popular and normally around 20 people visit
it each week.
This is worked on a rota system of ladies
from the village co-ordinated by Janet
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Canham, whose husband, Terry, is also a
member of the Management Group.
This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and
quiet.
Following the closure of the village store and
Post Office, in early 2015, it was agreed to
have a mobile ‘Post Office’ service offered
from the church. This is operated as an
outpost of Wivenhoe Post Office and is at the
church on a Monday and Friday morning and
Wednesday afternoon each week.
2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of
your children and grandchildren, and don't feel
bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve
taken care of them for many years, and you’ve
taught them what you could. You gave them an
education, food, shelter and support. The
responsibility is now theirs to earn their money.
As the Post Office at Abberton has closed
and the Rowhedge Post Office is not in use
at present (due to a fire at the Co-op store),
this is proving to be quite popular.
It has been said that the church is not there
to provide business facilities but being a
small village it is felt that the outreach and
community side of this is important.
Like all churches we have a few lettings,
which include a Yoga Class; a Book Club and
a Cross Stitch Group plus the occasional
Children’s Party.
If anyone would like to visit the church on any
of the above days mentioned to learn more
about what goes on - be assured you would
be made most welcome, or if you feel you
could help or support the work that continues
at Fingringhoe please write to Wimpole Road
Methodist Church but mark the envelope
‘Fingringhoe’.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
RULES FOR A GOOD OLD AGE
Some of us have reached our golden years, and
some of us have not. But these suggestions should
be read by everyone. They have been collected
from many a senior, each with his or her own
piece of advice. Some you know, some may
surprise you, and some will remind you of what's
important.
1. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it
and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may
have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it.
3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical
effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every
day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to
become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy.
That is why you need to keep yourself in good
shape and be aware of your medical and physical
needs. Keep in touch with your doctor; get tested
annually at least, even when you’re feeling well.
Stay informed.
4. Don't stress over the little things. You've
already overcome so much in your life. You have
good memories and bad ones, but the important
thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you
down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel
good in the now. Small issues will soon be
forgotten.
5. Regardless of age, always keep love alive.
Love your partner, love life, love your family,
love your friends and remember: ‘A man is not
old as long as he has intelligence and affection’.
6. Always stay up-to-date. Read newspapers,
watch the news. Go online and read what people
are saying. Have an active email account and try
to use some of those social networks. You’ll be
surprised which old friends you’ll meet. Keeping
in touch with what is going on and with the
people you know is important at any age.
7. Some people embrace their golden years, while
others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to
waste your days on the latter. Spend your time
with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you
and your days will seem that much better.
Spending your time with bitter people will make
you older and harder to be around.
6
8. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen
more. Some people go on and on, not caring if
their listeners are really interested. That’s a great
way of reducing their desire to speak to you.
Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain
or criticise too much unless you really need to.
Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is
going through the same things, and people have a
low tolerance for hearing constant complaints.
Always find some good things to say as well.
9. If you've been offended by someone - forgive
them. If you've offended someone - apologize.
Don't drag around resentment with you. It only
serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t
matter who was right. Someone once said:
‘Holding a grudge is like taking poison and
expecting the other person to die’. Don’t take that
poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your
life.
10. Take no notice of what others say about you
and even less notice of what they might be
thinking. They'll do it anyway, and you should
have pride in yourself and what you've achieved.
Let them talk and don't worry. They have no idea
about your history, your memories and the life
you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be
written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time
thinking about what others might think. Now is
the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you
can be!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make way, make way, for Christ the King in
splendour arrives. Fling wide the gates and
welcome Him into your lives. Graham Kendrick
RAIL NEWS

In the book ‘The Victorian City’ the early
days of the London Underground network
are described in some detail.
The Metropolitan Railway – the
first line of the tube – opened on 10
January, 1863, running between
Paddington and Farringdon Street, with six
intermediary stations. The first day 30,000
people took the opportunity to travel
underground.
That evening, “The crush at the
Farringdon Street Station was as great as
the doors of a theatre on the first night”.
And, in the following week another
200,000 passengers ventured
underground. Work on the Hammersmith
and City Line began in 1864, the Circle
Line began excavations in 1868, the
District Line the following year and by
the 1870’s the Metropolitan Line alone
was carrying 48 million passengers
annually.

The Felixistowe branch line is to be
doubled so that the capacity of the route to
the container port can be increased from
33 to 47 freight trains a day, or by just
over 40%. The line also carries a local
passenger service from Ipswich.
The changes are set to be
welcomed by freight operators who have
criticised the capacity restrictions on the
single track branch in the past.

Stations have existed since the autumn of
1825 when the Stockton and Darlington
began to pick up passengers at the
‘depots’ at each end of its route with a rail
coach dubbed ‘Experiment’, which was
horse-drawn. These primitive ‘depots’
were not really stations, so much as basic
stopping places but the beginnings could
be seen.
By the 1830’s ‘real’
stations with passenger accommodation
were being developed, and the first
London termini opened in that decade.
The oldest to have survived on its original
site is London Bridge (1836), but Euston
– the first ‘main-line’ terminus – followed
in 1837 and Paddington in 1838. After
that, progress was swift.
Passenger stations in the 19th
century were effectively local offices of
7
their parent companies, providing a
number of services apart from passenger
trains – such as sending a parcel, a cow or
a telegraph message, or buying a
newspaper (particularly after W. H. Smith
had become established). The number of
passenger stations probably reached its
peak at about 6,700 in the 1930’s.

Greater Anglia’s most modern fleet of
diesel units is to get a makeover with a
new look and upgrades to their heating and
air conditioning systems.
The diesel units operate on most
rural lines in the region including the East
Suffolk line and the lines from Ipswich to
Peterborough and Cambridge. The work
will also include re-covering seats, new
carpets and improved toilets. They will get
an internal repaint and new panels.

On a recent visit our dear friend Derek
Pitcher recalled another railway story that
occurred whilst he was working in
Chelmsford during the 1950’s.
On this particular occasion Derek
was a passenger on a main line locomotive
travelling towards Clacton. On a cold and
snowy evening the train pulled into
Wivenhoe, where passengers making for
Brightlingsea would change onto the
branch line. With the cold wind and
frequent snow showers Wivenhoe Station
looked like a scene out of ‘Doctor
Zhivago’ and the Station Manager, with an
obvious sense of humour, announced that
the train on Platform One would be
“Leaving Wivenhovsky bound for
Moscow”.
As Derek’s train departed
Wivenhoe for the next stop at Ardleigh the
icy rails prevented the locomotive from
making progress up the steep incline and it
was left to a local ‘Puffing Billy’ to push
the failed train towards Ardleigh to enable
it to continue its journey to Clacton.
Needless to say Derek arrived home safe
and sound but a little later than scheduled.

From humble beginnings, the U.K’s
railways have proved to be an efficient
form of mail transportation for more than
180 years. Mail bags were first carried on
the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in
November 1830.
Travelling post offices conveyed
mail up and down the country from 1838
until 2004. A specially designed apparatus
enabled leather pouches holding mail bags
to be exchanged with a moving travelling
post office. Pouches were hung from track
side standards or train-side ‘traductors’ to
be caught by nets.
The first successful mail-bag
exchange took place at Boxmoor, Hemel
Hempstead in May 1838. By the 1930’s
there were 130 TPO’s operating both
night and day, with four exclusively
functioning as mail trains and carrying no
passengers. Day services ceased following
the Second World War and the final TPO
services ran on 9 January, 2004.

Ticket offices at some railway stations
could be axed in a bid to save cash. Six
out of the seven ticket offices earmarked
for closure by Greater Anglia are in
Tendring, with Walton, Thorpe,
Alresford, Great Bentley, Dovercourt and
Harwich International all on the hit-list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAIRTRADE –
LEAVING THE EU
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The result of the European Union
Referendum won’t just affect the United
Kingdom. It will have a huge impact on
the lives of the farmers and workers in
developing countries who grow our food
too.
How that plays out – positive or
negative – is in part down to all of us.
Put simply, as the UK begins to
reshape its relationship with the EU, it
will need to renegotiate how it trades
with other countries, both in Europe
and the rest of the world. That could
put farmers and workers in a
vulnerable position.
Too often in the past, trade has
been structured and regulated in a way
that has given too much to those with
power and wealth and too little to those
who are powerless and poor.
But Fairtrade has shown that
trade and business can be incredible
forces for good, if the benefits are
shared fairly.
That way, everyone involved has
the chance to earn a decent living and
protect their health, rights and the
environment.
Over the coming months, and
even years, we will need to work hard
to ensure our politicians keep in mind
the interests of poor farmers and
workers as much as our own.
Together we will need to support
them to get a fairer deal, so that they
can send their children to school and
invest in their futures, build strong
communities and withstand the ravages
of climate change.
Michael Gidney – Chief
Executive, Fairtrade Foundation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE WIMPOLE BEARS
at the SUNDAY KIDS CLUB
In recent weeks Hetty, Walter and
Wilfred Bear have been joining in the
Sunday Kids Club.
The young people gather at the
front of the church at the beginning of
the Sunday morning service, where they
stay for the first hymn and prayers.
The preacher usually has a few
words with the youngsters and they then
leave during the second hymn to gather in
the hall. On most Sundays there can be
between two and ten young people.
As far as possible they try to follow
the lectionary reading for the day, so they
are having the same Bible story as the
congregation.
The older ones may read the
passage from a children’s Bible or Bible
story book, and then they will talk over
what they have heard and understood
about the story. They then finish this time
with a prayer for the day.
Sometimes there is a song to learn,
which Eunice has brought along or maybe a
game to play.
Then it is time to create an item
connected to the story they’ve heard.
Hetty likes using the stickers to
make a picture. Walter enjoys drawing and
he takes great care completing what he is
doing. Wilfred may sometimes write a
prayer.
There is a fairly wide age group
from 3 years old to 13 years plus. The
little group all shares together; the older
ones will help the little ones who need help
completing their item. They will talk and
chat together.
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Soon we are told the last hymn is
being sung, so everyone returns into
church to show what they have been doing.
By doing this we hope that young and old
feel part of the church family; learning in
different ways but coming together to
share.
The Bears wish you a peaceful
Easter and look forward to seeing you in
the next newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MUSEUM PREPARES FOR
OPENING
The Mersea Island Museum has now
held the last of the Resource Centre ‘Open
Days’ and ‘Friday Talks’ until the autumn, as
the main focus now is preparing for the
Summer Exhibition, which runs from 29 April
to 2 October this year, Wednesday to Sunday
plus Bank Holidays. Opening times are 2
p.m. until 5 p.m.
The main theme this year is ‘Events in
Years ending with 7’, and already several
ideas have been taken on board.
Events being featured include the bad
weather of1947 (snow) and 1987 (big storm)
and various Royal celebrations.
There will also be a wide range of
special displays, including an extended one –
by popular demand – for Paddington Bear,
whose illustrator lived on the island.
The next major event at the museum
is the annual Spring Show, organised by the
local art group.
This will be held over the weekend of
24-26 April, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
FIVEWAYS FRUIT FARM
During the summer and autumn
of 2015, the remains of two ancient
farmsteads were excavated by
Colchester Archaeological Trust in
Stanway, which was part of the
Fiveways Fruit Farm.
The excavations revealed
evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age and
early Iron Age activity in the area, a
period of time spanning from c2500 to
300 BC. The majority of these features
were pits or tree-thrown pits (created
by the uprooted root systems of trees),
which contained worked flints, shards
of hand-made flint-tempered pottery
and burnt stones.
However, the most significant
discovery to come out of the
investigation were the remains of two
farmsteads datable to the middle Iron
Age (c350-50BC), and the settlement
was possibly established as a response
to an increased pressure for
agricultural land in the area.
The extensive findings from the
2015 quarry expansion and the
Stanway excavations to the south have
revealed much about the layout and
use of this landscape in the middle Iron
Age.
We can imagine a landscape,
which has been largely opened up
through the clearance of trees and
vegetation and the creation of ditched
fields, which was then further defined
by the construction of impressive and
substantial earthworks defences.
These earthworks would have
provided visual evidence of ownership
and asserted family or clan rights over
the surrounding land as well as
allowing the inhabitants to manage the
movement of livestock and people and
protect their economic interests.
10
The finds indicate that the
occupants were pastoral farmers who
carried out a range of domestic and
light industrial activities at the site,
which included cooking, textile
manufacture and iron-working.
The deep ditches, which enclose
the farmsteads, would have kept
animals within the enclosed areas and
the recovery of spindle whorls and loom
weights indicates that a sustainable
flock of mature sheep was probably
kept in the enclosure to provide wool
for spinning and weaving.
The only feature from the middle
Iron Age landscape, which was
maintained into the Roman period, was
the boundary ditch, which linked the
enclosures.
Once the Roman ditched
boundary was no longer in use, there
does not appear to have been any
significant activity on the site until at
least the 13th or 14th centuries, at which
point agricultural activity appears to
have recommenced with the excavation
of new boundary ditches and the
scattering of manure containing more
pottery shards.
The work by the Colchester
Archaeological Trust was carried out
prior to the expansion of Tarmac’s
Stanway quarry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and
threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road,
and others spread leafy branches that they
had cut in the fields.
Mark 11: 7-8 (NRSV)
So they took branches of palm trees and
went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in
the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!”
John 12: 13 (NRSV)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘TURNIP’ TOWNSHEND’S
FARMING REVOLUTION
I am always interested to know what is
growing on farmland throughout the
country and the following article appeared
in the Essex County Standard written by a
local farmer, Peter Fairs:
‘It is 400 years since a man
nicknamed ‘Turnip’ Townshend
revolutionised British farming by introducing
what became known as the Norfolk fourcourse rotation. He recognised that
continuously growing the same crop on the
same land year after year reduced yields due
to lower fertility and increased plant
diseases. The inclusion of leguminous clover
increased the natural nitrogen available for
following crops and the introduction of
turnips once every four years broke the
cereal disease cycle as well as providing an
excellent livestock feed for the mixed farms
of the day.
With only about 3% of today’s foods
being produced by truly organic methods,
most farmers rely on scientifically developed
pesticides and artificial nitrogen to boost
crop yields, bur almost every grower still
uses a crop rotation. Every year arable
farmers spend some time considering their
cropping plan.
The most profitable of local crops,
which can be combine harvested, is usually
wheat but it is also the crop that suffers
most from continuous growing.
Wheat is sown in September and
harvested in August or September the
following year, which marks a very short
period between harvest and re-sowing.
Weeds such as blackgrass take
advantage of the situation by germinating in
11
September. Farmers can counteract this by
waiting until spring and sowing a different
crop. Over the last 40 years or so the most
popular and profitable break from cereals
has been oilseed rape.
However there has been a dramatic
drop in the area sown locally and it is sad for
the farmers, and the bees, that there will be
less yellow fields in evidence this spring.
About one million tonnes less will be
produced here in 2017, with production
being taken up in the Americas, Ukraine and
Australia, where neonicotinoid sprays remain
widely used.
What are farmers growing instead?
Spring sown barley has certainly made a
comeback. It is a relatively easy crop to grow
but not a ‘break’ from cereal diseases. Peas
and beans provide a good break and add
natural fertility to the soil but over
production and lower prices make these less
attractive. Linseed has also made a bit of a
comeback but it’s late and, therefore,
harvest can be an issue.
Other crops include borage, echium
and a variety of quinoa. Some of these are
particularly good for bees and the
environment, but because demand is limited
they will never become mainstream crops.
Maize is grown for cattle feed and green
energy production.
On lighter land, especially if there is
irrigation, potatoes, onions and other
vegetables remain options and with new uses
now being found for sugar beet we could
even see a revival in that crop.
So, it seems, no rotation is perfect but
‘Turnip’ Townshend would be happy to note
the principles he expressed are still just as
relevant today’.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FARMING NEWS
A collapse in agriculture or even a fall of
government could be prompted by a major
drought in East Anglia, academics have warned.
A new report launched at an event in parliament
looking at threats to global food security has
highlighted the consequences of ‘tipping points’
caused by a shift in the environment.
The government backed Global Food
Security (GFS) programme looked at the effects
for food security if East Anglia was turned into a
‘dustbowl’.
Anglia Ruskin University academics warn
the degradation and loss of peat soils in the
region could result in widespread soil erosion.
The report said it was ‘plausible’ there could be
an unprecedented drought that could lead to
dustbowl conditions with erosion driven by
strong winds. This was avoided in 2012 when late
spring rains helped avert a drought, which had
started in 2010.
A loss of fertility would reduce the ability
to produce home-grown vegetables. East Anglia
accounts for 29% of Britain’s area planted for
potatoes. In Fenland 12% of all businesses are
agricultural, which is twice the national average.
Professor Aled Jones, Director of Anglia
Ruskin’s Global Sustainability Institute said,
“Tipping points exist in both
physical and socio-economic systems including
governmental or financial reports, and can
interact in complex ways. Small shocks may have
little impact and we could believe the system is
resilient. However, a particular shock, or set of
shocks, could tip the system into a new state and
could represent a collapse in agriculture or even
the fall of government.”
The first lamb of the year born at the
National Trust’s Sutton Hoo site was named
‘Doris’ after the storm that had battered Britain
the previous day. The little lamb is the first purebreed Manx Loaghtan to join the flock cared for
by shepherd Andrew Capell and his sheepdog
‘Kite’.
“After all the drama of the weather with
Storm Doris, there was really only one name we
could choose for her”, said Andrew. During the
next few weeks Doris will be out greeting
visitors to Sutton Hoo.
12
WATER, RIVERS, STREAMS
We often find water, streams and showers
used to illustrate Christian lives.
 Psalm 23, verse 2 – ‘He leadeth me
beside still waters’
 Ezekiel 34, verse 26 – ‘I will send
down showers in season. There will
be showers of blessing’
 Revelation 22, verse 1 – ‘Then the
angel showed me the river of the
water of life, flowing from the
throne of God’
On the last and greatest day of the feast,
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let
anyone who is thirsty come to me and
drink. Whoever believes in me, as
scripture has said, rivers of living water
will flow from within them.”
By this he meant the Holy Spirit whom
those who believed in him were later to
receive.
{John 7, verses 37-39 and John 14, verses
15-17 and 25.}
The Holy Spirit entered into the apostles at
Pentecost, causing Peter to preach to the
crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the
festival. It flowed into those who accepted
Peter’s message. About 3,000 were added
to the company of Christians.
Acts 2, verse 42 says: ‘They devoted
themselves to the apostles teaching, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer’.
{From ‘The Courier’,
Christ Church, Coggeshall}
MY MUM AND POLIO
Dear Reader, following the article
from the British Polio Fellowship in the
Winter WRN, I thought I had to write
about my dear mum.
Born 3rd August 1915 in Sydney
Street, Brightlingsea – she was a polio
victim at the tender age of 3.
After a long walk with her dear dad
(my granddad Cook) she was struck down
with the polio virus. Poor granddad always
blamed himself for getting her tired – of
course it wasn’t his fault! Freda (my mum)
was paralysed down her right side – luckily
she was left handed so it didn’t stop her
writing at school.
She had to wear ‘sensible’ shoes and
wasn’t allowed to do sports or dance.
However one day Freda’s kind
teacher asked Nanna, whether Freda had
got a white dress to wear for a school
performance? Nan said, no, but she had
just bought her a new pale blue one.
Teacher said it was perfect.
The day of the school performance
came and Nan and Granddad went along,
not knowing what to expect.
Freda’s class was doing a ‘dance’
routine. Freda sat in the middle of the
floor in her lovely blue dress, doing hand
movements, whilst the other girls danced
around her in their white dresses. Nan and
Granddad said they were very proud of
her!
Although disabled mum had a
marvellous fighting spirit and she always
stuck up for other people. The children
called her ‘Mrs Dempsey’, after the boxer
at that time.
13
She had a great gift of making
others feel good and was always cheery.
Me and my younger sister, Janet, didn’t
notice mum’s polio. We do remember,
however, how tightly she held us –
sometimes it hurt and we had to tell her!
Nan’s sisters told her they thought
she would never bring mum up – this made
Nan more determined than ever. She was
the only person mum would allow to carry
her, because of her pain.
My grandparents bought Freda a
piano to gain strength in her hands – she
learned to play well.
In later years she would sing solos in
her Methodist church, the Wesleyan at
Brightlingsea.
At mum’s funeral (she was nearly 96
when she died) we asked for donations to
be sent to the Polio Research Foundation. I
think we made nearly £100 pounds.
Pat Farrow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TALKING TVS COULD HELP
CRIME
Television sets could be used to help
monitor sick and vulnerable residents in their
homes by having conversations with them.
Essex County Council is proposing a £7
million fund to invest in digital support for adult
social care.
The fund would be used to support people
who remain in their house rather than moving to a
residential care home.
John Spence, councillor responsible for
finance at County Hall, said,
“With the funding we will look at different
technology.”
He gave the example of interactive
television with motion sensors.
Mr Spence said,
“If you are not moving about it could say,
‘Are you ok?’ and you can say, ‘I’m not feeling
well and I think I need to do something, I need
some help’”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ROMANY
Travellers, Gypsies or Romanies are
not universally popular today, but did you
know that our very first Minister, the Rev.
Bramwell Evens (no this is not a misprint!),
who was at Wimpole Road from 1904 –
1905, was a Romany.
Not just any Romany but the Romany
who made regular broadcasts on BBC
Radio. Joyce Burch lent me one of his books
telling of his nature jaunts and love of the
countryside.
I give you just a flavour of it here,
with a few extracts:
‘As a companion I have my dog Raq. I
take him firstly because a spaniel is the most
lovable and sensible thing on four legs, and
secondly because the alliance between my
sight and his nose is a very strong one.
What I miss in the bushes he points
out. He stands like a statue before any
discovery, his eyes questioning mine and
according to the interest of his find, even so
works his stubby tail. Should it be a hare
lying snug in its form then his tail works fast
and furious; if it be a mouse then a few mild
jerks is quite sufficient for the occasion.’
And on a night-time fishing
expedition he notes:
‘I looked up and could just discern two
young brown owls. They had come as
quietly as wraiths. Theirs was the whining
cry. The long ‘hoo’ was the answer of the
parent bird. Soon she comes with noiseless
flight – not a wing-beat is distinguishable.
She settles on a bare branch, which
overhangs the river, and I can just discern
the heads of the young owlets turned
expectantly towards her.
In the shallows below the older bird
there is movement. Once I thought I could
discern the flash of silver scales as a fish
turned on its side in the water. From the bare
branch a brown body drops like a stone.
14
There is a rush of startled fish from the
shallows. Two or three leap high out of the
water in their frantic endeavour to reach the
darker protecting depths. But the mother owl
is on the bank holding a half-pounder in her
talons. I can see the gleam in those great
glowing orbs, which miss nothing in the
gathering darkness. A flapping of wings
above me, and more whines, tell me that the
young owlets are enjoying their first course.
A little later the entrée will consist of
mice and a rat or two. They will account for
the best part of a score before the dawn send
them home.’
He makes the point that tidiness is
essential in the confined space of a
caravan and that he is not always able to
find what he needs:
‘In my family my wife is the tidy
person. She has an orderly mind. From which
you will gather that my quality of tidiness is
not of the same high level as hers.
Of
course for a home to have two with such a
disposition for orderliness might not be for the
best. Were I similarly gifted with such a
mania for tidying up I should, were I to pass
through the kitchen and find one or two
cooking utensils lying on the table,
immediately put them back on to their lowly
shelves. This might be trying for the cook.
Then I could foresee both of us
secreting a duster in some pocket in order to
flick off the slightest speck of dust, which we
met with, as we moved about the house. The
time might come when in order to keep
everything spotless we might sleep out in a
hotel to save soiling the sheets.
From which you will gather that I look
upon myself as a corrective to overscrupulousness. Looked at another way, I am
a contributor to her happiness, for if there
were nothing to tidy up; her light would be hid
under a bushel. How comforting.’
He broadens the idea of a Harvest
Festival, much as Joyce did with the
conclusion:
‘Do you see that chestnut like
burnished copper, and that dog-rose, scarlet
with its berries? Do you see that stubble
gleaming gold against that pearly sky, and
the kestrel over yonder poised above the
grass?
That my friend is a little of the harvest
of beauty – never failing, ever changing, free
to all without money and without price.’
He often concludes a section with a
small but telling moral, as he does after a
chapter on the balance of nature:
‘If you are in a wide country circuit you
have more travelling about than if you are in
a town circuit, but in a town circuit you have
to make more new sermons per quarter.
Evidently it is difficult to coax nature to
endow one rose with all the qualities of
colour and scent. If it had magnificent petals,
then it lacked the languid odour that the
ragged white roses possess, which grow in
profusion over cottage doors.
Aye Raq my boy, that’s a grand
phrase – the ‘Balance of Nature’. It speaks to
me of the stars in their courses, of wind and
tide, of summer and winter, of garlands and
wreaths, of the sorrow that comes at night
and of the joy, which breaks with the dawn,
of life – of death.
For God hath set the one over against
the other. The balance of nature is but
another name for the equipoise of God.’
I found his style and his enthusiasm
so infectious that I have tried to pass a
flavour of it on to you in these brief extracts.
Norman Broom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MEDIEVAL HYTHE
The Hythe appears to have been a
Norman development, which grew up
around a wooden jetty on the east bank of
the river immediately south of where the
old Hythe Bridge now stands. Originally
the settlement would have been separated
from the town by green fields.
Recent excavations at the Hythe
have uncovered the remains of houses,
15
which belonged to this settlement. The
area under excavation was along the
modern street frontage directly opposite
the medieval Church of St. Leonard’s.
The earliest deposits take the form
of a thick layer of cultivated soil
containing bits of broken pottery and other
remains dating from the 12th to the 14th or
15th century. Although no structures of this
period were identified, the presence of the
pottery and soil suggests that a
contemporary building such as a house
must have existed nearby.
Sealing and cutting the cultivated
soil were various sequences of floors and
foundations belonging to houses, which
lined the street frontage from the 15th or
16th century onwards. These buildings
were similar to the houses excavated in
1994-95, before the mini-roundabout and
new link road were built immediately to
the east. Although the houses were not on
the waterfront, they were nevertheless part
of the medieval settlement at the Hythe.
The excavations did not produce any
significant evidence of Roman occupation
in the area, but the investigations were too
far from the waterfront to provide definite
proof either way.
Harbour facilities at any one time
are likely to have been quite complicated
and they would have varied according to
period. In Roman times, the town may
have been served by several harbours
rather than just one, the most likely
candidates being West Mersea,
Fingringhoe and Mistley.
In Saxon times a harbour seems to
have existed at Old Heath (meaning ‘The
Old Hythe’ or landing area) which, in the
early medieval period was replaced
upstream by ‘New Hythe’, the place we
call ‘The Hythe’ today.
{From ‘The Colchester
Archaeologist’ magazine, 2000.}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
66 YEARS ON!!
On 26 December, 2016, I
celebrated my 66th birthday and for this
year only every time I mention my age I
think of Route 66, the highway in America
made famous in John Ford’s epic film, ‘The
Grapes of Wrath’.
Shortly after Christmas I was
looking through some old books and papers
and came across the St. Mark’s, Battersea
Rise, parish church magazine from July
1951. Battersea Rise is a road in south
west London, not far from Clapham
Junction and with Spencer Park, an area
where Earls of Spencer once lived, just
around the corner.
The parish magazine contained the
following letter, written by the vicar, Rev.
Albert Stone:
‘My Dear People, some time ago, a
little incident in the road gave me a great
idea for a service, which I propose
arranging, and which I trust will prove to
be a very memorable occasion in the lives
of many married couples.
The incident was quite a visual one I was greeted by a couple whom I married
3 years ago. As I have said, that was quite
usual, but with this difference: this couple
had been away overseas since their
marriage, and I did not immediately
recognise them as smilingly they made
signs to attract my attention.
But as the husband ran across the
road to speak to me, I quickly recollected
the time and the occasion when we had
16
last met, and their obvious happiness took
me back to their wedding day.
Here they were with the freshness
of their newly married joy upon them,
crowned with the possession of their first
born. They had deferred the baptism until
they could bring the child to the church
where they were joined together.
That was the incident followed by
the big idea. ‘Why not have all these and
such people together in the church where
they were wed?’
Well, the result is, I am giving shape
to the idea by having a special service for
them on Sunday 8 July at 6.30 p.m.
We are sending invitations to those
who have been married at St. Mark’s
during the past 6 years, but the service is
being arranged for other married couples
as well, whether they were married at St.
Mark’s or not.
I want the service to be a happy and
vivid reminder of the joy, the hopes, the
resolves and the solemnity of their
wedding day.
I want it also to inspire and
strengthen them in their efforts to make a
‘home’ for those they love, and to fulfil
God’s idea for them and to grow in mutual
understanding, in courtesy and kindness,
bearing one another’s burdens and so filling
the life of their partner.
With
every good wish, your friend and vicar,
Albert Stone.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.
In the same magazine there is a list
of baptisms. On 10 June, 1951, the baptism
took place of Graham Charles Stephen
Duthie and as you may already guessed the
proud parents in the vicar’s letter were my
own mother and father.
There were large screens abound,
so everyone had a good view.
The order of service and the hymn verses
were displayed, with the tuneful sounds.
DAFFODIL DAY
Monday 6 March 2017
We boarded our coach on Monday
twelve of us left from our church.
T’was my very first time,
so I’ve written this rhyme
to tell you about our ‘Fun Day’.
Our driver drove us to the city
picking up more folk on the way.
The weather was bright.
Now London’s in sight –
we’re parked quite near Westminster Abbey.
We alighted our coach (a women’s invasion!)
which was parked very close
to the Methodist Central Hall,
with its numerous stalls
for this very special occasion.
Inside there were ladies with tall yellow hats
selling daffodil brooches galore.
After eating packed lunches,
drinking tea and munches
we sat around our tables to chat.
Then it was time to climb up the stairs
before going into the main hall.
CDs were on sale and books (a large scale)
and Pam Rhodes was there signing hers!
We all found some seats near the front –
hooray!
And inspiring hymns were played.
All around daffodils could be found –
a beautiful yellow display.
Just before two, Reverend Miles
17
Enquired what counties we were from.
When ‘Essex’ was called,
hands were raised by us all,
followed by more hymns that inspired.
The highlight for me (and a big surprise)
was when the boy choristers sang!
With white ruffs and red gowns flowing,
their dear faces glowing,
so angelic – it brought tears to my eyes.
Great organ music and time to pray;
duets and solos sung by people of fame.
The offering went towards Marie Curie
(gladly spent).
All in all – a wonderful day!
by Pat Farrow specially requested by Graham Duthie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OLD STUFF THAT WORKS

The oldest working television set in Britain
was bought in 1936. The Marconi 702type had a 12 inch screen.

A 1912 toaster: its owner said, “They
always burn the toast a little, but still it is
fun”.

A Sony Walkman purchased in Christmas
1990. “I will tell you one thing, this has the
best receiver on it I ever had”, said its
proud owner.

In 1012, Harry Cox’s 108-year old vacuum
cleaner was still in perfect working order.
Harry rescued the American Sturtevant
Vacuum Cleaner No 4, with all its original
accessories from the rubbish, after it was
thrown away during a clear-out at the
paper mill where he works.

Npower’s 2010 search to find the oldest
boiler in Britain unearthed a 42 year old
appliance in Billericay, Essex.

The Metro recently reported that Dave
Mitchell from Hull claims his 17 year old
Nokia 3310 is the oldest being used in
Britain.

Evidence on the oldest refrigerator in
service received by the BBC in 2014 was
of a Prestcold fridge purchased in 1946.
The appliance had a background role in
the BBC drama ‘Call the Midwife’.
Are any readers of the ‘Wimpole Road
News’ still using an appliance that could be
classified as ‘old stuff that works’?
ROUGH SLEEPING IS ON THE RISE
Rough sleeping is on the rise. The
latest stats bear out what anyone walking
around major cities like Manchester,
Glasgow and London early in the morning or
late in the evening already know: a growing
number of people are sleeping in Britain’s
doorways, bus stations, bin shelters, parks
and underpasses.
New figures show 4,134 people are
now sleeping rough in England on any given
night – a 16% increase compared to the
previous year. This is the sixth successive
year of rising numbers. The government
snapshot figures may even be an
underestimate of the problem. The chain
network of homelessness charities counted
8,096 rough sleepers in London alone during
the last recorded year, 2015-16.
So how did it get quite so bad? Why
are so many people falling through the safety
net we assume our society still provides?
Charities dealing with the sharp end of
homelessness point to a reduction in funding
to hostel and supported accommodation.
Bed pace numbers have fallen 16% since
2010, and 41% of these emergency
providers have experienced funding cuts in
the same period.
Cuts to housing benefit and
employment and support allowance, the
overall benefit cap, and real term reductions
in tax credits and child benefit have all made
life harder for people who may have already
struggled to keep roofs over their heads.
18
Others still point to changes in working
life and business practice. There is the
growth in insecure part-time jobs and zerohour contracts, and the rise in online
gambling and the fixed-odds betting terminals
(FOBTs) found in high street betting shops.
T
he Campaign for Fairer Gambling
states £470 million is being lost to FOBTs
each year in the country’s 55 most deprived
boroughs.
The awful truth is that rough sleeping
is only the most visible symptom of the
intense housing woes affecting tens of
thousands of others. For every person you
might pass in an empty high street doorway,
there may well be dozens of people in flats
above the shops struggling with squalid
conditions, rent arrears and looming
deadlines to pack up and leave.
The desperate lack of decent,
affordable social housing is absolutely critical
here. The long decline of council housing
since the beginning of the ‘right to buy’ has
left local authorities with huge waiting lists.
The latest figures show councils
across the UK spent £3.5bn over the past five
years on temporary accommodation for those
with nowhere else to go.
So rough sleeping sadly is only the tip
of an iceberg. We mourn the fate of rough
sleepers as if it were a strange and distinct
problem, one to be addressed in isolation.
But it is an issue connected to the
deeper, wider state of housing in Britain
today and the lack of options and insecurity
faced by millions of people.
{From an article appearing in ‘The Big Issue’}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUPIL’S LUNCH WITH HOMELESS
Youngsters welcomed homeless
people into their school to share lunch.
College students at Philip Morant
School and College ate with their guests as
well as serving as waiters alongside teachers
and support staff.
The school also offered the homeless
free clothing and gifts, which were donated
by parents, carers, staff and students.
Principal, Catherine Hutley said, “We
recognise homelessness is a huge struggle
for all those affected by it. We are also
organising a number of other activities for
our students to help raise awareness of
homelessness and to help them to
understand what is like to be homeless.
This, we hope, will result in them
being better informed about the issues and
therefore being in a better position, as
adults, to make a positive difference”.
The Colchester Night Shelter was
instrumental in helping to bring about the
event, the first of its kind the school has
hosted. Marina Woodrow, Shelter Manager,
has agreed to speak to all the sixth form
about her work.
The food was paid for and provided
by the Co-Op store and cooked by the
school’s catering manager and her staff.
Gifts were also donated by Boots and Tesco.
In another development rough
sleepers across North Essex are set to
benefit from a £240,000 grant. The
government cash has been allocated to
Colchester Council and Tendring Council in
a bid to prevent people having to sleep on
the streets.
The funding will be used to employ
an Early Response Co-Ordinator in each
authority to deliver the scheme, which
ultimately aims to prevent homelessness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A PATH OF HOPE
The following are the words of Lech
Walesa, the leader of the Solidarity
Movement in Poland and the winner of the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.
19
The occasion was at the funeral of a
popular parish priest Father Jerzy
Popieluszko on Friday 2 November 1984.
Much of what was said on that day is very
relevant to what is going on throughout
the world today.
Here is a part of Lech Walesa’s speech
from his autobiography ‘A Path of Hope’:
‘Fate has decreed that I be the one to
express our words of farewell to Father
Jerzy Popieluszko. His sacrifice sets a task
for the present as well as the future. We
trusted in his teaching implicitly and we
know what he expects of us now. He
expects us to carry on his work. As
Christians, today we must show what it
means to be Christian.
To the list of all those who have given their
lives for Poland, to the names that are
inscribed on the monuments of Warsaw,
Poznan, the Baltic Coast and Silesian
Mines, we add today the name of this
Warsaw chaplain and worker priest.
Father Jerzy was the victim of violence and
hatred, which he answered with peace and
love. As we stand over the grave of our
brother, let us take an oath never to forget
his death. Let us always preserve the
memory of Father Jerzy, and let us always
remember his teachings. The entire life of
this good and courageous man, this
extraordinary priest, pastor and leader of
the national cause, bears witness to the
unity of church and nation.
From August 1980 until the present
moment, from the foundries of Warsaw and
Gdansk, and the holy places of Bytom,
Jasna Gora and Bydgoszcz, Father Jerzy
showed himself to be a faithful friend to
Solidarity by preaching the word of Jesus
and the teachings of St. Peter without once
interrupting his prayers for his country.
Poland, which has priests like him and a
people so faithful and so unified, will never
perish.
As we say goodbye to you, oh servant of
God, we promise you that we shall never
submit to repression. We promise to
remain unified in our efforts to serve our
country, to answer lies with truth, to
answer evil with virtue. We say goodbye to
you with dignity, and in the hope of peace
and social justice for our country.
Solidarity lives on, because you have given
your life for us.’
Father Jerzy Popieluszko had once said,
“As Christ says in the gospel, fear not, fear
not those who kill the body, they can do
no more than that”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE HEALING MAN
Where is the healing man?
‘The last time that I passed this way,
a thousand people stood to pray.
He gave them fish and bread.
We listened to him by the sea,
to stories meant for you and me;
they had the common touch’.
Where is the healing man?
‘I saw him cure a limping man;
gave sight by laying on his hands.
The children touched his heart.
“Be like these”, I heard him say,
so as I passed through here today,
I thought I’d look for him.’
You want the healing man?
My friend the healing man is dead.
They whipped him, jammed thorns on his
head,
to mock him as a king.
They nailed him to a cross,
just like a murderer or common thief,
while at his feet, torn by grief,
his mother watched him die.
But he cheated death.
Walked from his tomb and found his friends.
Told them, “Your lives will never end;
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You’ll be with me in heaven”.
And so my friend, we’re strong.
We’ll tell his stories, spread his word,
‘til everyone on earth has heard
about ‘the healing man’.
Norma
Peckston
Hoxton Square. Here was the home of
William Marriott, one of the executors of
Wesley’s will. On 16 December, 1782,
Wesley records a visit to William
Marriott’s house. The house was evidently
one of those quiet places in which Wesley
so often sought retirement for rest and
leisure. On 6 October, 1738, Wesley met
the Reverend Arthur Bedford at Hoxton,
and told him of the injury he had done by
publishing his sermon on assurance,
which was an attack on Wesley’s
teaching. Bedford was chaplain to the
Prince of Wales, and a good man, who
had showed himself a friend to
Whitefield. The diary records several
visits to Hoxton, usually for an early
morning service in 1740 and 1741. After
the service Wesley went to the houses of
some of his friends for a cup of tea.
Amongst them he mentions sisters
Waldron and Aspernel and Mr Sweetings.
The two ladies were members of the
foundery in 1744.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAMARITANS PURSE CHARITY
I received a telephone call recently thanking
us for our continued support for the Christmas
Shoeboxes. I know that some of you like to knit items
for the boxes and I was assured that hats, gloves and
scarves will be acceptable for this year.
Thank you for your continued interest in
the scheme. Christine Duthie
WESLEY’S LONDON – an A – Z
Continuing our series with places and streets
in the City of London,
where John Wesley walked and preached.


Hall House – at No 28 on the east side of
Aldersgate Street was the entrance to
Nettleton Court. In this court at the back of
the present tea rooms was an old building
known as Hall House, which was
demolished in about 1815. It has been
claimed that the society in Aldersgate
Street, at which on 24 May, 1738, Wesley,
“Felt my heart strangely warmed”, and
first realised salvation through faith in
Jesus Christ, met in a room rented by
James Hutton in Hall House. The other
claimant to be the place of Wesley’s
conversion is Trinity Hall, Little Britain.
However, according to evidence it is
thought that Wesley’s conversion took
place at the Nettleton Court site of Hall
House.
Hoxton Square – go north along City
Road from Wesley’s Chapel to its junction
with Old Street, then turn to your right
along Old Street. In the angle between Old
Street and Hoxton Street you will find

Ironmonger Lane – the last turning to
the left off Cheapside before you come to
the poultry, just east of King Street. At the
corner ins Mercers Hall with its fine old
chapel. On 30 October, 1737, Charles
Wesley tells in his journal, that he took
Miss Betty and Jacky Delamotte with him
to Ironmonger Lane, where he preached
on ‘the one thing needful’ and on Sunday
29 October, 1738, he preached at
Ironmonger’s Almshouses. The first
service must have been either in the
chapel of the Mercer’s Company, rebuilt
after the Great Fire and facing into
Cheapside, with an entrance from
Ironmonger Lane, or in the Church of St.
Martin Pommary further up the lane.
21


Jewish Synagogue – go from the Mansion
House corner along Cornhill and
Leadenhall Street to Aldgate, turn to your
left up Duke Street and on the west side of
the street will be found the Jewish
Synagogue. It was built by German and
Polish Jews in 1692 and rebuilt in 1790.
On 23 February, 1770, Wesley records, “I
was desired to hear Mr Leoni sing at the
Jewish Synagogue. I never before saw a
Jewish congregation behave so decently.
Indeed the place itself is so solemn that it
might strike an awe upon those who have
any thought of God”. Leoni, or Meyer
Leoni, was a chorister at the synagogue.
His name is familiar to Methodists through
its having been given to the tune to which
Thomas Oliver wrote, ‘The God of
Abrahams praise’.
John’s (Saint), Clerkenwell – go north along
Aldersgate, turn to the left just past the
Charterhouse along Clerkenwell Road. After
crossing St. John’s Street turn to the right
along St. John’s Lane, which brings you into
St. John’s Square. At the east end of the
square is the Church of St. John the Baptist.
Originally the chapel of the Priory of St. John
it was almost destroyed in the reign of
Edward VI by Somerset, and the stones taken
to build old Somerset House in The Strand.
On Sunday. 24 September, 1738, Wesley
preached twice, at St. John’s Clerkenwell, but
fears that they will bear him there no longer.
On 16 December, 1787, he preached a
charity sermon here for the Finsbury
Dispensary. Rowland Hill preached in the
evening and the day’s collection amounted to
£20.0s.4d.
{From ‘John Wesley’s London’ by Edward H,
Sugden, M.A. – published in 1932}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DUTHIE’S DIARY
Thursday 9 March – it is always good to
meet up with a friend and this is what
happened on this particular morning.
Earlier Norman and myself had completed
our weekly task of counting the previous
Sunday’s church collection and Norman had
kindly given me a lift into town.
As my next appointment was not
until eleven o’clock I made my way to
Weston’s Bakery in Priory Walk, where if I
have a few minutes to spare I like to treat
myself to a coffee and a cake. Over time I
am hoping to work my way through all the
cakes displayed in the shop’s window.
Since it opened several weeks ago I
have enjoyed several of the delicious
cakes on offer including Eccles, Chelsea
bun, iced finger and my personal favourite
a London cheesecake.
A couple of weeks ago a young lady
customer wanted to know what a London
cheesecake was like. I suppose it is not
every day that someone asks for this oldfashioned delicacy.
Whilst I was sitting down and eating
my cake in walked our friend Terri and, on
this occasion without her grand-daughter
Pearl.
I was pleased to see her and asked
whether she would like a drink. She said,
“A cup of tea, please” and sat down to have
a chat. The pot of tea came with its home
knitted tea cosy that was, as I found out
later, made by the bakery owner’s wife.
Unfortunately I had to leave Terri
to finish her tea in peace as I was now a
few minutes late for my next meeting. As
I made my way to the offices of Age
Concern I passed the main entrance gates
to the Castle Park.
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Whenever I pass by I think about
the impressive coat of arms across the top
and the story of Clive Pearson who was the
Liberal Party member for Colchester, a
seat he held until 1910, when he was
granted a peerage and became 1st Viscount
Cowdray.
My meeting at Age Concern was with
our new chief officer, Jonathan Moore,
who succeeded my friend Edward Pentney
a few weeks earlier. I miss Edward as we
had struggled financially throughout his
tenure as chief officer but he had always
remained cheerful and loyal to the
organisation. My meeting did not last long
and I was soon on my way back to the car,
which was parked in the Bowls Club car
park on the Recreation Ground.
However, Terri had told me that she
still had some shopping to do in Sainsbury’s
and I thought that I would check to see if
she was still there.
I know this store very well as it is where I
always buy sweets for the staff at Age
Concern and the Colchester Community
Voluntary Services who both share the
same building.
I found Terri in one of the aisles
and offered to wait and help her with the
shopping.
Do you know that wheeling a
shopping trolley is not easy and having no
previous experience I found it quite
difficult to negotiate the kerb as we
crossed the road to catch the bus up
Mersea Road.
We do not have to wait too long and
we are soon on our way. As we near the bus
stop I press the bell and Terri calls out to
the driver that we have reached our
destination.
Getting off a bus with a trolley is a
real problem and I clearly have a lot to
learn. Once I have seen Terri home safe
and sound I walk back to my car and make
the journey home to tell Christine all that
has happened during my few hours away.
I can now add Weston’s Bakery to
my list of my favourite places to eat. The
others are: ‘Jenkin’s Café’ in St. John’s
Street, for their outstanding cheese
omelettes and chips; M & S Café, for a
very good toasted sandwich; ‘Café 21’ in
Trinity Street , for a number of excellent
dishes and finally ‘The White Coffee
House’ in Dovercourt, for its very tasty,
two toasted crumpets topped with
scrambled eggs. To quote Corporal Jones
in ‘Dad’s Army’ – “Very tasty, very sweet.”
THURSDAY CIRCLE
The New Year Party was the first
significant event for us in 2017. It was a
very cold evening and after tucking into
the sweets and savouries, we were
entertained by Julie who, dressed in
1950’s gear, didn’t look at all cold and got
us singing lustily to well-known songs.
Our next evening was the AGM.
Tributes were paid to Betty Fothergill, our
long-standing Secretary, and a minute’s
silence observed. Arrangements are in
hand for us to provide our own memorials
to such a well-loved lady. At the AGM I
was officially confirmed as Secretary and
Beryl Partridge as a Vice-President, in
place of Maureen Mew. Thank you,
Maureen, for all you have done for the
Thursday Circle and we hope you will soon
be well again.
Our next evening was a DIY – the
subject being ‘Our First Boyfriends’. We
heard some interesting tales of very
23
youthful boyfriends, including apple
scrumping, and ballroom dancing to the
sound of St. Leonard’s Church bells!
Next Dr John Knight spoke on Nat
King Cole and his daughter Natalie, and
played some lovely recordings of them
singing. We really enjoyed this evening – it
was indeed ‘Unforgettable’.
The last of our winter programme
was when our good friend, David
Ablewhite, gave, as usual, a very
informative talk on ‘The Other Prince
William’. Some of us weren’t too sure who
we were going to hear about. Would it be
William of Orange, but no, it was Prince
William of Gloucester, who died in a plane
crash! David’s next talk to us in on 15 June
and entitled, ‘Edward VII and his 55
women’!
Ken Jones started our spring
programme with an amateur film of the
‘Happy Homes Trust’ in India, where he had
done building work and was trying to raise
funds to help. Not the best quality film
ever, but during the evening two of us got
to have our photograph taken with Ken and
his emu!
Next it was time for another DIY,
‘Give Us a Clue’, the solving of which caused
great hilarity and some ingenuity – an
attempted murder (for ‘Murder She
Wrote’) and a demonstration of pulling and
pushing (for ‘Call the Midwife’).
We joined the ladies at St. Barnabas
for their annual Beetle Drive. This was
memorable in that Joan Tyler won her
first ever ‘beetle’ and, although there were
only seven of us, we won a high proportion
of the raffle prizes, leaving with a total of
four chocolate Easter eggs. Perhaps they
won’t ask us again!
This year the church here at
Wimpole Road is supporting EACH (East
Anglian Children’s Hospices), who provided
Natasha to give a very informative talk
about their work. There was a really good
attendance and people gave generously
both in money and raffle prizes, for which
I thank them, resulting in us giving a
cheque for £150 to this most worthwhile
charity.
Looking ahead to April, everyone is
invited to our Maundy Thursday Service
and Supper, and on Sunday 23 April to
celebrate our 69th Anniversary, we are
responsible for the morning service,
speaker Mr Jonathan Sparkes – so please
come and support us.
We have a loyal group of ladies who
attend Thursday Circle, but there is
always room for more and we are happy to
welcome men to any of our events. Thanks
to Pat and Alison we now have some
colourful posters advertising our
existence, and if you know of anyone who
might life to attend, please feel free to
give them one of our programmes.
Joan Gomer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LIFE IS THE JOURNEY
My friend and I have a difference
of opinion as to the best way to cross
the English Channel. She is so prone to
seasickness that the very thought of a
rough crossing is enough to make her
feel ill. So she and her husband use the
tunnel.
Now we always take the ferry, for a
number of reasons. Firstly, there’s
something special about arriving
somewhere by ship. To go through a
24
tunnel does not necessarily mean that
you are entering another country, but to
sail into a port, well, that’s really
arriving!
Secondly, when you travel by ship,
you can’t be in a hurry. As a passenger
you can’t step on the accelerator. It takes
as long as it takes. So do you puff and
fume, or do you enjoy the journey?
Many writers have compared life to
a journey, notably John Bunyan in
‘Pilgrims Progress’. It is an allegorical
tale in which the pilgrim, Christian, has a
clear destination – the celestial city. The
situations he encounters stand for the
difficulties encountered in life by the
Christian before he or she eventually
enters into paradise.
I would never argue with the value
of a goal. To live aimlessly, only ever
reacting to circumstances as they come
along is not conducive to developing
skills or a sense of purpose. But to be
focused on what lies ahead can mean
that we miss so much of what is going
on around us. To be fixed only on the
goal is to miss the pleasure of the
journey.
Jesus said, “Set your heart on the
kingdom” but he also said, “Think of the
ravens” and “Think of the wild flowers”.
A journey by ship is an opportunity
to stop, look around and appreciate all
that we see but it’s only a reminder of
what we ought to be doing anyway.
Life is the journey and a God-given
one. Let’s not squander or ignore it.
{From ‘The Methodist Recorder’
and written by the Rev. Ann Bossingham, a
supernumery minister in the North Norfolk
Circuit, which includes North Walsham
Methodist Church and is where Gillian and
Peter Simpson, Viv Riley and Jon Bloom all
worship.}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday of Holy Week is known as
Maundy Thursday. On that day, Jesus had
his last meal with his friends and followers
– this meal is known as ‘The Last Supper’.
Jesus and his friends would have
followed the Jewish Passover custom of
eating roast lamb and bread and drinking
red wine.
‘DEAR REV’
Dear Reverend Alan,
Thank you for giving me this gift.
Meeting you before my husband’s
funeral, finding out your worth – when you
met up with me and my family at home.
The way you conducted Den’s
funeral, with great empathy – everything
I’d hoped! I enjoyed every minute, which
seems an absurd thing to say about a
funeral I know. You see it was my, our, last
way of honouring him. You gave us that
chance.
Tina, my eldest, read my poem about
him and you read out the account of his
good life.
The ‘gift’ you gave me was ‘hope’ –
there would be better days, and if I came
to Jesus (through you) I could praise him;
(although you never spoke of it, or asked
me to come to church).
Now, two years on, after joining the
church last year, this has turned my life
around!
25
I’ve found good friends. Your
sermon, ‘Don’t hide your light under a
bushel’, made me want to read out my
poems and pursue my art dream, both of
which (strangely) have happened this year.
So thank you for leading me back to
God and giving me inner peace.
I know your life is a struggle at
times, so my message to you is, “You can’t
please all the people all the time”, although
you do your best.
Good luck with your ‘vision’ for our
church and community!
Most sincerely,
Pat Farrow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The baby oyster has an eye and a foot.
The eye is sensitive to light and they move away
from light and into deeper water, when they are
ready to grow to their next stage of development.
The foot enables them to attach themselves to a
firm base, and they are more likely to attach
themselves to another oyster shell, as this
indicates to them that the environment is a good
one for oyster growth”.
Dr Steinke and his team, (which includes
Mersea resident John Woods, senior lecturer in
the School of Computer Science and Electronic
Engineering, and the 2nd year undergraduates
Deanna Atkins and Bruce Towers) are hoping
that the information and data collected by the
sensors will improve the future harvests of local
oysters and reduce disease risk by removing the
need to import stocks of oysters from elsewhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OYSTER SENSOR DEVELOPED AT
ESSEX UNIVERSITY
THE SMARTPHONE THAT SAVES
LIVES
Scientists at the University of Essex are
developing a new sensor to tell oyster fisheries
when the oysters are spawning. This will enable
the oyster fisheries to lay the ‘cultch’ onto which
the oyster larvae settle and grow in good time.
The sensor will also help those involved in the
cultivation of our favourite local seafood delicacy
to develop a deeper understanding of what
environmental conditions trigger the spawning of
these unique animals.
Dr Michael Steinke, a marine scientist at
the University of Essex, is leading the project,
which will be trialling in local waters this year.
The system consists of a sensor and a magnet,
which are attached to the oyster’s upper and lower
shells and record its opening and closing, or
‘gaping’ as it’s referred to, recording the results
and alerting the fishery when the characteristic
rapid gaping that signals spawning occurs.
This timing is of great importance to the
oyster fisheries, as they have a window of about
two weeks (during which the young oysters float
freely in the water) to lay fresh ‘cultch’ for the
shellfish to attach themselves to and start
growing.
Cultch is ground-up oyster shell. Dr
Steinke explains,
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors
without Borders teams in Mali are testing new
mobile phone technology to help diagnose
children with cerebral malaria, a severe condition
that can lead to death if not treated.
The technology known as PEEK stands
for a ‘Portable Eye Examination Kit’, which
allows doctors to diagnose eye disease using an
ordinary smartphone. It was developed by
scientists at the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical medicine and the University of
Strathclyde.
The usual tools for looking at a patient’s
retina are an ophthalmoscope and binocular
indirect ophthalmoscopy.
The best things about PEEK are that it’s
simple, cheap and accessible and with a few days
training, it can be used just as effectively by a
non-specialist doctor as by an ophthalmologist.
In Koutiala Hospital in Mali the paediatric
department sees huge numbers of children under
five with severe forms of malaria – many of these
have cerebral malaria, which causes coma.
In the types of places where MSF words,
brain biopsies are not plausible. But there’s
another way of seeing inside the brain by looking
at the back of the eye. The retina is a mirror of
what is happening in the brain. With cerebral
26
malaria, the retina can undergo certain changes,
known as malarial retinopathy. These are:
1. Haemorrhages – caused by the red blood
cells sticking together and not allowing
microcirculation
2. White patches
3. Abnormal vessels caused by malaria
parasites sticking to the lining of the small
blood vessels in the brain and eyes where
they disrupt the supply of oxygen and
nutrients.
The presence of these changes confirms that a
patient has cerebral malaria.
PEEK works by fitting the kit onto a
smartphone and shining the phone’s inbuilt light
at the patient’s dilated pupil. It then channels the
light and focuses automatically on the retina. On
the phone’s screen, you can see a close-up image
of the retina and the images are recorded and
stored, enabling the information to be studied or
e-mailed to others for a second opinion
Some other diseases such as diabetes and
HIV are associated with changes to the retina and
PEEK can also be used for these patients as well.
MSF hopes to use the device wherever it sees high
numbers of children with cerebral malaria, which
is mainly found in countries in East and West
Africa.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘HOPE FOR TEENS’
‘Hope for Teens’ is a programme managed by
Methodist Church Ghana.
The scheme started in 2012 to help girls
who had dropped out of school due to lack of
funds or teenage pregnancy. This vocational
training and support from their peers offer hope,
new skills and knowledge to improve their
standard of living and their life expectations.
Dr Bunmi Olayisade, World Church
Relationships Partnership Co-Ordinator for
Africa, said,
“As at March 2016 during my visit to
Accra, there were 18 female students in catering,
sewing, bead/hat making and hairdressing classes
under the National Vocational Training Institute
Certificate Courses.
Joanna Akyeampong is the Programme
co-ordinator with a passion to help these
vulnerable girls. She teaches them etiquette and
good discipline in addition to their skills. She is
an active member of the Methodist Church and
works with other trainers. She hopes a few of the
promising students will eventually become
trainers so as to inspire other participants.
I had the privilege of speaking with the
girls and their instructors and they were very
inspiring and grateful for the opportunity. The
quality of their displayed work was very good
and a few of them mentioned pursuing their
career at the Police Catering Department, which
was good news. One of the girls wanted to start
her own tailoring business if her relatives could
buy her a sewing machine.
I believe this programme will go a long
way in alleviating poverty, empowering young
ladies, discouraging exploitation of vulnerable
girls and promoting the Church’s positive
influence, as it shares the love of Christ in word
and action in its society.”
THE BIG MATCH
Another exclusive report!
Tollgate Bowls Club are now regular
visitors to Wimpole Road as the friendly
rivalry continues between the two teams.
Our recent home fixture was played
on Wednesday 15 February and during the
opening speeches the two captains, Keith
Groom from Tollgate and Wimpole Road’s
captain, Graham Duthie, made mention of
the friendships that have been established
since the matches first began in 2014.
In the first round Wimpole Road
were off to a flying start with the ‘all-star’
team of Jane Clubb, Chris Luff, Jane Smith
and skip Ray Murray winning their opening
game by 13 shots to nil. It was a
sensational result with all four players in
great form.
In the other first round match the
team of Jackie Anderson, Sue Faulkner,
Rob Anderson and Michael Cole lost their
game (8-1).
In round two, Christine Duthie, Chris
Luff, Graham Duthie and Rob Anderson
gained a well-deserved draw (6-6) with a
solid all round performance.
27
The second match in round two
ended in defeat for Pauline Murray, Jill
Etches, Norma Farrahar and Keith Clubb
(6-2).
However there was another
encouraging display of top-flight bowls in
round three with the talented Jane Clubb,
Chris Luff, Jane Smith and Ray Murray
showing a high level of skill and stamina,
but in the end finally losing by the
narrowest of margins (8-6) in a thrilling
contest.
Another close result again went in
favour of the visitors as Jackie Anderson,
Sue Faulkner, Rob Anderson and Michael
Cole could not quite edge past their
opponents and lost the game (7-3).
The fourth and final round of
matches ended with two wins for the
visitors. Christine Duthie, Jane Clubb,
Graham Duthie and Michael Cole lost (102).
Pauline Murray, Jill Etches, Norma
Farrahar and Keith Clubb showed glimpses
of their ability and considerable strength of
character but were denied a win as Tollgate
sealed victory (7-3).
At the end of a fine afternoon’s sport
Keith Groom was presented with the gold
medal.
Following the formal ceremony both
teams settled down to a lovely afternoon
tea with plenty of food and cups of tea to
round off another enjoyable occasion.
Speaking to waiting journalists
Wimpole Road’s captain, Graham Duthie,
said, “We have a strong group of
committed and talented players and it will
not be long before we start winning
matches that our play deserves”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAIL OF THE CENTURY
No British team has won the America’s
Cup in its 166 year history, but with Sir Ben
Ainslie, the most successful sailor on
Olympic history with four gold medals as
skipped, it is hoped that a Great Britain team
will lift the trophy in June.
The world’s oldest international
sporting trophy was originally awarded by
the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around
the Isle of Wight, won by the schooner
America.
The technology that Sir Ben Ainslie
will take charge of in Bermuda is a state-ofthe-art catamaran with a solid aero plane
wing-like sail and ‘go faster’ hydrofoils to
provide life and speed. It is, like all his
boats, called ‘Rita’. Why ‘Rita’?
When he was a teenager and at an
event in Tenerife with his parents, his mum
came across a local church whose patron
saint was St. Rita. She went inside and said a
little prayer. The event went really well and
ever since Ainslie’s boats have been named
‘Rita’.
Whilst I have never sailed in my life
apart from a rowing boat on the River Stour
at Dedham, I was surprised to be given a
‘Little Gem’ book on knots for Christmas.
Knots have been in use for thousands of
years.
There are literally thousands of
different named knots but, despite the
development of modern securing methods –
man-made clasps, grips, adhesive tapes and
so on – knots are still universally employed
to tie down loads, fasten packages and moor
large and small boats.
Since Christmas I have been
practising tying the overhand knot, the
bowline (pronounced ‘bo-lin’) and the figure
of eight loop. I don’t think that I will ever
sail across the Atlantic single handed but the
book is a useful size for a door-stop!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
How many of you know any shepherds?
I’m guessing a few of you do, but I suspect most
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of you have never met a shepherd in your lives, so
you might not know much about shepherds and
sheep.
Well, King David, who wrote Psalm 23,
knew a lot about shepherds and sheep, especially
having been a shepherd as a boy. Not only that,
but the people who would have heard and read
Psalm 23 when he wrote it also knew what
shepherds did. That’s why he chose to compare
God to a shepherd, because the people would
understand the comparison.
You see, a good shepherd takes really
good care of his sheep. They feed them and keep
them safe from any predators that might try and
attack them. A good shepherd knows exactly how
many sheep are in his flock and goes searching for
any who are missing. A good shepherd loves and
cares for his sheep.
These days King David might write ‘The
Lord is my Teacher’, or ‘The Lord is my Mother,
Father, Brother, Sister, Police Officer, Sunday
School Leader, Friend’. You could replace
shepherd with anyone who cares for you and
looks after you. Whoever you might replace the
shepherd with; the important thing to know is that
God loves you. He will give you everything you
need – he’ll guide you, protect you and comfort
you, wherever you go and whatever you do –
always! {From ‘Kids Alive!’ – the Salvation
Army’s children’s magazine}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY Words:
Horatius Bonar
Music: “Vox dilecti” by John Dykes
This is a deeply personal hymn by a man
who responded strongly to the evangelical
traditions of both the Free Church of Scotland and
also the crusades of the Americans Sankey and
Moody. It builds on three teachings of Jesus and,
as a reflection on the ministry of Jesus,
emphasises his self-giving:
Verse 1 Matthew 11: 28 ‘Come to me, all
you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest.’ There are
echoes, too, in this verse, of Jesus’ own habit of
finding space for rest in the midst of his hectic
ministry – an example that Bonar follows.
Verse 2 John 4: 10-14 Jesus in
conversation with a Samaritan woman by a well.
Verse 3 John 8: 12 ‘I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness but will have the light of life.’
In each verse, Jesus offers something to
the writer (rest, living water, light in a dark
world) and in response the writer’s life is
changed. Those responses also reflect a process
within the Christian life, moving from rest to
travel: rest in the presence of Jesus (v.1);
experiencing the soul’s revival by drinking from
the water of life (v.2); and, finally, committing
oneself to a life walked in the light of Jesus, ‘Till
travelling days are done’ (v.3).
As Dee Major suggested in the Methodist
Recorder (15 December 2011), the popularity of
this hymn owes much to the tune “Vox dilecti”
specially written for it by John Dykes. The tune
“Changes dramatically from a minor key to a
major key to highlight the responses of the writer
to the words of Jesus. A clever device, resulting
in a near-perfect combination of words and
music.”
HE MUST DIE
The Pharisees were meeting
to discuss this Jesus man,
upsetting all their teaching
with his ‘Love thy Neighbour’ plan.
Some mumbled, and some shouted,
“He says he is God’s Son.
Some say that he’s the Messiah;
come to save us every one.
It was a king that we were promised
by the prophets long ago,
who’d come with sword and shield
and force the enemy to go.
A warrior we were expecting,
who’d rule this land for evermore.
Not someone born in a stable,
lying on a bed of straw.
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Someone in silks and satins,
wearing his own crown of gold;
someone that we could follow,
like the warrior king of old.”
So they came to a decision –
they must stop him and his lies.
He had caused too many problems;
he was trouble; he must die.
So they nailed him like a convict
to a cross, made from a tree.
And as he died, he cried out, “Father,
forgive them all and set them free”.
Norma Peckston
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There in the garden of tears, my heavy load
He chose to bear; His heart with sorrow was
torn, “Yet not My will but Yours”, he said.
Graham Kendrick
EASTER EGGS
Ask most children what Easter is all about
and they’ll usually focus on chocolate – egg
shaped, preferably. And let’s face it; there is
something pretty exciting about the return of
crème eggs to the shops.
But while eggs and Easter have gone
together for centuries, chocolate eggs are a
comparatively new thing. They’ve only been
around since the early 19th century, when
manufacturers found a way of making chocolate
that could be poured and moulded effectively.
However, from the glamourous bejewelled
Fabergé variety to the painted, wooden eggs hung
from tree branches, decorated eggs have been an
important part of Easter celebrations for far
longer. A note in Edward I’s household accounts
from the early 1300’s, lists payment of ‘18 pence
for 450 eggs to be boiled and dyed or covered
with gold leaf and distributed in the royal
household.’
By why eggs at all?
Well, for many cultures they are a symbol
of new life and of rebirth. In creation myths from
places like Egypt, China and South Asia, the
world begins with an egg hatching. Eggs have
featured in the end of life rituals too – they have
been found in Roman burials – one even in
Colchester. Archaeologists think they are there to
say death is not the end – to express a hope that
life continues. So you can see how Christians
connected them with the Easter Story.
From the earliest days of Christianity,
Jesus’ resurrection was understood to offer the
promise of life beyond death for all people.
Yet the idea of new life at the heart of the
Christian message isn’t just about the future –
the possibility of life continuing in some way
after what we know today.
In John’s gospel, Jesus describes what
he’s about this way, “I came so they can have
real and eternal life, more and better life than
they ever dreamed of.” We can have the kind of
life that means we become the people God
designed us to be.
As we follow Jesus, as we connect with
God through him and are enlivened by the Holy
Spirit, we can have wellbeing in the deepest
sense.
Wishing you a joyful Easter.
{Reverend Lydia Smith – St. John the
Baptist’s Church, Layer de la Haye.}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EASTER SUNDAY 2016
I went to church on Easter Day,
not for comfort, but to pray.
For I was thankful, also sad–
a mixture then, but I was glad.
I thanked the Lord who cares for me
through the love of my friends and family.
It had been years – I must confess!
To go to church, I did digress.
I didn’t think it was for me.
How wrong I was, so foolishly
I’d missed out all these years
but now I’ve gone – belayed my fears.
By all accounts, I’d almost missed what
I’d arranged,
for the clocks I hadn’t changed!
The Easter service was nearly over.
I slid in the back, opening the hymn book
cover.
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Reverend Alan gave me a little wave –
I’m so glad now that I was brave!
Pat Farrow
It’s now almost a year since I joined the church.
I’m so glad I did – it has somehow made me a
‘happier’ person. After losing my dear husband,
Dennis, to leukemia (26 January 2015) – I was
sad and lost.
That first year was a bit of a blur, but after Rev.
Alan Jenkins did Den’s funeral, I vowed to give
his church a try!
Thanks to the kind, friendly people of this lovely
church I feel I have a purpose again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{The following hymn can be found in
Singing the Faith, no 304.
Words by Bernard Kyamanywa,
English version by John L. Bell}
DON’T BE AFRAID
Jesus is risen, alleluia!
Worship and praise him, alleluia!
Now our redeemer
bursts from the grave;
lost to the tomb, Christ rises to save.
Go and tell others, Christ is alive”.
Love is eternal, faith and hope thrive.
What God intended, Jesus fulfilled;
what God conceives
can never be killed.
Christ has arisen! Now all can see
how humankind is meant to be free.
Though powers of darkness
threaten their worst,
through every barrier Jesus has burst.
Let heaven echo, let the earth sing:
Jesus is saviour of everything.
All those who trust him,
Christ will receive;
therefore rejoice, obey and believe!
SPECIAL EVENTS
AND SERVICES
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Thursday 13 April
7.00 p.m.
Buried for three days,
destined for death,
now he returns to
breathe with our breath.
Blest are the ears alert to his voice,
blest are the hearts,
which for him rejoice.
THURSDAY CIRCLE
MAUNDY THURSDAY SUPPER
& SERVICE
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Friday 14 April
10.30 a.m.
“Don’t be afraid!” the angel had said,
“Why seek the living
here with the dead?
Look where he lay. His body is gone,
risen and vibrant, warm with the sun.
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE
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Sunday 16 April
11.00 a.m.
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EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE
WEDNESDAYS:
Holy Communion
Indoor Bowls Club
2.00 p.m.
Rainbows
5.00 p.m.
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Wednesday 19 April
10.00 a.m. – noon
COFFEE MORNING
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Sunday 23 April
THURSDAYS:
Thursday Circle
7.00 pm
FRIDAYS:
Choir Practice
6.30 pm
Cub Scouts
6.30 pm
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11.00 a.m.
THURSDAY CIRCLE SERVICE
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Sunday 30 April
EDITORS: Graham Duthie, Christine Duthie
and Alison Ablewhite
Visit our website at:
www.wimpoleroadchurch.org.uk
WORLD LINK
2.00 - 5.00 p.m.
‘EACH’ Family Fun Afternoon
Mount Zion Society of the Methodist Church in
Korle Gonno in Accra, Ghana.
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SUNDAY SERVICES
11.00 am
ALL AGE WORSHIP
Second Sunday every month
SUNDAY KID’S CLUB
For children and young people
between the ages of 3 yrs & 15 yrs.
Sunday mornings during worship
WEEKDAY & EVENING
MEETINGS
=========================
MONDAYS:
Toddler Group
12.45 pm
Beavers
6.00 pm
Brownies
6.30 pm
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