December 2004 - Contents Letter from the Reverend Peter Paine Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches Christmas Services at Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches Services at St. Wystan's, Repton Services at St Saviour's, Foremark Services at St Mary's, Newton Solney Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's Altar Flowers at St. Wystan's Brasses at St. Wystan's Altar Flowers at St Saviour's United Reformed Church Services at the United Reformed Church Children's Nativity Services, Sunday 12th December Christingle Service, Sunday 18th December at 11.00 am Candlelight Carols Sunday, 19th December at 6.30 pm Christmas Day, 10.30 am: A short service of celebration Shell Junior Church and Shell Christmas Party, Saturday 4th December Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals and Burial of Ashes Funerals and Burial of Ashes Benjamin James Lane Robert William Langley Eileen Pearl Bednall Jemima Gibbs John Keith Gadsby Maud Elizabeth Pollard Jemima Gibbs, 1922 - 2004 St Wystan's News Thank You: Parish Magazine Delivery Repton Luncheon Club & 'Drop-In' Centre Mothers' Union Mothers' Union Annual Conference St Mary's News St Mary's Church Christingle Service Postponed, 'Evening with Alison Mckenzie' Christmas Fair, 4th December at 2 pm The Gresley Male Voice Choir Carol Concert, Sunday, 5th December 8 pm The Catherine the Great Orchestra, Thursday 9th December at 7.45 pm Christmas Sausage, Mash & Bingo, Thursday 9th December at 7.30 pm The Sitwell Singers, Saturday 11th December at 7.30 pm Thankyou Aid to Russia and the Republics Jan, Katie and Ollie Badger Charities Repton Charities Repton Village and History Stamp and Deliver What an opportunity! Repton Evergreens Repton Council Jottings Repton Village Society Repton and Milton Village Design Statement Repton Village History Group Repton W.I. Stools and Slides Milton & Foremark Village Matters Milton W.I. Gardening Notes

Letter from the Reverend Peter Paine

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for all your good wishes, cards and flowers while I was in hospital. My sojourn there came as a surprise, not to say a shock, especially to Carol and the family. David even came from Kent to inspect the damage. Fortunately there was no damage to inspect. I left the DRI with a clean bill of health although laden with pills. The good thing is that I have an excellent excuse to be a ruthless chairman and finish meetings no later than 9.30 pm. Please help me to keep to this good intention.

Before you read this we will have started a new Christian Year. Advent is a time of preparation. The anticipation of Christmas is for many more exciting and important than the festival itself. I have long ago given up the struggle to keep a Christmas-free Advent. Although the festival officially begins on Christmas Eve, most of 'Christmas' has happened in the anticipation. This wouldn't matter except that the themes of Advent are interesting and exciting. There could have been no Christmas without the preparation of the prophetic preaching of John the Baptiser who prepared the way, or of Mary, whose 'yes' made the incarnation possible. Let us not lose sight of them as we prepare for the festival.

The key theme of Christmas is 'Emmanuel' – 'God with us.' Anglicans are more comfortable with 'presence' than 'prophecy.' Yet both are necessary and that's why Advent is necessary before Christmas. God comes to share our life in order to bring us the life of heaven and enable us to share his life.

It's a message of great hope because, as Paul says, God loved us while we were still sinners. God loves us first. And that's the challenge because he asks us to love one another as he has loved us. So we are to love one another first. Not waiting for the other to apologise but to go out to seek reconciliation.

St John reminds us that 'God so loved the world.' The message of Christmas is not just a personal affair. Let us have a special concern for the people of Bethlehem most of whom are Palestinians. They are suffering at this time because of the dearth of pilgrims and the consequent lack of employment. Let us pray too for the Israelis who live under a cloud of fear. There can be no more urgent prayer this Christmas than for peace in Palestine. In particular I believe we need to pray for three things: that the Palestinian people may find the courage to accept a non-violent way to protest; that the Israelis might have the wisdom to adopt the universalist vision of their great prophet Isaiah; and that the leaders of America and Israel take the situation of the Palestinian people seriously.

On the 11th November I received, along with many others, an e-mail from bishop Riah Abu El-Assal. In it he says: "President Arafat's strong faith in God has been a consistent reminder that the destinies of the nations are in the hands of God. It is this faith that has been so affirming of the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One. His support of the Diocese and its many institutions has been crucial; we are especially grateful for his support of St Luke's Hospital in Nablus and Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. … Your prayers are very important as we mourn the loss of a great friend of the church and a courageous leader of Palestine. Let us pray that President Arafat may rest in peace and rise in glory." Let us pray too for the Palestinian peoples that they may choose a wise and courageous leader.

May the peace of the incarnate Christ be yours this Christmastide.

Services at Foremark, Newton Solney
and Repton Churches

Christmas Services at Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches

Friday 10th December: St Wystan's School Christingle Service
At 2 pm St Wystan's School will be holding a Christingle service in St Wystan's Church. With or without children, you are most welcome to join us.

Sunday 12th December: St Wystan's Gift Service
Before Christmas, children (and others) are invited to bring presents, which are placed under the tree at the start of the 10 am service. In the following week they are distributed to needy families by community nurses from Newhall surgery. If the presents are already wrapped, it is a great help if they have labels to say what is inside. The nurses will then know what to give to whom. Envelopes containing money are very welcome too, and will also be used to help families in need.

Thursday 16th December: Foremark Church Candlelight Carol Service
The Candlelight Carol Service is at 7.30 pm. Afterwards there will be coffee and mince pies in Foremark Hall, by kind permission of the Headmaster.

Sunday 19th December: St Wystan's Carol Services
Following the usual Communion service at 8 am, the 10 am service will be an 'All-Age' Advent Service, which will involve children, and to which adults are also welcome. At 6.30 pm there will be a Candlelit Carol Service at which we will tell the Christmas story in song and word. The Wystan Singers and the Handbell Ringers will both be taking part. The collection supports the work of Christian Aid.

Tuesday 24th December: Christmas Eve
At 4 pm there will be a short Crib Service at St. Wystan's church at which the Christmas story will be told around the figures as they are placed in the crib. There will also be some short children's carols. This will be especially suitable for young children.

'Midnight' Communion at St Wystan's will begin at 11.30 pm. 'Midnight' Communion at St Mary's, Newton Solney will also begin at 11.30 pm; we will welcome the Reverend Roy Whiteley to preside.

Christmas Day
Holy Communion at St Wystan's will be at 8 am. At 10.30 am there will be a short Family Carol Service with children very much in mind. At St Mary's, Newton Solney, we will welcome the Reverend Arthur Redman to preside at the Christmas Communion Service at 10 am.

Sunday 26th December
At St Wystan's at 10 am, there will be a service of Parish Communion with carols for all three churches of the benefice to celebrate the feast of St Stephen.

New Year's Eve, Watchnight Service at St Wystan's
At St Wystan's at 11.30 pm, Friday 31st December, there will be a brief 'Watchnight' service, a moment of reflection in which to look back on the past and to ask for God's blessing on our future. It will finish in time for us to gather at the back of the church and watch the New Year being rung in. Afterwards there will be mince pies. You are welcome to bring a bottle and join the ringers in a New Year toast. After that you can take your drink outside to the churchyard to watch the firework display.

St. Wystan's, Repton

St Saviour's, Foremark

St Mary's, Newton Solney

Readers and Intercessors at St. Wystan's

Altar Flowers

Brasses

Altar Flowers and Cleaning Rota at St Saviour's

The United Reformed Church

Children's Nativity Services, Sunday 12th December

This Christmas the children will perform the new musical play 'Nothing Ever Happens Round Here' by Denis O'Gorman and Barry Hart, a delightful re telling of the Nativity story as seen through the eyes of some very amusing shepherds. There will be no better treat this Christmas! Come and support our children and young people at both services - with coffee and mince pies after the evening service.

Christingle Service, Sunday 18th December at 11.00 am

Every member of the congregation makes their own Christingle to take home to remind them of the meaning of Christmas. All the family can join in.

Candlelight Carols Sunday, 19th December at 6.30 pm

The magic of a candlelit church, the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, the familiar readings and favourite carols make this an irresistible traditional start to Christmas week. Coffee and mince pies will be served after the service.

Christmas Day, 10.30 am: A short service of celebration

Give thanks for Christmas at this special service for all the family; bring a present to show to the congregation; hear once again the message of the angels.

Shell Group

... will not meet during December.

Junior Church and Shell Christmas Party

... will be held on Saturday 4th December.

Thanks

... to everyone who came to our Christmas Mini-market and helped us to raise over £260 for Church funds.

Funerals and Burial of Ashes

Benjamin James Lane, late of Homelands, Repton Road, Newton Solney, died in August at the Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, his funeral being held at Bretby Crematorium. Subsequently, on Friday 24th September, his ashes were interred in St Mary's Churchyard.

Robert William Langley (known to everyone as Bob) of 10 Springfield Road died on Sunday 17th October aged 75. His funeral was held at Bretby Crematorium on Monday 25th October.

Eileen Pearl Bednall of Willington died on Wednesday 20th October aged 70. Her funeral was held at Markeaton Crematorium on Wednesday 27th October. Pearl was the receptionist at the local surgery for 28 years.

Jemima Gibbs of 15 Pinfold Lane died on Thursday 21st October aged 82. Her funeral was held at Markeaton Crematorium on Thursday 28th October.

John Keith Gadsby, of 18 Wheatley Lane, Winshill, died on Saturday 23rd October in the Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, at the age of 68. Following his funeral on Tuesday 2nd November at St Mary's Church, Newton Solney, he was buried in St Mary's churchyard.

Maud Elizabeth Pollard of the Dales, Fisher Close, died on Thursday 4th November aged 88. Her funeral was held at St Wystan's Church on Friday 12th November, followed by cremation at Bretby. Her ashes were buried the following day at St Wystan's.

Jemima Gibbs, 1922 - 2004

The family of the late Jemima Gibbs of 15 Pinfold Lane would like to thank everyone who made donations to the RSPCA and sent kind messages of sympathy on their sad loss.

Known to most of us as Mimie, Jemima was decidedly one of the characters of this village and it is much regretted that we shall no longer see her cycling or walking her dog around its streets, pleasures denied her in recent months because of arthritis.

Born in Matlock, the daughter of a landscape gardener, she spent the war years in the Land Army where her love of the countryside, and particularly of all animals, became paramount in her life. One only had to look at her small front garden, for which she had won prizes in the last three years, to realise her wizardry with plants and flowers. During her Land Army years she met her husband Jack and they moved to Repton in 1957.

She was a very loyal and generous-hearted friend to many, and also a very forthright person who never hesitated to express her opinions on any subject on which she had strong feelings. She will be much missed and we send condolences to her children, John and Pamela, and her family.

St Wystan's News

Thank You

I would like to thank all those involved in distributing the Parish Magazine for their hard work throughout the year. By voluntarily delivering the magazine every month to each household we are able to keep in touch with the whole parish.

I would like to say a particular thank you to those distributors who have retired during the past year – Sue Stayner, Judith Fox, Diane Talbot, Peter Scrivens and Margaret Garner, some of whom have been long-standing members of the team. At the same time, I would like to welcome their replacements. If anybody else would like to help, particularly in Springfield Road or Chestnut Way, it would be much appreciated as we have one or two gaps.

Repton Luncheon Club & 'Drop-In' Centre

After moving to the United Reformed Church on 13th February because of renovations, we were able to reconvene at the Centre at the beginning of September, when we very happily celebrated the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Repton Neighbourhood Help Scheme with Jim and Joy Ault and Pam and Cyril Smith as our honoured guests. However, the Centre is currently closed again for the refurbishment of the kitchen and lavatory! We were just able to squeeze in our half-yearly meeting there on 19th October.

Thank you to all those who responded positively to our Harvest Gift letters. There is a full take-up of places at the moment, but there is still room for people on the reserve list, which means they would be invited when there are any absentees. After staying at £1.50 for 10 years, the cost of lunch is now £2 a head for a splendid, hot two-course meal plus tea or coffee, and sherry or wine when celebrating!

Speaking of celebrating, the Christmas lunch will be held on 10th December. The Christmas tea and entertainment, a thank you to all our volunteers, will be on 17th December.

Dates to note:
Christmas closure: 24th and 31st December, re-open 7th January.
Easter closure: 25th March and 1st April, re-open 8th April.

A Happy Christmas to you all from the Repton Neighbourhood Help Team.

Mothers' Union

The Rev'd and Mrs David Rymer spoke at the meeting on 20th October. Their subject, 'Back to School', covered their work with children throughout David's ministry, a ministry during which he spent several years in Africa. Latterly he has become involved in 'Open the Book', a project recently taken up in Repton. Then the branch leader spoke briefly about the Edge project and other matters arising from the Diocesan Council held at Matlock on 5th October; a full report will appear in Roots and Branches together with a report from the annual Diocesan Conference. (See also page 29.)

One of our older members, Daphne Prockter, has moved permanently into a residential home.

At the commencement of the meeting on 17th November, members kept silence as a tribute to Maud Pollard, who had been a member of the MU for over 40 years. She was a very gracious, gentle and also modest lady with an appreciation of music and a very good singing voice - she had actually sung a duet with Kathleen Ferrier. She was totally loyal to the aims and objects of the MU, always putting family first. In spite of failing health, she would always greet you with a smile and was always so unselfish. We send our condolences to Susan and her family.

Ted Weston spoke at the meeting about 'Amos, Servant of God'. Ted said he could be compared to a present day social worker, his ministry having three distinct phases: God of History, God of Righteousness and Judgement, and God of Mercy and Forgiveness. As a shepherd and a grower of figs in the south of Israel he was appalled at the heathen ways of the people of the north who had picked up undesirable habits from the people amongst they had come to live. As today, prosperity breeds indulgence.

The Christmas lunch will be held at the Red Lion on Thursday 6th January, 12.30 for 1 pm. Approximate cost £7.50. Husbands and friends welcome.

Six members attended the Deanery Quiet Evening at Walton Church on 21st October, where the 'shoe boxes' for the Edge project were received, and Nicole Frost, the project manager, spoke briefly.

The Christmas meeting will take the form of a Christmas Miscellany; Mrs Rosalind Hudson has kindly offered to provide refreshments. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Mothers' Union Annual Conference

Three MU members from Repton went to the Annual Conference at Chesterfield. In the morning they listened to a lively talk on prayer from Jennie Jones. In the afternoon the speaker was Julia Simmons, who was involved with both Comic Relief and Sports Relief. She showed brief video clips of homeless children who lived on the railways in India or in African city streets. She also showed a star of DIY makeover programmes laying a concrete floor for an elderly man in the one-room house which Comic Relief had helped to provide. Comic Relief has made a large grant to MU literacy projects in Africa because of their impressive success rate in teaching women to read and write. Julia said she was a producer, not a presenter, but she kept her audience in the Winding Wheel enthralled. Jennie Jones led the final act of worship which included both song and dance.

St Mary's Church Christingle Service

On Sunday 5th December, the All-age Service at 10 am will be a Service of Christingle, the service initiated by the Moravian Church to celebrate Christ as the Light of the World. If you wish to know more about the symbolism of candles set in oranges and encircled by sweets, why not come along and find out? You will be very welcome. According to custom there will be a collection in aid of the Children's Society.

Postponed, 'Evening with Alison Mckenzie'

Repton and District Care Group is postponing its 'Evening with Alison Mckenzie' because of a clash of dates. If you bought your ticket through Repton Post Office, contact Jean Best on 701845 for a refund. (You will need to send her your tickets.) It is hoped to rearrange the evening in March or April next year.

Newton Solney Church Roof Appeal THE GRESLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR presents a CAROL CONCERT St Mary's Church, Newton Solney Sunday, 5th December, at 8.00 pm Adults £6           Children £3 to include mulled wine/fruit juice & mince pies

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Repton School Concerts Society The Catherine the Great Orchestra will be performing as part of their debut U.K. tour Thursday 9th December at 7.45 pm in the Robert Beldam Hall This group is the first professional full-time baroque orchestra in Russia. Their Repton programme will include masterworks by Vivaldi and Bach along with baroque pieces from the Russian Court of the 18th century. Please note that this concert is on a Thursday! Individual Tickets for this concert are £12 & £9 (concessions) For further information or tickets contact: The Secretary (Sue Parker) on 01283 702550 or Repton Music School on 01283 559319

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South Derbyshire Conservative Association Christmas Sausage, Mash & Bingo Thursday 9th December at 7.30 pm Repton Village Hall Bring your own drinks                                       Raffle £4.00 (Pay at the door)          Ring Pam Bladen, 701189

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Thankyou

Aid to Russia and the Republics

Many thanks to all who supported our Coffee Morning on 30th October, which raised a staggering £560! It was good to welcome so many guests, including our MP, Mark Todd. He drew the raffle, prizes for which were evenly distributed around Willington, Repton, Etwall and Foremarke!

Badgers Set

We would like to say a very big THANK YOU to everyone who has made us feel so welcome since we moved to Repton last month.

Repton Charities

If you are aged 75 or over, live in Repton and would like to receive a small gift of money at Christmas, or if you know of someone else who would like it, please write to Mrs P. Carr, 56 Burton Road, Repton, Derby DE65 6FN, before 10th December. If you received a gift last year you need not apply again.

Repton Village & History

Stamp and Deliver

The Repton Scout Group is taking part in the charity Christmas mail service again this year. Stamps at 15p each are available from a dozen shops and pubs in Repton, Milton and Newton Solney. The scheme applies to Christmas cards for delivery in the area north of Repton up to Belper, and from Hilton in the west to Shardlow in the east. They must be posted only in the yellow boxes in the locations where the stamps are sold. The scheme operates from 6th to 17th December. The money raised will be donated to 21st Century Kids, The DET Magic Million appeal and local Scouting charities. Please support us in this effort.

What an opportunity!

Two of the leaders of the Repton Beaver Scouts are hanging up their woggles when their warrants expire in March. Although there are already other leaders who will continue to run the Colony, they will need help. This is a golden opportunity for anyone interested in becoming an assistant leader. Beavers are 6 and 7 year olds. Full training is provided. Camping is not obligatory, but a slightly silly name is, (eg Brown Beaver, Keema, Tegumai). Slight deafness is sometimes an advantage. There are also vacancies for Cub leaders.

If you are interested, ring Malcolm Cresswell on 01283 733056.

Repton Evergreens

At our October meeting we decided that the Christmas Lunch would be at Brook Farm Tea Rooms on Thursday 16th December, 12.30 for 1 pm.

Our visit to Foremarke School for the Christmas Concert and tea is on Thursday 9th December. The bus leaves the Cross at 2 pm.

There will not be a meeting at the end of December. Our next meeting will be the A.G.M. on Thursday 27th January.

The committee would like to wish all our members a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

Repton Council Jottings

Snippets from recent Parish Council meetings:

• A new item of children's play equipment is on order for installation at Mitre Field. Existing pieces of equipment are to be freshened up by painting them bright colours.
• It has been resolved to make a grant of £3,000 to the Village Hall towards the cost of electrical re-wiring and improving the heating system.
• Bench seating is planned for a few new locations around the village. The Mitre Field, Broomhills Field, and by the wall of St Wystan's churchyard are some of the sites. An attractive signpost near the Cross, directing visitors to various village amenities, is also a strong possibility. County Council approval is needed before proceeding, so it could take a little while.
• Christmas lights are being purchased to decorate trees outside the Village Hall. Vandalism could be a problem, but if all goes well other sites may be considered next year.
• A total of 10 planning applications were debated; three did not find favour for the reasons given:

Two dwellings on land to the rear of 16 Milton Road. A number of access issues.

Demolition of 28 Askew Grove and replacement with two new detached houses. At a proposed 3 storeys high, the new dwellings could dominate the area.

Raising the roof height and constructing a garage at 42 Monsom Lane. Roof ridge too high

• The proposal by MmO2 to erect a mobile phone mast to the rear of houses on Burton Road has been refused for want of consultation with Repton School. Masts should not be positioned close to establishments where children gather.
• The developers of Repton Garage did not like the proposed residential address of Goodalls Yard – insufficiently prestigious, it seems; they favour some more anodyne description. In a continued attempt to preserve the historical connection the Parish Council has suggested Goodalls Court, Mews or Place instead.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Monday 13th December at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall

Repton Village Society

We had a well attended meeting on the 4th November when Richard Dobson gave an account of the history and work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Many of us bought the cards, calendars and other goods available, enabling us to support a charity that is only funded through donations.

Coffee Morning, Saturday 4th December, 10 am – 12 noon At our Coffee Morning in the Village Hall, as well as a further exhibition of photographs of old Repton and surrounding areas by the History Group, there will be examples of hobbies and crafts on display. Some twelve tables have been booked for this. There will also be coffee and mince pies, a tombola, and the History Group will have their latest publications on sale. Admission free.

Thursday January 20th, 7.30 pm in the 400 Hall The second David Wilkinson Memorial Art Lecture is entitled 'God and the Art of Seeing' by the Reverend Paul Jenkins. Paul was formerly Housemaster of the Hall, now School House, at Repton and is now the Director of St Columba's House, Woking. The Society is once again privileged to be able to include this event in the programme. Visitors are most welcome to this and all our other talks. Admission is free to this special evening but there will be a collection for a nominated charity.

Repton and Milton Village Design Statement

If you have not already made your comments on this important document (see November's magazine for details of where to find it), then we would like to hear from you in the near future. Comments can be left at 29 Monsom Lane, 7 Meadow Close, 10 St Wystan Court or 83 Main Street, Milton.

Repton Village History Group

The November meeting of the History Group comprised a display of both photographs and documents from our fast growing archives, and also a display of the completed and ongoing projects that our members have been undertaking. It was a relaxed and informal evening where the audience was able to browse and discuss the large number of exhibits.

On Saturday 4th December, the Village Society has invited us to display old photographs at their Coffee Morning. We will also have our publications on sale.

Our December meeting, Tuesday 7th at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall, will be a Social Evening organised by Gill and Alan Hiley, with two light-hearted quizzes, one general and one about Repton. Mince pies etc. will be available. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the evening.

Our January meeting, Tuesday 4th at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall, will be a slide show of old Repton scenes presented by David Guest. David has been a member of our Group for many years and has an excellent knowledge of the history of the area. This should be an excellent evening to start the New Year.

On Tuesday 1st February we have another display of more archives and projects, and on 1st March we have a talk by Alan Hiley entitled "How to start researching your Family Tree – basic steps".

More details of our group and its activities can be found at www.reptonvillage.org. It was party time at Repton W.I.'s November meeting. President Jill Cownie said the recent Group Meeting and Lunch at Marsh Farm had both been very enjoyable. She then dealt swiftly with future plans and events before introducing David Faulks who demonstrated balloon modelling.

The braver members of the W.I. followed his instructions and produced a dog and a flower complete with stalk and leaves. There were frequent bangs as balloons were twisted too enthusiastically, but members still enjoyed an unusual activity.

This month: Thursday 9th December, Group Carol Service at 7 pm at Newton Solney Church. Tuesday 14th December, meeting at 7.15 pm in Repton Village Hall: "Trim the Tree for Pence" - Salt Dough Modelling with Lynne Barkas. Visitors are always welcome.

Stools and Slides

It would be reassuring to think that it was an animal that did it. But it is difficult to imagine a dog or a fox contorting itself to deposit an enormous stool halfway up a children's slide and another beside the fireman's pole. How could it have held on? No, these stools were of human origin, and they caused great anger among the unfortunate mums and kids who saw them, and among pre- and primary school parents who heard about them at the school gate. Even sadder, this is not the first time.

The park belongs to everyone. If even the dogs round here have their mess cleared up, surely we humans should be thoroughly ashamed of such loutish behaviour.

Milton & Foremark Village Matters

Milton W.I.

'The Life of a Lingerie Designer' was the title of the talk given by Rowena Lovatt at the November meeting. In December the meeting will be one week early and Nancy Hawksworth will provide members with a four-course meal to mark the festive season. Happy Christmas to all our members!

The first speaker in January 2005 will be John Hall talking about 'Rescue Dogs'. The subject of the February meeting will be 'Sky Vault', winner of the Great East Midlands' Competition 2001. Members of the design team will talk about the structure which will become the future landmark of our region. This is intended as an open meeting as it is a topic of local interest. More details will be published in the January magazine.

Gardening Notes

Whether you are giving or receiving flowering plants at Christmas, considerable care is needed. Poinsettias are a popular choice, though their red or white bracts are leaves, not petals. In warmer climes, they can form bushes up to 10 foot high. The plants you buy from garden centres have been treated with a growth retarder. If you want to keep one for another year – though it is seldom worthwhile – cut it down to half its height when the leaves fall, keep it in a warm, shady place and water sparingly. Repot in the summer and move it to a bright but sheltered place. Then, in the autumn, bring it indoors again and ensure that it has 12 hours of darkness each day. However, the dwarfing effects will have worn off.

When choosing a cyclamen, make sure that it has no yellow leaves or signs of botrytis among the buds; this comes from being too damp. Water cyclamen by standing them in a shallow bowl of water. They dislike central heating and need a cool, bright place. Primulas are also prone to develop botrytis; try to keep the leaves dry when you water. African violets should be watered from below, fed occasionally and kept out of the full sun. A good, potted evergreen azalea can last for years, but never let the rootball dry out. Move it to a cool greenhouse after flowering, and stand it outside in the summer. Feed it occasionally with a lime-free fertiliser and repot every other year.

Hyacinths in pots can be planted out as soon as they have finished flowering, and should live to flower another year. The Christmas-flowering paper-white narcissi do not do well subsequently. Move forced bulbs to a cool, light spot. Start seed orders and order well-rotted manure or mushroom compost for the vegetable garden and for mulching borders. Prune gooseberries and red and white currants. Shorten each main stem by half and cut back the side shoots to two or three buds. Prune established blackcurrants by cutting one stem in three back to ground level.

Plum trees, unless grown against a wall, need little pruning, and this is best done in late summer to reduce the risk of silver-leaf infection. Dead or diseased wood will need cutting away. Apples and pears will produce plenty of fruit if left unpruned, but will eventually become overgrown and congested. The main reasons for pruning are, firstly, to build up the shape of the tree and ensure strong growth capable of bearing the weight of fruit, and secondly, to encourage the formation and spacing of fruit buds. The harder trees are pruned, the more they will respond with strong new growth. The applies especially to shortening the leaders. Summer pruning consists of shortening the current season's growth. It is mainly needed for trees grown as cordons or espaliers, but it can also encourage the formation of fruit buds on standard trees. The main pruning should be done now in December whilst the trees are dormant. Fruit buds are always fatter than simple growth buds. Most apples produce them on spurs fairly close to the main branch, but others such as Bramleys are tip-bearing, producing the fruit bud on or near the tip of the shoot; in these, a good proportion of shoots must be left unpruned. Thus, in most apples, laterals should be shortened to three or four buds from their base. Any branches which touch or cross should be removed, cutting them fairly close to the main stem. Prune pears in much the same way as apples.

Feeding the birds in winter is very important, especially in cold weather. They also need a regular supply of clean water. Birds need high-fat foods in winter; high-protein foods are needed in summer when they are nesting or moulting. In winter, feed in the morning and early afternoon; try not to leave any uneaten food to pile up. Hanging bird feeders for nuts and sunflower seed are useful, but some birds cannot use them and need food on the ground or bird table. Feeders, bird tables and bird baths must all be kept clean and scrubbed regularly, preferably with an appropriate disinfectant. Wear gloves to do this and keep everything away from areas where you prepare food. Birds are at risk from infection, but humans can be infected too.