January 2005 - Contents At the New Year Repton, Foremark and Newton Solney Parish Churches Joint Services in January 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 Coffee Morning, Saturday 8th January at 10.30 am Shell Group (age 7+) Derby South Group of Churches Pulpit Exchange Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals and Burial of Ashes Baptisms Ruby May Faulkner Ellie Louise Swift Funerals and Burial of Ashes Carol Ann Maddock John Arthur Caulton St Wystan's News Palestine and Israel Envelope Donations for the Parish Magazine Redundant Chainsaws St Wystan's Church Quiz Night - 27th November Handbell Ringers Appeal for Support 'Bring a Tin' for the Padley Centre St Mary's News Supporting the Children's Society Newton Solney Church Roof Appeal Repton School Concerts Society, Thursday 13th January at 7.45 pm St Wystan's Church Mexican Evening Saturday 15th January at 7.30 pm Newton Solney Infant School Open Morning, Wednesday 9th February Live and Local, 12th March at 8.00 pm Charities Poppy Appeal Raises Thousands Repton Village and History Repton W.I. Repton Village Society Could YOU help a child to read? Repton Village Society, David Wilkinson Memorial Art Lecture 20th January Repton Village History Group Repton Casuals Football Club Stools and Slides Milton & Foremark Village Matters Milton W.I. Gardening Notes

At the New Year

I have been reading again some poems by Charles Tomlinson¹, who taught a poetry course that I took. To have a practising poet teaching modern poetry was enlightening, and we learnt a lot about those poets who influenced him. Tomlinson was born in Stoke on Trent, worked in Italy for a while, and then taught in schools and at university. He now lives in Somerset, but still travels to Italy, where many of his poems are set. I want to contrast two of his poems which are concerned with Christian principles, one set in Italy and one in Somerset.

While in San Fruttuoso², Tomlinson took a boat trip to see the sunken statue of Christ on the Cross. From the deck of the boat, he looked down into the clear water; the more adventurous hired diving gear from the jetty and swam round the statue 'in ecstatic devotion'. While observing statue and divers, Tomlinson was frightened by a sudden fierce storm which rocked the boat wildly, and the passengers were gripped with panic. The divers were unconcerned by their plight - and probably never noticed it. When the boat returned to the jetty, there were more divers putting on their kit, with the word 'caution' on their backs. Be cautious, thought Tomlinson, that your devotional exercises are not completely separate from the needs of the people around you.

The second poem is set in the village of Hinton Blewett, where a neighbour, Miriam Emery, was the lay preacher at the village chapel. A retired village schoolteacher, Miriam seemed to know everyone in the village, and as the leader of the chapel, she was able to minister to them all. Tomlinson, noting the 'flame in her cheek', admires her commitment, and admires too her certain faith in life everlasting, a faith she was eager to share with those who seemed, in worldly terms, to be 'beyond hope or help'. Miriam was not afraid of rallying her fellow worshippers to greater efforts, and her sermons often had more than a tinge of withering 'contempt' for those whose commitment was not as great as she thought it could be. Miriam 'hungered for a wholeness', the spiritual and the physical, the transcendental and the everyday, inseparably knitted together. Tomlinson saw the resurrection prefigured in the leaves on the tree by Miriam's grave, which year by year 'weathered and withered', and then 'quickened' again in the spring.

At the beginning of a new year, we need to take stock again of our lives, and to ensure that our devotional, worshipping lives bear fruit in the everyday world with all its joys, pains, hopes and fears.

1. Charles Tomlinson taught at Bristol University for thirty-six years, first as lecturer, then as Professor of English Literature. As well as a respected poet, he is known as a translator and as an editor (i.a. The Oxford Book of Verse in English Translation). The two poems described here are taken from his collection 'The Flood'.
2. The village of San Fruttuoso is set in an inlet, east of Genoa, around a Benedictine monastery. Fifty feet below the water of the inlet stands the statue of Christ of the Abysses, protector of divers. The bronze statue, 2.5 metres tall, was created about 50 years ago to commemorate Dario Gonzatti, who died in a diving accident.

Services at Foremark, Newton Solney
and Repton Churches

Joint Services in January

There are two occasions in January when Christians from the different churches in Repton come together in worship. In the Covenant Service, at 10.30 am on 9th January at St Wystan's Church, we take stock of our Christian life and reaffirm our faith with the service that John Wesley used in the Methodist Church.

Then we meet again at 6.30 pm on 23rd January at the United Reformed Church for the Service of Christian Unity, to celebrate the world-wide church, and to remind ourselves that we are part of an international Christian fellowship. On that occasion, the preacher will be Father Martin Sylvester of Swadlincote Roman Catholic Church.

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

Coffee Morning, Saturday 8th January at 10.30 am

Our new season of coffee mornings begins on Saturday 8th January. Come and enjoy coffee with friends, treat yourself to home-made cakes and marmalade, see what is new on the Webb Ivory stall, and play the children's game. Everyone is very welcome.

Shell Group (age 7+)

Meetings of the Shell Group recommence at 6.30 pm on Monday 10th January. New members are always welcome.

Derby South Group of Churches Pulpit Exchange

On Sunday 30th January at 6.30 pm, we welcome the Rev'd Ian Mead of Ashbourne Road Methodist / United Reformed Church.

Baptisms

Ruby May, daughter of Jayne and Matthew Faulkner of Hill View, Repton, and Ellie Louise, daughter of Joanne and Richard Swift of Glamis Close, Stretton, were baptised at the United Reformed Church on Sunday 28th November.

Funerals and Burial of Ashes

Carol Ann Maddock of 64 Milton Road, Repton, died on Thursday 18th November aged 59. Her funeral was held at St Wystan's Church on Friday 26th November, followed by cremation at Bretby where her ashes were scattered.

John Arthur Caulton of Main Street, Repton, died on Wednesday 24th November aged 80. His funeral was held at Bretby Crematorium on Wednesday 1st December.

St Wystan's News

Palestine and Israel

I have some interesting letters from international members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. They speak from personal and up to date experience of the situation faced by both Palestinians and Israelis. The latest letters cover the following subjects:

1. The fears of an Israeli teenager six months before call up to the Israeli army.
2. The work of human rights groups in Israel to use the Israeli courts to uphold the rights of their Palestinian citizens.
3. Reprisals and violence in Nablus after a Palestinian suicide bomber's attack.

If anyone would like to view these letters or receive them directly by e-mail, please contact Peter at the Vicarage on 703317, peterspaine@surefish.co.uk giving your name and e-mail address, or view the Quaker website at www.quaker.org.uk/eappi

Envelope Donations for the Parish Magazine

This year we have collected a record amount through the donation envelopes. The total so far is £2,666.55, and I am still waiting for a few outstanding envelopes. Thank you to all those who have given so generously; without your continuing support, we would not be able to produce the magazine free for all parishioners.

The money collected, along with the money from the advertising pages, goes into a magazine account which pays for everything needed for the production of the magazine month by month - paper, ink, printers etc. Each month a small team of volunteers print, collate, fold, staple and distribute nearly 1200 copies in Repton and 300 in Newton Solney. It is a mammoth task, which is only accomplished by a number of people being very generous with their time and energy. This ensures the distribution of the magazine to all three parishes twelve times a year. Thank you to all involved for your commitment.

Redundant Chainsaws

The Rev'd Julian Barker left behind three electric chainsaws which he had tried to repair without success. They lie untouched at the vicarage. If you would like to try your hand, you would be welcome to one or all. Please contact Peter at the Vicarage on 703317. If you were also able to dig his vegetable patch he would be very pleased, but this is not a condition for obtaining the chainsaws, which he is happy to give away. However, a donation to St Wystan's Development Fund might not go amiss.

St Wystan's Church Quiz Night - 27th November

The evening's attendance level suggested that a social occasion is always better than watching tele!

Twenty-nine tables, the most to date, competed in what turned out to be a closely fought contest. All tables finished with good scores. Twelve teams attained 80 points or more. New entrants and eventual winners, 'Elastic Band' reached 90 points, just pipping last years winners, 'The Woodentops', with 89 points. The highlight of the evening for the good-humoured contestants was a couple of unusual 'glitches' by the question master - the result of transferring notes to the computer. He's still busy writing out self-imposed lines.

Regardless, we are happy to report that proceeds (including Tom Hyde's Stand-up Bingo) amounted to £420, before deducting the cost of hiring the hall.

Special thanks to Jan Gillham and her army of caterers, plus Pat and Sten Smythe who stepped in at the eleventh hour to help with scoring.

Finally, thank you to everyone who turned up; we hope it proved enjoyable because the success of this type of evening relies on your continued support. Cliff is too modest. As ever, he and his team made the whole evening thoroughly enjoyable. If you weren't there, you missed a treat.

Handbell Ringers Appeal for Support

Sadly we were unable to ring at services this Christmas after all; only two of us live in Repton and the others were committed to churches in their own villages. We do really need local support. Please come and join us; the New Year would be a good time to start!

We meet in the vestry every Monday at 1.30 pm. We don't use music; if you can count, you can play! And we are a very friendly bunch. Phone first if you prefer, 702439, or just come along.

'Bring a Tin' for the Padley Centre

In the New Year, and particularly during Lent, we shall again be collecting tins for the Padley Centre, a day centre in Derby which does tremendous work for the homeless, the mentally ill, people with learning disabilities and others in trouble.

Just in the area of learning disability, there are thought to be some 2,500 people in and around Derby who need help. 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 them training according to their needs.

However, as a small charity, they depend heavily on local support for all their work. At this time, they particularly request items that provide nourishing meals, especially packets of biscuits and pasta, tins of corned beef and tuna, tea-bags and packeted or tinned soup. If you are able to help, please leave tins in St Wystan's Church or at the Post Office.

St Mary's News

Supporting the Children's Society

At the Christingle Service in St Mary's on 5th December, the collection for the Children's Society totalled £96.25. Anyone who would like to give their regular support to this cause by means of a collection box should contact Pam Atkin on 703174. Further information about the Society can be found at the Church, both on the notice-board in the porch and on the magazine rack in the baptistry.

Newton Solney Church Roof Appeal

The Carol Concert on 5th December was a most enjoyable occasion. Warm thanks are due both to Gresley Male Voice Choir and to those who provided and served the refreshments at the end of the evening. The varied programme of festive music, introduced by a lively and amusing commentary, was very happily received, while the Roof Appeal benefited by net proceeds of just over £600.

As the Appeal moves into another year, it is encouraging to know that the first phase of repair work withstood the heavy autumn rains. Please watch out for further information about fund-raising events in 2005. Meanwhile, if you have a collection box which needs to be emptied, please contact Liz Bullivant (703819), Jennifer Haynes (703827) or Linda Williams (701366). Fresh boxes are always available at the Back of the Church.

Charities

Poppy Appeal Raises Thousands

So far, this year's Poppy Appeal has raised £7236. On behalf of all ex service personnel and their dependants, The Repton and District Branch of the Royal British Legion would like to thank everyone who contributed and / or helped to collect this splendid sum. Much comes from the sale of poppies door-to-door in local villages; apart from Repton, Foremarke, Foremarke School and Newton Solney, these include Bretby, Burnaston, Etwall, Findern, Hilton, Milton, Sutton and Willington. Other sources of income are the Fruit and Vegetable Show in September, whist drives, raffles, and donations for wreaths.

In this context, could we emphasise that you are all welcome at the weekly whist drives, which take place every Wednesday at 7.30 pm at the Repton Royal British Legion Club; you don't have to be a member.

The Remembrance Day Service Parade was well attended, and supported by our local youth organisations, the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

Repton Village & History

Repton W.I.

Members are looking forward to the Christmas meeting when they will learn how to trim a Christmas tree inexpensively with salt dough decorations.

The January meeting will be on Tuesday 11th at 7.15 pm in the Village Hall. Tony Laver will be taking us away from wintry Repton with a talk on Door to Door Holidays. The competition will be "A Holiday Photo".

Members are reminded that subs are due in January. New or potential members are always welcome at our meetings.

Repton Village Society

A reminder that the second David Wilkinson Memorial Art Lecture takes place on Thursday 20th January at 7.30 pm in the 400 Hall. The Rev'd Paul Jenkins will speak on 'God and the Art of Seeing'. Paul was formerly Housemaster of the Hall, now School House, at Repton, and is currently the Director of St Columba's House, Woking. Visitors are most welcome, admission is free but there will be a collection for a nominated charity.

Could YOU help a child to read?

At Repton Primary School we are looking for volunteers from the local community to be reading partners!

We are starting a programme called 'Better Reading and Writing Partners', and looking for adults who can give a regular weekly commitment to work with a particular child. Activities include sharing books, practising spellings and listening to children read. Each adult volunteer would be paired with a child for 30 minutes at a time. Depending on how much time you can give, this could be once, twice or three times each week - preferably in the afternoon. We just need adults who can spare the time for our younger children.

If you are interested in helping a child to develop as a learner, please contact the school on 01283 703732.

Repton Village Society

A reminder that the second David Wilkinson Memorial Art Lecture takes place on Thursday 20th January at 7.30 pm in the 400 Hall. The Rev'd Paul Jenkins will speak on 'God and the Art of Seeing'. Paul was formerly Housemaster of the Hall, now School House, at Repton, and is currently the Director of St Columba's House, Woking. Visitors are most welcome, admission is free but there will be a collection for a nominated charity.

Repton Village History Group

The Repton Village History Group has just completed its first few months operating as a group with meetings open to the public. We trust that you have found them diverse and enjoyable.

We start the New Year with three more varied meetings, as follows:-

Tuesday 4th January 2005. We will be presenting a slide show of old Repton Scenes by David Guest whose knowledge of Repton history is immense. This should be an excellent start to the 2005 programme.

Tuesday 1st February. This will be an evening when we display more of our extensive archives, projects, and results of the current and ongoing research which our group is engaged in. It will also be an opportunity for you to bring along any items that you think will be of interest to the group. They could be photographs, documents, newspaper cuttings or other memorabilia. We are particularly interested in old photographs of village school classes, sports teams and items relating to World War II. If you have anything to show us please bring it along.

Tuesday 1st March. Again we have something entirely different, a talk by Alan Hiley entitled "How to start researching your Family Tree - basic steps".

These three meetings are to be held at the Village Hall in Askew Grove commencing at 7.30 pm. We ask for a small donation to cover our costs, and refreshments are available. Visitors are very welcome, so please come and join us. More details of our group and its activities are to be found at www.reptonvillage.org.uk

Repton Casuals Football Club

Ball Skills sessions re-commence on Saturday 8th January at 10.00 am. Newcomers are welcome from the age of five. For further information contact Bob Errington, 701183.

Stools and Slides

Last month's letter from Sarah Farrell and others provoked strong reaction, including this extract from a letter.

'Dogs have no business on children's play areas. Even if their droppings are bagged and binned, they leave behind the risk of blindness through toxoplasmosis. Their urine, too, is offensive and cannot be cleared up.

I fully endorse your welcome call to safeguard this invaluable amenity for our young children.'

Perhaps we could all make it our New Year's resolution to act considerately to those around us, whose village we all share.

Milton & Foremark Village Matters

Milton W.I.

Members old and new will be greeted with a warm welcome for a Happy New Year at our January meeting.

The first speaker of the new year will be John Hall talking about 'Rescue Dogs'.

An open meeting of topical interest will be held on 16th February at 8 o'clock in the Village Hall. Ladies and Gents interested in 'Sky Vault', the future landmark of the East Midlands are invited to join us. Members of the design team will talk about the structure, which was the winner of the Great East Midlands Competition 2001.

Gardening Notes

Many New Year resolutions are soon forgotten, and many are not so easy to achieve. Each year I try to garden more organically, but find it difficult when faced with infestations of blackspot on the roses and hordes of aphids which the birds and friendly insects seem to ignore. Different people interpret organic gardening in different ways. To some it means simply not using synthetic chemicals either as pesticides or fertilisers; others take it further and will only use substances that come from a sustainable source and are 'green' in all respects. There is no problem in keeping pigeons off the cabbages by netting them, and slug populations can be reduced by the judicious use of grapefruit skins or beer, or even by collecting them at night by torchlight, although the truly organic gardener would wonder what to do with them then. If using pesticides, try to limit them to those containing plant-derived pyrethrums. Biological controls can be very effective if used correctly, although this often means in a limited area such as a greenhouse, and at the right temperature. A truly organic garden takes some years to develop and a lot of hard work, but it is always impressive - one just needs faith.

This is the time of year to make plans for the garden - crop rotation in the vegetable garden and alterations elsewhere. Take a look at the whole garden; it is often easer to visualise at this time of year with all the leaves off the trees, and especially if there is snow on the ground. Send off your orders for seeds and for starter plants, shrubs, trees and fruit bushes.

Remove any fat, swollen buds on blackcurrants. Big bud is a virus infection which will make the bush sterile in a few years. Take root cuttings of oriental poppies, primula denticulata, anchusa and perovskia. Cover rhubarb and seakale to force into early growth.

Check stored fruit and vegetables regularly. Make sure any outside pots or containers are protected from freezing; stand them on bricks to ensure good drainage and wrap with bubble polythene. If you have time, clean out the shed and the greenhouse. Erect and repair fences and check tree stakes. Have the mower serviced. In winter, many frogs spend long spells submerged in the mud at the bottom of ponds. Being cold-blooded, they can survive with very little oxygen, but when ponds freeze, noxious gases build up, so melt a hole by standing a kettle of hot water on the ice. Inserting a length of plastic tubing under the ice is also supposed to allow the gases to escape.

In January, you need never be without flowers in the garden. Witch hazels (hammamelis) flower even in the coldest spells. Prunus autumnalis flowers from November through to March. A hard frost will kill the blossom but not the buds, so it will usually come back into flower in a mild spell. Mahonias make a welcome start. The winter honeysuckle has a lovely scent; lonicera fragrantissima is the most usually seen; l. standishii and l. 'Fragrant Beauty' are very similar. The yellow winter jasmine does well on a sheltered wall, and some of the sweet-scented daphnes will be starting into flower. Daphne bholua flowers over two months or so; there are several varieties, both evergreen and deciduous. D. bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' is one of the best. D. bholua 'Gurkha' is deciduous and will grow into a fairly tall shrub. Coming from the Himalayas, it is fairly hardy, and its bark is used there for paper and rope-making. Sarcococcas, also called Christmas or sweet box, have small, yellowish-white flowers, but the scent carries some distance.

Then, of course, the first of the winter bulbs come into flower. Snowdrops will soon be out, and aconites, and dwarf iris. Iris danfordiae is usually the first of these with its yellow flower. They need a high potassium feed (as for tomatoes) after flowering, to try to prevent the bulb splitting into smaller, non-flowering bulbs. Iris unguicularis (perhaps better known under the old name of Iris stylosa) will flower from December to March. Coming from Algeria, it should be given the sunniest spot possible and left to dry out and bake in the summer sun. Over several years, it will form a large clump, and if you want to break it up and plant elsewhere, do this in the spring by cutting off a bit of the roots with a sharp trowel.