Author: Jez Wilson

Village Hall – News – February 2020

First, a sad note
Chris Phillips, who has represented the Crafty Club on our Management Committee for some time, has decided to stand down. We want to record our warmest thanks to Chris for her enthusiastic and positive contributions to our meetings, and also her willing and active support at our various special events. We are going to miss her.

Pantomime : ‘Dick Whittington’
Another huge thank-you to the many volunteers who helped to make our latest traditional pantomime another great success. Once again we had a packed house, making all the generous contributions of time, effort and raffle prizes well worthwhile. The children and young people enthusiastically shared in the audience participation, although the adults certainly enjoyed themselves too. Our next pantomime by The Looking Glass Theatre will be ‘Cinderella’ at the end of the year. More information nearer the time.

Carols on the Green
A report on this appears elsewhere but it was interesting to note that, as with our Village Hall Fete in June, the weather before and on the day was awful. During our setting up it was pouring and we were all soaked – again. However, as with the Fete, amazingly the rain stopped in time, giving us a clear and relatively mild evening for the event.

The Heyford Singers, lead by their Director Mary Rice whose idea this was, are to be warmly congratulated on a successful first event. It looks as though Nether Heyford now has another traditional annual event on the Village Green.

Main Hall Floor
This has now been fully cleaned and restored and looks like a brand new floor, attracting many compliments from our users. Our thanks are due to Peter Squire for researching and arranging for this work to be done over the Christmas break.

Heating
The boiler which heats the kitchen side of the hall and rooms behind the stage has now been repaired and is working well. So no more complaints about being cold. However, we did receive a complaint during the pantomime that it was actually too hot – can’t win – but we continue to do our best.

Future plans
Several are in the pipeline and will be reported as and when appropriate. We want our village hall to be in prime condition for its 60th anniversary celebrations.

Alwyne Wilson – 01327 340803

Nether_Heyford_Village_Hall_Book_2019

Carols on the Green (December 2019) – Update – February 2020

Carols on the Green – December 2019

When I first envisaged ‘Carols on the Green’ I had a picture of villagers singing as in a Christmas card, with the weather ‘Deep and crisp and even’. At 2 o’clock in the afternoon, standing on the green, it was more like ‘Wind and rain and boggy’. The team who came to set up were incredible, completely ignored the weather and got drenched in the process. However, NEVER doubt the power of prayer as by 6.30 it had actually stopped raining and the wind was not as bad – I can’t claim that the green was perfectly dry but we can’t have everything! I would like to say a heartfelt, personal thank you to everyone who turned out to raise their voices to Christmas.

You raised £256.56p towards replacing our Church roof which, considering the conditions, was wonderful. I would also like to thank you all for leaving virtually no litter for me to pick up the next morning.

On behalf of Heyford Singers there are, as always, people who must be acknowledged for their help in the organisation of an evening such as this and I hope you will forgive me if I have missed anyone out!

The Parish Council for permission to use the green and help with insurance arrangements.
Unusual (Rigging) Ltd. for the use of power cables.
PPL PRS for a Charity Music Licence.
The Village Hall Committee for use of the Hall in the case of bad weather.
Alwyne Wilson for her co-ordinating skills.
Tony Clewett for the use of the sound equipment and being so sure it would stop
raining!
Geoff Allen for being an incomparable compere.
Peter Squire and Jeremy Rice for fixing the power cables in the rain without
electrocuting themselves (or anyone else)!
Keith Rands Allen, Jill & Mike Langrish + grandsons, Alwyne W and Tony C for
erecting the gazebo despite the wind and rain.
The Rev. Stephen Burrow for his closing prayer.
And Richard Musson for providing the collecting buckets.

I have been told that carol singing on the green used to happen in the past and I would love to hear from anyone who can tell me when this was. It would be lovely to start a new ‘ Village Tradition’ but equally exciting to carry on an old one – especially as Northampton seems to be creeping ever nearer along the A45.

Thank you all for your support; hope to see you again in December.

Mary Rice

Heyford Lodge 01327 340101

The Bliss Charity School – Governor Vacancy – February 2020

Governor Vacancy – The Bliss Charity School

As a result of a recent retirement, The Bliss Charity School has a vacancy for a Governor.

What do Governors do?

The volunteer Governing Body provides strategic leadership and accountability at The Bliss Charity School. It has three key functions:

  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
  • Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school
    and its pupils
  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

The Governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the policies and targets for achieving those aims and objectives. We monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher.

What sort of person are we looking for?

Schools need a range of professional knowledge (in addition to education) on the governing body including finance, human resources, legal, marketing and public relations, property and estates management, and organisational change.

We are particularly keen to hear from those from a finance/accountancy background, or with buildings/facilities management experience, but this is not essential. The most important attributes are time to dedicate to attending meetings a few times per school term (usually early evenings), and a commitment to supporting school staff to enable every pupil to achieve their potential.

Do I have to have a connection with the School or the Village already?

Absolutely not! It is important for us to find someone from beyond the immediate
families of pupils of the School on this occasion, as we already have a number of
parents on the Governing Body.

It is not necessary to be a resident of Nether Heyford, so please do share this vacancy with anyone you think may be interested in the position.

For more information we would welcome enquiries to the Clerk to the Governors, Lynn Adey who can be contacted by calling into School, by telephoning School on 01327 340758 or by email bursar@bliss.northants.sch.uk

Parish Church of St. Peter & St. Paul – February 2020

Nether Heyford Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Dear Friends.

Once again, I am writing February’s letter on the eve of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year, material for this week of prayer – prepared by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland – is based on the story of St Paul’s shipwreck on the island of Malta. Found in Chapters 27 and 28 of the Acts of the Apostles, this is a story of peril and fear, rescue and hope. St Paul and his fellow travellers, which include the ship’s crew, and the soldiers sent to guard the apostle, found themselves battered by storms, shipwrecked and washed up on the beach. To this day, tourists to the island are taken to the spot where St Paul is thought to have come ashore, bringing with him the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. The Church in Malta still celebrates this event, as the arrival of the Christian faith on their tiny island, reminding us that Christianity is not just a spiritual thing, it is rooted in real events in human history.

Back in the original story, the survivors of the shipwreck were eventually rescued and aided by local people; “Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness.” (Acts 28:1-2) ‘Unusual kindness’ strikes me as a strange phrase. Kindness is not unusual. It’s shown as much today as it was in St Paul’s day. What’s unusual was that this kindness was shown to strangers and foreigners, and battered, bedraggled ones at that.

It’s easy to show kindness to people we know and like. Much harder to show kindness to people we don’t know, or don’t like. I suspect we all have work to do there! But Jesus calls his followers to show ‘unusual kindness’ telling us to love even our enemies. Such kindness sees beyond our differences and divisions and recognises our common humanity. Of course, whatever our faith, we can all show kindness; to our friends and families, and to the strangers we meet as we journey through life. We demonstrate unusual kindness by valuing and welcoming all people. We demonstrate unusual kindness by giving without counting the cost. We demonstrate unusual kindness as we love and serve others, without expecting anything in return.

At the start of this new decade, I pray that we might all aspire to show ‘unusual kindness’ to the people we meet. I pray that we might acknowledge our common humanity, build one another up, and strengthen our communities.

With every blessing,

Stephen – 01327 344436

Parish Church of St. Peter & St. Paul – Services – February 2020

NetherHeyfordChurchServicesFebruary2020

Midweek Services are held weekly on Wednesdays, 9.30am at Heyford (not 19th or 26th February) and Thursdays, 10am at Flore – all welcome.

During February we shall be praying for people living in Hillside Rd and Hillside Crescent here in Heyford, Sutton St, Yew Tree Gardens and Sutton Acre in Flore, The Manor in Church Stowe and the Gate House and the Old Dairy in Brockhall.

Rev Stephen Burrow (Tel. 01327 344436)

Letters: Money in your pocket – February 2020

Parking

In a recent Martin Lewis Money programme on ITV he reminded any married couple or partnership in which one partner is a 20% tax payer whilst their partner either does not pay tax or utilise their full personnel allowance,currently at £1250, should apply to transfer the unused tax allowance to their partner. This can be back dated to April 2015 and currently amounts up to a maximum of £250 for the current tax year. Simply contact the Office of Works and Pensions and provide both partners details in order to your claim.

In addition anybody who has taken out a Lasting Power of Attorney, LPA or Enduring Power of Attorney, EPA between 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2017 are entitled to refunds varying from £34 to £54 for each attorney dependent on the date of completion. Separate refunds are available whether cover is for property/financial or health/welfare. Closure date for applications is 1 February 2021. So far over £11M has been paid out. You can claim if you are a donor or attorney. If the donor has died then the executor of the will can claim. Claims can be made to the Office of the Public Guardian by phone 0300 456 0300 selecting option 6 or fill in on-line form. If successful payment will be received within 12 weeks.

I personally have successfully completed claims and received multiple refunds.

James Arnold

Published February Edition 2020

Letters: Parking – February 2020

Parking

I am lucky enough to be of an age where I no longer have to push a pushchair and I am not quite of the age that I have to be pushed in a wheelchair or drive myself on a mobility scooter. Others are not quite so lucky.

It amazes me that villagers who pop into the One Stop appear to be oblivious of the dropped kerb outside the shop and the one between the planters. These areas are also identified by a solid white line painted on the road surface. Perhaps these drivers need to be reminded of The Highway Code’s Rule 243?

Name withheld

Published February Edition 2020

Heyford Bowls Club – February 2020

NetherHeyfordBowlsClub

It is nice to say 2019 turned out to be a very good year for the ‘INDOOR BOWLS SECTION’ and good attendances were maintained throughout the year. The Wednesday afternoon bowls section has shown good attendances regularly. Well done to the organisers and supporters of afternoon bowls for creating an enjoyable afternoon bowling section.

The Christmas fun night turned out to be another hilarious bowling occasion. A good turnout was treated to a very enjoyable evening.

2020 will see the start of another year’s bowling competitions. Last year they produced some excellent bowling. Competition was keen, making it hard to win a trophy. Our first competition, ‘THE DAVE JULAND PRESIDENTS CUP’ will be played on the 8th February, 1pm for 1.30pm.

January 6th saw Heyford entertain Syresham in a Wardington League match. An enjoyable competition saw Heyford win on both mats. This enabled us to pick up 4 points from this win. Our next match is away at Middleton Cheney on the evening of 23rd January.

It would be nice to say thank you to Ray and Rosemary (EVENING) and Sandy (AFTERNOON) for all their hard work throughout 2019 in helping to maintain a thriving INDOOR BOWLING SECTION. Also a thank you to all our members for making 2019 a successful and happy year for the IBC. Good luck to all our bowlers in the coming year.

Den Taylor

For more bowls club information please visit our website:

www.heyfordbowlsclub.co.uk

W.I. & Crafty Club – Christmas Fayre Update – February 2020

Crafty Club / W.I. Christmas Fayre – Saturday 7th December 10:00 TO 14:00

The Village Hall looked absolutely amazing with all the stall holders making their tables look very inviting. W.I. commenced “frying” their wonderfully, delicious bacon butties, and apparently were sold out before the 2 o’clock deadline. All the trees were decorated and ready by the start of the Fayre and a banner was placed outside on poles.

The Christmas Trees and Mystery Boxes in the Chapel Rooms had a steady flow of people through the four hours, with many comments about how people felt the idea of the trees all being the same, giving the various groups the same opportunity to win, was a “good idea”!

At 2 o’clock votes for the best dressed tree were counted, the results were as follows:

Flower Society – 8 votes
ReStore – 5 votes
Crafty Club – 16 votes
Singers – 23 votes
Messy Church – 16 votes
Foresters – 6 votes
Garden Club – 5 votes
Quilters – 2 votes

So, the overall winner was the Singers with Crafty Club & Messy Church tying for second place. The Singers were awarded a box of chocolates and as there were two joint seconds Crafty Club gave Messy Church the box of biscuits.

Thanks to the Baptist Church for the use of their room.

The Mystery Box went well – two numbers were picked by an independent person at 2 o’clock and the winning numbers were

126 – Jude Massingham
11 – Lorraine Streeter.

I would like to thank all the people for their hard work helping with the organisation of the Fayre and for all the people who came along that made the whole event worthwhile.

Finally I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

Chris Phillips