March 2003 - Contents War with Iraq Searching for God Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches Services Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's Altar Flowers at St. Wystan's Brasses at St. Wystan's United Reformed Church Services at the United Reformed Church Church Anniversary, 16th March 11am Mothering Sunday, 30th March, 11am Women's World Day of Prayer Service Lent Course A new minister for the URC! Coffee Morning, Saturday 8th March, 10.30-11.30 am Shell Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals and Burial of Ashes Rhoda Hemmings St Wystan's Church, Repton Ash Wednesday at St Wystan's & Newton Solney 'Great Events - Deep Meanings' Daily Prayers at St Wystan's Bible study 'Bring a Tin' during Lent for the Padley Centre The Padley Centre Mothering Sunday - March 30th St Wystan's Annual Church Meeting & Supper Music at St Wystan's St Wystan's Church Summer Fête Parish Directory St Saviour's Church, Foremark Annual Church Meeting St Mary's Church, Newton Solney Annual Church Meeting and Supper St Mary's Church Flower Festival, May 31st-June 5th Repton Village and History JOGS needs a cooker Repton Open Gardens Day Repton Scarecrow Competition Coach outing to the Malvern Show Repton & District Care Group Repton WI Repton Village Society Gardening Notes An owed to the spelling checker Adverts Repton Primary School PTA Jumble Sale South Derbyshire Conservatives Sausage, mash & bingo Repton School Subscription Concerts Society - The Maggini Quartet Newton Solney WI Jumble Sale Repton School Easter Courses 2003 - Cricket, Tennis, Swimming

War with Iraq

Writing about likely war with Iraq a week before the magazine comes out is tricky. By the time you read it the situation may have changed dramatically. But whatever happens certain things will still be true.

First we need to think about the Iraqi people. Living in a police state under a ruthless dictator must be bad enough, but the prospect of seeing your country and its infrastructure bombed to pieces must be terrifying. However 'smart' the operation, there will still be many thousands of casualties, and many more thousands of refugees whose lives will be torn to shreds.

Another inevitable result of war will be to give a huge boost to militant Islamic groups, not only in the Middle East, but across the wider Islamic world, in Indonesia, Pakistan and beyond. This will inevitably increase the threat of world terrorism in the coming years. Superior military force may be able to defeat a country like Iraq, but it is clear that underground terrorist groups will be much harder to destroy. If we encourage them to grow there will be a heavy price to pay.

A third result will be to widen the gap between Muslim countries and the western world. On a small planet co-operation between different groups is increasingly necessary so that we can act together on many issues, including the environment which we all share. This will become even harder than it is at present.

There are many other things to say, too many for this page, but one obvious fact is that until a way is found to end Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine and restore some kind of peace between Jews and Arabs through a peace process based on international law, that will always remain a flashpoint capable of igniting violence all over the world.

Evidence that Iraq has been a resource for the international terrorism which is such a fearful threat, seems so thin that it is almost invisible.

It may sound cynical to say so, but it looks all too likely that one reason for embarking on a war is to end the uncertainty which has been so disastrous for the US economy. Unless that economy recovers, President Bush's chances of re-election will be much diminished. That would be a horrendous reason to sacrifice so many lives.

Whatever the military outcome may be in the next few weeks, if we go to war the consequences will remain with us for a long, long time.

Searching for God

Michael Prowse is a reluctant believer.

Whenever the question of God arises, I am reminded of the Monty Python sketch in which two dead men are hauled into the studio. John Cleese interrogates them about life after death and, getting no response, draws the obvious conclusion.

Such sketches are amusing partly because they mirror the absurdity of most supposedly serious discussions of God - specifically the difficulty in finding sensible premises from which to argue rigorously for His existence.

And yet if we deny Him, we are not thereby granted a satisfying explanation of life and the world. To say, for instance, that the universe began in a 'Big Bang' only raises the question: what preceded the Big Bang? If something came from nothing, how was this possible? Conversely, if something has always existed, why is this the case? Writhe as we may, we cannot avoid unanswerable questions.

There are two aspects of the traditional Christian conception of God that I have always found troublesome.

The first concerns His supposed role as the source or fountain of morality - a view perhaps best captured in the story of the Ten Commandments. The problem, stressed by many philosophers, is that acting morally cannot be construed as simply obeying the rules laid down by some higher being. We must convince ourselves that these rules are right. But we can do this only by comparing them to some independently arrived at set of moral postulates, yet this implies that God cannot be the source of morality. Indeed, we can assess His morality by seeing how well He obeys these objective moral laws. But this leads to a further conundrum. How could any such set of moral laws be objectively valid? It seems impossible to conceive of morality as part of the physical fabric of the universe. Yet what other kind of objectivity is there?

The second worry concerns God's nature. What, exactly, is He? I have often been disturbed by the willingness of clergy (and theologians) to use the term 'God' without ever specifying what they are referring to. Taken literally, biblical texts indicate that God is a being somewhat similar to us, in that He has language, emotions, intelligence, goals and so on. The main difference seems to be that He is infinitely good, infinitely powerful, infinitely wise. But given the scientific account of reality, where precisely could such a being reside? In another dimension perhaps. Is that an answer?

The stock reply, of course, is that biblical language shouldn't be taken literally. Yet once liberal theologians enter the public domain, they are typically reluctant to explain precisely what is implied by their non-literal interpretation of divine texts. Does God exist as an entity independent of human thought? Such questions frequently do not elicit a straight answer.

There may, however, be a way of creating room for God in the modern world - a way suggested by the work of Martin Heidegger, the 20th century German philosopher. Many of us find religious belief problematic because we assume that science gives us accurate information about the 'fundamental' nature of things. Thus we accept that the way we perceive, say, an implement such as a hammer is misleading: in reality it is not a coloured, heavy object but a collection of elementary particles or quantum wave functions. The difficulty is that there seems to be no place for God in this rock-bottom reality.

Heidegger's radical; response is to point out that natural science is just another human construction. It is a specific and rather peculiar 'world view' concocted by people who necessarily grew up in human communities whose self-understanding includes for more than empirical science. We can think of a hammer as a collection of quantum wave functions only after we have first identified it as something for banging in nails.

Rather than telling us how things 'really are', natural science is a narrow framework of ideas designed specifically to enable us to discover causal laws or regularities and so manipulate our surroundings. Since it flows from our general experience of living, it cannot provide a 'foundation' for our understanding of life. The fact that science can find no place for God has no bearing on whether He exists.

We moderns thus find religious belief hard to swallow because we take the pretensions of empirical science too seriously. We naively regard what is just another human discourse - one aimed at instrumental control of physical things - for some kind of 'absolute knowledge'. We then deaden ourselves to every facet of human life that points to something beyond our earthly existence and, quite illogically, regard the idea of God as itself illogical.

Michael Prowse is the American economics correspondent for the Financial Times. This article appeared in the FT in March 2000 and is reproduced with permission.

Services at Foremark, Newton Solney
and St. Wystan's Churches

St. Wystan's

Sunday 2nd		Sun next before Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	10.00 am	Mattins
	6.30 pm		Evening Worship

Wednesday 5th		Ash Wednesday
	7.45 am		Holy Communion
	10.00 am	Holy Communion
	8.30 pm		Parish Communion
	
Sunday 9th 		1st Sunday of Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	10.00 am	Parish Communion
	6.30 pm		Evensong
	
Wednesday 12th
	10.00 am	Holy Communion
		
Sunday 16th		2nd Sunday of Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	10.00 am	Morning Worship
	6.30 pm		Choral Evensong

Wednesday 19th
	10.00 am	Holy Communion	

Sunday 23rd		3rd Sunday of Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	10.00 am	Parish Communion
	6.30 pm		Evensong	

Wednesday 26th
	10.00 am	Holy Communion	

Sunday 30th		4th Sunday of Lent (Mothering Sunday)
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	10.00 am	Family Service
	6.30 pm		Informal Service

Foremark

Sunday 9th		1st Sunday of Lent
	6.30 pm		Evensong

Sunday 23rd		3rd Sunday of Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion	

Newton Solney

Sunday 2nd		Sun next before Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	4.00 pm		Evensong
			
Wednesday 5th		Ash Wednesday
	7.00 pm		Holy Communion
	
Sunday 9th		1st Sunday of Lent
	10.00 am	Parish Communion
	
Sunday 16th		2nd Sunday of Lent
	8.00 am		Holy Communion
	4.00 pm		Evensong
			
Sunday 23rd		3rd Sunday of Lent
	10.00 am	Parish Communion	

Sunday 30th		4th Sunday of Lent (Mothering Sunday)
	10.30 am	Family Service

Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's

2nd March	1st lesson:	2 Kings 2:1-12: Pamela Carr
		2nd lesson:	Mark 9:2-9: Jenny Jones
5th March	Epistle:	2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10: Judith Fox
		Offertory:	Martin & Frances Wimbush
9th March	Epistle:	1 Peter 3:18-22: Carol Bradley
		Offertory:	Tom & Sue Hyde
23rd March	Epistle:	1 Corinthians 1:18-25: Keith Bradley
		Offertory:	David & Melodie Bordoli

Altar Flowers

2nd March 		Melodie Kettle

Brasses

2nd March 		Jane Griffiths
9th & 16th March	Sue Stayner
23rd & 30th March	Angela Mayger 

The United Reformed Church

Sunday 2nd
	11.00 am	Revd Patrick Lidgett (Holy Communion)
	6.30 pm		Service at Fisher Close Community Lounge

Friday 7th
 	7.15 pm		Women's World Day of Prayer Service

Sunday 9th
 	11.00 am	Mr John Bradley
	6.30 pm		Holy Communion

Sunday 16th
	11.00 am	166th Church Anniversary: Family Service
	6.30pm		Gerald Gibbs

Sunday 23rd 
	11.00 am	Gerald Gibbs
	6.30 pm		Mr Brian Healey

Sunday 30th
	11.00 am	Mothering Sunday Family Service
	6.30 pm		Gerald Gibbs

Church Anniversary, 16th March 11am

Our building is 166 years old on March 15th, and we meet to give thanks for the influence of the Independent, Congregational and now the United Reformed Church in Repton.

Mothering Sunday, 30th March, 11am

Everyone will be welcome at our special service when the children will have a gift for all the ladies.

Women's World Day of Prayer Service
Friday 7th March, 7.15pm at the URC

This year the women of the churches in the Lebanon have written the service, which will celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit. Everyone - men as well as women- are welcome at this service which will be led by ladies from the churches in Repton.

Lent Course

Tuesdays March 18th & 25th and April 1st & 8th at 8.30 pm at the URC

This year we are using the same course that is being followed by the groups from St Wystan's Church: Great Events, Deep Meanings. Meetings will begin with coffee and last no longer than an hour. Everyone is welcome.

A new minister for the URC!

The newly formed Derby West group of United Reformed Churches - Repton, Carlton Road, Derby and Mackworth - have called Brian Norris to be their Minister; Brian is currently in his final year as a mature student at Northern College in the University of Manchester, and will graduate in June. More news to follow!

Coffee Morning, Saturday 8th March, 10.30-11.30am

Another opportunity to meet friends, have coffee and biscuits and to buy home made cakes and marmalade. The children will have a stall and the Webb Ivory selection is always popular. Thanks to everyone who supported our Webb Ivory sales last year: we are able to give £335 profit to the church roof fund. Keep up the good work!

Shell

Shell (age 7+) meets on Mondays from 6.30 to 7.30pm. New members are welcome.

Marriages

Jonathan Mark Greenall and Gillian Joyce Boston of Mallorca came to St Saviour's Church, Foremark for a service of prayer and dedication following their civil marriage on Saturday 15th February.

Funerals

Maureen Elsie Allen of 42 Pinfold Close, Repton died on Thursday 6th February at the Queens Hospital, Burton-on-Trent. She was aged 60. Her funeral was held at Markeaton Crematorium on Monday 17th February.

David Blair Wilkinson of 45 Burton Road, Repton died at his home on Saturday 8th February at the age of 70. His funeral at Bretby crematorium on Tuesday February 18th was followed by a Service of Thanksgiving for his life at St Peter's Church, Stapenhill.

Rhoda Hemmings, June 1914 - January 2003

The service of celebration and thanksgiving for the life of Rhoda Hemmings was held in St Wystan's Church on January 20th, immediately after her cremation at Bretby. It was an inspiring service, well organised and thoughtful, sincere and to the point, a reflection of herself. In fact she had prepared most of it, and had provided a brief CV from her birth at Mill Farm, Milton, through her academic life and teaching career in London, Batley, Cambridge and Burton Girls' High School (plus several years part-time at Repton School) up to her more recent activities in the village.

Rhoda was well loved and respected by many from both within and beyond the village of Repton, and the attendance at church reflected this, Her interests in the church and village were legion. They included the Parish Magazine (she was treasurer at one time, and continued as a distributor into her old age), Sunday School teacher at Milton and Repton, member of PCC, Bible Study Group leader and Meals on Wheels distributor.

When she returned as a young woman of thirty two to live in Repton she took up tower bell ringing and continued for twenty eight years, after which she directed the handbell ringers for another twenty two years. A kneeler in church (which she herself stitched) depicting two handbells, is a reminder of her fifty years of bell-ringing for St Wystan's.

Rhoda was a prominent worker in the archaeological digs in the seventies and eighties, classifying and documenting bones as they were unearthed, and continuing after the digs were finished. She contributed to the final scientific report. During the digs she organised the provision of refreshments for the workers and visitors. She was very good at recruiting helpers in such tasks, as many of us can testify!

Her interests extended to Calke Abbey, where she was a garden steward; and perhaps most of all to the Lake District, where she loved to walk in the company of her friends. Her other 'passions', as she put it, were badgers and bees, natural history and art, needle work and, not least, gardening. This last she shared with her companion of many years, Betty Haywood. Their garden was always a joy to see.

The service on January 20th was a worthy acknowledgement of the life of this remarkable woman, whose convictions, qualities and kindness endeared her to many friends in and beyond this parish.

Rhoda Hemmings, Handbell Ringer

The Handbell Ringers would like to pay their tribute to Rhoda Hemmings. She was one of the founder members of the Mercia Group and was the leader for many years until ill health forced her to give up. We owe her a debt of gratitude and she will be greatly missed.

St Wystan's Church

Ash Wednesday at St Wystan's & Newton Solney

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday March 5th. At Repton there will be said services of Holy Communion at 7.45 am and 10 am. In the evening there will be a Parish Communion at 8.30 pm which will also be a voluntary service for pupils at Repton School. At Newton Solney there will be a Communion Service at 7 pm.

'Great Events - Deep Meanings'

'Great Events - Deep Meanings' is the title of a short course which focuses on the meaning behind the five festivals of Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter. Each session has an audio taped introduction. Contributors include Dame Cecily Saunders, (founder of the hospice movement), Fiona Castle, (widow of Roy Castle, the entertainer), Gordon Wilson (whose daughter was killed beside him in the Remembrance Day bombing at Enniskillen), Brian Hoare (Former President of the Methodist Conference), David Konstant (RC Bishop of Leeds), David Hope, (Archbishop of York), and John Polkinghorne (ex-Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge). A number of groups will meet in Repton & Newton Solney on different days and at various times. To take part either sign up at the back of one of the churches or ring Julian Barker, 703317 or George Johnson, 703079, or Jennifer Haynes, 703827 for Newton Solney.

Daily Prayers at St Wystan's

At 8.15 am every weekday during Lent there will be morning prayers at St Wystans using a booklet called 'Praying with Confidence'. They will last about 15 minutes. Anyone who would like to join us will be most welcome.

Bible study

The Bible Study Group at 44 Pinfold Close with Stanley and Audrey Morris will be meeting on Monday, March 10th and Monday March 24th at 7.30pm.

We shall be looking at the books of Genesis and Exodus and their relevance to life in the 21st century. Everyone welcome.

'Bring a Tin' during Lent for the Padley Centre

As usual, we are asking people to 'bring a tin' when they come to church at St Wystan's during Lent. They'll go to the Padley Centre in Derby which is a day centre for the homeless, the mentally ill and other people in trouble.

The Padley Centre

Most people have heard about Padley's Homeless Project, but most do not know about the work we do with another very disadvantaged group - people with learning disabilities and mental health problems.

There are estimated to be around 2,500 people in Derby and the surrounding area who have some level of learning disability. This group is one of the least nurtured in our society. Some of them are fully or partially independent and just need a little extra support to give them the skills to get a job. Those with severe difficulties need stimulation and a chance to develop simple life skills like knowing what bus to catch and counting out the right money for it.

Padley Development Centre is fully accredited to offer training to people with learning disabilities, mental health problems and long-term unemployed people, according to their needs. We offer therapeutic activities, such as arts and crafts, pottery and woodcraft, and basic skills to people with severe learning disabilities. We also offer a range of vocational training leading to qualifications, helping make people job-ready. This training includes NVQs in catering, administration, warehousing, retail and woodwork. We pride ourselves on helping disadvantaged people to develop to their full potential. We offer training and activities to around 250 people a year but there are many more whom we could help. We are currently reviewing our sources of funding and developing ideas for some exciting new projects. How you can support Padley Development Centre

We welcome orders for goods made by our woodwork department. Items are made to order and include: bird tables @ £12.50, garden benches from £27 and foot stools from £15 as well as one-off items made to customer specifications. If you are interested in buying any woodwork items, contact the Development Centre on 01332 774480. Padley Homeless Project

The revised opening times at Padley's Day Centre have proved very successful. Every morning from 7.30 we have a steady influx of up to 50 people arriving to get some breakfast and a shower and start their day in a dignified way. As many of you know the Day Centre is open 7 days a week 52 weeks a year, helping over 100 people each day. This service costs a great deal to run. Our heartfelt thanks therefore go out to all the churches, schools and individuals who have generously helped.

We invite anyone who would like to visit us to come and see how valuable your help really is in supporting these vulnerable people. Please note that restrictions on space mean that we can only have small groups of visitors at one time. If you would like to visit the homeless project please contact Marjorie Anderson on 01332 331280.

Mothering Sunday - March 30th

Why not mark March 30th down as a day to bring your children to Church? At the 10 am Family Service at St Wystan's, Repton and at 10.30 am at St Mary's, Newton Solney, we shall be giving out bunches of flowers to all the children so that they have something to give to their mothers as a symbol of love and appreciation.

St Wystan's Annual Church Meeting & Supper
Monday 3rd March at 7.30 pm in Repton Village Hall

Anyone living in the village and all members of the congregation are welcome to come to the meeting and share in the supper which follows. Supper tickets @ £3.50 are available from Jan Gillham, 58 Burton Road, (703340), Tom Hyde, 32 Milton Road, (703662) or Jan Roberts 37 High Street (702159).

The meeting starts with the election of the Churchwardens. We then elect members of the Church Council and the Deanery Synod. The Vicar reports on the past year and will talk about plans for the future. Everyone is given a copy of the accounts for last year which will be introduced by the Treasurer. The rest consists mainly of brief reports on various areas of parish life. It is planned to last for about an hour after which there's supper.

Music at St Wystan's

At 6.30 pm on the third Sunday in each month Choral Evensong is sung by the Wystan Singers. Music planned for the next three months is as follows:

St Wystan's Church Summer Fête

Please note that Summer Fête will be held on Saturday 14th June in the vicarage garden.

Parish Directory

Requests for amendments to the Parish Directory should be made to the compiler, Ted Weston, at 3 Stratford Close, Repton, before Easter please.

St Saviour's Church, Foremark

Annual Church Meeting

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of St Saviour's Church, Foremark will be on Monday March 17th at 7.30pm in the Common Room in the school. Anyone who comes to church at Foremark or lives in Foremark, Milton or Ingleby is welcome to join us. As at Repton, the accounts will be presented and the state of the building and other matters of Church life will be discussed. To get to the meeting, go up the main steps at the front of the Hall, through the door and turn immediately left.

St Mary's, Newton Solney

Annual Church Meeting & Supper
Monday 10th March at 7.30 pm in Newton Village Hall

This year for the first time the Annual Parochial Church Meeting is to be followed by a 'Bring & Share' supper. Anyone who lives in the parish or who is on the Church's Electoral Roll is welcome to attend. The Annual Meeting is the occasion when the Churchwardens are elected and everyone resident in the parish is entitled to vote. (Nomination slips are available at the back of the church.) Election of the Church Council follows. Then there is a range of reports on the Church's life during the past year and a look at the future when the Council is faced with costly repair work on the church roof. If you have an interest in the Church and can join us for the meeting and supper we shall be delighted to see you. To make catering arrangements easier, please either sign the notice at the back of church or ring Jennifer Haynes (703827), or Hazel Ward (701244) to say you'll be coming.

St Mary's Church Flower Festival, May 31st-June 5th

Plans for the Flower Festival are now taking shape and I am sincerely grateful to those who have offered their practical support. All offers of help will be most welcome. To make it financially successful, I now need to ask for donations towards the cost of the flowers. Perhaps you would like to sponsor a display in memory of someone dear, or a special occasion,and this would be acknowledgedin church. (Cheques may be made payable to "St. Mary's Church, Newton Solney"). If you are able to support in any way please contact me at any time.

Hazel Ward, 21, Blacksmith's Lane Tel. 701244

Repton Village & History

JOGS (Joint Organisation of Guides and Scouts)

We need an electric cooker and / or a gas cooker for 'The Den'. If you have one in good working order that you no longer need, please contact Andy Austen, tel 702448.

Repton Open Gardens Day
Sunday 18th May

Once again this event, which seems to have become a regular feature of the Repton year, is being planned. As it was last year, the 2003 Open Gardens Day is being run in conjunction with a Scarecrow Competition. We shall be delighted to hear from keen gardeners who might like to show their gardens. Please contact Tom Hyde (703662) or Owen Jowett (701964) if you are interested.

Repton Scarecrow Competition
Saturday 17th May

Last year the 37 entries provided a great source of entertainment and fun. Although it is called a 'Scarecrow Competition' we would really like you to create a garden character or feature requiring a bit of imagination and lots of artistic licence! So, please join in the fun and start working on your ideas now.

Judging will take place on the Saturday afternoon. We hope you will again show off your exhibits on the Sunday at the Open Gardens Day.

Coach outing to the Malvern Show

Repton Show Committee are organising an outing to the Malvern Show on Saturday 10th May, leaving the Cross at 8am, returning approximately 7pm. The cost will be £15, which includes entrance to the Show. There are a few sets left; to book ring Marjorie Boddice on 701192 or Hilary Hazelwood on 702423..

Repton & District Care Group

The group held its AGM on 21st January. The chairman gave a very positive report on the group's activities for the year and said that we are in a position to buy some new pieces of equipment for use by the patients in the area.

Event for your diary: May 9th, a concert by the Barrow Singers. For further information, give Jean Best a ring: 01283 701845.

Repton WI

WI members had a special interest in the slides shown at the February meeting because they are wondering whether to tackle the job of producing a well-dressing to be displayed at the Open Gardens. The speaker's designs were inspiring and he assured us that we could produce a simple picture without previous experience. We had a representative of the Village Society at the meeting and he offered us their help. Are we going ahead? Well, watch this space!

Next month: Tuesday March 11th, Mr A.E. Coleman on Mute Swans. Visitors are always welcome. Just come to the Village Hall at 7.15pm

Repton Village Society

We had a good turnout on Feb 6th to hear Norman Clark's entertaining talk on his life with the Harpur-Crewe family. He graphically conveyed the difficulties of working for a family of such 'odd personalities'. Despite being employed as the Farm Manager, he was initially required, with the assistance of six other employees, to provide the house with firewood, there being no money for coal. Four fires downstairs and six upstairs in the bedrooms had to be fed with wood everyday! He described how run down the farm had become by the time he first took over in 1956. At first his ideas on how to improve the farm were constantly challenged, but with time he managed to turn things round and the farm became a going concern.

The Society's next Activity will be on Thursday 6th March when we can visit the newly opened Sharpe's Pottery in Swadlincote (meet at the entrance at 7.30 pm).

Our next meeting will be the AGM on Thursday 10th April with an illustrated talk by Rod Pearson on 'It's all clear and bright at Port Sunlight'. This will be followed by a visit to Port Sunlight on Saturday 12th April.

Gardening Notes

Seed sowing begins in earnest at this time of year with increased daylight hours and the warming up of the soil. It is possible, of course, to get ahead by sowing under glass with or without heat. In general fine seed needs sowing near the surface so that the seedlings have little depth of soil to struggle through. Some may hardly need covering at all, or perhaps with some vermiculite through which light can filter. And larger seeds are sown more deeply. Some seeds may germinate better in the dark but most will do well if kept in a shaded position. The fluctuation between day and night temperatures is probably important. Always use fresh seed compost and the fresher the seed the better. If you are storing seed, the bottom of the refrigerator is most likely to prolong its life. Seeds of annuals such as petunia, nicotiana, lobelia and salvias can be sown under glass now with gentle heat, if possible. Also some vegetables, to give them an earlier start. Root crops sown under glass will do best in modular trays rather than open seed trays to give less root disturbance when planting out. Short rows of lettuce can be sown outside at the end of the month and then fortnightly, until the end of July, to ensure a succession.

Onion sets should also be planted later in the month. These should be planted four inches apart leaving nine inches between rows and the tips of the bulbs exposed.

Early potatoes can be planted out and main crop potatoes set to chit. Outdoor tomatoes can be sown and put in a heated propagator; Seed will come up without this but it will be slower and less reliable. If dahlia tubers are put in trays of compost under glass this will encourage shoots to form which can be taken for cuttings, and begonia tubers can be planted in pots.

This is a good time to divide large clumps of hostas. Use a spade to cut through the solid rootball and leave each section with several shoots. Take cuttings of herbaceous perennials taking new shoots from the base once they are two to three inches long and root in a cold frame. Buy summer flowering bulbs but delay planting any tender ones. These should be kept in moist vermiculite for another month or so.

Prune forsythia after flowering. Buddleia and dogwoods can be pruned now and mahonias can be pruned by cutting away the dead flower with the top ring of leaves. Give roses their final prune and a feed of special rose feed and start the regular spraying routine against blackspot and aphids. Growing resistant varieties of roses may be our only solution before long. According to the gardening journal 'Gardening Which' some 80 garden products will disappear at the end of July under new EU directives. Many will not be replaced because of the vast amount of information required and cost of E400,000 to register. Nimrod T, Roseclear 2 and Armillatox are to go, though Roseclear is to be reformulated. And dichloroprop used in lawn care products and for nettle control is to go. This will not worry organic gardeners. Winter heathers will need trimming when flowering has ceased but do not cut into old wood.

The bird population in our garden varies from day to day. Sometimes a container of black sunflower seed will go in half a day and at others it will last two or three days. It must depend on how much food is available elsewhere (neighbours?). Nuthatches are daily visitors. Only a few years ago they were rare visitors. Long tailed tits, too, are daily visitors now and great, blue and coal tits, and we often have both a male and a female black cap. These are likely to be winter visitors from the continent. Great spotted woodpeckers come at infrequent intervals and a goldcrest was here recently. We see dunnocks but no house sparrows, which used to be a pest.

Repton Primary School PTA

Jumble Sale

Saturday 15th March 2003 at 11am

South Derbyshire Conservative Association - Repton Branch

Sausage, mash & bingo

Repton Village Hall

Thursday April 18th commencing 7.30pm

(supper at interval)
£3.50 Bring your own wine & glass
Enquiries 701189 or 703275

---

The Society is proud to present a concert given by one
of the finest, award-winning British String Quartets.

They were the winners of the Gramophone Chamber Music Award
of 2001 and have sold over 100,000 discs.

Come and hear them on
Tuesday March 11th at 7.45 pm
Robert Beldam Hall


Works by Haydn, Beethoven and Frank Bridge


Tickets £12 & £9 (concessions)

For further information or tickets contact
The Secretary (Sue Parker) on 01283 702550
or Repton Music School on 01283 559319

Newton Solney WI

Jumble Sale

Saturday 15th March 2003 at 2.00pm

Repton School Easter Courses 2003

Cricket
26th - 27th March

Set yourself up for the season
with two days of enjoyable coaching from Mike Stones

Ages 10 - 15 10 am -4 pm Course fee: £40

Tennis
31st March - 4th April

This is a very popular tennis course run by Tim Cosford.

Ages 6 - 14 mornings 9.30 am - 12.30 pm
full days 9.30am - 4.00pm


Course fee: £65.00 per week, mornings
£110.00 per week, full days

Swimming
17th, 18th, 21st and 22nd April

Four day training course with Alan Hawkins

Ages 10 - 18 9am - 2pm Course fee: £50
(this is not a beginners course)

For further information & application forms please contact:

Repton School Enterprises Limited
The Business Centre
1, The High Street
Repton, Derbyshire DE65 6GD

Tel: 01283 559322, Fax: 01283 559213
or email enterprise@repton.org.uk