LODDON VALLEY LINK

November 2006

The Parish Newsletter

No . 39 0
 SUNDAY SERVICES FOR NOVEMBER 2006
Sunday 5th NOVEMBER 4th before ADVENT
10.00am Holy Communion St Leonard’s, Sherfield
10.00am Short Family Service St Mary’s , Stratfield Saye *
4.00pm Evensong & Communion St Mary’s, Hartley Wespall

Sunday 12th NOVEMBER R EMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

10.00am Remembrance Family Service St Mary Hartley Wespall

10.45 am Service of Remembrance War Memorial, Sherfield
- with Sunday Club in the Liddel Hall at 10.30am - details on page 14
10.45 am Remembrance Parade St Mary’s , Stratfield Saye *

Sunday 19th NOVEMBER 2 n d before ADVENT

10.00am Family Communion St Leonard’s, Sherfield

4.00pm Evensong St Mary’s , Hartley Wespall

Sunday 26th NOVEMBER Chris t the KING

8.00am Holy Communion (BCP) St Mary’s , Hartley Wes pall
10.00am Family TOY SERVICE St Leonard’s , Sherfield
…for details see page 10
11.15am Holy Communion St Mary’s , Stratfield Saye*
Wednes day 4.00pm Toddlers Time
29th at St Leonard’s Sherfield - details on page 10

Sunday 3r d DEC EMBER ADVENT SUNDAY

10.00am Holy Communion St Leonard’s, Sherfield

10.00am Short Family Service St Mary’s , Stratfield Saye *
4.00pm Evens ong & Communion St Mary’s, Hartley Wespall
____________ _____ _________ _____ _

[* Drive up close to the white gates, which will open automatically]

( BCP= Book of Common Prayer )
1
 ISLAM
The Pope gave a lecture in mid-September quoting the 14th Century
Chris tian Emperor Manual II who s aid, “Show me just what Muhammad
brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman,
such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” The
57 nation ‘Is lamic Conference’ responded with fury. Since that time Abu
Izadene verbally attacked the Home Secretary and gave a controversial
interview with John Humphries on Radio 4, Jack Straw MP has spoken
out against women who wear ‘the veil’ and many other issues related to
Islam have been rais ed, at home and abroad.

As a native of this country I grew up within a Christian culture. Today our

culture is s ecular and Is lam is firmly rooted within British society, but what
does ‘the ordinary person’ know about Is lam? I hope that the following
bas ic information may be of help to thos e of us trying to understand the
Islamic mind.

The Arabic word Islam means submission, not peace, as is commonly

thought; Is lam is the complete submission to God.

‘Allah’ in both ancient and modern Arabic is the word used for ‘God’ and
can be found in the Arabic Bible as well as the Qur’an. The Jewis h /
Chris tian understanding of God is that he is the Creator who has revealed
hims elf to us and can be known personally as ‘Father’. Islam stresses the
beyondness of God and believes that God cannot adequately be described
in human language; neither can he enter into the experience of humanity,
so ‘Allah’ cannot suffer. No one can change what ‘Allah’ has decided
hence the traditional Mus lim cry, “Allahu Akbar”, “God is great.” In Is lam
any deviation from this is blasphemy.

The key figure in Islam is Muhammad (570-632 AD); an Arabian

merchant who at the age of 40 received a series of messages for mankind,
which Muslims believe came from the angel Gabriel. Christians believe
that 600 years earlier the same angel appeared to Mary to announce the
coming of the long awaited Mess iah, Jesus Chris t. In Is lam Jesus is
subservient to Muhammad.
2
Muslims believe they have direct access to God and regard Muhammad as
the greatest and final messenger from God, the perfect ideal for mankind
and perfect servant of “Allah.” He is, cons idered infallible, s in less and the
supreme example all Mus lims are obliged to follow. Whilst Islam affirms
the equality of believers before “Allah” Muslims attribute to Muhammad a
‘special’ status , which could be described as veneration. Any questioning
or criticism of Muhammad is taken as an insult.

Muslims follow what is called the Five Pillars of Islam:

1) the daily creedal declaration: “There is no god but God (“Allah”), and
Muhammad is his messenger.” - God and Muhammad form the creed of
Islam 2) five daily prayer times 3) fas ting – Ramadan 4) compulsory
giving 5) pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once.

Jihad, regarded by some Muslims as a 6th pillar, is the ‘war’ to spread

Islam by practis ing the principles of the 5 Pillars ; “Al-jihad” is holy
fighting for the cause of “Allah” e.g. the World Trade Centre and London
bombings .

Islamic law, Sharia, applies to every aspect of life and worship. Sharia is
believed to have been given by “Allah” and cannot be changed. It is the
only criteria for right and wrong and radical Muslims are engaged in
“jihad” to establish Sharia throughout the world . Followers of Islam living
in non-Islamic countries regard Sharia as superior to the laws of the host
state, and will s eek dispensation to live under their own Sharia law. Under
Sharia believing men, women and non-Muslims are treated differently.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that to understand another religion

we need to understand our differences . The challenge is for us to accept our
differences and live together in peace.

Chris tian Greetings,

Revd Robert Politt – Rector

3
 BREACH LANE CHAPEL - NOVEMBER 2006
THU 2nd 7.45p m Deacon's Meeting at Fr imley Roa d
SUN 5th 10.30am Morning Worship with Norman New
8pm Bible St udy
THU 9th 7.30p m Bible St udy
SAT 11th 4pm Bible Read ing Marathon and Worsh ip
SUN 1 2th 10.30am Morning Worship with Geoff Bels ha m
10.45am Re me mbrance Sunday Serv ice at War
Me moria l
5pm Infor ma l Worship
TUE 1 4th 7.45p m Church Meeting at Frimley Road
THU 16th 7.30p m Mid Week Ev ent
FRI 17t h 8pm Ga mes Evening
SAT 18th 10.30am Open Mor ning in aid of Tear Fund
2.30p m Disabled Chr ist ian Fellowship at Frimley Rd
SUN 19th 10.30am Morn ing Worsh ip with Chris R usse ll
8pm Bible St udy
THU 23rd 7.30p m Bible St udy
SAT 25th 6pm Missio nary Ev ening at Cove Chur ch
SUN 26th 10.30am Morning Worship with Geoff Bels ha m+6
5p m Infor ma l Worship
MO N 27th 8pm Bible St udy at Cross House
plus
every TUE 10.30am Open Mor ning (p lease phone to chec k)
every TUE 7pm Tuesday Club at Win klebury
every WED 2pm Healt h Walks in the Basingstoke area

Telepho ne Contact:-

Rev Chris Russell 01276 21469 Geoff Belsham 01256 8825 34

Roman Catholic Mass at Breach Lane Chapel

every Sunday at 8.45am.

4
 Parish Registers
Baptism
Benjamin BROOKS 1.10.06 Stratfield Saye

Funeral
Audrey FLETCHER 27.10.06(cremation) Sherfield

Remembrance Sunday 12th November

An Act of Remembrance will be led by each of our three
churches on Sunday 12th November 2006. Details be low and
on the inside front cover of the magazine.
10.00am Family Remembrance Service, St Mary’s Church,
Hartley Wespall. Contact Dr John Williams (882705)
10.45am War Memorial Service, Sherfield village, led by St.
Leonard’s Church. Contact Revd Bob Politt (882209)
10.45am Parade Service at St Mary’s Church, Stratfield Saye.
Contact Revd Bob Politt (01256 882209)
Children and families are welcome at all of these services. If you
wish to place a wreath during the service please contact the
relevant person listed above.
~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~

Following a number of requests from parishioners, the PCC have

agreed to install a sound and loop system into St Mary’s Church.
The cost is going to be in the region of £3,000. If any
parishioners would like to make a small donation toward this
project your gift would be of great help and much appreciated.
Please contact Robert Craig (treasurer) 01256 882253.
6
 Text for the Month
From Psa lm 1 39 : 1 – 6
O LORD, y ou hav e searched me and y ou know me. You kn ow
when I sit an d when I rise; you perceiv e my thoughts from afar.
You d iscern my g oing out an d my ly ing down; y ou are fa miliar
with all my ways. Before a wo rd is on my to ngue you k now it
comp letely , O LORD. Such kno wledge is too wo nderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. Where can I g o from y our S pirit?
Where can I flee fro m y our presence? (Fro m the NI V B ib le)

Prayer for the Month

Lord Jesus Chr ist, at a time of increasing debate abo ut the div ision s in our
society we pray for those w ho striv e to bring peace, breaking down barri-
ers between peop les and challen ging long he ld prej udices. Enco urage us
to ov ercome the fears and susp icions that div ide us. Resc ue us from all
that kee ps us a part, an d put a ne w spirit w ith in us – a spirit of love and
opennes s, acce ptance and understanding, healing a nd reco nciliatio n. May
the peac e we pray for begin here and now, in o ur hearts, so that we be-
come instruments of y our peace, br in ging healing to the world around us.
Inspire in us a deeper understanding of the mean ing of your sacrifice o n
the cross s o that we may be fille d wit h the love you have for your world
and s ho w that lov e in a ll our actions. In Jesus name we pray. A men.

Prayer Points for November

Pray for our soldiers str ivin g to bring pea ce to Iraq and Afgha nistan and
for their families liv ing w ith the daily unc ertaint ies an d anxieties of what
cou ld happen.
Pray for those for who m this month brings bac k sad memories.
Pray that the ceasefire in Israel an d Le bano n will cont inue and be
replaced by a lasting peace. Pray for peace in Ira q an d all c ountr ies
where v iolen ce and terror cause so many to liv e in fear each day. Pray for
leaders to ta ke forwar d the peace processes in these countries.
Giv e than ks for the successful Men’s Brea kfast held o n September 30 th
and pray for the nex t o ne schedule d for January 27 th 2007.
Pray for our country that the d ivis ions in society would be resolv ed
without anger and bitter ness and that all t he different cultures may learn
to live together in peace.
8
 ANN UAL TOY SERVICE

Chris tmas i s approaching and the young people i n our community may
want to mak e r oom for new gif ts and toys that they hope to recei ve
for Chri stmas.

At the Toy Se rv i ce, w e are pleased to receiv e ‘ good as new ’ and new
toy s that can be passed on to local chi l dren i n nee d w ho w ill receiv e
v ery little, i f any thi ng, thi s Chris tmas. We welcome larger toys such
as bi kes, truck s and scooter s a s well as small ones.

If you woul d li ke to buy and wrap a presen t speci ally for thi s occasi on
please b e ki nd enough to attac h a label and w rite ligh tly in pencil
the gen de r and age for w hich your gift i s sui table.

If you are una ble to a tten d th e servi ce bu t woul d li ke to con tri bute
please con tact m e so that I can arrange for collecti on. Thank you.

Revd Bo b Politt (01256 882209)

Toddler Time at St Leonard’s

Church, Sherfield on Loddon
Wednesday 29th November 4.00-4.30pm

Nursery Rhymes, Story, Prayer.

Healthy refreshments for the toddlers.
Meet on the red carpet in church.
All welcome!
Contact Revd Bob Politt for information.
01256 882209
10
Editorial
Our feature article this month (pages 24-26) has
been written by Donald Dawson, one of the
church wardens of Sherfield Church. The article
is all about the restoration project to date. It has
been a real team effort and could not have been
completed without the extremely generous support of so
many. Well done to ev eryone who has help ed bring this
enormous project to such a successful conclusion. I think
ev eryone will agree that the new oak shingled spire and
beautifully restored weather vane are most impressive.
In the Rector’s Letter this month, Bob giv es a very
interesting and helpful introductio n to Islam, in the hope
that understanding other relig ions, leads to acceptance
and therefore allows us to live in peace. In next month’s
edit ion, he will be doing the same wit h Christia nity.
Remembrance Sunday is on November 12th and there
are various serv ices to attend - see pages 1, 6, & 16. See
also the Sherfield road closure details on page 40.
I will be the editor again for the December/ January
double issue. Due to the collation date falling early in the
month, please can I have any items by at least 13th
November, but the sooner the better.
Contact details on page 49. Claire Osborne (Editor)

Please No te
i The M an a ge ment Co mmittee of the Loddon Link ca n not a cc ept for
public a tion a ny item rec eived a n on ymou sly. P lea se supply your na me an d
a ddre s s with ma terial you wish to be conside red for pub lic a tion.

i Ann ou nc e ment s, invitation s o r a dvertise ment s c a nn ot be ac cepted fro m

third pa rties. On ly someone direc tly involved in the even t shou ld sub mit
c opy for con sidera tion for pub lic a tion.

i P lea se note t ha t t he Co mmittee ca n not b e hel d re spon sible for the

reliability o r q ua lity of an y work or s ervice provide d by a dvertise rs.
12
 Coffee Morning and Bring and Buy
at Hartley Wespall
Thank you to all who supported my coffee morning on
September 23rd. Everyone was so generous making and
donating so much. We raised a fantastic £320.16 for Hartley
Wespall church funds. Without so much help from so many
people this would not have been possible. Thank you all
again.
Wendy Toal

RNLI (Lifeboats)
The Morti mer & District Branch are holding their
Annual Christmas Fair at St. John's Hall, M orti mer,
on Saturd ay 1 8th Nove mber from 10.30a m to 3pm. Admission
free. W e d o howev er d ep end on d ona tions o f s ea sona l food s,
ca ke s, pres erv es, Ch rist mas tree dec orations, children’ s toy s
and ga mes, fashion ac cess ories, jewellery, picture s, china,
gla ss and collecta bles (b ut not b ric a brac, p leas e), all of
which must be of good sale able quality. No videos pleas e.
Last year’ s ev ent raised £ 2088 for the Lifeboa ts. I f you hav e
any of the a bov e items w hich y ou would like to donate, plea se
telep hone one of the follow in g numb ers as so on a s po ssible.
01256 88154 0 : 01189 88 34 25 : 01189 82 70 7 : 0118 9
761395 : 01 189 7613 95
Each yea r I am r esp onsib le for the je wellery stall at the
Christ mas Fai r. I would wel come d ona ti ons of costume
jewellery, if you ha v e a nything tha t you a re hap py to pa rt
with plea se conta ct me, Sheila Dance, on 0 1256 881540.
S hould you wish to pur chase RNLI Ch ri stma s Card s, they wi ll b e
on sa le at the Chri stma s Fai r b ut you may a ls o purcha se them
through Jac k Shov el, Tad ley, on 01189 700992.
Thanks to all w ho d ona ted bo oks for the Septemb er Book S ale,
we ra is ed £4068 for the RNLI.
14
“AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”
ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
PARADE

Stratfield Sunday 12th November 2006

War at the
Memorial Stratfield Saye Remembrance
Service Day Service.
10.45am Assemble at 10.45 am outside
12th St. Mary’s Church.
November After the service members and
their families are invited to a
buffet lunch at the Bramley
Clubhouse.
Eric Ward

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2006

House to House Collection in Sherfield from Sat 28 Oct 2006
I would like to thank every body in Sherfield for the
generous support you gave las t year, rais ing over £1300
and I am sure the Legion can count on you again in 2006.
Dis appoin tingly no-one has contacted me from Sherfield
Park (or the village!) so I will not be able to extend the
‘House to House’ to the Park. Maybe next year!
And a reminder about Gift Aid en velopes !
As most of us in Sherfield pay tax, even if lucky Remembrance
enough to be retired, please help us claim 28p per £1 Sunday
from the Taxman by filling in the Gift Aid envelope. 12th
500 envelopes with an average of £1.00 in each will November
generate an extra £140; a really big difference!
Many thanks , Natalie Larner
16
18
 Calor Village of the Year 1 0th Anniversary
Bruce a nd I att ended the Calor 10th An niversary Village of the Ye ar
present ation in London yesterday. Th irty-six villages h ad entered t he
competit io n and a ll w ere presented w ith a f ra med certif icate.

The s ev en f ina lists w ere:

East Kesw ic k, Yorkshire (Nort h England Region)

Ashingsto n, W Sussex (South Eng land) – this w as our region
Sutton, Ca mbridges hire ( East England)
St Neot, Cornw all (West En gland)
As hover, Derby sh ire ( Ce ntral Englan d)
Lla nger nyw (Wales)
As sy nt (Sc otland)

The overall w inner w as St Neot , and t he village received a spec ial

pla que and a cheque f or £2 0,0 00.
Luc y Mars hall

22
 SHERFIELD on LODDON
PARISH COUNCIL
www.sherfieldonloddon-pc.gov.uk
This magazine, and much more, can be seen online here.

BMX Track
The Parish Council is considerin g improvements to the BM X track and plans
will soon be p osted in the window of Dodd’s Garage.

NEIGHBOURHO OD WATCH SEPTEMBER 2006

BURGLARIES
Bramle y: Farriers Close (believe insecur e rear door)
Sherfield on Loddon: Bow Drive (inse cure shed)
Hartley Wespall, Stratfield Turgis & She rborne St John: None reported.
VEHICLE C RIME
Bramle y: Yew T ree Close x 3 (entry gained, nothing stolen from 2),
Bramley Green Road (theft from – cash), Forge Close ( theft from – cash).
SOM E OF THE VEHICLES WER E INSECURE.
Sherfield on Loddon: Pound Meadow (window smashed).
Stratfield Saye , Hartle y We spall, S tratfield Turgis: None reported.
Sherborne S t John: Vy ne M eadow (scratches to vehicle, both sides).
DAMAGE
Bramle y: Moat Close (front door).
Sherfield on Loddon: Bra mley Road (football club bu ilding).
Stratfield Saye , Hartle y Wespall, Sherborne St John: None reported.
Stratfield Turgis: A33 (business p remises – barrier).
Sherborne S t John: None reported.
THEFT- OTHER
None reported.

23
 ST. LEONARD’S CHURCH RES TORATION PROJECT

Several years ago it became apparent that the tiles on the spire of St.
Leonard’s church were in need of repair. Some had been blo wn off in
gales and others had holes in them as a result of hungry wood peckers.
Water was beginning to penetrate into the spire its elf and the s ituation
became urgent if long las tin g damage to the structure of the spire was to
be avoided. Thes e tiles , which were of cedar, had replaced the original
oak tiles in 1970. Unfortunately an inferior type of nail had been us ed
and thes e in time deteriorated and snapped when put under pressure–
also the cedar did not deter the woodpeckers. So while the original oak
tiles used when the s pire was constructed in 1870 lasted 100 years , the
replacement tiles lasted only 36 years.

A request for a grant to help with this restoration work was made in
2004 to English Heritage. A fter a lengthy enquiry process and s ite
inspection we were awarded a significant grant towards the two s tages of
work required. Stage one started in April 2005 and involved completion
of the draft Specification and drawings for English Heritage approval,
obtaining a Faculty from the Dioces e for the work to proceed, together
with Quantity Surveyor evaluation and s ubmission of tenders . This was
all completed within the allowed year ably directed by our Conservation
Accredited architect Mr Chris Romain.

Stage two of the restoration work

started on the 26th June 2006 and at
the time of writing is due to be
completed by the end of October.

24
The dry hot s ummer weather made working conditions ideal for the
re-tiling of the spire, which was done using Cleft English Oak shingles,
100% heartwood, 100% clear of knots with 100% end grain.

The origin al heraldic weathervane was restored and replaced at the top
of the spire.

As well as the s pire restoration, it had been identified that the Chancel
North s lope and Ves try roof needed replacing. For a long time patch-
work repairs had been made to the roof because of leakage; the roof has
been stripped and re-tiled and the Vestry ceiling repaired. A new gutter
base was fitted to the tower back gutter and re-pointing done to various
parts of the Nave West Wall. Finally, the s tatue of St. Leonard is now
protected by a fine (almos t invisible) mes h after 25 bags of twigs were

25
I think all will agree that the final result is
visually most impressive as well as protecting
our church for generations to come. None of
this work could have been done without the
extremely generous support of the congregation,
the villagers, fund raising support from local
organisations and businesses and grants received
from various sources . We give thanks and
gratitude to all who have helped in any way to
bring this project to a successful conclus ion.

Costs : Stage One: £11,720

Stage Two: £105,465

Total cost £117,185 (excluding VAT which is being reclaimed)

Grants received:
English Heritage £71,074
Garfield Weston Foundation £3,000
His toric Churches Preservation Trust £2,500
Hampshire and the Is les Historic Churches £2,000
(plus interest free loan)£2,000
Bas ingstoke and Deane Borough Council £2,000
(stage one work)
Eccles iastical Trust £200

Outstanding applicatio ns – Basingstoke

and Deane Borough Council for s tage two
work.

The Bishop of Basings toke will be

attending a Re-dedication Service to be
held on Sunday 11th February 2007 at
10.00 am. More details regardin g this
will be published later.

Donald Dawson.

26
 Sherfield on Loddon Village Hall Management Committee

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Wednesday 22 nd November 2006
at 8:00pm in the Liddell Hall
Four (4) elected Trustees are required.
Serving Trustees are eligible for re-election.

A Trustee must be over 18, have lived within the Parish Boundaries
for at leas t the past year and not be ineligible by way of bankruptcy
or been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty.

If you wish to be nominated as one of the 4 elected Trustees , please

fill in the form below or obtain one from Village Hall or Post Office.

Trus tees may als o be nominated from the Floor at the AGM and
will require a Proposer and S econder.

S HERFIEL D ON L O DDO N VILLAGE H AL L

NOMINATION FORM FOR ELEC TED MEMBERS
Name:________________________________ Tel No. __________
Address :________________________________________________
I agree to be nominated: (Signature)__________________________
Propos ed by:___________________________ Tel No. _________
Address :___________________
Signaure:_____________________________
Seconded by:__________________________ Tel No. __________
Addresss________________________________________________
Signature:_____________________________

Please return this form by Friday 17th November 2006 to the

Village Hall or the Secretary (22 Bulls down Clos e, Tel: 881979)

27
 Village Hall AGM 22 Nov
S herfie ld Vil lage H al l Please come along!
Village Hall Diary 60s & 70s Disco
Coffee Morning with Mr Ts disco
Sat.11 Nov 10.30
All welcome
Annual AGM
Wed. 22 November
Sat. 16 December Sat. 18 November
Christmas Celebration 8.00 ‘til late!
Stalls & Activities
followed by Tickets: £5.00 from
Basingstoke Concert The Shop, PO, White Hart
Band Evening Concert Village Hall - Licensed Bar
A big ‘Thank you’ to all our Hall User Groups
who so willingly agreed to be photographed.

BRAMLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Annual Advent F air - Braml ey Vill age Hall
25th Novem ber 10am -12pm

Bramley P ri mary School Associ ati on w ill be hol ding their annual
Ad vent Fair b etwe en 10am and m id-day on Saturday 25th
Novemb er at the Bramley Village Hall. There wi ll be refreshm en ts ,
fes ti ve good s f or sale, a "Surp ri ses Roo m" w here children can
choose and wrap a present for Mum, Da d, Gran dpa o r G ranny. Ther e
wi ll also be S an ta 's Grotto w here Father C hri stmas wi ll be av ai lable
to di scuss thos e i mpo rtant li sts rea dy for the big day. For details see
http://ww w.bramleyschoolas soci ati on.org.uk/adventfai r
28
 The Loddon Valley Link
Management Committee
would like to thank all those who so willingly
give their time to collate and distribute the magazine on a
regular basis. Over 50 people help in this way and the work
you all do is very much appreciated. As a way of showing the
committee’s gratitude you are invited to a tea party to be held
in the Garden Room at the Village Hall on Monday 13th
November from 3.30 to 4.30 pm (not s tarting at 2.30
pm as printed on the origina l invitation).
It is hoped to see as many of you there as possible.

CALLING SHERFIELD PARK RESIDENTS

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET TO KNOW
SOME NEW PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE
AND HELP WITH Y OUR MAGAZINE
BY VOLUNTEERING TO
COLLATE OR DISTRIBUTE
THE LODDON VALLEY LINK MAGAZINE
(ONLY 1 - 2HRS ONCE A MONTH)
S PEAK T O D ON ALD D A WS ON OR C HR IS WRIG HT –
CON TA CT D ETA ILS ON PA GE 49

Miles tones, Hamps hire's living history mus eum, in Bas ings tok e
As a special Christ mas and Ne w Year prom ot ion, t he museum will be offering
resident s with in Basin gst ok e and Dean e t he op po rtunity t o v isit at a reduce d
rat e during Decem ber 20 06 an d January 2 00 7. On proof of address (e.g.
driv ing licence, utilit y bill) resident s of t he borough will be entit led t o '2 for
t he price o f 1 ' admission , which giv es on e adult (or co ncessio n) free entry
when accomp anied by anot her full payin g adult. The offer is not valid for th e
museum's special events, e.g. Christ mas Gala Evenings (8 & 15 Decem ber,
7p m -10pm). Further det ails on t he museum can be found at
www.milest ones-museum.com.
29
 National Women’s Register
Reported by Gill Fearon

NWR recent ly h eld an op en mee ting at Breach Lane Chapel at w hich

me mbers f ro m Hook, Old Basing and Bramley NWR grou ps attend ed.
We had a sp ea ker, Gw en A ppleton, w ho s poke a bout her time in the
travel business as a ho liday hostess - not a re p! Unlike t he average
holiday rep w ho app ears at the b eginning and e nd of the holid ay an d
hosts a Welcome Meet in g, Gw en w ould accompany h er clien ts an d be
available at a ll times for the m. She desc rib ed a trip to nort hern Ita ly so
w ell that w e f elt that w e w ere there too ! For several years she w ent to
the Gambia and f ell in lov e w ith the country, alt hough it w as not a popular
des tinat ion w ith her colle ag ues. Ap art f rom a trag ic story about a g uest
f rom anot her tour co mpa ny be in g sho t by band its in St Lucia, she ha d
many a musing stories to tell a nd to g ales of laugh er, d escribe d her
experience of parascend ing. This had been a treat fro m her grat ef ul
c lie nts at the en d of a holiday in Cret e d es pit e pro tests f rom Gw en that it
w asn't her thing ! Gw en enjoyed th e Greek isla nds a nd also the islands
of w hat is now Croatia, w here she s ailed w ith a party. We a l f elt th at she
w as a very good speaker an d w ould b e interest ed in hear ing another of
her ta lks.

In Nove mb er w e shall be talking ab out our ow n travel exper ie nces. If

any on e is int erested in NWR, w e are a f riend ly gro up w ho gen erally meet
in me mbers' houses once a month w ith the occasio na l trip out. If you
w ould like more informat ion , p lease ring me on 8821 06.

ANNIE – Haymarket Theatre – 15 to 25 November

Joi n B asin gstoke A ma te ur Th eatri cal So cie ty as th e y pre se nt on e o f the gre atest
fam il y m usi cal s o f a ll time tha t ca pture s the he arts o f b oth young an d old al i ke !

Th e sho w fea tures a troo p of over 3 0 gi rl s from the Ba si ng sto ke are a (an d Fi n n
the do g). T errifi c so ng s i ncl ud e, “It’ s a Ha rd Kn ock L ife ”, “To mo rro w” an d
“Ma yb e”. A nn ie wi ll be pla yed b y L oui se Yo un g an d A le x Barron .
Ti cke ts £ 10 - £1 5. A sp eci al ‘famil y ti cke t’ co sts £4 5 (2 ad ul ts a nd 2 chil dre n)
Bo ok at the Ha yma rke t T he atre b ox offi ce o n 0 12 56 46 55 66 .

32
 The Woman
“O woman! In our hours of ease
Uncertain, coy, and hard to please,
When pain and anguish wring the brow
A ministering angel thou!” (Scott)

On 10th April 1973 John Newell was driving home to Bristol.

He turned on the car radio for the five o’clock news. A plane
had crashed in Switzerland. His wife June and two children
were on it. A few days later he knelt in prayer and wept
beside the bodies of his family. Waltraud Christen, a Swiss
Salvation Army girl, knelt and wept with him.
He thought about her; he wrote to thank her. She responded.
They married. Back in Bristol Waltraud, impatient to soothe
her husband’s grief, raised three sons; they followed her into
the Corps and became talented musicians.
John died recently and was buried alongside June and the
children. At the graveside his sons, in uniform, played
“Amazing Grace” – straight, then in “ragtime”. Waltraud
will stay on in Bristol, she says; she is needed in the Sally
Army’s “Songsters” choir.
Strange, isn’t it? When a woman takes the hand of a man in
the depths of despair there is no knowing where it will lead.
John Batt
I lost a brother, a niece (16) and two sisters-in-law in the crash. On
the bright side; Daniel Newell played trumpet for the score of “Lord of
the Rings” and “Harry Potter”. As they say; “Every cloud has a silver
lining”.
34
 SHERFIELD SUNDAY CLUB
The S herfi el d Sun da y Clu b i s aim ed at all c hi ldre n from
school age upward who want l earn abou t the Chri sti an fai th
i n a fun, li ght-hearted way. T here’ ll be si ngi ng, gam es a nd
activi ti es and the op por tu ni ty to ma ke lo ts of fri en ds w hilst
learni ng abou t J es us. Everythi ng is or gani sed accordi ng to
differ en t age groups – curre ntly w e ra ng e from 4 to 1 3. T he S un day Clu b
wi ll take place i n the L i ddell H all on the secon d Sunday of ev ery m on th.
Ti mes wi ll be fr om 9: 45 to 1 1 :1 5am, ena bli ng grow n- ups to g o to churc h.

Ne xt me etin g: 12th Novem be r 2006. As this is

Re me mbra nce Sunday we will mee t a t 10 .30 - 11 .3 0a m
For further i nform ation co ntac t:
Ru th Powell 01 18 933 1 31 2 Marti na Nowrotek 88415 9

Happy Faces Playgroup

Est. 1982

have a vacancy for a

NVQ2 or equivalent experience required

Initially two sessions per week
plus sickness/holiday cover as necessary

C losin g date f or app lic ation s: 10 th Nove mber 20 06

The Liddell Hall, Old Rea ding Ro a d, Sherf ield-o n-Loddo n, Hoo k, Ham ps hire R G2 7 0 EZ
Te l: 01256 880903
C har ity No. 1029688

36
The Women’s Institute
Reporte d by V al Den n y

This month’s talk on the River Itchen from source to mouth was
indeed illustrated by beautiful s lides but we also had tales from Mrs.
Daniels about many places along the way. To name a few: at
Cheriton was fought an important Civil War battle which turned the
tide against the Royalists in Hampshire; at Tichbourne the dole of a
gallon of flour has been given out each year to parishioners s ince the
twelfth century; at St. Cross in Win chester a wayfarer’s dole of beer
and bread can s till be obtain ed (very s mall portions !). Charles
Kings ley was inspired by the river at Itchen A bbas to write the
“Water Babies”. Do you know why Southampton F.C. are nicknamed
‘the Saints ’? We do. The first team was formed by the choirboys of
St. Mary’s Church where the river flows into the sea. Mrs. Daniels ’
tales and Mr. Daniels’ s lides gave us all exceptional pleasure– we
were spellbound.
After the normal bus iness of the meeting –correspondence, treasurer’s
report etc – arrangements were made for us to go to the Anvil for the
Autumn Conference. We also had lists for a theatre trip to see ‘The
Borrowers ’ at the Haymarket and our February lunch at B.C.O.T.
The latter is on the 14th so ‘s ignificant others’ will have to take their
ladies out in the evening. Six members are in the Skittles team and in
December we have carols , mince pies and mulled wine at Pamber
Place with the other WIs in North Bas ingstoke Group.
Next month we have no s peaker as it is our Annual General Meeting.
Subs are due but when I hear the Secretary’s report on the previous
year I know that I have certainly had good value for money.

FOR SALE

2’6” mattress in very good condition, suitable for a caravan or

child. Flame resistant label. Buyer collects. £20 O.N.O.
Telephone: 882321
38
 EVERGREEN CLUB
Reporter – Jean Wright
The Ev ergreen Me eting in Octobe r wa s the H arv est
Festiv a l. The Rev d . Bob P olitt v ery kind ly took the serv ice
and Mrs. Peggy Booth was the organist. This meetin g
prov ed to b e v ery succ es sful with all the goodi es
supp lie d by the members.
The Nov embe r meet ing will be a talk on Basingst oke
Ca nal and final a rrangement s for the Autumn Fayre.

Please ma ke a n ote of this in your diar y:

Evergreen Autumn Fayre - Sat. 18th November
in Sherfield Village Hall 2pm - 4pm.
Ad mi ss ion 50p - Child ren Free

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY ROAD CLOSURE

The p oli ce hav e asked us to rem ind you tha t the roa d by
the S herfield Wa r Me morial will be closed from 10.30a m t o
11.15am on Sunda y Nov ember 12th while the Serv ic e of
Rememb rance is ta king p la ce.

WHIST DRIVE
Friday, November 10th
at 7.30pm in
Sherfield Village Hall
Admission £1.50
40
 A Warning From Hampshire County Council's
Trading S tandards Service
Hamp shire County Council Trading St andar ds service are a gain warning
resident s t o be wary o f an y co rrespo nden ce t hey receive eit h er by email o r
t hrough t he p ost tellin g t hem t hey are lo ttery win ners.

Over t he last couple of m onths we have been become a ware of an increase in

t hese types of lett ers and em ails bein g sent nat ionally advisin g people of large
lott ery winnings and a sking t hem to cont act agents usually based oversea s. At
t his st age people are asked t o provide ident ity det ails such a s copies of
p assp o rt s and drivin g licences an d t hen p ay ment s are request ed to co ver fees
t hat are payable t o claim the alleged winnings.

The m ajority of t he letters that are com ing th rough t he post are using th e
name El Gordo, La Primitiva and Euromillions. Alt hough El Gor do is a
genuin e lot t ery in Spain the addres ses bein g used are not th e correct addres ses
and recipients of the lett ers have never purchased lot tery t icket s.

The latest t wist o n t his scam is a let t er claiming t o come from t h e Australian
Lottery Corporat ion with an address in Cana da enclo sin g a bogus cheque
fro m a com pany in New Yo rk . T he letter claim s t he ch eque is t o cov er th e
t axes and in surances t hat need to be paid in order t o claim your win nings. In
t his ty pe of scenario th e cheque coul d be paid int o a bank account and init ially
cleared o nly t o be ret urn ed sev eral weeks later un paid. By t his time th e
recipient will pro bably h av e already sent m on ey . W e hav e received a
complaint from a resident in Liphook who received one of t hese lett ers wit h a
cheque an d co nt act ed for advise wan tin g t o kno w if it was gen uine. Sin ce
receiv ing t h e lett er she h as been bombarded wit h persist en t t elephon e calls
t ry ing to persuade h er to co llect her winnin gs.

Most of t hese scams originate from abroad and are difficult for us to
inv est igate locally. If you receive a lett er lik e t his th rough th e post do n ot
respo n d t o it but rep ort it to Trading st andards con sumer direct 08 45 0405 06 .
Em ails should be reported t o your internet service who monitor the number
and n ature of such emails in an at temp t to try and filt er th em. If yo u hav e
p arted with an y money t o claim any lo ttery win nings co nt act y our lo cal
police. Rem ember if you have genuinely won a cash prize you will not have
t o pay m oney to claim your winnings. Al so if you have not purchased any
lott ery t ickets for overseas lott eries how can you have won. As al ways if it
seems to o good t o be t rue it probably is.
42
C
R
O
S
S
W
O
R
D

48

CLUE S ACRO SS CLUE S DOWN

1 .WHERE JESUS LIVED (8) 1 .HOL LOW PLACE IN A WAL L (5 )

7.----- MY SOUL (5 ) 2 .BRINGINGT O NOUGHT (7 )
8 .CHURCH FESTIVAL (9 ) 3 .GET UP (4 )
9 .FUEL (3 ) 4 .PLACE OFWORSHI P
1 0.CHRISTIANS ARE DE LIVERED FROM IT (4) 5 .SUNGAT 8 ACROSS (5 )
1 1.MANY (6) 6 .ANSWE RED (7 )
1 3.HOLY MESSENGE RS (6 ) 7 .ATT RIBUTE (7 )
1 4.ON A SHIP(6) 1 2.PHONEY CURE (7)
1 7.OFA SERIE S (6 ) 1 3.T RY (7)
1 8.B OAST 15.FATHER OF ISRAE L (7 )
2 0.AGE 1 6.NUN(3 )
2 2. WHERE JESUS WAS BORN 1 7.CHURCHLAW (5 )
2 3.SNAP(5 ) 1 9.PASTT IMES (5 )
2 4.MATERNAL RELATIVES (8 ) 2 1.DIAGRAM (4)

AN SW ERS TO CRO SSW ORD 47

ACROSS: 1. VIC ARS 4. STOLE 8.SKULL 9. CENSER S 1 0 .RELIGHT
1 1.STYE 12 .EXE 1 4.ERGO 1 5.NOAH 18 .NAY 2 1. ALB S 2 3.EPISTLE
2 5.DARKENS 2 6. EXACT 27 .EPHOD 2 8 .ASCEND
DOWN: 1. VESTRY 2 .C RUELER 3 .RELIGION 4.SING 5 .OVERT
6 .EASTER 7 .ACUTE 13 .ENLIVENS 1 6 .ACTUATE 17 .CANDLE
1 9.YEAST 2 0.B ELTED 22 .BIRTH 24 .NEED

46
 Loddon Valley Link Management Committee
Chair m an:
De puty Chairm an:
Hartley Repre se ntative :
Str atfie ld Re pr esentative
Sher fie ld Park Rep:
Se cr etary:
Adve rtising:
Ple as e call Wins ton
for all adver tis ing
enquir ies .
Editor f or the
double iss ue
Dece mber/January
NB. The final d ate f or
items for Dec / Jan is sue
is 13th of Novem ber
Editor f or Fe bruary and
March 0 7 issues.
Editor for the
April & May 07 iss ues
49
Dr . Don ald Daw s on Tel. 8 82 379
Re vd. Bob Pol itt Tel. 8 82 209
Dr . John Will iam s Tel. 8 82705
Mr . Eric Price Tel: 8 81402
Mr Chr is Wr ight Tel: 88 0436
Esm e War d
28 Pound Mead ow ,
Sherf ield on Loddon ,
Hoo k RG27 OEP
Te l. 01256 880503
email: geoc.w ard@bt int ernet.co m
Wins ton Bruce
18 Lon gbridge Close
Sherf ie ld on Lodd on
Hook. RG2 7 0DQ
Te l. 0 1256 8 83277
email: w in.bruc e@t isc ali.co.uk
Clair e Osborne
47, War bleton Ro ad
Chineham
Basin gs toke
RG24 8 RF
Tel: 0 1256 324458
email: guyclair e @ukonlin e.co.uk
Shee na Ar cher
1, Orc hard L ea
Sherf ield on Loddon ,
Hook RG2 7 0 ES
Te l: 01256 882099
e mail: s heenaarcher @bt int ernet.c o m
Br ian Arche r
1 Orchar d Lea
Sherf ie ld on Lodd on
Hook RG2 7 0 ES
Tel. 01256 88209 9
email: brianarc her@bt inter net.c om
LODDON
Re ctor: VALLEY
CHURCH OFFICERS
Reverend Bob Politt, LINK
33 Northfield Road ,
Sherfield on Loddon. RG27 0DR
Tel. 01256-882209
Kindly note the Rector’s day off is Thursday.

Readers: Mr. Ric hard Elphick Tel. 01256-882860

Dr. John Williams Tel. 01256-882705

ST. LEONARD’S CHURCH, SHERFIELD ON LODDON

Churchwardens: Mrs. Gill Austin Tel. 01256-882364
Dr. Donald Dawson Tel. 01256-882379

Trea sure r: Mr. Stephen Hemmings Tel.01256-882523

Orga nists: Mr. Mike Abrams Tel. 01256-881188

Mr. Brian Archer Tel. 01256-882099
Mrs. Peggy Willson Tel. 01256-880503

ST. MARY’S CHURCH, STRATFIELD SAYE

Churchwarden: Mr. Roy Best Tel. 01189-882422

Trea sure r: Mr Robert Craig Tel: 01256-882253

Orga nist: Mrs. Fran Oliver Tel. 01189-268364

ST.MARY’S CHURCH, HARTLEY WESPALL

Churchwardens: Mr Pip Iles Tel. 01256-880559
Dr. John Williams Tel. 01256-882705

Trea sure r: Mr. Michael Webster Tel. 01256-882413

Orga nist: Dr. Gill Williams Tel. 01256-882705

50