51 Knighton On Teme Open Gardens We are planning an open gardens event at Knighton-on-Teme for 22nd June, 2024. This can be any size plot from tiny-totty to an acre or so. Vegetables, flowers, nature, courtyard pots are all welcome. We already have about 10 gardens included on our list but are keen not to miss anyone. If you would like to open your garden next year please contact: Chris or Jan using the email: [email protected] or call 01584 781043
52 ROCK BRIDGE CLUB Rock Bridge Club has started its new season. New members are welcome whether on their own or with a partner. We meet every Sunday at 7.00 pm at Rock Village Hall. The meetings are very sociable and relaxed; and not competitive. (We do not play duplicate bridge.) Please do come along. Just turn up or phone 07854 951 330 Please contact Zoe Herington: www.zedyoga.co.uk Tel: 07962 981456 Yoga classes at Eastham Memorial Hall For adults of all ages
53 Teme Valley Tote Robin Dean Teme Valley Tote Organiser 01886 853295 December’s Draw (the ninth draw in this series) December’s prize draw of the Tote was decided when Rev’d Julia Curtis rolled the dice on 2nd December to select the set of random numbers and the starting point. As a result, the prize winners are as follows: The £50 winner is Diane Ralph of Eastham (Draw no 285) The £30 winners are Family Burgoyne of Stanford (Draw no 530) The £20 winner is Mr M Hogan of Knighton (Draw no 677) January's Draw (the tenth draw in this series) January’s prize draw of the Tote was decided when Rev’d Julia Curtis rolled the dice on 4th January to select the set of random numbers and the starting point. As a result, the prize winners are as follows: The £50 winners are Mr and Mrs Chapman of Eastham (Draw no 264) The £30 winner is Wendy Day of Lindridge (Draw no 144) The £20 winners are Family Burgoyne of Stanford (Draw no 577) You are still able to take part in the Tote. If you have any queries please contact: Robin Dean on 01886 853295 or by email ([email protected]).
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55 THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW - Julia Gordon The view from my window is nothing dramatic; No towering mountains or vistas aquatic; No steep-sided gorges or fiords deep and dark; No blistering deserts, sun-scorched and quite stark ; No shimmering lakes with their far-distant shores; No ancient stone outcrops on bleak wind-swept moors. No, the view from my window is much more serene. Just hillsides and woodlands and fields, now bright green. But in winter, the landscape will sometimes turn white When dusted by snow or a frost over-night. Then springtime returns all the leaves to the trees And the grass in the fields moves in time with the breeze. And the summer may bring you a sight to behold As buttercups cover the fields in bright gold. Then it’s autumn and harvest and fields lying bare Awaiting the start of the next growing year. So you see why I love it, this house with its view, Which is never dramatic ...but always quite new. Calling All Poets! I was sitting looking at the view from my conservatory window a few weeks ago, and thinking how much I love it, in its very undramat- ic way. That night, lying in bed, the poem below began to take shape. I'm sure there are others in the community who also enjoy ex- pressing their thoughts and feel- ings in verse, particularly about the lovely area in which we live and about nature in general, so I wondered if we might start a reg- ular "Poetry Corner" in the mag- azine. Poems do not have to be rhyming and they can be any length - Haikus welcome - but space limitations may pre- clude very long submissions. Just email me if you'd like to contribute: [email protected]
56 *SYJHM&JWNFQX &JWNFQX – 8FYJQQNYJ – ((9; – &ZINT )NXYNSLZNXMJI .SYJWFHYN[J 2JINF8UJHNFQNXYX • 9JQJUMTSJ1NSJ*]YJSXNTSXTW7JUFNW • 5MTSJ8THPJY7JQTHFYNTS TW *]YWF8THPJY.SXYFQQFYNTS • +ZQQ<N+N(TSSJHYNTS&WTZSI>TZW-TRJTW4KKNHJ • 'WTFIGFSI7TZYJW7JQTHFYNTS;NFF7FSLJ TK5WJRNXJX • ((9;YT8ZNY>TZW 5JWXTSFQNXJI7JVZNWJRJSYX <J FWJ F QTHFQ HTRUFS^ UWT[NINSL ^TZ \NYM F \NIJ WFSLJ TK XJW[NHJX YFNQTWJI YT ^TZW NSIN[NIZFQ SJJIX fflffiffl– ffiffflffl (MJHPTZYTZW\JGXNYJKTWRTWJNSKTWRFYNTS \\\JSYJHMFJWNFQXHTR
57 Teme Valley Historical Society By Mike Harley We had 22 people to hear a fascinating talk by Robin Hill entitled “The Real War Horse” in December, which was followed by our Christmas party. Although it is difficult for us to believe, the main source of transport in the late 19th century was horsepower. The first motorcycle was made in 1884, car in 1892 and, although the steam engine had been invented (1804) and some railway lines built, they were not practical for warfare. Horses on the other hand were traditional and well used. They were well used in agriculture with an estimated 1m on farms. In addition, the army already had 100,000 cavalry horses in their possession. In the Boer War of 1898-1902, horses were used extensively. Unfortunately 377,000 were killed which was unacceptable, and an enquiry found that the main causes of death were: unsuitable horses taken, the ground conditions were very difficult, very little grass was available for food, and there was a lack of farriers/vets. When war was declared in 1914, the army only had 27,500 horses and so a horse registration scheme was set up and each horse owner that signed up received 10 shillings per annum to keep the horse fit. In addition, horses were purchased on the open market, through agents/dealers, plus imports from Canada/USA/Australia and New Zealand. There was also a form of requisitioning where people could sell their spare horses to the army. Re-mount depots were set up to train horses staffed by army vets, and about 1.2m went through them. They were split up into groups. Riding for the cavalry, Light Draught to pull small wagons, Heavy Draught to pull large wagons, and Pack horses to carry loads on their backs. Some interesting statistics were given as follows:
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59 • 26,560 men/women looked after the horses • £67,500 was spent on buying and training horses • Horses eat 20-25lbs of food per day • Horse in France, by 1917, were eating 70,000 tons of hay per month • Over 1,300 officers served as vets • 60million horse shoes were used during the war A field hospital was set up to treat injured horses. It is said there were 725,000 casualties of which 75% were treated successfully. However, 500,000 were lost in the war but only 25% due to enemy action. Gas inhalation from chemical weapons and shrapnel were the main problems, but also skin diseases. One of the main problems was keeping the horses fed as it was not cost effective to bring food over from England by boat. In the end, 7,500 acres of French agricultural land was used to cultivate the necessary crops. At the end of the war, the army had 800,000 horses. The officers’ horses were all brought back to England. Another 10,000 were brought back and sold mostly to their original owners. The rest were sold in France and raised £2m. There was a fortunate few brought back by animal charities, plus an amusing story of a man who saw his own horse (that had been sold to the army) at the end of the war and spent his pension on repatriating it. Our next meeting is on 28th February 7.30 pm at Abberley Village Hall when John Reid will give a talk entitled “Warwick, ‘the kingmaker’ 14th Earl of Warwick”. All are welcome. Pensax carol service contd/ p.63 The church of St. Peter the Great in Pensax was filled with family and friends on the evening of December 24th coming together for the Christmas Eve service. The church had been beautifully prepared by many members of the community, to whom we must express our thanks. Among the many involved we would like to thank: Hazel & Allen Price for cleaning the church; George & John Rudd for supplying and getting the large tree up to the church and decorating it; Meryl Roberts and family for the
60 Domestic Cleaning Service Spring Clean Builders Clean Weekly or fortnightly Telephone Spit & Polish tel. 01584 781719 Lynne Evans 31 High St.,Cleobury Mortimer DY14 8DQ For both CHIROPRACTIC & OSTEOPATHY, we use gentle methods suitable for all ages. Appointments available outside of normal working hours. Both practitioners are fully registered, insured and regulated. * BACK PAIN * POSTURAL PROBLEMS *SCIATICA * some SPORTS INJURIES * JOINT PAIN * HEADACHES (from neck) Sue Brown CHIROPRACTOR 01299 519351 07932 000028 07506 287191
61 Teme Valley Wildlife Group By Stephanie Mocroft February 2024 One of Great Britain’s unique features is the wide scatter of common land found across its nations. Such land is special because it is open to all. Although most lies within National Parks or areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, common land can be found anywhere, even in cities, perhaps most notably on Hampstead Heath in London. Today it covers 4.8% of Britain’s land area, with 546,000 acres registered in England alone. This may sound a lot, but back in 1550 50% of England’s acreage had been subject to common rights. This had long been vital to the rural economy and Rights of Common were first enshrined in law in 1215 by the Magna Carta. Owners of common land such as the National Trust, utility companies, National Parks or Commoners’ Associations are each obliged to uphold commoners’ rights, which may include the right to graze livestock, gather wood or bracken, cut peat, dig for coals, sand or gravel or to fish in ponds and streams. Longstanding grazing rights have allowed the creation and survival of locally distinct livestock breeds such Swaledale, Herdwick and Shetland sheep and Exmoor ponies. Because of the traditional ways in which the land has been managed over many centuries, commons support a greater diversity of wildlife than any other category of farmland. It is therefore no surprise that 21% of England’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest are to be found on them, a testament to the wild plants, butterflies, birds and animals who make their homes there. I have mentioned common land in these articles before, covering meadow saffron on Ewyas Harold Common in Herefordshire, hay meadow plants on Oldwood
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63 Common in Worcestershire and golden-ringed dragonflies on Catherton Common in Shropshire. What I hadn’t been so aware of, was their importance as sites of archaeological interest. Some 3,000 scheduled ancient monuments receive protection on British commons. These range from Mesolithic flint works, Stone Age henges, circles and standing stones, Bronze Age barrows, dykes, roundhouses and pounds and Roman camps to more modern industrial and military relics. The Clee Hill memorial to those airmen, both British and German, who lost their lives in World War II when their aeroplanes crashed into the hill, is a local example of the latter. Twenty-first century concerns make commons important for biodiversity, maintaining fragile upland ecosystems, absorbing carbon, mitigating floods, promoting cultural heritage and enhancing personal wellbeing through access to nature. That’s a tall order, but 88% of English common land is already nationally or internationally important for its wildlife, landscape or archaeology, so there’s no doubt that these semi-wild spaces can rise to meet those expectations. The next meeting of the Teme Valley Wildlife Group will be on Thursday February 8th at 7:30pm at Stoke Bliss and Kyre Village Hall, WR15 8RR. We welcome back husband and wife team Russell and Audrey Price who will be presenting a talk called “African Adventures – a photographic journey”. Everyone is most welcome and it is just £3 on the door. PENSAX contd. flower arrangements; Clive Connyers for the lights and for manning the refreshments: Luke Grant and George Rudd for preparing and distributing flyers. And for the service itself, thank you to: Christine and Peter Clarke for their cheerful guidance; READERS: Keith Robinson and Henry Ward from USA; Lesley Beesley from Stockton; Fiona and Isabel; Allan Grainger; John Rudd; and Christine Clarke; many thanks to the two children for switching the lights on the tree at the special moment in the service - well done!; and to Jean Rudd for her organ playing for the best Christmas congregational singing - ever! The 70-strong congregation sang heartily and afterwards enjoyed mince pies, mulled wine and chatting with friends.
64 For more information please visit my website or Facebook For the treatment of general aches and pains including arthritic pain and minor sports injuries for people and animals of all ages. To book an appointment please call ( Claire Wall) and leave a message and I will get back to you very soon. WR15 8JA, Mathon, Newnham Bridge, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire www.tenbury_osteopath.co.uk
65 07972 435102 Are you looking for local professional plumbing services? Contact us and we will get your plumbing fixed quickly and efficiently. [email protected]
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67 Installation & removal of old appliance Consumer Unit Upgrades New Build Installations EV Chargers Part & Full Re-wires Security Lighting PAT Testing Same / Next day delivery available Key Cutting Service (In Store only) Car Key or Watch Battery Replacement (In Store only) Testing & Inspection Emergency lighting Fault finding & Repairs G E Bright Electrical Ltd is a family business established in 1952. We are based in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire and provide electrical contracting services throughout Worcestershire, Shropshire & Herefordshire. We are NICEIC Approved contractor, Part P, Trustmark & Constructionline accredited contractors working to the latest British standards. We also have a large retail premises stocked with all major brand appliances ready to be delivered and installed by our own engineers. We deliver within a 25 mile radius of Tenbury. [email protected] 01584 810 286 CONTACT US ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING RETAIL ABOUT US ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING & RETAIL SERVICES 5 TEME STREET, TENBURY WELLS, WR15 8BB www.gebrightelectrical.co.uk Est 1952 Caravan parks & Leisure sites Church Installations TV Wall mounting Re-wiring of antique light fittings & lamps (In Store only)
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69 Abberley Angling Club: Coarse fishing club with own pool in Abberley. Seniors - I: Dave Yemm T: 01299 896 737. Juniors - I: Colin Bates T: 01905 798 225 Clows Top Garden Club: Meet on the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Victory Hall, Clows Top. I: Marion Wilson T: 01299 270 475 E:clowstopdistrictgardeningclub@ hotmail.co.uk Knighton Friends: Meet 3rd Wednesday of each month in the afternoon for meals, garden visits, boat trips etc. I: Sheila Bragger T: 01584 781 190 Lindridge Art Group: Meeting at Lindridge Parish Hall every Tuesday at 2-4pm. I: Mike Harley T: 01584 881 194 E: [email protected] Menith Wood WI: Meet on the afternoon of the first Monday in the month at Lindridge Parish Hall from October to March and Old Chapel Hall, Menith Wood from April to September. E: [email protected] Rock Bridge Club: We meet every Sunday at Rock Village Hall at 7.00 pm. New members welcome whether on own or with partner. The meetings are very sociable and relaxed. We do not play Duplicate Bridge. I: Luke Grant T: 07854 951 330 St Lawrence’s Church Choir: meet for rehearsals the last Monday of the month at St Lawrence’s church, Lindridge, 7.30-8.30pm, singing at Parish communion on the first Sunday of the month, plus other special services. We are a friendly group, no prior experience is required, so if you love singing why not come and join us? I:Polly Gillespie E: [email protected] T: 07758 860 291 Teme Valley Childrens Centre: Run a number of relevant events for children and parents. T: 01905 622 354 E: [email protected] Teme Valley Geological Society: Meet monthly at the Martley Memorial Hall I: John Nicklin T:01886 888 318 E: [email protected] Blog: www.geo-village.eu Teme Valley Historical Society : Meet monthly on the last Tuesday in the month at Abberley Village Hall I: Mike Harley T: 01584 881 194 Teme Valley Wildlife Group: Meet 2nd Thursday each month at Stoke Bliss and Kyre Village Hall Stoke Bliss WR15 8RR E: [email protected] W: www.temevalleywildlife.co.uk Tenbury Rambling Club: I: Ian T: 01584 876 698. Tenbury Town Band: meet for rehearsals at Penlu Sports Club on Sundays (Apprentices 4 – 4:30 and full band 4:30 – 7:00) I: Mel Parker T: 07768 924422. W: www.tenburytownband.co.uk Wyre Forest Lacemakers: Meeting from 11am-3pm on 3rd Saturday each month at St Michaels and All Angels Church in Stourport. E: [email protected] Clubs and Societies I: Information - T: Telephone - E: Email - W: Web
70 The Parish of Teme Valley North The Rev’d David Morris Priest in Charge "The Four Rivers Group" 1 Chiltern Close, Great Witley, WR6 6HL Telephone: 01299 896783 or 07891 837194 Email: [email protected] Readers Christine Clarke [email protected] 01299 575055 Mark Wild [email protected] Church Wardens Knighton Vacant Lindridge Vacant Stockton Vacant Pensax Vacant Contact for all Churches Christine Clarke [email protected] 01299 575055 PCC Meryl Roberts [email protected] Lay Chair Hilary Weatherell [email protected] Secretary Peter Clarke [email protected] Treasurer 01299 832267 Children’s Worker Elizabeth Whitehead [email protected] 01584 781651 Parish Safeguarding Officer Eve Cambray [email protected] Temespan Julia Gordon [email protected] Editor 07455 063610 Natalie Rainbird-Hitchins [email protected] Advertising 07792 198638 Nicola Bretherton [email protected] Knighton 07527 200068 Sally Webb [email protected] Stockton 01584 881563 Robin Dean [email protected] Tote 01886 853295 Parish Website www.temevalleynorthparish.co.uk Paul [email protected]
Your first meeting is free! All you have to lose is some of your time. We are always interested in meeting new people and learning new things Why not contact us to see if we can help you, whether it's Tax, VAT, Accounts or just general advice. T: 01584 872 421 E: [email protected]