St. Philip & St. James Parish Church Whittington Parish News - JUNE 2020 - 50p
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St. Philip & St. James
Parish Church
Whittington Parish News
JUNE 2020 - 50p
www.whittingtonchurch.co.uk
St Philip and St James’ Parish Church, Whittington
A Ninth Century Chapel rebuilt in 1844
In the Worcester South East Team
St Philip & St James Whittington and
St Mark in the Cherry Orchard
Vicar The Rev’d Andy Stand 01905 358150
Church Officers for Whittington
Churchwardens: Miss Janet Pearson 01905 357485
Miss Jayne Rayer 01905 351344
Asst. Warden: Mrs Brenda Giles 01905 25709
Organist: Mr Richard Goldman 01905 831923
Hon Secretary: Mrs Liz Chestney 01905 359708
Hon Treasurer: Mrs Brenda Giles 01905 25709
Magazine Editor: David Chestney 01905 359708
david.battenhall@waitrose.com
St. Martin with St. Peter
Team Rector: Vacant 01905 355119
Curate Rev’d Dr Robin Parry 01905 764651
Holy Trinity & St Matthew Ronkswood
Vicar Rev’d Rob Farmer
Associate Priest to the Team:
The Rev’d Canon Stephen Buckley
Readers in the Team:
Mr Mike Bunclark
Team Administrator:
Rebecca Caskie: Team Office, St Martins Church,
London Road, Worcester WR5 2ED
Tel: 01905 358083
email: worcestersoutheastteam@gmail.com
For enquiries about Baptisms, Thanksgivings, Marriages and Blessings,
please contact the Team Administrator as above.
The Team Office is closed until further notice.
2
In This Issue
Front Cover 1
Team Details 2
Index 3
A Letter from the Vicarage 4/5/6
Coronavirus Corvid-19 & On-line Video Services 7
Heaven in ordinary…..Archdeacon of Worcester 8/9
How well do you recognise hymns? 10
News update for all Gardeners 11
Memories of Jane Tibbutt 12/13
Adverts 14/23
Whittington CE Primary School 24/25
Whittington Parish Council - Chair’s Annual Report 26/27
News from St. Mark’s Church 28/29/30/31
Does workplace Chaplaincy make a difference? 32
Birdie Quiz - Answers 33
How do you self-isolate when you have nowhere to live? 34
Coronavirus cases in Africa increasing sharply 35
Back Cover - Shine as a light in the world 36
Coronavirus 2020
The June edition of this magazine comes as the lockdown is eased
but is still very much with us. The magazine remains an important
means of communication in these challenging times and continues in
its new format. Once again if anyone would like to offer any
contribution, particularly of encouraging news or interest, these will
be gratefully received.
Archbishop Justin Welby says:
"I think one of the big effects is there's a renewal of the sense that
we all belong to Christ… I've been deeply moved by the services I've
participated in; they've reached out in a way that surprised me and
that is, I think, a sign of the work of the Spirit… We're finding this all
over the country. There are so many clergy streaming from really
basic facilities, finding huge numbers of people online with them, and
making a huge impact."
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Letter from the Vicarage
June 2020
Hi Everyone,
How are we all doing? Are you managing to stay
fit and well? Are you managing to find things to
fill your time? Are you managing to stay in contact with friends and
family?
I’m conscious that I wouldn’t normally begin my magazine letter with
such a greeting. I wouldn’t normally begin “Hi Everyone”, (and I’m
now asking myself “why not?”) I would normally launch into
whatever it is I want to write, whatever reflection upon the time of
year or church season I have chosen to make, and then just sign off at
the end.
But, seeing that we haven’t been able to gather and see one another
(in the flesh as, it were) I wanted to start this letter by asking folk how
they are, - how you are -and I didn’t feel I could do that properly
without some form of greeting first.
I know from speaking to you, that most of us, on the surface at least,
are doing okay. Some times when I phone people and ask how they
are, they may say that they are, “okay”, and then follow that up with
the comment, “I have to be don’t I”; to which I frequently reply, “Just
because you think you have to be okay, doesn’t mean you are!”
Many of you, I know have been taking advantage of the run of fine
weather that seems to have coincided with the introduction of
‘lockdown’ and have been spending time in your gardens.
Continued…….
4
Some of you I know, have been exhausting your jigsaw supplies; some
may even have been biting the bullet to do those jobs around the
house that previously you had just been repeatedly putting off, and
off (and if you’re anything like me off again!!)
Some of you may have been doing more reading. I think I must count
myself amongst that number, if only because, looking back through
my recent magazine letters, I have written about some book or other I
have been reading, in the last three or four editions!
One theme that has begun to recur in the various things I read:
Church Times, blogs, news articles on-line and maybe even in the
i newspaper, has been the sentiment, that as a society we may be in
need of a time of lamentation, a time of acknowledging that maybe
we are not okay, even if we feel we need to be!
Believe it or not, the bible is full of stuff that acknowledges these kind
of feelings. I think in particular of the psalms in the Old Testament,
which I know bring comfort to many people, because they recognise
and share some of the deep and raw emotions that the psalmists
write about in their poetry.
I may well have told you before that I once was tasked with writing a
Psalm for one of my college assignments, and while on that occasion
it meant me needing to research and read around how the Old
Testament psalmists approached their craft, that is not necessary
outside the demands of academia!
Rather I think the important thing is to be honest, in what you are
writing; be honest with God, about how you feel, whether you are
happy or sad, relaxed with no worries or feeling anxious and uptight;
be honest with Him about your current emotions and feelings and
maybe your relationship with Him. Continued ….
5
Have a read of the psalms, or even the book of Job, and see how
blunt and honest the writers are, how on occasion they decide not to
mince their words but ask God straight out, “My God! Why have you
abandoned me?” (Psalm 22 v 1).
Just the exercise of sitting down to write a psalm (and it doesn’t need
to be all about feeling sad) may help you to work things through in
your mind, (or with God). That psalm, psalm 22 which begins in such a
place of despair and abandonment does not remain there throughout
its length. Psalm 23 of course brings comfort because it delights in
God, who leads us and cares for us as a shepherd would care for their
sheep.
It is okay, to not be okay!
If that is you, and you need someone to talk to, or you need a
listening ear, then please do give me a call. If I’m not available then
just leave me a simple message on my answer phone, you don’t need
to go into details, just leave your name and number and the request
that I give you a call, and I will come back to you.
In the mean time folks, until we can see each other again in the flesh,
stay safe.
Every blessing
Andy
“Have courage for the great sorrows
of life, and patience for the small ones.
And when you have laboriously
accomplished your daily task, go to
sleep in peace. God is awake.” – Victor
Hugo, writer
6
Coronavirus - Covid–19
In the light of Government guidance around non-essential contact,
the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued advice that
public worship and all other use of the church is suspended until
further notice.
Consequently the church at Whittington is closed.
Whittington churchyard will remain open.
The Worcester South East Team of clergy continue to work on
ways of serving the needs of our parishes.
The Team Office at St Martin’s is closed to visitors but can still be
reached by phone and email, see inside cover page.
For Pastoral Support please contact Revd Andy Stand on
01905 358150 or andy.stand@sky.com
LIVE ON-LINE VIDEO SERVICES
For all churches in the South East Team
We are continuing to meet for worship using the zoom app
downloadable from the zoom.us website: The way of accessing Zoom
meetings has changed and you will need to use the password to join
the worship, and will also ned to join a ‘waiting room’ to be admitted
to the meeting. To join any of the services please email the contact
person who will send you a link:
For Sunday services or midweek Eucharist:
email andy.stand@sky.com
For Morning Prayer or Stations and Compline:
email mbunclark@tiscali.co.uk
For Monday or Saturday Prayer meetings:
email joanhazz@gmail.com
SERVICE PATTERN MIDWEEK
Morning Prayer: Monday to Friday at 8.30am
Compline: Monday to Friday at 8.30pm
Midweek Eucharist: Wednesday at 10am
SUNDAYS Morning Worship: Sundays at 10am
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Heaven in ordinary…..something
understood from
the Archdeacon of Worcester.
The month of June sees the Church emerging from the
long seasons of Lent and Easter into the even longer
Trinity season, which stretches through the summer
into the autumn. Some churches call this period Ordinary time, which I
rather like. Without ordinary, we would not appreciate the extraordinary.
It seems to me that most of us are yearning for a touch of the ordinary
right now. We have done our best to make the most of difficult times
under lockdown, but are looking forward to ‘normal’ human contact and, as
some people put it, getting our lives back. In truth our lives have carried on,
albeit within boundaries. And we have had time to reflect. A little while
back in the midst of all this, I read something which stuck with me and got
me thinking: ‘God does not send us plagues to teach us things, though we can
learn from them.’
When bad things happen, people ask why. The God revealed in Jesus does
not visit plagues on people, nor wish natural disasters on anyone. Rather,
the Gospel shows us a God who chooses to walk with us, meets us in the
storms of life, and experiences the highs and lows of what it means to be
human alongside us.
So what are we learning? After years of bruising debate about our relation-
ships within Europe, we are learning the art of listening and talking kindly
with one another again. Community spirit is flourishing and in the midst of
isolation we have become more connected: not only through social media,
but also through the humble telephone. We have learned what it is to miss
our social contact with one another: love of neighbour has re-emerged in a
new and stronger way.
We are learning that we are connected across the whole world. ‘Me first’
does not work when facing a common challenge to our well-being -
whoever thought we could all be first anyway? What happens thousands of
miles away affects us and we are learning that we are all responsible for
each other, challenged to work for the common good because that includes
our own good.
George Herbert, the seventeenth-century priest-poet, wrote a poem
called Prayer, in which he used the delightful phrase ‘heaven in ordinary’. As
we enter these weeks of Ordinary time, we could try to see what we have
learned. Continued…...
8
You might like to look up the poem, for tellingly it ends with these simple
words: ‘something understood.’ Robert Jones
Prayer the church’s banquet, angel’s age,
God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth
Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tow’r,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood,
The land of spices; something understood.
George Herbert (1593-1633)
Social Distancing is not new -
the Victorians were well versed in the art!
9
How well do you recognise hymns?
There are so many hymns that we sing throughout the year, year
after year and they are so familiar, that, surely, we should be able to
identify a hymn from just one line. Sounds easy?
Here are single lines from thirty hymns, all in our hymn
book. How many can you identify? It’s not so easy as you might
think! Answers next month.
1. When Earth’s joy’s grow dim, its glories pass away.
2. Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before Thee.
3. Mild he lays his glory by.
4. And sweet harp the story of what he has done.
5. But yet in love he sought me.
6. Dwellers all in time and space.
7. I want to be in that number.
8. And guide us when perplexed.
9. Born of the one light Eden saw play.
10. Loveless in strength and comfortless in pain.
11. A breastful of milk and a manger full of hay.
12. They buried my body and they thought I’d gone.
13. Go through the park on into the town.
14. Our triumphant holy day.
15. ‘Gainst all disaster.
16. We are his folk, he doth us feed.
17. Bring forth the royal diadem.
18. His boundless mercy will provide.
19. Hill and vale and tree and flow’r.
20. When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God.
21. And so the yearning strong.
22. From heaven he came and sought her.
23. Radiant beams from Thy holy face.
24. You shall not live by bread alone.
25. Ever old and ever new.
26. Each jubilant chord re-echo around.
27. No ear may hear his coming.
28. And where there’s sadness ever joy.
29. Like earth’s proud empires pass away.
30. Bring me my chariot of fire.
10NEWS UPDATE FOR
GARDENERS
I want to send my very grateful thanks to all who
supported my sale of plants during this lockdown
period. As I said back in March/April, my seedlings
were germinating before the pandemic started so I decided to
continue, not least that it gave me something to do that I thoroughly
enjoyed.
I am pleased to report that we have raised £821.50. Folks were very
cooperative and there was no time when I had more than one person
collecting plants from my drive. Also several people were very
generous and rounded what they owed up thus including a donation
as well as paying for their plants.
New customers contacted me when they saw plants in their
neighbour's garden and were keen to know where they came from. It
is the first year that I have totally sold out so my compost will not be
enriched by unwanted bedding plants this year! If lockdown is further
lifted, I am growing a variety of perennials and, if allowed, will have a
plant sale later this year . If this becomes possible I will keep you
updated. Can I just remind all who have had plants to save the trays
and liners for me so that I can re-use them next year. The more I can
keep my costs down the more we can plough into Church funds.
Stay safe and look forward to seeing some of you soon as not just a
picture on a computer screen. Brenda Giles
Right-click?
Tech Support: “I need you to right-click on the
Open Desktop.”
Customer: “OK.”
Tech Support: “Did you get a pop-up menu?”
Customer: “No.”
Tech Support: “OK. Right-click again.
Do you see a pop-up menu?”
Customer: “No.”
Tech Support: “OK, sir. Can you tell me what
you have done up until this point?”
Customer: “Sure. You told me to write 'click'
and I wrote 'click’.”
11Memories of Jane Tibbutt
We were greatly saddened by the loss of a
dear friend, Jane, who has enriched our lives
at Whittington for many years. She died aged
80 with David and her sons at her side on
Monday 25th May.
Jane was born on the Isle of Wight the
daughter of Air Vice-Marshall Sir George
Harvey who served in the Middle East and
Iraq during the Second World War. When
she grew up Jane qualified as a State Registered Nurse and then
trained in Orthopaedics at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in
Oxford where she became a Sister. She also qualified as a Midwife in
London.
Jane met David in 1959 when he was a Nursing Assistant in the
Tunbridge Wells Kent & Sussex Hospital. They kept in touch and
were married in 1966 after David returned from a spell working in
Uganda. Jane supported David until he completed his medical training
in Oxford qualifying in 1967. During the following years David
worked many long hours especially on the Oxford Kidney Unit which
led to many lonely days for Jane.
Jane and David moved to Worcester in 1976 when David was
appointed Consultant Physician. They have two sons Mark and
William, who has haemophilia, and Jane used to push him to school in
a pushchair up and down London Road every day despite her
having rheumatoid arthritis. Jane has been a member of the
Haemophilia Society for many decades.
When David retired from medicine in the UK in 1998, he did not put
his feet up and become a man of leisure – far from it - he went back
to Uganda to work for the Ministry of Health in the Continuing
Medical Education programme with the support of the Tropical
Health and Education Trust. That involved visiting almost all the
hospitals and health centres for teaching sessions and ward rounds,
travelling by Land Rover. Jane was his constant companion, always at
his side to support him and she faithfully kept all the records.
Continued……. 12In 2000 there was an attempt on their lives but they escaped and
rapidly returned to the UK. They returned to Uganda frequently
over the next few years, however, including several spells of ward
work in a Catholic Mission Hospital called Kitovu in Masaka. They
also made visits to Rwanda from 2007 with the “Umubano”
programme.
As most of us know David also
served on the City Council for
many years and when he became
Mayor of Worcester in 2011-12
Jane became Mayoress and was
always at his side to give her
support. Whittington had the
honour of hosting the civic service
for that year. They celebrated their
Golden Wedding in 2016
Jane and David have been loyal supporters of our church for many
years and Jane served on the Parochial Church Council with David.
We will all miss her warmth, kindness and gentleness and especially
her wonderful welcoming smile when she greeted you – an example
for us all.
David described Jane as his “rock”: She was a wonderful wife, friend,
mother, grandmother. She never complained, in spite of many
difficulties - everyone else’s problems were always worse than hers.
The funeral will take place for close family on Monday 15th June when
there will be only family flowers. Any donations in Jane’s memory
would be gratefully received by the Haemophilia Society.
“The sociologist Rodney Stark says that one explanation for the
success of Christianity in the Roman Empire was its response to
plague; while the pagans upped and ran… the early Christians
tended to the sick…. Christianity in action defies the rules of
nature. It is natural to step away from sickness; the Christians
go towards it.” - Tim Stanley, Christian writer and journalist
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OR
23Whittington CE Primary School
Lockdown - the first 2 months or more!
From the Headteacher, Gary Richards
Friday March 20th was an unusual day at Whittington Church of
England Primary School. It was two weeks before the Easter holidays
with lots of exciting events planned. However, all of our preparations
had to be put on hold because, on that day, we were told to close the
school.
Since then a lot has changed in the country and this has been
mirrored and amplified in schools and educational settings. On
Monday 23rd March the school did open, but rather than welcoming
210 pupils, 13 children filed through the gate. Pupils, teachers,
teaching assistants, secretaries, lunchtime supervisors mostly stayed
at home. We had 3 teaching staff and 2 cleaners working in school on
the first day. We had to find a new rhythm to our day with lots of
activities taking place outside to take advantage of the lovely weather.
What about the children who were stuck at home? What about their
education? My belief is that staff in primary schools are amongst the
most imaginative, inventive and practical people you could hope to
meet and the staff at Whittington made it their mission to provide a
virtual education for the pupils who were in lockdown. Very quickly
staff were sharing work each day with every pupil in the school.
Children were sending back pictures of their work and staff were
offering feedback.
A whole new ‘virtual’ learning world was created from a standing
start. Pupils, teachers and parents have really embraced these online
learning opportunities and active learning has continued. Alongside
this, staff have stayed in regular contact with all the pupils through
our learning platform, Zoom meetings and telephone calls. No one
has been forgotten, everyone is important. Continued….
24The next stage of the story involves readmitting increasing numbers
of pupils. This is probably the most anxious time for children, parents
and staff and we need to get it right. Our school is much changed
with one way systems, ‘Pods’ of pupils rather than classes and the
building sectioned into zones that must not be crossed. As ever the
safety of our whole community is our priority, we have worked hard
to ensure this and will continue to do so.
Wish us luck! Gary Richards
Another gem from Pam Ayres
At last, we have a cure all!
Ailments large and ailments small,
Good health is not beyond my reach,
If I inject myself with bleach.
Radiant, I'll prance along,
Every trace of limescale gone.
With disinfectant as my friend,
Like him, I'm clean around the bend.
The Lord is my Shepherd…….
A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorise one of
the most quoted passages in the Bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a
month to learn the Psalm, but little Charles did not find it easy to
memorise much of anything.
On the day that the children were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of
the congregation, Charles stepped up to the microphone and began
proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd….” He knew that much, but the rest of
the Psalm suddenly deserted him. So he concluded bravely: “… and that's
all I need to know."
25Whittington Parish Council
Chair’s Annual Report May 2020
Introduction.
The Parish Meeting was conducted online by Zoom this year and the Chair
posted his report on Social Media beforehand inviting those attending to ask
any questions or raise any issues they may have had. The report may be
seen in full on the website and other media. The following is the first part.
Putting aside Coronavirus (see below), we have had a very busy year indeed,
and I would like to begin by thanking all my fellow Councillors for their
time, effort and support of their community. We have had a very stable
Council with only one new representative, and I’d like to take this
opportunity to welcome Liz Potter who has already proved to be of great
value. All seven council posts are filled, six via the election that took place
last year and the final one, Liz’s co-option. It has been a pleasure and
privilege to perform the role of Chair of a great team.
A special thanks must go to David Hunter-Miller, our Clerk. It is not an
understatement to say that he has ‘professionalised’ this Council, and his
experience and knowledge have proved beneficial on occasions too
numerous to list. The amount we have achieved in the last year is due in no
small part to him.
The Parish has continued to grow at a fast rate. By 2023/4 we estimate that
it will have at least tripled, probably quadrupled in size. This is bound to
change the Parish, one only has to look at the demographic profile to see
that the average age is now 30-40 families with children, a much younger
profile than in the recent past. As a Parish Council, we need to reflect and
explore the needs of this changed community. Welcome to all our new
residents, we are looking for and exploiting the opportunities arising from
this population growth, aiming to develop a vibrant and caring community in
Whittington.
And now to specific updates….
Meetings frequency & format
Due to an increased volume of work, in particular concerning the new
Community Hall, (see below), we decided to move to monthly meetings,
with a review later this year. This has helped to curb meeting length, which
was getting to unsustainable levels.
As physical meetings are not possible at present, we have purchased a
‘Zoom’ Licence and Smartphone to enable online meetings. These have also
been streamed ‘live’ on Facebook. Continued…...
26Our first such meeting in April went very well and we are considering how
to engage routinely via social media/online in the future. The law was
altered to enable this until May 2021, after then we will have to conduct
physical meetings, but will not want to lose the potential of electronic
means of engagement with a wider audience.
COVID Response
The Parish Council have evolved a strategy to provide local assistance
where requested. This has been advertised on our website, Facebook Page,
noticeboards and BBC Hereford & Worcester. We have also linked in with
Worcester Here2Help offering our services. In terms of virtual
communication, we now have: Email contact between Councillors, and for
the public via the Contact points on both our website and Facebook Page.
Purchased a ‘Zoom’ licence to enable virtual meetings and the ability to
include the public via both ‘Zoom’ and ‘Facebook Live’.
Established a Councillor ‘WhatsApp’ Group.
Community Hall Build
The biggest project in the history of the Parish Council has begun to reach
fruition. When the tender quotations were received, the council held an
Extraordinary Meeting with representatives from Wychavon in attendance,
and explored all options possible, together with funding opportunities. The
minutes of that meeting refer, but we are in a position whereby this facility
will be a fantastic resource for our (fast) growing Parish, whilst not
proceeding will leave us with a derelict building, no grant monies, no savings
remaining and a significant investment required to render the land suitable
for other purposes. There are also legal covenants involved, the land having
been acquired by the Council in the 1950’s specifically for the purpose of a
Hall. We concluded that there was no viable alternative to continuing, and
we are unanimous that this building will prove to be invaluable to the whole
community over the next fifty years (or more).
Funding has been identified in the form of
Monies put aside over many years by both the
Village Hall Management Committee and Parish Council
A major grant and allocation of S106 funds from Wychavon Council
A Public Works Loan payable from Precept over thirty years at a low
interest rate. Part of this has been catered for in the April 2020 Precept and
the rest will follow next year. A leaflet explaining this was delivered to all
households on the Parish in March this year. A further consultation and
survey will take place once tenders are complete and we know the final cost
The remainder of this very comprehensive report may be seen on
the Parish website: www.whittingtonparishcouncil.co.uk
facebook.com/whittingtonpc (or search @whittingtonpc)
27St Mark in the Cherry Orchard
Diocese of Worcester
News from St Mark in the Cherry Orchard
Do you think that the situation that we are still in is what ‘groundhog
day’ feels like? Unless one has somewhere specific to go, e.g. walk
the dog or fetch a paper (if you are brave enough), it seems to me
that each day is the same, get up, eat, go to bed. I have ventured in-
to town twice since lockdown began and each time I have returned
home vowing not to go back. I found it eerie, intimidating and all
very surreal.
Anyway, onto more pleasant and upbeat things. I continued to
occupy myself in the church hall until I ran out of essentials, tile
adhesive, grouting and sealant. Fortunately in the last week or so,
the DIY places have started to re-stock (about time!) so I was able to
place a click and collect order which enabled me to continue with the
re-decoration and repairs. The hall floor will have to wait for another
time because I have been unable to borrow or hire a sander for the
edges and the thought of hand sanding the perimeter was a little too
daunting.
Strange things have been happening whilst I have been by myself in
the hall and kitchen. The hand basin hot tap washer needs to be
replaced because the tap drips so I turned off the hot water supply at
the isolation valve. Imagine my surprise when, after several weeks,
the water turned itself back on whilst I was tiling. I can’t repair the
tap because I can’t undo it to get at the washer so it looks like
another job for a professional unless someone you know is good at
plumbing and can help me replace the tap(s); however I first need to
locate the stopcock for the cold supply!. Add to this that the pre-set
and checked, PIR lights in the hall entrance and toilets keep turning
themselves on when no-one is in the hall and we have a mystery that
the electrician hopes that he can solve; in the meantime, I have
switched all off at the fuse box. Val and I are convinced that since the
late Mrs Ruby Russell loved St Marks, she continues to be around so
perhaps she doesn’t agree with the re-vamping of the place, who
knows? Continued…. 28With so many people turning to their gardens to keep them busy in
lockdown, I wondered if you would like to send me photographs of
your achievements. It could be a border, vegetable patch, hanging
basket, trough or even one single plant, whatever you are really
proud of. I will then make a collage to display in St Marks when we all
return to church. My achievement has been drying, replanting and
growing last year’s amaryllis however, the two flowers did not grow
on a long stalk but appeared at the base either side of the leaves,
short lived and pretty but strange.
Turning to the historic editions of the magazine from 1955 once more
the following caught my eye:
29From the above, I recognise the names of Monger and Aldersey, the
latter is remembered in a local road name because I believe that he
was a land owner in this area. It is a shame that although the local
scout group continues to be based in Norton Road, they ceased, for
whatever reason, to join St Marks for family service each month; my
sons regularly battled with others to carry and/or escort the flag
down the aisle.
I am aware that a stage was built in the hall but all that remains are
lights above where it was situated by the kitchen hatch. Reference to
re-decorating the church and hall is interesting because Mrs Jean Bull
recalls that her late husband, Derek, owned a firm that was certainly
involved with painting the inside of the church but she cannot recall
whether he also oversaw the hall.
30With regard to the Summer Fete, I know where Battenhall and
Timberdine Farms were but can anyone tell me where Barneshall
Farm was, please?
St Marks seems to have been very proud of the achievements of local
people as listed.
Finally, once again, if you are reading this and are short of supplies or
need any help at all, please get in touch with me and if I can’t help, I
can certainly find someone who will be able to assist you; there is
definitely no need for you to feel alone in this crisis. Please do not
lose heart, keep your chin up and, as someone said, concentrate on
what you can do and not what you can’t.
Keep safe and well.
Jan
janvale810@gmail.com 01905 351392
Zumba Fitness - now online
Jude normally runs fitness dance classes in St Martin's Parish
Centre and St Mark's Church Hall, and advertises in the Magazine.
She has let us know that she's now running Zumba online. Zumba
Classes are available Mondays to Saturdays at 10am and Tuesdays at
6.30pm. Zumba Gold (a slower, less active Zumba class) is on
Wednesdays at 3pm. All £4 per class. Contact Jude on 07948 356894
or judy.maund@gmail.com
Good view
At his wife’s insistence, a man
purchased a home on a hilltop in
a very exclusive section of the
community. “I’ll bet there is
quite a view from way up there,”
said his friend enviously. “Yes,”
replied the homeowner in a
resigned manner. “On a clear
day you can see the bank that
holds the mortgage.”
31Does workplace chaplaincy make a difference? Faith at Work in Worcestershire has been measuring the impact of their chaplaincy. Chaplaincy has always been at the heart of Faith at Work in Worcestershire (FWW), but does it make any difference? In January and February of this year FWW undertook a survey, speaking to over 100 people to try to measure the impact of workplace chaplaincy. The survey looked at three key groups – those whom chaplains visit in workplaces, the chaplains themselves and their churches. The feedback has provided real insight into what people think about chaplaincy, most of it very positive. It was found that having a regular visit from a chaplain is welcomed and valued. Those at work feel supported and cared for and that, in their chaplain, they have someone they can confide in. As one person said, “The chaplain puts a smile on our faces, a lovely person. It is good to have someone to listen. We all need a chaplain”. From chaplains it was discovered how much chaplaincy helped them put their faith into action, and pushed them to find new depths and meaning of that faith. The conversations with FWW partner churches likewise showed how chaplaincy is a critical way of being outward looking in mission, engaging with people where they are. Dick Johnson, FWW Development Officer, said: "The survey shows how much people value their chaplain and what a good news story this is for all concerned. This is the Church in action which, in our present world, is needed all the more urgently." The survey shows that what chaplaincy achieves should be celebrated and that, though chaplaincy is very difficult at the moment because of COVID- 19, when the economy does resume, however different it then is, chaplaincy will be even more needed – and valued – than it ever has been. The full Survey Report, and an Executive Summary, are available to download and read on the FWW website at https://www.faithatwork.org.uk/about-us/does-workplace-chaplaincy-make-a -difference/ 32 NB: The picture illustrating this story was taken pre-lockdown.
‘Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for
the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9
33 33How do you self isolate when you
have nowhere to live? By a volunteer.
We all became familiar with the mantra –
Stay at home;
Protect the NHS;
Save lives.
But what happens to those people who have no
home? How do they self isolate?
At an early stage in the pandemic the Government realised that homeless
rough sleepers were an issue. They obviously can’t self isolate, and pre-
sent a high risk factor on two levels. First, a majority of homeless people
suffer from poor physical health, so they are more likely to con-
tract the virus. Secondly, because of their lifestyle, a rough sleeper who
contracts the virus could easily spread it through the wider commu-
nity.
The Governments response was to commission additional hostel and hotel
places to accommodate rough sleepers the pandemic. This would enable
them to self isolate.
So is this strategy working? To a point - around two thirds of the rough
sleepers in Worcestershire have been accommodated on this temporary
basis – the other third have not and are still sleeping on the streets. Why is
this?
There are a number of reasons. Some rough sleepers have refused to go
into the temporary accommodation – they can’t cope with living in a hotel
or hostel. Others have been housed on a temporary basis but have
left, being unused to having to get on with other people in a controlled and
confined environment. And there are not enough hotel/hostel places to
accommodate all of the rough sleepers in the county, especially as the
number is rising.
Maggs Day Centre operates the only Day Centres for homeless people in
Worcestershire, with one in Worcester and one in Malvern. Our Day
Centres are now closed due to the pandemic, but we are still helping
homeless people.
Our focus now is outreach, workers try to encourage rough sleepers to
stay in the temporary accommodation, and if they won’t; they provide them
with food, support, welfare checks and monitor their health. But it’s not
easy to support people whose circumstances can change from day to day.
Continues…...
34We are struggling to support all of the rough sleepers in the county with
our current staffing levels, so we want to recruit two more outreach
workers for the next 6 months at a total cost of £20,000.
These workers will not only support rough sleepers during the pandemic,
but also help to resettle them afterwards. We need your help to keep
rough sleepers virus free and safeguard the wider community.
Please make a donation to help us afford to take on these two extra outreach
workers. You can donate on line at our website where you can read more about
our work - www.maggsdaycentre.co.uk/ or via cheque (Maggs Day Centre) c/o Mel
Kirk, Maggs Annexe, 59-60 The Tything, Worcester, WR1 1JT.
We are also looking to recruit additional Trustees to our Board of governance. If
you could spare a couple of hours per month to help provide strategic leadership
to the organisation, please write to Mel Kirk at the above address.
Coronavirus cases in Africa increasing sharply
Christian Aid has warned that time is running out to
prevent coronavirus overwhelming health systems
across Africa. As coronavirus infections rise sharply
across the continent, and with African countries
lacking the specialist equipment or staff to cope with
a pandemic, the international development agency is calling for the
cancellation of debt repayments from African countries this year, so that
money can be freed up and spent instead on saving lives.
As the poorest continent in the world, Africa is least equipped to provide
the specialist care necessary to treat people infected with coronavirus.
According to the World Health Organisation there are less than 2,000
ventilators and 5,000 intensive care unit beds across the entire Africa
region.
Patrick Watt, Christian Aid's Director of Policy, Public Affairs and
Campaigns, said: “Debt repayments falling due this year should be cancelled
in full if we want African countries to have a fighting chance of limiting the
spread of coronavirus, and surviving the hit to their economies.
“It is completely perverse that dozens of the world’s poorest countries are
expected to pay debts to wealthy creditors in the midst of the biggest
global health challenge in a generation, and the worst economic downturn
since the 1930s. At this moment, cancelling the debt is a matter of life and
death.”
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