Parish Magazine

Dear Readers

It hardly seems possible that it is a year since Chris Coyston joined us: you will read his reflections on his first year and an explanation of the new venture for the youth of the church. (These are those in between childhood and adulthood, who so often drift away or find there is little to meet their needs.) He will also be heavily engaged, along with Wycombe Youth for Christ and many helpers from our congregation, with Easter Eggsplained in our presentation of the meaning of Easter to the schools in our parish. As we were readying this edition for printing, Chris and Co were also presenting the very successful Pancake Party, part of which is featured on the front cover (see page 5).

Of course, the next big change in our church life will be the appointment of our new Vicar. With great good timing, we are lucky enough to have had the benefit of the multi- talented Charlotte Fairbairn creating the new ‘Vicars’ Board’ (there probably is a proper title for this) which is now ready to accept the new Incumbent’s name. (Look in the North Aisle). As we go to print, the interviews will be taking place; indeed, we may have already a new Minister, in the process of taking up post, by the time you read this.

Finally, as this is being typed, the sun is shining - a rare event in recent days. Many of our contributors have reflected or reported on the approach of spring. So - new beginnings for our church and the countryside in which it sits. Lent and Eastertide is upon us, for reflection, preparation for Easter and then rejoicing: how very apt.

Jane and Christopher Tyrer

Editors

(Not) From the Vicarage

A Year of Growing Faith, Fun, and Family - Reflections on my first year as Children & Families Pastor

A Warm Welcome

As I look back on my first year as Children & Families Pastor here at St Michael & All Angels, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement for all that God has been doing among us. It has been such a joy to step into this role and to see the children’s ministry grow, deepen, and flourish. From the very beginning, my family and I have felt incredibly welcomed at St Michael & All Angels. Your warmth, kindness, and genuine care have helped us feel not just settled, but truly at home. Thank you for making this such a supportive and encouraging place to serve.

Growing Together

This year has been full of wonderful moments with our children and families. Our kids’ ministry continues to grow, with more children coming along, building friendships, learning about Jesus, and having fun together. It has been a privilege to watch their confidence grow and to see them engage so openly with the ministry.

Connecting with Local Schools

We’ve also seen some really exciting growth in our relationships with local schools. It has been amazing to start to build strong connections and to see how open and welcoming schools are to working with the church.

A real highlight was the Christmas Roadshow, which visited three local primary schools and shared the Christmas story through puppets, storytelling, and plenty of laughter. Reaching over 600 children with the message of Jesus in such a fun and engaging way was truly incredible and a powerful reminder of the impact we can have, when we step out and serve our community.

Celebrating Special Moments

Some other highlights have been our special events throughout the year. Pancake Day* was full of laughter, delicious food, and great conversations, and Easter 2025 was a particularly joyful celebration. Seeing children hear the Easter story in creative, meaningful ways — and watching families engage together — reminded us just how important these moments are.

Looking Ahead

As we give thanks for what God has already done, we are also looking ahead with excitement. We are beginning to shape new and intentional plans for youth ministry. More information in the article headed Rooted: Opening Our Doors to the Next Generation which follows.

Prayer & A Cheeky Ask

As we move forward, we would really value your prayers. Please pray for wisdom, energy, and vision as we develop these new youth plans and for the children and families connected with St Michael & All Angels — that they would continue to grow in faith and feel God’s love through this church.
And finally … a cheeky ask! Ministries like this do not grow on enthusiasm alone — they grow through people. If you’ve ever thought, “I could help with that”, this might be your nudge. Whether it is helping regularly, occasionally, behind the scenes, or just bringing a willing heart, there is a place for you. Please do come and chat with me — we need you and we would love to have you on the team.

Chris Coyston

Children & Families Minister

07855 389998

chris@​hughenden​parish​church.org.uk

Rooted

Opening Our Doors to the Next Generation

I am very excited to announce Youth work at St. Michael & All Angels is changing under a brand-new banner called Rooted. There are two streams to this:

Rooted Together

A vibrant new initiative is taking shape in our church and community with the launch of Rooted Together, an exciting youth group created to support, inspire, and connect young people. Rooted is more than just a place to hang out—it’s a welcoming environment where youth can feel safe, valued, and encouraged to grow into their best selves.

Designed with today’s young people in mind, Rooted offers a mix of fun activities, creative expression, open conversation and opportunities to build lasting friendships.

Rooted provides space for young people to explore who they are, what they care about and how they can positively shape the world around them.

At its heart, Rooted is about belonging. It’s a place where youth can show up as they are, feel heard and develop confidence in a supportive community. With passionate leaders and a strong focus on positive values, Rooted aims to help young people stay grounded while navigating the challenges and opportunities of growing up.

As we open our doors, we invite youth from across the community to join us. Come and be part of something new, make connections and grow together — because at Rooted, everyone has a place.

Rooted Together takes place at St Michael & All Angels, Church House, Hughenden every first and third Wednesday, during term-time. Join us 7.00 - 8:30 pm for lots of games and fun.

Rooted @ Church

We are making a faithful move expanding the Sunday provision for youth in church, ‘Rooted @ Church’ will now run twice a month, every second and fourth Sunday during the 11.00 am service. We hope that this will prove invaluable for the youth as they seek to deepen their relationships with Jesus as we share together.

For more information about either of our Rooted events please contact Chris, the Children and Families Pastor on 07855 389998 or chris.stmichaels@gmail.com

Pancake Party

Thank you to everyone who came to our flipping fantastic pancake party, making it a huge success. With games, songs, creative crafts, and stacks of delicious pancakes, the room was filled with smiles from 42 children and their families.

We managed to squeeze around 100 people in our cosy little Church House and we are so grateful to everyone for coming. Huge thanks to our incredible volunteers who helped everything run smoothly and kept spirits high throughout the celebration. We truly appreciate everyone who attended and helped make the day stack up with laughter, friendship and syrupy sweet memories that will stay with us long after the last pancake was served. We hope future gatherings continue to bring people together, because when community comes together, everything feels simply amazing.

Please do join us for our next Lighthouse Live celebration on Sunday, 22^nd March. Sign up below:

www.hughendenparishchurch.org.uk/Lighthouse-Live-Signup

March Reflection

Growing Through Patience: Trusting the Process

As March arrives, the first signs of spring begin to appear. The days grow slightly longer, buds form quietly on branches, and small flowers push their way through the cold ground. Yet growth is still subtle. We cannot rush it. Nature unfolds in its own time.

Over the past two months, we have reflected on beginning gently and listening within. March invites us to take the next step: learning to trust the process of growth - even when we cannot yet see the results.

 Patience is not always easy. We live in a world that values speed, quick answers, and visible progress. When change feels slow, we may begin to doubt ourselves. We may wonder if anything is happening at all. But much of life’s most meaningful transformation takes place beneath the surface.

 A seed does not break through the soil the day it is planted. It rests, absorbs nourishment, and develops unseen roots before it ever becomes visible. In the same way, when we practise small daily acts of intention and awareness, something is taking shape within us - even if no one else can see it.

Galatians 6:9 gently encourages us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” This verse reminds us that steady faithfulness matters. Growth comes in its season.

 You might reflect this month:

• Where in my life am I being asked to wait?

• What small changes have I already made that deserve patience?

• Can I trust that unseen work is still valuable?

Patience is not passive. It is an active trust — choosing to continue, choosing to believe that today’s small steps will lead somewhere meaningful.

As we move further into spring, may we allow ourselves to grow at a natural pace. May we resist comparison and hurry. And may we trust that even when progress feels invisible, something beautiful is quietly taking root within us

Bea Glowacki

Be As Little Children

Ron Cretchley

27/07/66

The Amatelaz Project

The Amatelaz project, run by Nev Borradaile (Swansea) and Clare Aston (Great Kingshill) was developed from a tiny idea and a tiny donation. No-one is more surprised than we are, that it has run for 23 years so far and is still continuing to thrive! It is a real-life example of the Biblical parable of the mustard seed!

Amatelaz supports 30 of the very poorest children in the most poverty-stricken township area of Mutare, a small city in the mountainous east of Zimbabwe. We’ve been running since 2002 and have helped hundreds of children.

Amatelaz – building community, developing people “to give them a hope and a future”

Jeremiah 29:11  

Most of the children we support are singly or doubly orphaned and it is hard for their carers to parent them when they are desperately trying to find money for the next meal. Hope for a bright future is in very short supply.

The Amatelaz Homework Centre, based at a church in the township, opens after school hours, giving the children somewhere safe to come, to eat what might well be their first food of the day. Then they are helped by caring tutors who support their homework, helping to plug the gaps in their knowledge, which come about as a result of the physical, mental and emotional stresses of poverty, parental illness or death, and chores (such as trying to find food or water, nursing the sick, caring for younger siblings and the elderly, or even carrying water). The children are so disadvantaged.

Some of our older primary pupils

At Amatelaz we aim to bolster their daily routine, offer a safe place full of friendship, offer counsel and care, build skills and confidence and offer academic support to maximise the chance of the all-important “O level certificate!” Amatelaz also offers skills which will give the children a chance to earn money. Sewing and gardening are very popular as school uniforms can be made or mended and home-grown vegetables – the results of learning good, local farming techniques, can be eaten or sold. Drama, craft and counselling sessions are designed to build confidence and skills for navigating life successfully, both in childhood and in adulthood.

Clare with a former pupil now a teacher and mother of two

When possible, Amatelaz will help with school fees, or course fees for university, polytechnic or teacher training college. (We are always looking for sponsors who can help with any amount, small or large, just to help a bit and offer encouragement and love from far away!)

For further information please do call Clare Aston on 07910 922113

Does Amatelaz work?

Two years ago Nev and I had the joy of joining the 21st birthday celebrations of Amatelaz over in Mutare. Many of our students, now adults, returned, several from far flung places, to celebrate with us. A number are teaching, we have social workers, an architect, nurses, a milliner, a dress designer, a tailor, a pro women’s footballer, two headmasters, many farmers, a fantastic dancer with his own very successful TV troupe and many others, who are running small businesses of varying types, utilising their Amatelaz skills and confidence to stand tall and find ways to make their lives successful. We are thrilled to say that the majority are gladly helping others less fortunate than themselves, as well. So yes, we believe that what we are doing is making a huge difference to our students, but also to others, as the love and compassion ripples outwards.

Nev with a gift from our milliner

Donations (which should be marked “for AMATELAZ”) are through our mother-charity: Operation Orphan - operation-orphan.org and we are one of their “Keep a Child…” projects.

Mothers' Union

Our AGM was held on 3rd February in Church House. The meeting was chaired by Helen who opened with prayer. Reports were submitted and circulated from the Secretary (Ann) and the Treasurer (Louise). We also heard from the leaders of Baptism Support, Social Outreach and Wedding Support, the Toddlers’ Group and the Mothers’ Union garden groups. Barbara reported on the work of the MU locally and nationally. The present committee was re-elected. Various items of interest were also discussed in A.O.B. and the meeting ended in prayer.

Refreshments were served afterwards including a rather spectacular cake to celebrate the 80th birthday of member, June. This special, celebration cake, called a ‘kransekake’ was made from a Norwegian recipe by Jan Jaycock. June was also presented with two large golden balloons, an ‘8’ and an ‘0’ and some flowers.

At our meeting in Church House at 2.00 pm on 3rd March, our speaker will be Phil Watterson whose talk is called ‘Teaching and a Career in Films’. As always, we welcome any visitors.

Ann Gee

Around the local church cafes

(Otherwise an excuse for Editors and friends to visit for morning or afternoon refreshment. Or as a loyal reader, please submit your own review: of church/chapel cafes)

Kingshill Kitchen

at Kingshill Baptist Church

VENUE: Comfortable, roomy, purpose built part of ‘Cornerstone’ community building

OFFERING: Range of hot drinks/cakes/snacks/light lunch

Recommended: wide variety of focaccia, sweet canoli (yummy). Sadly no soup available when we went, but SOUPER! Wednesday soup lunch in Cornerstone Hall on the third Wednesday of the month (donations)

OPEN: 6 days a week: 8-5 Mon-Fri, 8.30-5 Sat

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Children’s books and ‘church books’ available to read

Loyalty card to earn free coffee

Café is professionally run with volunteer help

Large car park

NOTE: Cornerstone Hall is the result of a 20 year vision to provide a meeting place for the village.

The New Vicars’ Board

Vicars of Hughenden

This magnificent new board, listing the names and dates of Incumbents of St Michael & All Angels is a splendid work of art, created and provided by Charlotte Fairbairn, to whom we are so grateful and admiring of her dedication and skill.

There are a number of features that are worth noting and not to be missed. The previous single framed board had all the names of Incumbents from the first, Richard de Alesberie, described as Rector, in 1190, down to Simon Cronk, appointed in 2002. The new board commences with Keith Johnson, in 2016 and, hopefully, will be followed by our new Vicar in 2026.

There are a number of interesting points. The “Rector” of Hughenden lasted three appointments, followed by Vicars. The first Vicar, Richard de Sadington, was appointed Vicar by the Prior of Kenilworth in 1275.

The power to appoint Vicars of Hughenden has varied over the years. The system of Lay Rectors allowed for the Lay Rector for the time being to appoint but Livings were open to be purchased and some of those named on the board may have acquired authority by that means. Some names still resonate. Sir Robert Dormer Bt., may well be a distant relation of the still extant Dormer family, for instance. He was appointed in 1540. Others have less immediately obvious connections, such as the Earl of Carnarvon, appointing in 1681, Philip, Lord Stanhope, appointing in 1687 and again in 1713.

For a short time, Hughenden became a Royal Appointment, with King George III presenting in 1795 but afterwards an individual presenter became the norm for a while. Benjamin Disraeli appointed two vicars, Charles Wishaw Glubbe in 1851 and, as all parishioners know (or should know) Henry Blagden in 1869. It was Canon Blagden and his wife’s family who paid for the rebuilding of the church, completed in 1875.

Coningsby Disraeli continued the family right to appoint, starting in 1893, then in 1903, Arthur Lewis Whitfeld, whose eldest son was to be killed in World War I (details in the In Memoriam pamphlet). Coningsby Disraeli continued to appoint, three more Vicars, until 1929, when Sybil Calverley took over, appointing in 1942, the Rev S A C Dickins.

Unfortunately, the list of Incumbents becomes rather confused, as space began to run out. By the time that the Revd Peter Bullock Flint was appointed, in 1972, the power had vested in the Oxford Diocesan Board of Patronage. It has remained with that Board, in effect the Diocese of Oxford, ever since. That Board will have a representative on the panel that will select our new Vicar.

There is one other feature on that Board that is not to be overlooked. At the top is a drawing of our church, described as “Before Restoration 1873-5.” At the bottom is a drawing of the church as it stands today. How different it was before and after! It gives some visual idea of how extensive the repairs were. I have written, in previous editions, about the rebuilding and the Blagden and Seawright families.

Now we have a new Board, alongside the older one, with Keith Johnson, presented in 2016, sitting at the head. It is a beautifully crafted board, with a backdrop that can be instantly recognised from parts of the walls and floor decoration in the Altar and Choir. It blends completely with the colouring of the original Board. It is beautiful and we are extremely fortunate and grateful for this wonderful creation.

Christopher Tyrer

From the artist: Charlotte Fairbairn

I have considerable formative memories of St Michael & All Angels, being eight years old when our family arrived to live in High Wycombe. Feeling far too shy and nervous to join Sunday school for several years, I would prefer to sit through the adult services, which, although probably a bit dry for a child, nevertheless must have given me ample time to absorb the interior space of the building, from the safety of my parent sandwich* in the pews. I remember regularly studying the floor tiles between the choir stalls whilst queuing for communion blessings (was that my latent enjoyment of pattern and design, or just that I was closer to the floor!?). I remember when we were newcomers to the church, being told about the restoration, and being shown the mischievous dirty rectangle high up in a corner of the wall, left to show just what an undertaking this had been. What could be more exciting to a child? - unearthed treasure, once dulled and hidden, now shone out in all its revealed glory.

How lucky we all are to have these artistic riches freely available to view throughout the church. 

So…when Susan Brice asked me if I could consider making a new ‘Vicars’ Board’ to hang for posterity next to the beautiful existing one, I was thrilled, with both my fondness for the church and the incredible art therein, to try and imagine how this could manifest. After some discussion we agreed that the new board could pay homage to the existing artwork in the church. Not only would it be something of a tribute, but I liked the notion that when parishioners gazed at it, they might feel an instant glow of familiarity and ‘ownership’ without studying it too hard.

It was a simple idea to create the space for the text as if it were the outline of a church window. From there, it seemed a satisfying idea to layer up the decoration around it similarly to how it lies around the window on the wall opposite the organ pipes. I like the feeling that the tiles are quite dense and saturated with colour, providing an earthy base, from which the thick burgundy and the vines emerge, like a dense undergrowth - then other lighter floral layers and finally the more ethereal stratum at the top with the cosmic elements and central sun. It was important also to pay homage to the lovely original board so they could be siblings - which can be seen in the title text and overall layout. I used acrylic paint with a very high-quality colour fastness rating, which means the colours should hold well under exposure to soft light for a long time.

Dabbling in arty things has been a joy that I’ve come back to here and there since childhood. Even at school I was excited by William Morris, the Pre-Raphaelites, and by print and floral design - in short, most of what can be enjoyed in Hughenden Church - and later in life I find myself still preoccupied with that aesthetic. I’ve also gravitated towards exploring traditional crafts in recent years, such as metal hand engraving, calligraphy and signwriting. The latter is the one that has stuck, and I intend to keep at it until I can safely be hired to paint a shop front or a narrowboat name!

I feel huge gratitude to have been entrusted with this special and unusual project. It’s an honour to have been given the opportunity to make something which, in turn, is there to honour both those who give their energy and dedication in post at the church and the church community. And it was such a pleasure! Thank you, Hughenden.

Charlotte Fairbairn

 

* … the bread in the ‘sandwich’ being, of course, Nicky and Clive Fairbairn. Apart from her artistic endeavours, Charlotte is best known as a professional violinist and violist, having trained at Kings College London and Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

She plays for orchestras, shows, and with period instrument ensembles. Local to Bucks this includes leading the New Mozart Orchestra‘s educational outreach programme, operas at Garsington with the English Concert, and the Vache Baroque Festival in Chalfont St Peter. She also obviously adores being an auntie to the twin rascals Emmeline and Rosa (Eds).

Bluebells

Mike Dale

Minorities, Movement, and Us English

There is neither Greek nor Jew …

Colossians 3.11

“Foreigners” In my article last month, I reflected on what brought minorities together in my English steel producing hometown of Corby, or “Little Scotland”. In a way, we were all “foreigners”, strangers brought to that brash, continually smoking, industrial New Town in the rural, agricultural Midlands by work and housing (see pic, Note 1). Speak to other Northamptonshire people and they tended to look down on us ”Corbyites.” Over the years, I have read sensationalised accounts of what we Corby folk were like, and so the myth has spread! Indeed, Simon our vicar, some 12 years ago, was trying to make a point about Nathanael’s astonishment that Jesus was from Nazareth (see John 1.46). He searched for a modern equivalent, “It’s like Corby! Can anything good come from Corby?” Ouch: that felt like a dig at a “foreign” minority! To be fair, he was very apologetic when he realised.

English I have another minority and movement story to tell, but first, as an Englishman, can I zoom out for a moment and reflect on what it means for us to be English? We English are actually the result of many foreign influences. Like Corby, we are different from the Scots, Welsh, Irish around us. We are quite polyglot: that is born out in our names! For instance, the placename, Corby means it was a Viking settlement, “Kori’s Bei”. England had earlier been settled by Romans: that’s where those names ending in -cester and similar came from. Then came Germanic tribes, the Angles and Saxons, hence early English being called Anglo-Saxon. Spot the names ending in -ham, a variation of the German “heim”! The name England itself comes from “Angle-land”, land of the Angles! Our very names point to us being a product of foreign peoples and their influence!

French Then, I haven’t even mentioned French influence which was huge post the Norman Conquest. All those influences on our culture can be seen everywhere, perhaps most obviously in our language, which is based on Anglo-Saxon but has major input from French as well as Scandinavian and Celtic tongues. It makes English spelling and pronunciation an absolute nightmare, especially for non-native speakers!

Other influences Although we can claim to have not been invaded by armed force since 1066, we have still been influenced by many other minorities and movements from outside our islands. Take my name, Tester. An academic, a Dr Tester, who I met in Oxford in the early 1970s, said his research indicated a French connection, an anglicising of a French name, like Tessier. Certainly, the distribution of the name in early censuses shows it concentrated in London and the counties near France, Kent and Sussex. He had uncovered two possibilities for the movement across the Channel: protestant Huguenots fleeing persecution in France from the late 1600s (see Note 2), or, perhaps more likely, an outlaw fleeing French justice! Well, I know which I prefer! The Huguenots brought many skills to England and are acknowledged as having had a huge uplifting effect on the English economy. They were just one movement of a minority leaving a huge mark on England in the last 1,000 years. Whether my family was Huguenot or not, the fact remains that my ancestors were made welcome here over 200 years ago, and they worked on the Northamptonshire land, then in the boot and shoe trade, the steel industry and so on.

The Flag So, we English people are a product of the movement and the influence of many foreign peoples. Those minorities have come to us over many years in different ways. When we see the English flag, the cross of St George (Note 3), raised on lampposts, what aspect of “Englishness” are people wanting to protect against “foreign” things? I’m guessing that it is probably not the nation of our history and of my post-war New Town childhood, a nation which welcomed the stranger because it understood what people had been through and were still going through?

A Better Way! Well, maybe things were easier then, in a New Town when everything was being built from scratch? Perhaps time has added some rose tint to my specs! However, I do believe that there is a far better way, a way in which the real Cross will tower over it all and change everything! The apostle Paul wrote, not once but twice, that in Christ, “There is neither Greek nor Jew” (Col 3.11, and Gal 3.28). All can come to him, all are welcome, wherever they hail from.

And so We Christians do need to show what faith means. We need to be seen and heard above today’s rising, extremist clamour. We need to raise the cross of Jesus Christ higher, make the true Cross seen and get that better message across. It’s a message expressed in loving and caring for those less fortunate; a message spoken loudly on behalf of those who have no voice in society. So, as all come to understand the love of God and turn to Jesus, long may Paul’s words, in Colossians, be extended, “In him, there is neither English nor Scot, Welsh nor Irish, Indian nor Asian, European nor American, African nor Latin American. Christ is all and is in us all”.

“Amen to that!”

David Tester

Note 1. The eagle-eyed will have noticed that last month’s picture of a marching Highland band in a steel town was not actually taken in Corby! We can only apologise.

Note 2. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 removed protections for French protestants who were then persecuted, leading to mass flight to neighbouring countries.

Note 3. St George, if he existed, was not English either but probably a Roman soldier born in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. He is claimed as a patron saint by many countries and his red cross used on many flags.

Tower Talk

There’s been plenty going on in the tower recently, so here’s a quick round up of what we’ve been up to.

A Valentine’s Day peal attempt

On Valentine’s Day, a band of local ringers gathered for a peal attempt to celebrate the engagement of George (from Wycombe tower, though he also rings with us on most Sunday mornings) to his lovely fiancé Bianca. I say attempt quite deliberately, for the successful completion of a peal is a real feat: it must meet strict criteria for duration, complexity and quality and involves ringing 5,040 different sequences, each one unique (5,040 i.e. factorial 7, being the maximum number of permutations that is possible on seven bells).

With the bells sounding continuously for around three hours and no visual aids allowed, the level of concentration required is immense. Even a brief lapse can bring the whole performance to an abrupt end. As is the case with many peal attempts, this one didn’t quite make it to the finish line. We did, however, enjoy two hours of lovely ringing on our wonderful Hughenden bells, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to George and Bianca on their forthcoming marriage, and we remain hopeful for a successful peal at the next attempt.

A wave of new learners

On a brighter note, we’ve recently welcomed a wonderful wave of new recruits eager to learn the art of bellringing and it’s both a challenge and a delight to welcome so many enthusiastic beginners. Those who try ringing for the first time often remark that they had no idea how demanding it is.

The early stages are frequently compared to learning to drive a car: coordination, control, timing and mental agility all working together. With perseverance and commitment, we’re hopeful that many of our learners will be able to join us on Sunday mornings later in the year, thereby helping to strengthen and grow our band for the future.

Verity Nicholls

Tower Captain

The Big Church Quiz

What a fantastic evening we shared at our Big Church Quiz Night! With more than 80 people attending, the buzz of conversation and friendly competition filled the beautiful setting of Princes Risborough Golf Club. The venue was incredible in providing a warm welcome, excellent facilities and a wonderful meal for our gathering. Our sincere thanks go to the staff at the Golf Club for their hospitality and support throughout the evening — they truly helped everything run above par! 

The quiz itself was a triumph. Our brilliant Quiz Master, John Callow, was incredible and kept everyone on their toes, delivering questions that tested even the sharpest minds. From head-scratchers to “I-should-have-known-that!” moments, it was a night where quizzers had to put their knowledge to the test.

The Big Quiz Scoreboard - team identities will remain undisclosed!

Roger Grant also did an amazing job of compèring and keeping the energy levels up between rounds. 

A special appreciation goes to Frank Hawkins for organising the raffle — a highlight of the evening — and to all the generous prize donors.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without our dedicated Social & Outreach Team, whose hard work behind the scenes ensured the event was a true success.*

Finally and most importantly, thank you to everyone who came along. Your enthusiasm made the night a real winner and the atmosphere and enthusiasm were amazing! 

We’re already looking forward to the next one — start revising now!

The Social & Outreach Committee

* I think we can allow the S&O Committee to blow their own trumpet on this occasion: it was a lovely event … even though our team did not win (sad face emoji) Eds

Nature Note

Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the Lord.

Jeremiah 8:7

It’s mid-February as I write, and winter has nature in its grip, or so it seems. Look around and there are plenty of signs of the new season, the spring, that’s not too far away. Snowdrops are enjoying themselves in glades, early daffs are out, hazel, alder and birch catkins - male flowers - are preparing for action. A lot of trees rely on wind pollination for reproduction therefore it pays them to flower before leaves get in the way.

Our native bird population is added to at this time of year by flocks of visitors from northern Europe, redwings, fieldfares, occasional waxwings and hawfinches. Young birds of prey wander around looking for a mate and territory having been ‘asked’ to leave by their parents.

Nature is on the move! Just like us, maybe not us as individuals, but there’s plenty of humankind who are. Migration, the world is on the move it seems. Refugees from all over, who need safety and a place to rebuild their lives.

And before we think this is peculiar to our age, think again. From the Hebrews on the run from their Egyptian overlords, to Jesus’ parents fleeing from Herod’s brutal attempt to kill Him, not forgetting Ruth moving to Israel when her mother-in-law needed her.

And our own land absorbing Celts, Romans, Saxons, Normans, Danes centuries ago, and refugees from war, persecution and famine right up to current times.

Nature has migration built into its fabric, in fact it seems until agriculture was ‘invented’ in Egypt that we also roamed with our herds of beasts here and there.

It’s still a debating point as to the stimulus for those first fields of grain, was it to make bread or brew beer? Both use grain and yeast, so in some ways go hand in hand. Animals, birds, fish, insects of course are not farmers (ok, some ants ‘farm’ aphids and ‘milk’ them for the sugary substance they produce) and so move to where conditions are most favourable for the current season. In fact, our gardens and countryside are full of such wanderers.

As I said above, we have winter visitors here for the milder weather coupled with good food sources that make the British Isles their favourite destination. They will be replaced with summer visitors in a few weeks here for tiptop breeding conditions. Most of these birds will have travelled hundreds of miles, but some defy logic it seems when they travel thousands of miles.

The Arctic Tern holds the record for long distance migration of any bird or animal flying 44,000 to 50,000 miles annually to breed during our summer (many do so in our northern isles) and then return to the Antarctic for another summer there - in other words during our winter.

Arctic tern

They can be seen annually passing through our area (Little Marlow gravel pit, College Lake, Weston Turville Reservoir, Tring Reservoirs). Beautiful, graceful birds almost reminiscent of swallows in their flight technique.

As you can imagine they spend most of their lives on the wing. Not quite as much time as swifts who live over 95% of their time in the air, feeding, displaying, even sleeping and mating, let’s hope they use the swift boxes that our eco-group have installed around the church tower.

Hummingbirds, very small birds that hover beside flowers that they extract nectar from (they can even fly backwards to remove their long proboscis like bills from the throat of flowers) also migrate huge distances. One, the Rufous Hummingbird, breeds in Alaska and winters in Mexico a distance of 4,000 miles.

Rufous Hummingbird

We live in a stable, prosperous country by world standards, where nothing much changes, apart from technology.

But all is not as it seems, everything is changing. In the time it’s taken to write this the Atlantic has become wider, Everest taller and the Earth has slowed. All very minutely of course, but you see what I mean, everything is moving, changing, migrating.

So whilst this makes me feel slightly uneasy, I love to read from God’s word “… the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8)

When you see the first migrants turning up, hopefully before the end of March, stand with our Father and see that this beautiful creation is still good.

Michael Bevan

Bookends

The Strike Novels: Robert Galbraith

I feel I should have bookish indigestion having just read the first four Strike novels in very quick succession. However, I don’t. Instead, I feel replete, a very full, satisfied feeling as though I had just eaten an excellent meal. That surely must be the sign of some great writing.

It is quite well known that Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for JK Rowling and maybe the change of branding simply helps separate the phenomenon of Harry Potter from this highly successful series of detective novels all featuring Cormoran Strike.

Strange name isn’t it? Obviously purposely so and there are also several unusual characteristics. I feel I would quite like to sit down and describe myself a detective! Would he also be an accomplished artist I wonder? Think of Simon Serrailler in Susan Hill’s books, or maybe he would have a penchant for poetry as does Adam Dalgliesh in the books of PD James. I don’t see myself creating a very disreputable character. Ian Rankin’s John Rebus is very much a rebel with a host of personal problems. He is dour, determined and very world-weary. It shows the author’s skill I think that Rebus is still somehow very appealing. But, as for Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron’s series of books about ‘Slow Horses,’ (straying into MI5 territory here rather than straightforward detectives) well, no, I don’t think I’d be very good at conjuring up such a slovenly, crude and offensive figure. Interesting character though, no doubt about that. Alexander McCall Smith has said that he didn’t feel he could create anyone who was particularly disreputable or evil and I feel the same. Thus, I think my detective would be called Giles Becket, and he would be a competent cellist, playing deep into the night to relieve stress and solve details of difficult cases. I haven’t as yet thought about his backstory!

Anyway, back to Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike. We are presented with a military veteran who had served with the Special Investigation Branch in Afghanistan until an explosion resulted in an amputation of the lower part of one leg. Once medically discharged he set up his own private detection agency, a business which struggles for many reasons. Goodness, the author had fun working out the early part of his life. The son of a famous and rich rock star; a father Cormoran hardly knows. His deceased mother was a model and supergroupie who led an unstable and nomadic life after her brief affair. Her son’s school life was not so disrupted though that he couldn’t manage to get a place at Oxford!

In the first novel, ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling,’ we are also introduced to Robin Ellacott who enters Strikes’s life as a very temporary temp and goes on to become his business partner. You guess correctly from early on that this is going to be a slow-burn type of romance. Indeed, by the end of book 4 very little at all has happened in that direction! I find Robin a pleasing character, who, once rid of an aggravating and arrogant fiancé, shows herself to be strong and feisty and up to any task demanded by this agency, which is set in scrappy upper rooms in Denmark Street off Charing Cross Road in London.

Apart from the detective work involved in the death of a famous model, which Strike realises is murder, not an accident or suicide, thus making him unpopular with the police who dislike a private detective getting there first, the tension comes from the personal relationships of Strike and Robin. Strike is licking his wounds after the end of a long and tumultuous on-off romance with the highly volatile and manipulative Charlotte Campbell. She is beautiful and aristocratic and Strike never seems totally sure that he is over her. Robin has her own problematic backstory that affects her ability to trust any man.

The frisson between these two characters is there all the time; it is constant…and it certainly keeps you turning the pages. Satisfying reading. Start from the beginning.

Susan Brice

March Recipe

Cappuccino Loaf Cake

Coffee and walnut cake is an all-time favourite whenever we have a coffee morning or event at church and this is a slightly different modern take on it. The sponge is fine textured and coffee infused loaf with the silkiest mascarpone frosting. Also, a change for anyone who does not like or can’t eat nuts.

One small tip while I remember: I always ignored the instruction to use unsalted butter but recently found out the reason. Unsalted butter contains less water than salted butter, this is particularly important for recipes where you may be melting the butter, so not so in this case but worth remembering!

Julia Grant

Florence Nightingale Hospice Forever Flowers

Remember a Loved One This Spring with a Sunset Rose

This spring, Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity has partnered with the magnificent Waddesdon Manor to create a beautiful new Forever Flowers tribute. In April, the Rose Garden at Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury will be transformed by a stunning temporary display of 1,200 bespoke metal Sunset Roses, each symbolising the life, love and memories of someone special.

Members of the community are invited to dedicate a Sunset Rose in honour of a loved one. Those who make a dedication will also be invited to a private viewing of the installation on Monday, 27th April, while the grounds are closed to the public. The display will then be open to visitors for three weeks, before each dedicated rose is returned to its owner as a lasting keepsake.

By dedicating a Sunset Rose, you will be supporting Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity to continue providing compassionate local hospice care for patients and families across Buckinghamshire and its borders.

To dedicate a Sunset Rose, visit www.fnhospice.org.uk/foreverflowers  or call 01296 429975 for more information.