LODDON VALLEY LINK

February 2005

The Parish Newsletter

No . 37 1
 De tails of Se rvices
FEBRUARY 2005
Sunday 6th February Sunday before Lent
10.00 am Holy Communion S t. Leonard’s, Sherfield
with Sunday Club in the Liddell Hall
10.00 am Family Service St. Mary’s , Stratfield Saye *
4.00 pm Evensong (BCP) with St. Mary’s , Hartley Wespall
Holy Communion by Extens ion

Sunday 13 th February Lent 1

10.00 am Morning Worship St. Leonard’s , Sherfield
10.00am Family Service St. Mary’s , Hartley Wespall
11.15 am Holy Communion (BCP) St Mary’s , S tratfield Saye *

Sunday 20 th February Lent 2

10.00 am Family Communion St. Leonard’s , Sherfield
by Extens ion - no S unday Club
4.00pm Evensong (BCP) St. Mary’s , Hartley Wespall

Sunday 27 th February Lent 3

8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP) St Mary’s , Hartley Wes pall
10.00 am Family Service St. Leonard’s, Sherfield
11.15am Matins (BCP) St. Mary’s, Stratfield Saye *

Sunday 6th March Mothering S unday Lent 4

10.00 am Family Communion St. Leonard’s , S herfield
with Sunday Club in church
10.00 am Family Service St. Mary’s, Stratfield Saye *
4.00 pm Evensong (BCP) with St M ary’s , Hartley Wespal
Holy Communion by Extens ion

BCP = Book of Common Prayer

* Drive up close to white gates, which will
open automatically.

See special Lent Communion Services on page 4

1
Roman Catholic Mass, at Breach Lane Chapel, every
Sunday at 8.45am
2
 The ‘Diana Factor’
Ts unami is a Japanese word to describe the surging of waves following an
under sea earthquake. It is a word I hadn’t heard of until the Boxing Day
disaster in the Indian Ocean. Such disasters are nothing new, but the fact
that so many of us have been there, or would like to have been there for a
holiday, meant that we could say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
The s cale of the disaster, wiping so many people and communities from
the face of the earth, has made us all stop and think.
What has been equally astonishing is the wave of generos ity from the
people of our nation in donatin g over a £100,000,000 to the Dis asters
Emergency Committee; what I call the ‘Diana Factor’, (after Diana
Princess of Wales) a spontaneous response from the heart to the plight and
mis fortune of others . This means that not only emergency relief can be
provided but there can also be long term strategic support and rebuilding.
Let’s hope and pray that this is what will indeed happen.
As a Christian I was n’t surpris ed at the inevitable question of “If there is
a God how could he let this happen?” For a lot of people it’s only at such
times as this that the question is asked. Let us not forget that every day
people are facing their personal ‘tsunami’ disaster - a couple lose a baby, a
friend is paralysed and a loved daughter is murdered, as happened recently
in Cambridge to Sally Geeson. When as ked about natural disaster Jesus
responded by pointing out that this is the nature of the world into which
we are born, where suffering and joy, hope and despair dwell side by side.
He drew the ques tioner’s attention to the frailty of life, how vulnerable we
are and how precious each moment is . He pointed us to faith in God who
is eternal and everlas ting, in spite of the ever-changin g uncertainties
around us. Behind the question is a feeling that when things go wrong we
look for someone to blame, and when all is well, what then?
There is no easy explanation of why suffering happens, but it does and
none of us are exempt. What do we do when we meet suffering head on?
How do we cope and react? Suffering is to be avoided but when it comes
it reveals our need for each other, which means that somebody needs you.
For Christians the irony is that through his suffering upon a cross Jesus
revealed God’s love for us. Today, someone near you is going through
their personal ‘tsunami’ and they may need you.
Chris tian greetings.
3
 Text for the month…Psalm 46
‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains
fall into the sea…’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer for the Month
Heavenly Father, our thoughts at this time are with those near and far,
who are suffering as a result of the loss of loved ones, illness, loss of
home, unemployment or other tragic circumstances. Thank you for Jesus
who reminds us that you have come close through His birth in
Bethlehem and His death and resurrection in Jerusalem, and that He is
alive and with us today.
Together with those who are facing unexpected suffering, may we all
discover the strength and grace you can give to us through your Holy
Spirit, when we reach out to you in faith. Amen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Points for February
For the elderly and lonely with the dark winter evenings
Hope for the people affected by the tsunami; those living in Northern
Ireland, Is rael/Palestine/Iraq/Sudan
Our nation: housing, hospitals , education, care for the elderly.
Thos e who s erve our community – postman, dustmen etc
Ours elves , families, friends, neighbours, our ‘enemies ’
A closer daily walk with God

Holy Communion during Lent

11.00-11.30am each Wednes day
at St Leonard’s Church, S herfield
except Holy Week,
when there will be an
Ecumenical Communion & Supper
in the Liddel Hall
on Maundy Thursday
7.00-8.30pm.
4
 From the Parish Registers
Funerals

Heather MIDDLETON 7-12-04 Sherfield

Esther MUSSON 15-12-04 Sherfield
Elizabeth VICARY 26-12-04 Sherfield
Kelvin MARSAY 25-01-05 Sherfield
Joan NEWSTEAD 5-01-05 Hartley Wespall
Marriage Blessing
Helen & Simon CHUBB 15-01-05 Sherfield

Mrs Joan Newstead.

Sadly we report the death of Joan Newstead who was buried at
Hartley Wespall on January 5th after her funeral in Bis hops
Waltham.
Joan and Charles Newstead came to The Old School House,
Hartley Wespall, in 1965 both having retired from Tate and Lyle,
the sugar manufacturers. For older readers, Charles had been the
voice of Mr. Cube in a series of famous cinema adverts in the
1950’s.
The first of the now regular Hartley Wespall carol parties , which
we now think of as “Hartley House Carols”, were held at School
House, hosted by Charles and Joan when about eight singers, one
of whom was Mrs. Fisher, came from Basingstoke to provide
entertainment.

Joan was a very faithful member of St. Mary’s church from 1965 to
1986. She was involved in the flower arranging and brass cleaning
rotas as well as being part of the annual spring cleaning team.

6
 Editorial
Happy N ew Year to all our readers! February mi ght s ee m late for
such a greeting, bu t regular readers wi ll know that a co mbined
Dece mb er/January edi tion w as deli vere d i n early December.
Thi s sav ed the v oluntary pro duction tea m meeting on Ch ri s tmas
Day to pri nt, fol d and s taple a January “Li nk” and di stributor s
could en joy th ei r N ew Year holiday.
Th ere are li mi ts to the de di cation of th e team af te r all!
I hav e alrea dy men ti one d “r eaders” twi ce. If you are reading thi s
you mus t be amongst “our readers”. T he “ Loddon Valley Li nk” i s
deliv ere d, free of cha rge, to al l homes i n the B enefi ce. Bu t are all
house hold s “ou r rea ders ”? T he com mi ttee woul d really li ke to
know if you like the p roduct. W e do not hear many co mplai nts, bu t
we would no t i f the re were few readers!
Th e con tent is only crea te d by the contributor s, so pleas e
contribute i f you w ould like to see some thi ng new an d di fferent.
We w ould appr eciate “l e tter s to the e di to r” and news and vi ew s
from the vi llages. We w ill make every effor t to i nclude any s hor t
articles and photographs you sub mi t, subject to space etc. Regular
contributors might li ke to include a photo of ac ti v iti es someti mes.
The final date for m at erial for the M arch (Easter) e dition is
Friday 18th Feb ruar y. See page 49 for contac t deta ils.
It helps the edi tor to receiv e i tems a s early as possible.
I am the e di to r again nex t mon th, so w ill expect a deluge of new
pieces to try to find s pace for!!
Do te ll those w ho a re not “our readers” at p res ent!
Sheena Archer - Editor
Adverti se ments i n the Lod don Valley Li nk.
Please note that th e “Lo ddon Vall ey Li nk” com mi ttee canno t be
hel d re sponsibl e for any w or k o r servi ce
provi ded by adve rti se rs.

8
St. Leornard’s Spire Appeal
Contributed by the St. Leonard’s Church Wardens
Th e appeal for the spire i s goi ng well
wi th ov er £5,000
so far donated.

We are hopeful tha t Engli sh Heri tage

wi ll be a ble to as si s t us.
We shoul d hav e further new s on this in
next month' s
Loddon Valley Li nk.

Cheque s tow ards the appeal should be

made to
St. Leonard's Church Fund.

Don' t forget, you can spon so r a ti le for

£5.00 and hav e you r na me on the ti le as
well as en tered i nto the dono rs ' book to
be kept i n the church.
Please al so see “S he rfiel d Village
Fete” on page 22

May I say thank you to all who

supported these events last year.
The next whist drive is on
February 13th
in Sherfield village Hall at 7.30pm.
Entrance is £1. All are welcome.
Jean Wright
10
12
 PARISH COUNCIL OF STRATFIELD SAYE
A vacancy now exists for the appointment
of Parish Clerk, caused by the resignation
of the present Clerk.
Any person interested in assuming the part-time appointment of
Clerk to Stratfield Saye Parish Council should contact the
Chairman, Mr Roy Best. Tel: 01189 882422
Mobile: 07970 749 481.
For details of the tasks and responsibilities of the Paris h Clerk,
please contact the present Clerk
Peter Moss: Tel: 01256 882 700
e-mail: [email protected].

PARISH COUNCIL OF HARTLEY WESPALL

Following a brief interregnum a new Council was formed on
6th December 2004
The members are listed in alphabetical order:
Joan Bond, Dia ne Cra ven (Cle rk), Nicholas Franklyn,
James Russe l (Chairma n) and Michael Webster.
The Council will hold four regular meetings a year on a Monday
evening in the months of March, June, September and
December. If necessary an extraordinary meeting can be held.
Any parishioner is entitled to attend any meeting and to speak
on any issue, provided prior notice has been
given to the Clerk of that intention.
There will be an annual parish meeting each year to coincide
with the June meeting of the Council. This will take place in
the Sherfield Village Hall and will be advertised in this
magazine. It is intended to invite an appropriate expert to
speak on a matter of topical interest.
The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for
Monda y 28th March a t 8pm at Mill Fa rmhouse.
James Russe ll, Cha irman.
14
 SHERFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
www.she rfieldonloddon-pc.gov.uk

CALOR VILLAGE OF THE YEAR

Unfortunately we did not win the overall competition; the top priz e
went to St Neot, Cornwall. However, we can all be very proud to
have won best village in Southern and South East England, 2004.
A new green “Regional Winner” plaque was presented to the
Chairman and Clerk at an awards ceremony in London on
7 December. This will be displayed alongside our blue, “County
Winner” plaque very soon. Calor’s press release can be read on
our website.
Sherfield’s prize money now totals £1,750. If you have ideas of
how this should be spent in the village, please contact the Parish
Council (see list page 18). You may be aware that a village
cookery book is being produced – other ideas will be welcomed.
We are extremely grateful to all who took part in the competition.
A lot of time and effort was given by many people to help us to
attain this recognition.
WEBSITE
i Sherfield businesses: don’t forget to register your details on our
page, free of charge.
i The last few issues of the Loddon Valley Link can be accessed
from our website.
i The Freedom of Information Act Schedule is available soon on
the website and can also be viewed at Parish Council meetings.
i New Page: We are considering a new “Villagers Page” for
village facts and figures/reminiscences. If you have interesting
recollections about the village, or more useful information you
think we should include, please send them to :
[email protected].
i New Links: go to our “useful links” page to connect to (a) the
Borough Council Planning Department, if you need to look up
details of a planning application, and (b) the Highways
Department for reporting problems such as broken streetlights,
potholes, blocked roads, drains or damaged traffic signs.

16
DON’T FORGET (Parish Co uncil, c ontinu ed from p a ge 16)
Keep in touch with your Parish Council. The monthly meetings
are open to the public and there is always an “Open Forum”
session when members of the public are permitted to speak.
Feedback and input from residents is crucial if we are to
maintain an “evolving and involving” community. Next meetings:
9 February, 9 March, 13 April, 11 May, 8 June, 13 July.

Your Sherfield Parish Councillors are:

NAME TEL No: 01256 …

Brian Archer 882099

Bruce Batting (Chairman) 882605
Ken Clark 882846
John Dodd 882587
Richard Gaiger 882424
Ivan Gosden 881007
Sandy Johnston 882507
Maurice Lambden 882839
Tracy Lander-Sims 882503
Loraine Smith 881498

Please contact the Clerk for general Parish Council matters:

Lucy Marshall, 01256 881742.

Sherfield Tetra Action Group

The TETRA mast w as remove d f ro m SCA TS car par k on
2nd Dec ember 2004. On be ha lf of the act ion grou p w e w ould like t o
thank everyone in the village w ho supp orted us in a ny w ay .
Than ks must also go to S CA TS w ho bow ed to public pressure .
Gill and John Fearon

18
 A letter received by the Sherfield Parish
Council after the second round of the Calor
Competition.

20
 Sherfield Village Fete
Contributed by the St. Leonard’s Church Wardens

The fete will be held on the Village Green on

Saturday 11th June.
Please mark this in your diaries and keep the date free.

The Sherfield Parish Council

has asked St. Leonard's Church PCC
to take charge of this year's Village Fete.
This will be done under the auspices of the
Parish Council and many of the usual popular
events will continue under their control.

St. Leonard's Church is very happy to take up this

challenge and is appealing for support in this project
from their congregation and villagers alike.

A significant proportion of the profits will go towards

the Spire Appeal, (see page 10)
The rest divided betw een Mencap and
Basingstoke Porterage, an organisation that helps
disabled pre-school children.
22
 LODDON SCHOOL
Charity Concert
to be held at
Sherfield school
Sherfield on Loddon
Saturday 12th March at 7.30pm

The Linden Wind Orchestra

Conductor
Roger Phillips
A concert of light classical music
In the presence of the worshipful the
Major of Basingstoke and Deane

Tickets £12
to include wine/soft drinks and sandwiches
during the interval.
Box office: The Loddon School
01256 882394
23
 Return to Uganda 2004
by Brenda and Richard Simpson
Regular readers of this magazine may remember a 2003 article in
which we wrote of an amazing five week visit we made to Uganda.
We had the great privilege of working in a home for thirty
abandoned or orphaned boys. On the same site is a twenty bed
rehabilitation unit for children awaiting or recovering from surgery
for a variety of diseases and deformities.
This article features our second visit for nine weeks in 2004.

Since returning from our first visit to Uganda and without previous
fund raising experience, we have thrown ourselves into a round of
speaking at various clubs and Churches, held coffee mornings and
have so far raised almost £6000, including a magnificent £1500 for
sponsorship for Richard’s brother who completed the Great North
Run in Newcastle upon Tyne. Not an enormous amount, you
might think, but we have been thrilled to see at first hand what has
been achieved.

We were invited to make a second trip with two particular tasks in

mind, for Richard this involved the planning and organisation of
building work at Cherub, the rehabilitation unit. This would provide
showers and toilets for the disabled and a wash room where moth-
ers would be encouraged to wash soiled clothes and blankets in
warm water. I was asked to help the lay readers of the Evangeli-
cal Christian Mission with their English. ECM is also supported by
Africare. These men and women live in their own communities,
preaching, supporting and encouraging their neighbours. The
course was held at the home of Patrick Wakkonyi, head of ECM
and his wife Sarah. Accommodation was spartan to say the least,
but thankfully we had a room to ourselves. The twenty five
students shared dark, crowded rooms packed with bunk beds.
We took a small tape recorder with us which proved very popular,
with an unending queue of students wanting to record their work.

24
We had great fun with my exaggerated pronunciation—right/light,
chicken/kitchen. I suggested that they practise in front of a
mirror, but as the majorit y did not possess one, they had to settle
for working in pairs. There was a wide range of age and ability,
from early twenties to Isiah aged 73, from farm workers to
students. We encouraged the most able to sit along side the
weaker students, explaining that this would benefit everyone.
The brighter students stretching their English by explaining points
to their neighbours. The only student who failed to make any
progress was a chicken who frequently had to be chased from the
classroom.
During our stay we had the opportunity to visit other projects
which have benefited from the support of Africare.
Salaama, a school for the blind now has pit latrines and an 8000
litre water storage tank which means the children no longer have
to carry water several miles a day. A new dormitory has been
built for the girls, which prompted funding by the government for
new accommodation for the boys. We were thrilled to learn that
Bart, a boy who had read a story from a Braille book two years
ago, had done so well in his primary school exams that he had
been awarded a place in a main stream secondary school.

A refugee camp has sprung up on the outskirts of the town, which

is currently home to approximately two hundred women and
children who have fled from the war in the North of Uganda. .
A feeding programme set up jointly by Africare and
representatives of the Roman Catholic Church enables
malnourished babies and children to be given one meal a day of
high protein porridge. Disabled children are also brought to
Cherub for assessment.

A regular outreach clinic at Namaliri is now firmly establis hed.

We were privileged to attend one of these clinics and when we
arrived early in the morning, there was already a siz able crowd of
people patiently waiting. Many had walked miles to be seen.
25
It was amazing to see just what was achieved in one day; to
see children referred on to TB clinics; to cerebral palsy clinics
and to Cherub. Even more thrilling was to see instant
improvements made by syringing, eye drops and simple advice.

There are so many heart warming stories of individuals and

their progress, but if we could highlight one or two.

First Akim, whom it was

such a thrill to meet,
was seventeen and had
previously spent all day
and every day outside
his home, lying in the
dirt, his head supported
on a jerry can, his lim bs
wasted and intertwined.
With financial help from Africare, a special wheelchair was
designed and made in the workshop at Katalemwa hospital,
using a baby’s car seat. Akim was still lying outside his house
but told us that with his chair he goes to school. He was bright,
cheerful and so grateful for his new found mobility.
26
We first met Paul in 2002. He looked about two years old but
was in fact seven. He had been found on a village outreach at
the back of a hut, unable to move or speak and totally
neglected. At Cherub, his legs were put into plaster casts to
strengthen and straighten them. He received treatment for TB
and with stimulation from the other children he was soon
mobile and very talkative! In 2004 we were taken to visit him in
his village. There he was— strong, straight, walking and
talking lik e any normal boy. What a thrill to see him!

As Africare is such a small charity, with just two fulltime

volunteers in the UK, every penny of money raised goes
directly to further the work in Uganda. We consider it a huge
privilege to be involved in this work and are indeed thankful for
the opportunity.
If you would like to know more or belong to a group who
might like to liste n to our talk please contact us on
01256 880197 (Editor-Als o se e pag e 3 0 a bout th e children’s c onn ecti on wi th U g anda)

Tsunami Appeal
At the Whit e Hart’s New Year’s Eve celebration a collection
was taken for the Tsunami appeal whic h amounted to £538.

St. Michael’s Hospice. Basingstoke

A big ‘Thank you’ to residents of Sherfield who gave so
generously at the door-to-door collection last October for
St Michael’s Hospice, Basingstoke. £396.11p was rais ed.
Thanks from Mary O’Connor who organised the collection.

Marie Curie Cancer Care Daffodil Day

Marie Curie Cancer Care provide nursing for seriously ill people
with cancer in the comfort of their own homes. The major fund
raising event of the year is Daffodil Day on 19th March.
If you can spare an hour to help plea se call 02380 263123.
Last year £553.84 was raised in Chineham thanks to helpers.
27
 Sherfield Green Volunteers
Many thanks to everyone who met up on January 8th.
We cleared the area next to the large steps, as
weeds and brambles were strangling the young tree
saplings. We also cleaned out one of the sumps so
that the ditch water now flows.
Although contractors do a lot of work on maintenance
of Sherfield Village Green, volunteers canstill play a useful
role. We shall be meeting up on the first Saturday afternoon of
each month and would welcome new recruits!! Can you spare
a few hours each month doing something positive for our
village?
The Village Green Commit tee will help with co-ordinating the
tasks required.
Do come along on Sa turday 5th February 2.00pm, meeting
near the Jubilee Pond, and bringing your gardening gloves –
also gardening tools would be useful.

Please help me across the road!

Yes, it is that time of year again. The Sherfield Toad
colony will start migrating shortly and they will need
our help to cross the road safely.
The Toads cross from the Golf Course to the Sherfield School
lake, and every year many are killed crossing the road. The
numbers have been slowly dwindling over the years due to
habitat changes etc. so it is even more important that we try to
look after the Toads that we do have.
If you think you will have some time to spare of an evening
during February and March please come along and join our
friendly bunch of volunteers.
If you think you can help this year please give me a call:
Linda or Andy 01256 883205 or 01256 775382 (daytime)

28
 Have you been approached
about a headstone?
Contributed by Revd. Bob Politt
I recently received a telephone call from a former resident of
Sherfield who raised with me a matter of some concern.

Apparently somebody claiming to have authority from the

Church Council had approached them and offered their
services in restoring the family headstones. This is not the
case and if anyone else has been approached I would be
pleased to hear from you.

Of course it is possible to maintain family headstones and

this is something that the Church councils in all three
benefice churches would encourage.
The procedure is quite simple.
i Firstly, you need to assure me as the Rector that you are
related or connected in some way with the deceased
person and that no member of your family objects to the
headstone restoration.
i It is then a case of arranging with a suitable stonemason
to remove and restore the stone.
i Once this has been done the stonemason must apply to
me for the stone to be returned.
The care and maintenance of our churchyards is very
important and for this reason it is not possible to place or
remove memorials from a churchyard without the direct
permission of the incumbent.

If you need any help or advice on this subject please do

contact me and I will be pleased to help you.
Tel: 01256 882209

29
Bramley CE Primary School
We have had a busy start to our new
term and have welcomed a number of
new families. We have said goodbye to
the Cavanagh family. Before they left, Charlie and Millie
presented the school with a beautiful flowering cherry tree
which has been planted in the younger children’s playground.

At the end of the Autumn Term, we received a visit from

Revd. Isaac, who manages the Nserester orphanage in
Uganda. Currently they have 850 children living in the
complex. As well as living accommodation, the orphanage
provides a school and apprentice training. Two students
have currently graduated to the local university and many of
the children leave the orphanage with the necessary skills to
provide for themselves. The children have been orphaned
through the ongoing problems of civil war and AIDS.
Currently, this part of the world has been hit by famine.
Locusts have completely ruined the crops. The children are
existing on one small meal a day. The money raised by the
Key Stage 1 performance has been donated to buy food for
the children in the orphanage. We gave Revd. Issac £180.
He was very touched by our generosity. Thank you.
(Edit or - Se e our C entral F eat ure also abo ut U g and a)

Forthcoming event!
Space Watch on Friday 4th February, by
children in Years 5 and 6. The children have
activities during the day and stay at school
over night. We are hoping the weather will be kind to us.

30
USE US OR LOSE US
Custome rs of the She rfield Post Office
ca nnot fail to see this notice on the door.

Local Post Offices have been under threat of closure in order

that the loss making national organisation – The Post Office –
be less in the red. There is now a very serious threat that our
own local office will close through lack of business over the
counter.
Our Postmaster, Graham, tells me that he has lost 80% of child
allowance and 60 % of old age pension business because
people have opted to have the money paid straight into their
bank accounts. I opted myself as it is easy and convenient.
Losing our local Post Office will cause difficulties, especially for
the elderly, as we will all have to travel further for the services
we now obtain in Sherfield-on-Loddon. I guess that we have all
been taking our Post Office for granted, even though we have
heard of threats of closure and actual closure elsewhere.
What can we do about it? The simple answer is increase its
business by using it more than we do. We can review which of
the available services we could use in future.
Some of the services available are:
Banking, foreign currency, house & car insurance, travel
insurance, premium bonds, loans, car tax, savings accounts,
saving stamps, and all postal requirements.
Whether we have a Post Office or not is up to us .
If there is insufficient business the office will close.
Only we can increase the business.
Are we going to do so?
Contributed by Revd. Neville Biden.

32
 Benefice Church Supper
Tuesday 8th February 7.30-9.30pm, Liddell Hall
We shall be following up points raised at the:
‘GROWING HEALTHY CHURCHES DAY’
hel d on
Saturday 29th January 2005
Please come along and give your feedback.
Offers of food please to
Ilene Iles on 880559.
For information on Home Groups please contact
Revd Bob Politt, 01256 882209.

On Thursdays
10th and 24th February. 10th and 24th March

The Mobile Library will be at

Sherfield, Carpenters Close 1.15-1.50pm

Sherfield, Village Hall 2.15-2.40pm

Stratfield Saye, New Street 2.55-3.15pm

Hartley Wespall, Bus shelt er 3.30-3.45pm

Further information from: Chineham Library 465643

34
Neighbourhood Watch
Sometime ago a request was published
in the Loddon Link asking for
Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators.
We were unsuccessful on that occasion
in getting any volunteers.
It is time to ask again.
We have a co-ordinator in each of the following:-
Bramley Road, Pound Meadow and the bottom half of
Reading Road.
We are looking for co-ordinators for the top half of
Reading Road, Sherfield Green, Bow Drive, Bow Grove and
Northfield Road.
Anyone interested, please could they make contact with me.
Thank you. WPC Mandy Jewell. WPC 504.
Tadley Police Station. 07770 471655.

Stop Door Step Crime

Ha mpshir e Trading St andards Department w arn you not to
buy goods and serv ic es f rom pe op le w ho knoc k at y our door.
i They may pret end to be council or electricity w orkers.
i They may not be ins ur ed, give no gu arant ees, do shoddy
or no w ork f or your money.
i They may co me bac k later w hen y ou are not at home!
i Never go to the ba nk w ith w orkmen to w ithdraw c ash.
Take a c allers ID and telep hone th e organ is ation to ch ec k it.
As k the m to make a n appo int me nt f or anoth er time .
Real meter readers and genuine w orkers w ill alw ays unders tand.
If y ou have dou bts ring Tradin g Sta ndar ds 08 45 6 03 0081
or Police 08450454 545.
Us e Ha mpsh ir e County Counc il’s “ Buy With Conf idence Sc he me”

36
 Women’s Institute
Reported by: Val Denny

On December 1st we had our Christmas party, w here visitors

are invited from local W.I.s and members bring guests with
them if they wish. Nan Turvey, our honorary member, always
comes to celebrate with us. For our decorations, Helen
Rolton and the Craft Group gave us reindeer pulling sleighs
with great piles of brightly wrapped mini parcels.
On the high table was also an inebriated red-nosed
reindeer, w ho was won in the raffle by a Bramley
member. This reindeer then attended the Bramley
WI Christmas party later in the month, no doubt
appearing even merrier!
Our entertainment was “Two Voices and a Guitar” - songs
beautifully sung by Paul and Ann Connolly. Some we all joined
in, with great gusto but less beauty! After a splendid raffle
and a sumptuous tea, we all went home feeling the Christmas
season well begun.
On December 18th about thirty of us, including assorted
grand children went to see “The Canterville Ghost” at the
Haymarket. It was a very lively and entertaining
performance.
On January 5th, instead of a speaker, eight members
brought an item of some special interest to them. They each
spoke for a few minutes, telling their stories. It was an
interesting ,repeatable activity. Our tea was a final fling of
mincepies and cake.
The February meeting is our New Year lunch at B.C.O.T.
followed by the meeting at 2.30pm in the village hall.

38
 EVERGREEN CLUB
Reporter – Jean Wright
The club members had a grand finish to the year
2004. It began with our Chistmas party on December
6th with entertainment by Terry Harris and Father
Christmas. This was followed by two invitations, one
to Bramley School on 10th and another to the
Brow nies on 15th. The children entertained us with
their plays into which they had put a lot of effort.
The Christmas lunch at Longbridge Mill on December
14th was well attended and very much enjoyed.
Thanks to the Mill for a brilliant presentation and
meal which was very much appreciated and our final
fling for 2004.

Now starts the New Year of 2005. At our first

meeting on January 10th the speaker was Mr. Padwick.
Monday February 7th is to be the AGM. If there is
anyone in the villages of Sherfield, Hartley Wespall,
Turgis Green or Stratfield Saye who would like to join
us this year, they will be made most welcome.
The yearly subscription is £5 and transport can be
provided.
The club wishes everyone a very Happy New Year.

40
 National Women’s Register (nwr)
Repor te d by Gi ll Fearon

As this last year has been NWR’ s Li brary Year, w e hav e

conti nued the literary the me. In the su mmer w e vo ted fro m th e
sho rtli s t of seven ”Grea t Women W ri ters of the 20 th Cen tu ry”,
whi ch i s a na ti onal survey wi thi n NWR and once agai n we chose
Daphane du Maurier, al though we agree d tha t there w ere many
excellent women wri ters. Follow ing on fro m this we did the
NWR Li tera ry Qui z r ecently and wi she d we had not bo thered!
An ev en t which w e di d enjoy was a vi sit to Bramley NWR to hear
their gu es t speake r, Bri an S pi cer, talk a bout hi s ti me as Land
Agen t a t Hackwood House. He ha d lots of amusing anecdotes
about some of the peopl e who work ed there, w hi ch we found
most in teresti ng.
We w ere greatly honoured to tak e par t i n the rec en t rounds of
the Calor comp eti ti on and thanks to C hris Hor ton for organi si ng
our s tand. I t woul d be good to hold a si mi lar event for the
v illagers on a S atur day so that thos e w ho work outside the
v illage and schoolchil dren could a ttend.
In Nove mber we held a wi nte r ga me s ev eni ng where we b rought
along our favouri te games. However, we spent a ve ry en joya ble
eveni ng playing jus t one ga me w ith us all taki ng part,
“Ch ronology”!
In Dece mbe r w e ha d our C hris tmas Di nner a t the Rob er t
Newman res taurant a t Basingstoke College of Tec hnology. As
usual the meal was ex cellent an d a good ti me was ha d by all!
In January we held our planning me eti ng for 2005 and one of our
events wi ll be an Ameri can the me eveni ng in Fe brua ry. Thi s i s
organised na ti onally for al l g roups w ishi ng to take par t and
comprises a quiz and topics for di scussi on. All we have to do i s
organise a v enue and provi de food!
42
 from Helen Belsham

Th e Village Hal l Lunch Club w is h to thank the o rgani sers,

performe rs and audience of the Chri s tmas conce rt for their hard
work, enter tai nmen t an d gen erosity.
On Tuesday 11 th January Ka thleen Gaiger an d Es me Wa rd
presented the Lunch Clu b wi th £60.06. A furthe r £5 was
recei ved direc tly from a m emb er of the audi ence.
“Watchi ng the children perform was especially enjoyable ”
“I t reminds m e how i nv olv ed I used to f eel i n my
performance s as a chi ld”
“I’ m har d of hearing but the pronunci ati on
was clear”
“The sp eaki ng was e specially ev ocati ve
of th e pas t”.
“I coul d li p rea d wh en nec es sary”.
“A ve ry good eveni ng”

To let you know

“Mik ado” Hay mar ket . 21-26t h Fe bruary. Basingsto ke A mat eur Operat ic
Soc iety. More informat ion 08707 743503.
Singing Wor kshop. Ho ok Choral Society . Marc h 12th a nd r egularly on
Tuesday even ings. Information from Lav inia 0 1962 7 79162
Mess iah. Anvil. Wav erley Singers . Ch arity ev ent. 20th Marc h.
Box Off ice 01 256 84 4244
Ne w Fore st and Hants. County Show . 26-28th July. Ex ib itors ’ bo okin g
information f rom Jac kie Ney lo n 0 238029887/ 0 776725 25 31
Sm oke Fr ee Eating and Dr inking Aw ard Schem e . Inf ormation f rom
B il lie Pons f ord 0 1256 8 45583
Ques t for foster carers. Andy Clips on 01993 201514
Th ere is no sp ace for the fu ll a dvertise men ts, the a bo ve ite ms wo ul d h ave li ke d.
Do use the co nta ct nu mb ers to sup po rt the se i f you wo ul d li ke to . E dito r.

44
46
 USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Allotments. John Dodd 882587
Babysitting Circle. Sally 880362
Basingstoke Gazette. Chris Horton 882426
Bingo. Ursula Lambden 882898
Brownies. Sue Handasyde-Dick 882337
St. Leonard’s Church. Revd. Bob Politt 882209
Breach Lane Chapel. Geoff Belsham 882534
Chris Russell 0127 621469
Evergreens. Jean Wright 882845
Football (Junior) Fred Berntsen 882798
Football(Seniors) Tony Sumner 882777
Happy Faces Playgroup Peggy Hutchins 882609
Loddon Valley Link. See back pages of magazine
Lunch Club. Helen Belsham 882534
NWR. Gill Fearon 882106
Sherfield Parish Council. Bruce Batting (Chair) 882605
Lucy Marshall(Clerk) 881742
Police: Mandy Jewell 084504545450/07770471655
Poppies. Natalie Larner 880075
Post Office 882210
Sherfield Fete. Sandy Johnston 882507
Sherfield Show. Sally Brain 882275
Short Mat Bowls. Bill Watson 880200
Toddler Group 0-5s. Jaqui Skillett 883644
Tree Warden. Geraldine House-Barklie 882536
Village Grn. Volunteers. Simon 880224
Village Hall Bookings. Jan Martin 882539
Village Hall Caretaker. Alan Martin 882539
V. Hall Mgmt. Cttee. Esme Ward 880503
Whist Drive. Jean Wright 882845
Women’s Institute. Val Denny 882410

01256 should precede all ”88” numbers if using a mobile phone

or telephoning from outside the Basingstoke area.
Please help us keep this list accurate by telephoning your
corrections/amendments to Chris Horton 882426
or the current Loddon Valley Link editor. (See page 49)
48
 Loddon Valle y Link Management Committee
Chair m an: Dr . Donald Daw s on Tel. 882379
De puty Chairm an: Re v’d. Bob Politt Tel. 882 209
Adve rtising Wins ton Br uce
(Please call Winston for 18, Lo ngbr idg e Close,
all ad ve rtising e nquir ies) Sherf ield-on-Loddon
Hoo k RG 27 O EQ
Tel. 012 56 883 277
e-mail: w in.bruce @t is cali.co.u k

Editor for Feb. & March She ena Ar cher

1, Orchard Lea
NB. The final date Sherf ield on Loddon,
Hook RG27 0 ES
for material for the
Tel: 012 56 88209 9
Ma
N.Brch edition
. F inal d ate foris the
mater ial for th e F eb ruary e mail: sh eenaarcher @btinternet.co m
18th February.
editio n is 20th Janu ary

Editor for A pril & May Cl air e Os bor ne

2005 ed it ions 7 S outhlands, Ch ine ha m,
Bas ingst oke, RG 24 8XN
Tel. 01 256 32 44 58
ema il: guycla ire@ukon line.c o. uk
Editor for the Br i an Arche r
Ju ne & Ju ly 1, Orchard Lea
2005 e dit ions Sherfie ld on Lod do n,
Hook RG27 0 ES
Te l: 0 1256 8 82099
e mail: br [email protected] m

Se cr etary: Esm e War d

28 Po un d Mead ow ,
S herf ield o n L oddon,
Hoo k RG 27 O EP
Tel. 01256 8805 03
ema il: ge oc .w ard@btintern et.co m

Hartley Repre se ntative : Dr. John Will iam s Tel. 882 705
Str atfie ld Re pr esentative: Mr. Er ic Pr ice Tel. 881 402

49
 CHURCH OFFICERS
Rector: Reverend Bob Politt
33 Northfield Road , Sherfield on Loddon.
Tel. (01256) 882209
Kindly note the Rector’s day off is Thursday.

Readers: Mr. Richard Elphick Tel. 882860

Dr. John Williams Tel. 882705
1
ST. LEONARD’S CHURCH, S HERFIELD ON LODDON
Churchwardens: Mrs. Gill Austin Tel. 882364
Dr. Donald Dawson Tel. 882379

Treasurer elect: Mr. Stephen Hemmings Tel. 882523

Organists : Mr. Mike Abrams Tel. 881188

Mr. Brian Archer Tel. 882099
Mrs. Peggy Willson Tel. 880503

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, S TRATFIELD SAYE

Churchwarden: Mr. Roy Bes t Tel. (01189) 882422

Treasurer: Mr Robert Craig Tel: (01256) 882253

Organist: Mrs. Fran Oliver Tel. (01189) 268364

ST.MARY’S CHURC H, HARTLEY WES PALL

Churchwardens: Mr Pip Iles Tel. 880559
Dr. John Williams Tel. 882705

Treasurer: Mr. Michael Webster Tel. 882413

Organist: Dr. Gill Williams Tel. 882705
50