Parish Magazine

Dear Readers

During the last few days I have been particularly remembering my soldier father who was evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940, one of the lucky ones to survive. As I write, the D-Day ceremonies have just taken place, following the re-enactment of the day 80 years ago when the allied forces landed on the beaches of northern France.

We saw and heard on our television sets and radios, the first-hand accounts given by some of the few remaining survivors. What horrors they witnessed. Very moving words and prayers were spoken on that day at the services attended by kings and princes, presidents, prime ministers, leaders of churches from around the world, together with relatives of the Fallen. They emphasised that we must never forget the sacrifices made by so many so that our futures may be free.

Now, because we have that freedom and live in a democracy, we have a General Election and campaigning is in full swing. The various parties make many promises and there are TV debates where the prospective politicians tell us of their plans for how they will direct our future once they are in office. Do we believe them or are we just a little sceptical? Polling cards have been sent out and on 4th July we must use our vote and decide by whose name we will put a cross.

Following a tidy-up of our churchyard on 15th June, I’m sure churchgoers will have noticed the results of all the hard work - see the report and photos later in this edition.

Hopefully the weather will warm up a bit soon – thick jumpers and body warmers in the middle of June seem all wrong (it’s St Swithin’s Day on 15th July!) – and thoughts will turn to holidays. If you are planning a holiday there are some excellent reading recommendations in ‘Bookends’ in this edition of Outlook, so do enjoy them and return relaxed and refreshed. Even if you are not going away, a good read is always very enjoyable.

Sylvia Clark

Editor

From the Vicarage

I wonder, have you decided who you are going to vote for on 4th July? Do you even intend voting at all? Perhaps you are groaning inwardly as you read these opening words – ‘Oh no, even the Vicar is talking about the General Election now!’

Whether you find politics fascinating or frustrating and irrelevant, there is the inescapable fact that whichever party leader goes to visit King Charles III at Buckingham Palace to ask his permission to form the next government on Friday 5th July, this will impact all of our lives in the next five years.

History is full of examples of inspiring figures who left a lasting legacy whilst serving in government in our nation. There are also those whose tenure was not quite so memorable.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 says:

“First of all then I urge that … prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for Kings and all who are in high positions, so that we might lead a quiet and peaceful life in all dignity …”

Those in high positions carry a great deal of responsibility upon their shoulders and they need our prayers.

I can recall my English teacher at Secondary School in Sunningdale saying to us one day, ‘Make sure you use your vote when you reach 18’. There are many nations on earth without democracy and many others for whom voter fraud ensures that the incumbent remains in power for many years, without the nation having the opportunity to hold them to account for poor and selfish policies which benefit the few rather than the many.

Our Christian faith should be the foundation stone upon which is built all government policies.

Richard Peters inspired us recently with an excellent sermon, speaking on behalf of Christians in Politics, encouraging us to get more involved in our political system: join a political party; attend their AGM; ask pertinent questions; write to your local MP about the issues that matter to you.

In their foreword to a devotional booklet on praying for our general election, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York said the following:

“The coming General Election is a critical moment in the life of our nation, which will shape our future. This is the time for us to ask important questions about what kind of country we want to build. The world and our nation face deep challenges – from questions of war and peace, poverty and injustice to the very future of the earth God has given us.”

Wycombe Women's Aid

Our church has long supported Wycombe Women's Aid (WWA), the local arm of a nationwide charity working to end domestic violence against women and children. It began in 1978 with 10 women setting up a drop-in evening for advice and currently employs 16 workers in premises which include support rooms, a training room and office, as well as accommodating 12 families in 4 safe houses.

What is domestic abuse though?

Domestic abuse takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. It comes from the abuser’s desire for power and control. It can start so insidiously that it is not recognisable until much later. By then a relationship is established and the victim can feel trapped, especially as the abuser will often appear charming and well liked in public even with the victim’s family and friends.

This list explains some of the ways (please see website for fuller list) in which a partner can be abusive. It can help you to recognise if you, or someone you know are in an abusive relationship (NB abuse may only include some of these and there doesn’t need to be a physical element):

Psychological - isolation (restricting who you see or when), verbal (from put downs to derogatory terms, threats or bargaining) disrespect, harassment (reading your phone, checking up on you) breaking trust (lying to you, jealousy), pressure tactics (sulking, threatening to self-harm unless you agree to demands).

Financial - controlling your finances and dictating how much you spend.

Physical - pushing and shoving, slapping, pulling hair, biting or worse. Breaking or threatening to harm your belongings.

Sexual - using force, intimidation or pressure of any sort.

Denial - saying the abuse doesn’t happen, saying you caused the abusive behaviour, being publicly gentle and patient, crying and begging for forgiveness, promising it will never happen again.

Abuse of any kind is never okay and is never your fault.

Who does it affect?

Statistics indicate 1 in 4 women are affected. Sadly, that is 1 in 4 within the church too, surprisingly. So, it touches all our lives in some way.

It affects anyone in all walks of life: someone in the local Women’s Survivors’ Group was a magistrate.

What does Wycombe Women’s Aid do?

In the past three years, Wycombe Women’s Aid has directly supported over 3,000 women, 350 children and 150 young people to be able to leave behind the danger and trauma and establish safe and healthy lives.

It does this by offering advice, support, counselling, women’s groups, legal advice, the Freedom Programme amongst other courses, family groups, advocacy, young people’s services, refuges, liaison with social services and the police. It also offers training to any group or organisation, from hairdressers to mental health teams.

The amazing thing is it is all free! You will never be on your own. You will have someone in your corner who completely understands and cares.

What can we do?

Secrecy is key to abuse thriving. Abuse happens behind closed doors, always hidden. WE are the key to stopping it by bringing it out of hiding and into the light. So:

• We can be observant and notice any changes in those we care for.

• We can engage in talking openly about these things with our children, our families and friends, colleagues and in our church groups.

• We can look up resources, book free training for groups we are involved in.

• We can support our local WWA, there is always a donation list on their website (see box) and other ways to get involved.

Questions?

If you have any doubts or questions, please talk in confidence to someone whom you trust, whether a friend, family member, a colleague, church member/leader, GP or health professional, or an independent person at WWA or one of the other domestic abuse charities (all have helplines). It always is in confidence, in safe hands, and you never need worry about repercussions or that it will be taken further without permission: ultimately you are always in control.

WWA contact details:

www.wycombewomensaid.org.uk

01494 461367

 

 

Personal note

To end on a personal note, from a church member, “For me, I couldn’t see a way out, freedom seemed impossible. I was also too ashamed, and it had gone on far too long covered up by me trying to hold it all together. But then as things escalated, I realised I needed to tell someone and the only way I could do so was by writing it down, listing the things which had, and were, happening, ending with these words:

Back to Psalm 32, we need to be a ‘hiding place’ for each other. Thankfully we also have a safe local hiding place in Wycombe Women’s Aid.

Mission Support Group

St Peter’s Church, Heysham

At the beginning of June I visited a part of England I had never been to before, the northwest coast of Lancashire. Everyone has heard of Morecambe, (and the famous ‘Eric's statue’), but perhaps Heysham to the south is less well-known.

Known best for its port taking passengers to the Isle of Man and the ‘TT’ races, Heysham itself is a village/small town. It has several things to boast about - a very quaint collection of lanes with beautiful old buildings, pubs and restaurants, all leading down to a lovely unspoilt beach.  But perhaps the jewel in the crown is the parish church of St. Peter.

The church, as seen now, dates back to the eighth century, but the original was possibly Celtic and dating from the 6th century.  Its position is amazing and breathtaking, the graveyard at the back nearly reaches the sea and is well cared for.

When I visited, I was welcomed by a lovely gentleman (he reminded me of Arthur).  He was the verger, churchwarden and had just finished ringing the bells.  Inside, like our church of St Michael & All Angels, the church has that old, but very well used feel.  One could feel the presence of all the worshippers of twelve centuries past. This lovely man tells me that they have well-attended services every Sunday which are traditional, but there's also another church nearby which is a little more modern. The write up on their website is delightful. "We do worship in a manner that is congruent with our space, we are contemplative, we listen to the scriptures. We are joyful, we express our praise to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with hymns and spiritual songs".

If you are in the area, please visit this lovely House of God and feel His presence, admire the ancient artifacts and the beautiful views. It is SO worth a visit. 

Sue Devereux

Our Branch Takes the Trophy!

Do you remember the ‘Leap Year Sponsored Ringing Event’ that we took part in during the week 24 February to 3 March? (see the April issue of Outlook). And if so, do you recall it being mentioned that there was a shield that would be presented to the branch raising the greatest amount per head of membership? Well, I’m absolutely delighted to inform everyone that we won it! Your generous sponsorship in support of the bellringers, meant that the East Berks and South Bucks (EBSB) branch raised the most sponsorship per head.

To endorse our success even further, it was Hughenden, along with Wycombe, who contributed the most significant part of that money raised within the EBSB, and therefore it is Hughenden and Wycombe that get to hold the shield until the next leap year. Given that there are 15 Branches and over 400 ring-able towers in the ODG, that’s no mean feat!

Here’s a picture of the trophy, now in our bell tower, awarded in acknowledgement of our achievements in raising money for the Oxford Bell Fund, the very worthy cause, being providers of grants towards the repair, maintenance and restoration of church bells throughout the Diocese, and something that we may benefit from if we ever need it in the future.

Verity Nicholls

Tower Captain

Mothers’ Union

Working at Great Ormond Street Hospital

A large group of members were treated to a very interesting and moving talk given by Dr Dorothy Moore-Brooks. Dorothy, a member of the 11.00 am service at St Michael & All Angels, is the Lead Chaplain at Great Ormond St. Hospital (GOSH). She gave us a brief history of the foundation of GOSH including the part J.M.Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, played in supporting the hospital.

Barrie explained that ‘At one time Peter Pan was an invalid in the Hospital … and it was he who put me up to the little thing I did”. His ‘little thing’ was to donate all the rights from Peter Pan to GOSH, thus enabling them to buy additional land and build a much-needed new wing. James Barrie requested that the amount raised from the royalties of Peter Pan should never be revealed and to this day his wish has been honoured. Royalties continue to be received from performances of the play, books, merchandise, etc.

The aims of the chaplaincy are to be child centred, child friendly and childlike in their approach thus allowing the children to have a voice and lead the way in any meeting. This enables the chaplains to give support to children and their traumatised families by listening and talking with compassion at all times.

Dorothy related the occasion on which she was asked to conduct the wedding of a young couple whose baby boy’s life expectancy was very short. They dearly wanted to be married in the presence of their son and so this was arranged. Dorothy showed us some lovely photographs of the occasion. She told us of another time when one baby in a set of twins was too sick to survive. The parents, although secular, after talking with Dorothy, asked if their babies could both be baptised as this was the only thing they would be able to do together.

 The chaplaincy team is multi-faith. Within the hospital there is the beautiful St Christopher’s Chapel, designed for children, a room for those of Muslim faith, a room for those of the Jewish faith and a playroom for children who are mobile. GSOH is a very busy place treating 750 seriously ill children, many with multiple conditions and complex complications, every year. Each day 333 operations are performed.

The work of a chaplain is emotionally draining but very rewarding. We were privileged to hear of Dorothy’s life and came away with a great respect for the work done by her and her team.

Ann Gee

 

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Thursday 13th July was an important date in the calendar for Tiny Tots @ St Michael’s, as the annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic was going to take place in the Mothers’ Union Garden. Would it rain? Would we have to move inside? The weather forecast was anxiously consulted but fortunately was accurate in predicting that the rain would only arrive later in the afternoon.

The garden was transformed in the morning, as brightly coloured bunting and balloons were hung from trees and walls. Rugs were spread out on the grass and the first teddies took their places.

At midday the toddlers and their families began to arrive, together with a variety of teddies and other soft toys. Winnie the Pooh, a polar bear, a panda, a pink dolphin and a shark were just some of the much-loved cuddlies to join the party.

The ladies of the Mothers’ Union began to bring trays of delicious food outside. Sandwiches to suit every taste, sausages and sausage rolls, cheese scones, crisps, tomatoes and cucumber were soon piled on plates and happily eaten. Wisely kept until the savoury items had been served, the sweet treats then appeared: little fairy cakes, chocolate cornflake cakes and other goodies, as well as plates of grapes, satsumas and strawberries.

Once lunch had been eaten it was time for our usual Tiny Tots service, led by Jane. Nicky played the flute to lead our singing, and Keith told a story. (Keith had had the date in his diary for months, as he didn’t want to miss the occasion!) Thank you, Keith.

A huge thank you goes to the Mothers’ Union for all their hard work in organising this event for our toddler group and providing such a magnificent spread once again. It was very much appreciated by everyone who attended.

Charlotte Tester

Nature Quest

Sacré Bleu! say the French, or at least they used to do. An exclamation, not quite swearing, literally Sacred Blue, meaning the holy blue sky or heavens. I come to that because we have a penstemon plant in our garden, called Heavenly Blue. We don’t remember where it came from, but it grew vigorously this Spring, and is amazing us with a profusion of beautiful blue flowers tinged with pink.

Not only is this plant beautiful to us, it is evidently very attractive to bees. Perhaps not surprising, because bees generally like blue and violet flowers: their eyes are sensitive to the colours at this end of the spectrum and even beyond into the ultraviolet. (Don’t ask me how they discovered that!). It’s even suggested that beekeepers use white clothing because bees are unattracted to it.

Less than 10% of flowers are blue and almost no plants have blue leaves. Have you seen bright blue fruit? Unlikely. Years ago I did a project on rainbows and a kind friend created a big tray of fruit for me in a rainbow shape with all seven colours. No problem with red strawberries, orange tangerines, yellow Mirabelle plums, green kiwi, dark blue or indigo blueberries, violet/purple grapes, but no bright blue fruit at all.

Likewise there are few blue animals. Yes there are blue whales, bluetits, common blue butterfly, American bluejays, and quite a lot with patches of blue like kingfisher and peacock, but overall there are relatively few and a lot are rather dull blue. When it comes to furry animals they tend to be bluish grey. Maybe blue would be difficult to camouflage. A bright blue mouse wouldn’t last long and a bright blue lion would surely go hungry. But there are a few that like to stand out from the crowd, like the blue poison dart frogs: “Don’t eat me or you’ll regret it!”.

There are few blue pigments on plants or animals and some of the blue colours such as blue butterflies happen because of the reflections from tiny scales rather than the colour of the material itself.

Did you see the green alkanet plants in the churchyard, mentioned in last month’s Outlook? Lots of green foliage, but the little flowers are a stunning bright blue. Speaking of little blue flowers, I’ve been noticing speedwells this Spring. I had thought all speedwells were the same: just small insignificant little weeds, but actually they are quite pretty. And to complicate things, they are not all the same! I happened to notice two patches side by side. The one had four good blue petals to each flower. The other had one completely white petal, and the other three were paler and only streaked with blue. A freak, I thought, but not so. They were probably bird's eye speedwell and green field speedwell. And I say probably, because there are a dozen fairly common speedwells and another dozen rarer ones in UK. Birds eye speedwell is also called germander speedwell: it is not native to UK but was introduced in the 1800’s and is now the commonest speedwell.

There are few blue rocks: Blue John, sapphire, lapis lazuli are all rare and expensive. Slate can be blue-ish but not really blue. If you find a blue stone on the beach, it’s probably a bit of broken blue glass!

On a larger scale, some stars are blue. They are the hottest of stars, but relatively few: maybe one in a thousand.

Perhaps it’s the rarity of blue things that appeals to us. Royal blue was expensive and only afforded by the rich royals. Jesus’ mother, Mary, is often portrayed in blue, to honour her. And the vast expanse of the sky is blue: no wonder the ancients believed that’s where God lives. Sacré Bleu!

Mike Hill

nature@​hughenden​parish​church.org.uk

Chiltern Arts Festival 2024

As promised, this is the second part of a report and summary of the highly successful 2024 seventh Chiltern Arts Festival. At the time of writing, last month, we were mid-way through the week-long Festival, the deadline for submitting articles intervening on the 15th day of the month.

St Dunstan’s Church, Monks Risborough hosted a concert by the Carducci String Quartet, who performed movements of Shostakovich’s remarkable String Quartets with readings of extracts of his letters, read by Anton Lesser of Endeavour and Morse fame. The backdrop was that period of time in the former Soviet Union, when Stalin was in charge and Shostakovich was obliged to tread a very fine line between acceptability and political disapproval and being ostracised. How he succeeded, sometimes with considerable difficulty, was the theme of this excellent concert. The music was accompanied by explanations of the political climate at the time that the pieces were composed, together with extracts from Shostakovich’s private correspondence, in which he explained the line that he took and included his dealings, directly and indirectly, with Stalin himself.

The Festival has been privileged to be allowed to perform in our own church, St Michael & All Angels for, now, seven successive years. The organisers are deeply grateful for this generous privilege and look forward to our now annual visits. This time there were two events, one on the afternoon in Church House and the other in church in the early evening.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a Poetry Workshop and Spoken Word Performance by Cathi Rae, an academic, working towards her PHD. Her debut collection of poetry ‘Your Cleaner Hates You’, contains a mixture of dark and light, humour and pain, anger and love. Working in pairs, we learned how to share experiences, listen to the life stories of others and express them in poetry and prose. My poem, in last month’s issue, entitled “Dementia” was one of the products of the afternoon. Cathi then shared her own poetry over tea and biscuits. Initially dubious about attending this event, Jane and I were enthralled.

The theme of the evening concert attended by some of our congregation and locals, as well as the festival audience who travel around to every concert was “The Year of Czech Music”, focussing upon Dvorak, Janacek and Haas. Performed by the Alinde Wind Quintet, who had flown in from Prague that morning and were going on to the Newbury Festival to perform the next day before returning to Prague again, the concert featured both original works for wind quintet and arrangements of well-known pieces including Dvorak’s American Quartet. An added attraction was the provision of traditional Czech snacks to accompany the bar at the interval.

The concluding concert was at All Saints, Marlow. I Fagiolini performed 17th century Italian choral masterpieces. Some works were better known: Salve O Regina and Adoramus Te by Montiverdi are examples. Some – and the principal part of the concert – were being heard for the first time. The composer Orazio Benevoli has been almost forgotten.

Robert Hollingworth, the Director of I Fagolini, has made a study of Benevoli and his long forgotten choral masterpieces. Benevoli was brought up in Rome at the time that Michelangelo’s immense basilica at St Peter’s was nearing completion. He then left for Vienna, before returning to Rome to become maestro of the Julian Choir at St Peter’s. Benevoli perfected the art of composing for three and four choirs, placed strategically around the basilica, one choir group being sited at each of the main pillars, as the parts dictated.

During the concert, spread apart by other compositions, we heard the whole of the Missa Benevola written for four choirs, which were placed at the four corners of All Saints. It was mesmeric: a musical experience that stunned the packed church and was deeply enjoyed and appreciated. This and other works by this composer have now been recorded, successfully managing the three and four choir divisions and bringing new experiences of medieval classics back into the appreciation of new audiences. It was a wonderful finale to this year’s Festival.

Planning has begun for the 2025, eighth Festival. It will take a great deal to live up to the excellence of the seventh. Next year, it will include the new outreach programme Listen UP and Listen IN. Listen UP will offer free access to concerts for young people aged between 9 -14. Delivered through participating schools, we expect to see groups of young people attending rehearsals and concerts next year. Listen IN will be a free online resource offering ways to learn about the artists, composers and music being performed at the Festival. We look forward to engaging with a new generation of appreciative listeners.

Christopher Tyrer

Church-Crawling Again

St Mary Magdalene, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

We were visiting an art exhibition, put on by a neighbour and her friend and colleague, when we decided to visit the parish church. We were so pleased that we did so, as we were met by a former churchwarden, who was a mine of information and generously spent a great deal of his time explaining to us the history and features of the church, to which he was obviously devoted.

The history of St Mary Magdalene in some ways mirrors the history of St Michael & All Angels. There has been a church on the current site for over 800 years – not as long as St Michael’s but, like St Michael’s, subjected to alterations every century since. About the time that Canon Blagden and the Searight family were altering and virtually rebuilding St Michael’s, in and around 1875, so the Rector of Bladon and Woodstock, the Revd Arthur Majendie, set about major reconstruction there in 1876. The Woodstock church, as it presents today, is much the same as after the Majendie changes, just as our own church today is much the same as when the Blagden and Searight families left it.

Woodstock, meaning ‘a place in the woods’, has a history going back over a thousand years. Ethelred the Unready (978-1016) held a Council there; the Doomsday Book records the area as a place reserved for the King to hunt in. Henry I (1100-35) built a manor house and stocked it with tigers and lions; Henry II (1154-1189) came both to hunt and to visit his mistress, Rosamund Pike who was buried in Godstow nunnery, whose ruins are opposite the Trout Inn at Godstow.

In the 17th century, Bishop John Fell lived in the Bishop’s House on the back lane before handing it over to the Rector of Bladon and Woodstock who had previously lived at Bladon. At the time of writing, the benefice is in Interregnum, the Rector having left to become Rector of Nice in the south of France. It had to be something pretty spectacular to draw him way.

We were amused at the information imparted to us about the last reordering, carried out in 2017. Realisation dawned on the church’s PCC in 2012 that serous work was required: heating, lighting, the electrics and the pews were in need of major work and some reordering was called for. The decision to remove the pews and replace them with comfortable and tasteful upright chairs, with arms, was a predictably contentious decision but, once made, was and is a physical and aesthetic improvement. But it was the altar screen that caused the major debate. English Heritage objected to it being re-sited on the chancel wall, insisting that it was of major ecclesiastical significance. The churchwardens called in Sotheby’s who informed the debate that the screen was, in fact, made up of two parts of a Jacobean bed-head and, in consequence, of no ecclesiastical significance, let alone provenance. The two parts now adorn the chancel wall.

The stained glass of a church is always fascinating, even though so much of it is Victorian. The Altar window (pictured and the west window pictured) are particularly fine. Others include a window celebrating the Jubilee of Queen Victoria and a window in the Lady Chapel, poignantly in memory of an undergraduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, who drowned whilst skating on Blenheim Lake.

Woodstock is, of course, closely connected with Blenheim Palace. Henry II and Thomas Becket walked the grounds and town; Edward, the Black Prince, was born and grew up there and Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned there. There is a rich history of royal connections. Another, less regal, historical note concerns the font: it is 600 years old and is lead lined. It has been there, in its place for the whole of that time, less about 100 years, when it was used as a flower arrangement and container in a local garden. Our own font found itself cast aside during the 1875 restoration, until someone realised its significance and put it back in place. It is also of note that the west door has outer glass automatic doors, from the last restoration. I asked how much they had cost. The reply was “you don’t want to know but a lot …”

The patronage of St Mary Magdalene was given by Queen Anne to the first Duke of Marlborough in 1764. Before that the responsibility for the appointment of the Rector lay with the Crown. Successive Dukes of Marlborough have exercised their rights of patronage since, which continue to this day.

This was delightful visit to an open and hospitable church, which was made all the more memorable by the kindness of the former churchwarden. The guidebook offers a prayer: “May the peace of the Lord be always with you” to which we can gladly respond “and also with you.”

Christopher Tyrer

The Lord Is Good

What a statement! Hunger and thirst, two of the primary appetites that keep us alive and well. Jesus, of course, was grabbing the attention of His followers by shocking them, turning their thinking upside down, giving the answer to His own beatitude ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled’.

Which brings me to what’s on your dinner plate.

Have you ever thought how closely life and death are meshed together? Whatever label you put on yourself, vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, carnivore, maybe you’re not bothered one way or the other, and unless you eat rocks and drink pure water then something has to die to allow you to live. That, of course, is true for all nature except maybe for some mosses or algae that can exist autonomously.

I think all this as I lean on a gate, one of a small group of St Michael & All Angels nature devotees enjoying a dawn chorus at 4.00 one recent weekend. Stop thinking, tune in. The wash of bird song is a physical sensation. Yes, you know the various singers by name, that’s not the point; enjoy the rhythm of life all around you, the joy of being alive at the start of another day. I can imagine the Lord tapping his baton for attention, pointing to various avian singers inviting them to join the growing chorus.

And yet that cackling magpie won’t think twice about helping himself to whatever is in the song thrush’s nest, that one there that’s leading the line with a virtuoso performance. With red kites and buzzards joining in from somewhere overhead keeping an eye open for an early breakfast.

Yet still the Lord brings it all together in a glorious crescendo (on daily repeat). Fabulous!

The competition for food is absent from our dinner plates but well known to all gardeners! Yes, there’s a definite sense of satisfaction in chewing your own successfully raised veg.You’ve kept the slugs, beetles and pigeons at bay. All those creatures must view us allotmenteers as a team of chefs running a freebie restaurant for them; if you listen closely then maybe, yes you can hear their tummies rumbling. A strange compliment really I guess. I reckon our plot gets a top review in the Pests Michelin Guide.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy what’s on your plate, with Jesus, the Bread of Life, sitting beside you. Bon appetit!

Michael Bevan

Holy Day in July

6th July - Thomas More, Reformation martyr

These days, lawyers and politicians are held in the lowest esteem by the public, along with tabloid journalists and estate agents. St Thomas More was both a lawyer and politician, who is today much admired for holding steadfastly to his faith-based principles. He lived in dangerous times, when anyone, even queens, who displeased King Henry VIII could find themselves in a condemned cell in The Tower of London.

Sir Thomas More held the office of Lord High Chancellor and at one time was the king’s most trusted adviser. But when King Henry took personal control of the Church in England in order to divorce his first wife, More courageously opposed him. 

Thomas More was a social philosopher and the author of ‘Utopia’. This book described an imaginary republic governed by an educated elite who employed reason rather than self-interest for the general good of everyone. He was himself one of the pre-eminent scholars of his age. As a Christian theologian he supported orthodox doctrine, vigorously opposed heresy and argued strongly against the new Protestant ideas taking hold in Europe. Although holding the highest political and legal office he was far from being a pragmatic politician and opportunist lawyer. In every matter he was a man who held firmly to what he believed was right in God’s eyes.

When Thomas More fell from favour with the king, as a result of his unflinching views, he was falsely accused of taking bribes. When this charge failed, his enemies accused him of supporting a celebrated seer of the times who was strongly critical of the king. This too failed. He was then required to swear to the Oath of Supremacy, acknowledging Henry’s position as head of the Church of England. This he could not do in conscience. He was put on trial and condemned to be hung, drawn and quartered for his treason, a punishment later changed to beheading. He died in 1535 and on the scaffold his final words were ‘I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.’ He has been officially declared a martyr saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

From The Parish Pump

Hughenden Valley Climate Group

The Hughenden Valley Climate Group grows ever more popular and our membership is now up to nearly 100. Whilst our core group, who meet on a monthly basis, is small, it seems that the good folk of Hughenden are always ready to pitch in when we need them.

By way of an update:

The recent combined litterpick with Speen Environment Group, as part of the Great British Spring Clean in March was a great success with some 17 bags of rubbish collected from around the village plus some larger pieces of debris including various car body parts and a wheelie bin in a ditch off Coombe Lane!

May saw the return of our annual seedling swap following on from the seed swap held in March outside of the Village Community Shop. These events are always based on goodwill and sharing: no money changes hands and there is no expectation to bring anything along to exchange. The gardening season continues with many residents leaving spare plants, cuttings and dividings outside their houses - here’s to more of the same and do please consider advertising what you have on Facebook if you can.

The wildflower site opposite the Harrow continues to thrive with a number of plants coming through and patches of Yellow Rattle that have self-seeded from the previous year. The site has been divided into quadrants to try out a range of techniques and that closest to the T-junction and which was sown with both Yellow Rattle and perennial wildflowers in Autumn 2022, is looking particularly promising with a range of plants such as Yarrow, Wild Carrot and Cranesbill Geraniums coming through. We intend to mow paths through the site to allow access to the bench and keep the area free for residents to wander.

The Climate Group has put forward a proposal to Hughenden Parish Council to allow us to build a ‘Bug Hotel’ on the site to increase the insect population by allowing them to thrive over Autumn and Winter. Watch this space…

If you are interested in joining our small but perfectly formed group, do drop us a line at hvclimategroup@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Julia Grant

The Rotary Club of Princes Risborough

The 1st of July is the beginning of the Rotary year, meaning that I stand down and we have a new President, this being his second time in the role, after a 6 year break. The past 12 months have been very busy. As an example, locally we have supported: a number of local schools with a sensory garden, books and play equipment etc; We supported Bucks Young Carers; We had 1,300+ children at our annual Art Competition; 6 Farmers’ Markets and much, much more. Further afield, for Ukraine, we have supported a large number of refugees, and provided refurbished ambulances and generators. We also sent shelters to Turkey following the earthquake and have been part of the successful Rotary International campaign to eradicate Polio worldwide. We ran a successful Race Night and our most challenging project was our “Risborough Rotary Ramble” in aid of Scannappeal (providing state of the art medical equipment for hospitals in Bucks).

Over the past few years we have managed to raise annually an average of over £33,000, all of which we have donated primarily to local charities and organisations. To raise such amounts requires considerable effort by our members - luckily we have welcomed a number of new ones over the past months – but we would be delighted to welcome more, we’re looking for both men and women to help us make a difference. Despite our fund raising efforts, the core Club activities are socially based, with our regular evening meetings at the Whiteleaf Golf Club, we remain a fun, friendly Club and our upcoming speakers include talks on “Myths and Legends” on 8th July and “The Race to the South pole” on the 15th. If you would like to join us and help us contribute locally and internationally, visit our website and consider coming to one of our meetings to see if it might interest you. Also, if you know of causes that would benefit from our support, or you would like to donate to our Charity Account, please use the contact details below.

You can contact us at: rcpr.org.uk or call the Club President, Graeme Card on 07827 298411 or email: gpcard@gmail.com

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity has invested in a new electric van for its retail operation. The Charity’s 13 shops provide much-needed income for the Hospice and the electric van will move donations from the public around their shops in Buckinghamshire. The van demonstrates the Charity’s commitment to operating responsibly, supporting sustainable shopping though zero emissions. Funding for the van was provided by Angels Den, Fairhive, Perrys, Travis Perkins and West Herts Charity Trust.

 Head of Retail, Lily Caswell explains “One of the ways we plan to meet the growing need for hospice care is to keep increasing the income we raise in our shops. We are growing our shop numbers - we now have 13 shops from Buckingham to Beaconsfield and plan to open more.

 “We rely on our retail van to transfer stock between our shops and make the best use of the donations we are given. Our van covers an amazing 16,000 miles a year and moves tonnes of clothing, accessories, books and toys to keep our shops full of amazing product for our customers to buy.”

Charity shopping is becoming more popular and it’s also a more sustainable way for to live, with its emphasis on recycling. Donors donate goods that they no longer need to charity shops, and shoppers buy them, in increasing numbers as income from retail is at a record high for the Charity. Donating unwanted clothes, books, toys, household goods is an invaluable way to support the Charity. All proceeds are invested into hospice care, providing end of life support to people in their homes and at the Hospice in Stoke Mandeville.

Louise Ashworth

Senior Marketing & Communications Manager

www.fnhospice.org.uk

Chance Encounters

When arriving in the church car park on my way to water the church flowers recently, I was approached by a young man wearing a high-viz tabard and holding a phone. He told me he had come to read the meters (3) but could not find anyone to show him where they were. Luckily Lynn, our Parish Administrator, appeared, coming from Church House. I walked up the path with the ‘meter man’ and he asked if this was a Christian church. When I confirmed that it was, he said ‘I am a Christian’.

I handed him over to Lynn to sort out the meters and later, as I was walking down the path, I asked him which church he went to. However, he said it was ‘at home’ which turned out to be in Romania. He commented that his church was Orthodox but we were all the same with the same God. As he started to walk away, he turned back and said he would like to bring his family to church at St Michael & All Angels I told him that they would all be very welcome and we would love to see them.

Unfortunately, I didn’t ask his name, but if you see a nice-looking young man with his family who seems new to our church, please do welcome them.

Sylvia Clark

While helping to prepare for the annual Tiny Tots picnic hosted by the MU, I met a gentleman testing the water in the well outside church house.

I had always thought the water was tested annually for potability, and perhaps it also is, but this was different. This was a test which is carried out every few months by Affinity Water, whose responsibility covers the Hughenden stream and six or so wells that are fed by it in the Valley.

The gadget that he was using to test - not the water's purity - but its level and pressure, was rather like a plumb line and from dipping this into the well and also taking an atmospheric pressure reading, then feeding the results into a laptop (of course), the water company could keep the stream's pressure and level under review.

I foolishly did not ask why this was done. Perhaps one of our water specialist readers will be able to enlighten us?

Jane Tyrer

Bookends

The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho - Pip Williams

Little Clarendon Street in Oxford. If you are of a certain age this address might immediately bring to mind Laura Ashley! In the 1980s I would regularly walk along St Giles, out of the main shopping centre, to visit my favourite shop. It was a time of crowded communal changing rooms where you made sure you were standing on the strap of your handbag, or you left it outside with your boyfriend, fiancé, husband who would look awkward and long suffering. I seem to remember Clothkits was there as well for a time which was useful.

Anyway, it was only considerably later that I knew this area as Jericho and understood that the OUP (Oxford University Press) and the Clarendon Institute were just around the corner, as was the canal. So, when I saw a book in Waterstones called ‘The Bookbinder of Jericho’ I knew this would be the Oxford Jericho and not the biblical one and dear reader, obviously I bought it. I had never heard of the author Pip Williams but no matter, always good to read someone new.

And, indeed, what a joy it has been. I have loved both books, such good reading. Best to read them in the right order (which I didn’t) so start with ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’.

We are in the late 1800s and move through the first part of the 20th century, covering women’s suffrage and the First World War. The story is grounded firmly in the streets of Jericho and is written using the production of the first Oxford English Dictionary as its historical framework. Which words should be included and which should be left out? Who decides, using what criteria? How do you agree on the definition of a particular word? Do men and women use words differently? Inevitably it is almost entirely men who answer these questions and are the contributors and editors of this enormous undertaking.

Esme grows up among words as her father works on the first edition of the dictionary. She collects slips of paper that are lost, misplaced or discarded. They are the keepers of words, ones that are unwanted or not deemed suitable for this auspicious book. Esme also becomes known in the town as someone who is interested in words, and as she visits the stalls in the covered market she realises there is a vernacular used there of which she has been totally unaware.

The 1914-1918 war and the fight for women’s suffrage impinge heavily on Esme’s quiet, academic life and this gives depth and life to the story as does the ever-present friction in Oxford between ‘town and gown.’

A suffragette friend of Esme’s called Tilda makes the jump from this book to the second: ‘The Bookbinder of Jericho.’ I like it when a familiar character reappears in another book, particularly when it is not really a sequel. It’s a little like meeting a friend unexpectedly.

This subsequent story by Pip Williams was prompted by the discovery of archival information about the women who worked in the bindery (the bookbindery) of the OUP during the early years of the 20th century. They are basically erased from the history of the OUP and this makes for a very unusual story. Women were skilled workers who folded and sewed the components of a book together until the incomplete product went to the men’s room where the cover would be added and a finished book produced. The meticulous work done in the women’s room was covered up, hidden, never seen; a little like the women themselves.

Peggy and her twin sister Maude live on a houseboat on the canal in Jericho. They have both worked in the bindery since leaving school at a young age. They have been alone for several years since their mother died and are gently ‘kept an eye on’ by their comfortable, helpful, boating neighbours. Peggy has always yearned for an education and looks lovingly at the arched entrance of Somerville College as they make their way to work. It seems impossible to move from one side of Walton Street to the other. Many things have held her back, including the need to earn some money but mostly it is her deep loyalty and love for her sister Maude. Maude, who looks identical to Peggy but is different. Maude, for whom Peggy feels responsible.

And then history steps in and the world is at war. Maybe post 1918 the world will look at women differently? Maybe.

I have enjoyed these two books enormously and will read them again at some point. I will also take the pleasant half-hour train ride from Wycombe to Oxford and devise a literary walk for myself around Jericho. I might even take a nostalgic wander around Little Clarendon Street.

I have also written about ‘A Far Cry From Kensington’ by Muriel Spark, ‘The Gardener’ by Salley Vickers and ‘The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton’ by Anstey Harris (a really nice read). All in: beyondthe airingcupboard.co.uk. Do have a look.

Happy holiday reading,

Susan Brice

July Recipe

Plum & Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Cream

I apologise as this is another fruit and sponge cake/pudding. Apparently one of the biggest food waste products is fruit, which is really sad when it is so expensive. I love almost all fruits but I am sure like many of us, I see a punnet of strawberries, plums, grapes etc. and buy too many for us. So I try to use up whatever I have and this week it was plums. I often poach them in amaretto (delicious) or do pears poached in Masala wine.

This recipe was in the Waitrose magazine and I always like recipes that have olive oil and yoghurt; for some reason they sound healthier but probably not! It would be an easy recipe to make dairy free as the yoghurt could be replaced by non-dairy yoghurt or even aquafaba (chickpea juice) although I have not tried this yet. The olive oil you use is crucial as will really affect the taste and Extra Virgin is the ideal.

Julia Grant

From the Potting Shed

Here we are in the middle of summer, high summer my mum would have called it. It’s a time of voluptuous growth and greenness but also of the possibility of thunderstorms which can flatten everything in a few minutes.

I’ve had rather a difficult time with my garden this year as it’s made me both cross and sad, two emotions which do not figure when people are talking of the therapeutic benefits of gardening. Slugs are my problem, as simple as that. There’s lots of water where I am, so plenty of damp, shady areas, perfect for the slug community. I love hostas and when I buy bedding plants I always want some trailing petunias. I love the colours as they remind me of a 1950s summer dress. Anyway, that apart, slugs love them too, so it is a disaster, hence the crossness and the sadness.

I’ve written in my gardening journal about what has happened, so that I remind myself to do things differently next year. Gardeners World offers me a list of 20 plants that slugs will avoid, so surely that should be enough. The petunias will just have to be a memory.

On a happier note, I’ve been showing Ruby how to make daisy chains. She concentrates and is doing well…. until, that is, little Seth appears, swipes the daisies and breaks the chain. Well, yes, not quite so happy then I will admit. Time for a cup of tea I think.

All for now my dears, and yes, I do know slugs are all part of God’s creation.

Yours

Cecily MacGregor