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The Parish Magazine April 2024

Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning, and Sonning Eye since 1869

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<strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Parish</strong><br />

<strong>Magazine</strong><br />

<strong>Magazine</strong><br />

<strong>Parish</strong> Te<br />

155<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> 1869 <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 1<br />

YEARS<br />

Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye<br />

<strong>2024</strong><br />

<strong>The</strong> John King Trophy and Gold Award<br />

Best <strong>Magazine</strong> of the Year 2018<br />

National <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> Awards<br />

Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023<br />

Best Content 2016, 2021<br />

Best Editor 2019<br />

Best Print 2018<br />

Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning & Sonning Eye since 1869<br />

<strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

Church of St Andrew<br />

Serving Sonning, Charvil & Sonning Eye<br />

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF<br />

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY


2 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to this advertisement<br />

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Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning & Sonning Eye since 1869<br />

Church of St Andrew<br />

Serving Sonning, Charvil & Sonning Eye<br />

<strong>Magazine</strong><br />

<strong>Parish</strong> Te<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> 1869 <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 1<br />

<strong>2024</strong><br />

Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye<br />

<strong>The</strong> John King Trophy and Gold Award<br />

Best <strong>Magazine</strong> of the Year 2018<br />

National <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> Awards<br />

Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023<br />

Best Content 2016, 2021<br />

Best Editor 2019<br />

Best Print 2018<br />

information — 1<br />

Contents <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

THE VICAR'S LETTER, 5<br />

THE PARISH NOTICEBOARD<br />

— Church building work, 7<br />

— From the organ bench, 7<br />

— For your <strong>April</strong> prayers, 17<br />

— STAY, 8-9<br />

— Why I am a Christian, 10-11<br />

— <strong>The</strong> Persecuted Church, 11<br />

— From the editor's desk, 13<br />

This ISSUE's FRONT COVER<br />

<strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Parish</strong><br />

<strong>Magazine</strong><br />

<strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> —<br />

155<br />

YEARS<br />

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF<br />

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 3<br />

Services at<br />

St Andrew’s<br />

2nd Sunday of Easter 7 <strong>April</strong><br />

— 8.00am Holy Communion<br />

— 10.30am Family Service<br />

— 4.00pm Choral Evensong<br />

followed by tea in the Ark<br />

3rd Sunday of Easter 14 <strong>April</strong><br />

— 8.00am Holy Communion<br />

— 10.30am <strong>Parish</strong> Eucharist with<br />

STAY and Sunday Club<br />

FEATURES<br />

— Building bricks, 15<br />

— <strong>April</strong> celebrations, 17<br />

—around the villages<br />

— Cancer Support King's Award, 19<br />

— Sonning Scouts, 20-21<br />

— Sonning Primary School, 23<br />

— FoStAC, 24<br />

— Wargrave History, 25<br />

— Sonning Village Walk, 25<br />

— D-Day update, 25<br />

— Parallel Windsor, 25<br />

— Inner World Centenary, 27<br />

— Sonning Art Group, 27<br />

— Charvil Project Singers, 27<br />

FASHION<br />

— Spring, 29<br />

HEALTH<br />

— Dr Simon Ruffle writes, 30<br />

THE ARTS<br />

— Poetry Corner, 31<br />

— TQ Tingle, 31<br />

history, 32<br />

Picture: Peter Rennie<br />

EDITORIAL DEADLINE<br />

<strong>The</strong> editorial deadline for every issue<br />

of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is 12 noon on<br />

the sixth day of the month prior to the<br />

date of publication.<br />

<strong>The</strong> deadline for the May<br />

issue of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is:<br />

Saturday 6 <strong>April</strong><br />

at 12 noon<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> online<br />

<strong>The</strong> most recent issues can be viewed at:<br />

http://www.theparishmagazine.co.uk<br />

Earlier issues from 1869 onwards<br />

are stored in a secure online archive.<br />

If you wish to view these archives<br />

contact the editor:<br />

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk<br />

4th Sunday of Easter 21 <strong>April</strong><br />

— 8.00am Holy Communion<br />

— 10.30am Family Communion<br />

— 3.00pm Messy Church<br />

5th Sunday of Easter 28 <strong>April</strong><br />

— 8.00am Holy Communion<br />

— 10.30pm <strong>Parish</strong> Eucharist with<br />

STAY and Sunday Club<br />

— 5.45pm Sunday at Six in <strong>The</strong> Ark<br />

OTHER REGULAR SERVICES<br />

Morning Prayer is held in church<br />

every Tuesday at 9.30am.<br />

Mid-week Communion in <strong>The</strong> Ark is<br />

held every Wednesday at 10.00am. Tea<br />

and coffee follows the service.<br />

Home Communion at Sonning<br />

Gardens Care Home is held on<br />

the first Monday of each month at<br />

11.00am.<br />

BOOK REVIEWS, 32-33<br />

THE SCIENCES<br />

Ethical Thinking, 33<br />

PUZZLE PAGES, 34-35<br />

children's page, 37<br />

information<br />

— Church services, 3<br />

— From the registers, 3<br />

— Local Trades and Services, 36<br />

— <strong>Parish</strong> contacts, 38<br />

— Advertisers' index, 38<br />

From the Registers<br />

Funerals<br />

— Tuesday 30 January, Mary Josephine (Jane) Gascoine, funeral service in<br />

church and burial in the churchyard<br />

— Saturday 3 February, Father Marcus Stewart, memorial service in church<br />

— Tuesday 13 February, Sir Oscar De Ville, funeral service in church and burial<br />

in the churchyard<br />

— Monday 4 March, Ronald Bryant, funeral service in church and burial in the<br />

churchyard


4 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to this advertisement<br />

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A continuing commitment to<br />

wonderful food and wine.<br />

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> -<strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 5<br />

<strong>The</strong> vicar's letter<br />

Dear Friends,<br />

I recently had cause to search through the new part of the churchyard and it was<br />

somewhat sobering to see so many inscribed names of parishioners who I have<br />

known. It of course comes with the territory, especially when one serves for 15<br />

years in a parish, but it nonetheless prompts reflection on the temporary nature<br />

of our existence. Our most recent burial was of Sir Oscar De Ville, a charming<br />

and kind gentleman who I believe was our last remaining WWII veteran. He<br />

served on the Arctic convoys on HMS Belfast, protected the invasion fleet on<br />

D-Day and then commanded his own vessel in the Far East at the tender age<br />

of 21. <strong>The</strong>re is a real sense of sadness as that remarkable generation take their<br />

leave of us.<br />

A close friend recently died, suddenly at the age of 58, and I had forgotten<br />

how painfully sharp bereavement can be, especially when it comes completely<br />

out of the blue. <strong>The</strong> only other time I have experienced such an early personal<br />

bereavement was the sudden death of my mother on her 49th birthday, and<br />

thankfully, life experience and lessons learnt through my ministry, have<br />

equipped me to better navigate it this time. My response as a 20-year-old was to<br />

go back to university and do everything I could do keep the dark clouds at bay,<br />

thus not properly grieving and storing up all sorts of problems for the future.<br />

I have observed many take this approach over the years; sometimes they’re<br />

mature and otherwise well-rounded individuals, who nonetheless can’t bring<br />

themselves to engage with the vital and natural process of grieving.<br />

RESPONSIBLE COURSE OF ACTION<br />

It has been said that a funeral is not for the deceased but for those who<br />

remain, and, in many ways, I agree with that. A recent and, to my mind,<br />

worrying trend has been for funeral directors to offer ‘direct cremations’. At a<br />

fraction of the cost of a regular funeral, the deceased is collected, taken straight<br />

to the crematorium and that’s it. No ceremony or involvement for the family and<br />

no opportunity to take part in the timeless process of saying farewell, observed<br />

by all cultures and faiths. I recently encountered a family who were frankly in<br />

despair as their much-loved relative had arranged for one of these cremations,<br />

simply to save them the effort and upset, but that seemingly selfless decision<br />

created deep distress for those left behind. I would urge very serious thought<br />

before deciding upon this cut-price approach, especially if you will be leaving<br />

loved ones behind.<br />

In facing one’s own death, I believe we can greatly help those we shall leave<br />

behind by writing clear instructions. This can be done as part of writing a will,<br />

or more informally, leaving a note behind for our next of kin or executor. I am<br />

sometimes invited to meet with a parishioner, and we plan it together and then I<br />

keep a note of what is desired. I have witnessed too many sad situations become<br />

needlessly stressful because siblings can’t agree on burial or cremation, or which<br />

hymn or music to have, or even who not to invite! If there are preexisting family<br />

tensions these can often come to a head at such times and surely it is better to<br />

try and avoid this? I know many people struggle to face up to their inevitable<br />

departure from this world, sometimes even when it is clearly imminent, but to<br />

do so is surely the responsible course of action.<br />

If any feel this is all too morbid, I suppose I come at the subject from a<br />

different angle, in that I see death as simply a normal part of life; this is most<br />

probably because of my vocation. However, I believe it is more visceral than<br />

that. As a Christian, why should I fear death? I might fear the process of dying,<br />

especially for a loved one, but what lies beyond the grave, for all who accept Jesus<br />

as Lord of their lives, is something to be looked forward to. CS Lewis described<br />

heaven in memorable terms:<br />

'To every soul, God will look like its first love because he is its first love. Your place<br />

in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it —<br />

made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.'<br />

With warm good wishes,<br />

Jamie


6 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to advertisements<br />

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the parish noticeboard — 1<br />

Church and<br />

churchyard<br />

building works<br />

In recent months essential work has<br />

been undertaken on the interior<br />

and exterior of the building by<br />

specialist contractors.<br />

Some of this has been kindly funded<br />

by FoStAC (Friends of St Andrew’s)<br />

and the majority from PCC reserves.<br />

A major outstanding project is the<br />

large red brick wall (below) going up<br />

to the lych gate and this will take 2<br />

months to complete, starting in May.<br />

<strong>The</strong> total cost will be over £30,000,<br />

and we are most grateful to the<br />

Sonning Fire Station Trust for making<br />

a grant of £10,000 towards this.<br />

For your prayers in <strong>April</strong><br />

— His Majesty the King’s<br />

treatment for cancer<br />

— All recently bereaved<br />

— <strong>The</strong> release of the Hamas<br />

held hostages<br />

— All preparing for exams<br />

Tom Farncombe<br />

Eric Gevaert, dreamstime.com<br />

Finding your<br />

voice part<br />

By Richard Meehan<br />

Singers who find themselves involved<br />

with the European Choral Tradition<br />

will generally identify themselves<br />

according to a voice part. This enables<br />

choirs to be organised in standard<br />

configurations and access the<br />

repertoire in much the same way an<br />

orchestra would with its instruments.<br />

It is here I notice that the different<br />

expectations of the composers can<br />

reveal themselves.<br />

While, for example, a cello has its<br />

four strings in standard tuning, and<br />

a broad consistency of tone thanks to<br />

common design, each individual 'bass'<br />

is a human animal with a distinct<br />

voice, whose differences our ears are<br />

primed to identify.<br />

One of my favourite phrases for<br />

how European classical music and<br />

the styles it informs works is, '<strong>The</strong><br />

bass is the controlling voice in Western<br />

Tonality'.<br />

This means the lowest sounding<br />

part and the way it acts tells the<br />

listener the context in which the other<br />

sounds are heard, and therefore gives<br />

the music 'meaning'.<br />

BEDROCK<br />

Surprisingly, this is a recent<br />

innovation. It derives from the later<br />

16 th Century in which organs started<br />

supporting choirs by playing the<br />

lowest notes and added the other notes<br />

of the chord through an improvised<br />

technique known as figured bass.<br />

As a bass, there is a particular joy in<br />

being this bedrock foundation, and in<br />

feeling the sheet music you are holding<br />

vibrating in sympathy with the sound<br />

emanating from you.<br />

Sopranos usually lead the texture,<br />

and so are prized if they have a clear<br />

pleasing tone and an ability to reach<br />

the high notes. Learning to be a good<br />

choral soprano involves keeping the<br />

intuition gained from many years<br />

of singing the melody line, while<br />

improving reading and navigating<br />

those times not singing the tune.<br />

Most people start on this part as<br />

children, when their learning is most<br />

imitative, so this can sometimes be a<br />

tricky transition to make.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 7<br />

From<br />

the<br />

organ<br />

bench<br />

Altos often begin by trading off<br />

their preference not to sing the high<br />

notes of the soprano parts, with an<br />

ability to read and navigate the nonmelody<br />

part.<br />

This is usually not the highest note<br />

of the texture, and therefore more<br />

difficult to imagine and locate. It is<br />

always a pleasure to hear the rich tone<br />

of a good alto section on which the rest<br />

of the choir can securely pivot.<br />

Although most alto sections are<br />

female, much of the English choral<br />

repertoire was written with male<br />

altos, or countertenors, in mind. <strong>The</strong>ir<br />

lines encompass a smaller range, and<br />

sometimes leap down an octave in<br />

single-line textures to join in with the<br />

basses and tenors, rather than meet<br />

the higher soprano notes.<br />

TESSITURA<br />

Tenors have a certain prestige,<br />

due to their taking of the heroic roles<br />

in opera, their rarity, and perhaps<br />

their ease in being arranged for, and<br />

engineered in a more pleasing way in<br />

pop music.<br />

<strong>The</strong> challenge of a tenor part is<br />

much more to do with the tessitura<br />

— the general place in the voice a line<br />

will take — rather than the high pitch<br />

of any one note. Also, unlike the bass<br />

part, which often follows set patterns,<br />

or alto lines, which can frequently be<br />

quite static, they can follow expressive,<br />

less intuitive shapes.<br />

Stereotypes can develop for the<br />

singers of various voice parts within a<br />

choir.<br />

Although not wholly untrue, it is<br />

important not to allow them to become<br />

restrictive in the music we make. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

are merely a way of helping a group of<br />

singers access the amazing music of<br />

the tradition we inherit, getting us to<br />

a certain point more quickly but not, I<br />

hope, getting stuck there.


8 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

the parish noticeboard — 2<br />

St Andrew's Youth<br />

email or text me, Westy,<br />

for ideas, a chat or to<br />

encourage what we are doing<br />

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk<br />

0794 622 4106<br />

STAY Half Term Activities<br />

RUSH: On Monday 12 February we took 25 of us<br />

to Rush trampoline park in High Wycombe. It's a<br />

warehouse full of trampolines, dodgeball arenas,<br />

ninja warrior courses and a gladiator duel activity.<br />

PANCAKE PARTY: <strong>The</strong> next day, 22 of us stuffed<br />

our faces with pancakes at our annual pancake party<br />

before many of us gave up things for Lent, such as<br />

refined sugar, social media and fizzy drinks.<br />

BOWLING: On Wednesday 14, a group of 11 went to<br />

the Hollywood Bowling Alley for some awesome 10-<br />

pin fun. We had PB scores set and lots of laughter as<br />

some got zer0 even with the barriers up!<br />

ICE SKATING: On Thursday 15 February, 25 of us<br />

went to Planet Ice Rink in Basingstoke. Some took to<br />

the ice like a duck to water while others clung onto<br />

the side for dear life. Nonetheless, we had a great<br />

time skating together and enjoying the exercise.<br />

STAY on Sunday<br />

Sunday 11 February: we joined with local councillor<br />

Sam Akhtar for the Sonning Litter Pick. Each young<br />

person was armed with a high vis jacket, a picker, and<br />

a rubbish bag. Prizes were given for the best litter<br />

picker, along with the weirdest thing found, smelliest<br />

thing found, largest thing found and the oldest thing<br />

found.<br />

Sunday 25 February: We met in the main church<br />

service to hear the testimony of one of the STAY<br />

parents before heading to the upper room to discuss<br />

what we had heard, and to answer some questions<br />

the Oxford Diocese youth enabling team had asked<br />

us to consider.<br />

STAY on Monday<br />

Monday 5 February: <strong>The</strong> weekly STIR card topic was<br />

‘A Survival Expert’ so we watched some videos about<br />

Bear Grylls. He spoke about how his faith at school<br />

was shaken and he lost connection with God. But the<br />

hopeful part was that he found it later in life again<br />

and wants to live his life to the full. This encouraged<br />

the young people to think about how they want to<br />

live their lives.<br />

Monday 19 February: ‘Self Conscious People’ was the<br />

STIR topic this week so we watched a video of You Are<br />

Special by Max Lucado. Punchinello was covered in<br />

dots while others were covered in stars because they<br />

let other people's opinions of them stick. Punchinello<br />

met Lucia who didn’t have any dots or stars because<br />

no one’s else opinion of her mattered but Eli’s, the<br />

wood carver. He said she was special and unique so<br />

only his opinion of her mattered. This is the same<br />

with God. Only his opinion of us matters, not others,<br />

whether good or bad.<br />

STAY on Friday<br />

We had a new record of young people during February<br />

with 72 young people attending youth club. <strong>The</strong><br />

leaders made lots of comments during the debrief<br />

about what a lovely atmosphere the youth club has<br />

and how much they enjoy spending time with and<br />

getting to know the young people.<br />

As the nights get lighter we are excited to start<br />

more outdoor games. Plus we have all the usual<br />

consoles, games, sports, baking, crafts and wide<br />

games. As always we meet in <strong>The</strong> Ark from 6.45-<br />

8.15pm in term time, with the year 6s welcome to join<br />

in on the fourth Friday of each month.<br />

STAY in Schools<br />

Our schools work has grow<br />

Corinne going into all four<br />

a week each. Our work cons<br />

Christian Union, assemblie<br />

lunch clubs, worship leader<br />

support for teachers and st<br />

<strong>The</strong> chaplaincy at Readin<br />

lift and we’ve been given a n<br />

students.<br />

As part of ongoing traini<br />

of visiting Wellington Colle<br />

chaplaincy encouragement<br />

from Adrian at Wellington,<br />

ate some amazing curry fro


<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 9<br />

Corinne<br />

As spring is on the horizon, I’ve been doing a spot of spring cleaning! I’ve got all the Messy Church and<br />

Sunday Club supplies in order and it feels so good to have a fresh slate — although, it does always look<br />

so much messier before it gets cleaner… or is that just me? writes Corinne.<br />

In Sunday club we talked about a big word:<br />

transfiguration — which we said was about being<br />

basically a big spiritual change.<br />

To go with this big word, we created a science<br />

experiment to help remember the Bible story<br />

which involved making a cloud in a jar! We had a<br />

blast mixing up colours and cracking some glow<br />

sticks. We also talked about the season of Lent and<br />

what it means to say you will 'take up your own<br />

cross' and follow Jesus through some games and<br />

crafts.<br />

Our Messy Church theme was St Valentine, and<br />

we loved talking about love! We even read a story<br />

about God’s love, created St Valentine puppets,<br />

sang songs, enjoyed a yummy meal, and more!<br />

Just before the start of Lent we also celebrated<br />

pancake day with a pancake decorating party, relay<br />

races, and time spent together. <strong>The</strong>re was so much<br />

sugar that many of us left with tummy aches!<br />

It’s been a fun time for us all!<br />

Corinne 0118 969 3298<br />

n with the addition of<br />

schools for half a day<br />

ists of mentoring, a<br />

s, prayer meetings,<br />

s meetings and informal<br />

aff.<br />

g Blue Coat has had a face<br />

ew space to meet with<br />

ng I also had the privilege<br />

ge for an evening of<br />

, when we heard stories<br />

prayed in the chapel and<br />

m the canteen.


10 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

PARISH NOTICEBOARD — 3<br />

During Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, 14 February, members of the congregation have been replacing the sermon at the<br />

10.30am Sunday services with a personal talk about why they are a Christian. Hopefully, the article below will be the first of a series<br />

in <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> based on their talks. We begin with one by Leslie Stephen who may be known to many of our readers through<br />

past articles about the children and young people who attend the Karun School in India that was started by his father.<br />

Why am I a Christian?<br />

By Leslie Stephen, a member of St Andrew's Church<br />

Lent is a good time to reflect on this question. My simple<br />

answer could be, I have always been a Christian, but when I<br />

began delving deeper, I realised that it is far more complex.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are many reasons for becoming a Christian, including<br />

going through a deep personal crisis, being called by God, or<br />

that it gives answers to the questions about our life.<br />

My Christian journey began in India and continues in<br />

the UK. My father was a church minister and my mother a<br />

teacher, and they always worked in villages to serve the poor.<br />

My early years and upbringing were very much influenced by<br />

my mother and father and their tremendous Christian faith,<br />

their values, their compassion for the poor and their roles in<br />

the church.<br />

I was also influenced by a nurse who had come to India<br />

to work with the poor. Together, in the 1930’s, they started<br />

a Christian centre in a remote area surrounded by villages.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y built a church, a primary school, a medical centre and a<br />

place for widows.<br />

EARLY YEARS<br />

I spent my early years here and I still vividly remember<br />

how Christian love and compassion gives hope to people of all<br />

faiths who had very little in their lives. This experience is very<br />

much part of me.<br />

Children often adopt the religion of their parents as I did.<br />

Today India’s population is 1.4 billion and about 27 million<br />

are Christians — Christianity is the third largest religion<br />

in the country. Its arrival in India is traditionally linked to<br />

the apostle Thomas, one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus,<br />

who laid the groundwork for a community called Syrian<br />

Christians and it is among the oldest in the world.<br />

In John 14, Thomas says to Jesus, 'Lord, we don’t know<br />

where you are going, so how can we know the way?' and Jesus<br />

answered, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes<br />

to the father except through me'.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se words have stayed with me from my early childhood<br />

as a constant reminder. <strong>The</strong>y are central to Christian theology<br />

as it focuses on the special role of Jesus, in the salvation of<br />

humanity. It underpins the belief that faith in Jesus as the<br />

Son of God and the Saviour is the way to eternal life, and that<br />

it is about a relationship with God.<br />

This means following the teachings of Jesus and accepting<br />

him as my Lord and Saviour. <strong>The</strong>se words have kept coming<br />

back to me over the years, strengthening me as a Christian,<br />

and giving me hope as I go through life.<br />

ENCOUNTER<br />

I am a Christian, not just because I was brought up as<br />

one, but because I feel that God’s presence has been with me<br />

throughout my life and will continue to be so. For me being a<br />

Christian is about our faith and how we encounter God in our<br />

daily lives.<br />

I believe that Christian faith is a personal experience and<br />

that we individually need to try to find out how God comes<br />

into our lives. My faith is a continuing journey over the years,<br />

one that has challenged me, as well as strengthened me<br />

through the many joys and successes of my work in India,<br />

my marriage, seeing our children grow up as adults, their<br />

marriages, and the birth of our grandchildren. It has given me<br />

the strength to face failures, sickness, sorrow, bereavement<br />

and the disappointments that we all face. I know, that faith is<br />

sorely tested during difficult and challenging times.<br />

CRISIS<br />

Some of the once<br />

deprived children<br />

of India who have<br />

been benefitting<br />

from the Karun<br />

school run by Leslie<br />

Stephen's father<br />

I found that I had a fast-growing prostate cancer 3 years<br />

ago, which fortunately was at an early stage. What kept me<br />

going during this tough time and what gave me hope and<br />

strength to face this set back was my family, my Christian<br />

belief, my faith in God that he would not forsake me and the<br />

many prayers of our Church and friends.<br />

I certainly feel that this crisis brought me much closer to<br />

God. I believe God has given me this remission and gift of life<br />

to continue serving and helping others. It is now up to me to<br />

take advantage of the time that I have. My Christian journey,<br />

is an emotional one and events like these remind me and<br />

show me what is really important in my life and why I am a<br />

Christian.<br />

REFLECTION<br />

Prayer and reflection are important. <strong>The</strong>y are about<br />

seeking God’s presence and guidance in my daily life, praying<br />

for others, and for those who are in need. Prayer brings me<br />

closer to God and I have become more confident. Prayer has<br />

also given me the hope that we all need in life.<br />

My prayers and reflection have changed over the years,<br />

moving towards thanking God for the blessings in our life<br />

and not always imagining that God will give me everything I<br />

asked for. Prayer, for me, is also seeking comfort in troubled<br />

times and trying not to worry about what will happen in the<br />

turn to page 11


<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 11<br />

future. However, acknowledging this, doesn’t<br />

always make it easier.<br />

An important part of my journey through life as a<br />

Christian is spending time in God's presence. St Andrew’s<br />

is a special place in my Christian journey where I can<br />

pray and worship God with others who are also Christian<br />

believers. <strong>The</strong> tremendous pastoral and spiritual care that<br />

I receive, and the fellowship of everyone is a great personal<br />

comfort for me.<br />

from page 10<br />

KINDNESS<br />

I used to visit a secondary school, where the head teacher,<br />

gave out book marks that asked students to reflect on a verse<br />

from Micah. <strong>The</strong> words were that God has called us 'to do<br />

justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God' (Mic 6:8).<br />

I feel, that we should think about these words in our daily<br />

lives and see how we can try our best to follow them.<br />

To me, the small things we do to show our care for others<br />

in our daily life are as important as the bigger things we might<br />

do. I remember when I used to walk alone around the town a<br />

greeting or a smile made a huge difference to me.<br />

EDUCATION<br />

Christ came to preach the gospel to everyone asking us<br />

to fight injustice and inequality. His call to serve others is<br />

important to me, particularly helping and caring for those<br />

who are in need and for those who are less fortunate.<br />

Even in his retirement my father started Karun, an<br />

educational centre for local communities near where he was<br />

living. He believed that education could break the cycle of<br />

poverty. His goal was to help children and young people<br />

develop skills that would get them jobs and free them from<br />

poverty.<br />

<strong>The</strong> work at the centre continues with classes for adults<br />

and children. <strong>The</strong> centre is adjusting to the changing skill<br />

needs of India. Educational grants are being given to young<br />

disadvantaged people to train as nurses, electricians,<br />

plumbers and for jobs in the multimedia industry. I am very<br />

grateful for your prayers and the generous support we receive<br />

from St Andrew's to help children and young people at Karun.<br />

BE STILL<br />

For me being a Christian, means that I should constantly<br />

try to look at how my thinking and my actions are informed<br />

by Jesus’s teaching and how I can try to reflect this in my<br />

daily life and the work. I believe that I am a Christian because<br />

for me faith is an ongoing encounter with God that gives me<br />

joy and hope for the future and one where I never feel alone<br />

facing the ups and downs of life — a hymn that gives me great<br />

comfort is 'Be Still my Soul'.<br />

I may never understand God’s wisdom for things that<br />

have happened in my life, but I have to trust his will. <strong>The</strong>se<br />

are the words of the Lord found in Jeremiah.<br />

'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord,<br />

'plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you<br />

hope and a future'<br />

I believe God, has a plan for all our lives, and that we<br />

need to pray for his direction, have patience, and know<br />

when it comes.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Persecuted Church<br />

By Colin Bailey<br />

A round-up of news and appeals from advocacy and aid<br />

agencies ministering among persecuted Christians.<br />

From Release International:<br />

Continue to remember those in prison as if you were<br />

together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated<br />

as if you yourselves were suffering.<br />

Hebrews 13:3<br />

Please pray that God would comfort the family and friends<br />

of Pastor Tesfay Seyoum as the first anniversary of his death<br />

approaches. Tesfay died in prison, having spent 10 years<br />

behind bars. His family could not bury him in his home town<br />

because of his faith in Christ.<br />

From Open Doors UK:<br />

Send hope: let your persecuted family know they are not<br />

forgotten. Write to a persecuted believer: your persecuted<br />

family love hearing from you. '<strong>The</strong>se letters encouraged me to<br />

know that I am not alone,' says Martina from Nigeria, whose<br />

husband was tragically killed by Fulani militants. 'Anytime<br />

I am sad, or my heart is heavy, I pick up the letters and start<br />

reading and feel comforted.' For inspiration and guidance on<br />

writing a letter: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/act/letter/<br />

From Barnabas Aid:<br />

Help Sudanese Christian refugees in Egypt survive.<br />

Sudanese refugees are in dire need of safety and help, says<br />

Barnabas Aid’s project partner in Egypt. Faithful Egyptian<br />

churches are caring for an influx of Christian refugees who<br />

have fled from Khartoum, Darfur and beyond. Christians<br />

are a small minority in Sudan and have endured severe<br />

persecution. For more information on how to help with this<br />

project: https://www.barnabasaid.org/gb/latest-needs/helpsudanese-christian-refugees-in-egypt-survive/<br />

From Mosaic Middle East:<br />

For its appeal in response to the escalating crisis in the Gaza<br />

Strip, Mosaic is grateful to have the support of its patron,<br />

His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos (Coptic Orthodox<br />

Archbishop of London, Papal Legate to the United Kingdom).<br />

He reminds us to hold in prayer those of all faiths and<br />

none affected by crises across the globe. 'In this conflict that<br />

has generated so much suffering, Christians in Gaza have been<br />

largely overlooked. This urgent appeal will provide life-saving<br />

humanitarian aid to all who seek shelter and assistance at the<br />

Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius and the Catholic Holy Family<br />

<strong>Parish</strong>. At this time, we pray for all those so painfully affected in<br />

the Palestinian Territories and Israel, whether they be Muslim,<br />

Jewish, Christian or of any or no faith or belief.' For the Mosaic<br />

Middle East Christians in Gaza Appeal:<br />

https://mosaicmiddleeast.org/appeal<br />

References and further reading<br />

Release International: https://releaseinternational.org/<br />

Open Doors UK: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/act/letter/<br />

Barnabas Aid: https://www.barnabasaid.org/gb/<br />

Mosaic Middle East: https://mosaicmiddleeast.org/latest/<br />

world-day-of-prayer-<strong>2024</strong>


12 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

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the parish noticeboard —4<br />

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Coincidence?<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 13<br />

During the past 11¼ years that I have been editing this<br />

magazine I am constantly surprised at the coincidences<br />

that occur when choosing which stories and articles<br />

should be included in a particular issue.<br />

<strong>The</strong> definition of 'coincidence' is 'a remarkable concurrence of<br />

events or circumstances without apparent causal connection',<br />

and yet I am always surprised that, despite how much<br />

effort I put into planning the content, unexpected<br />

coincidences always occur.<br />

In this issue, for example, Claude Masters, who<br />

contributes regularly with anecdotes about his life in<br />

church and the parish, suggested that he wrote about his<br />

life-long interest in bricks. It is an interest that grew from<br />

being taught the art of bricklaying as a youth at the end of<br />

World War II when there was a huge demand for 'brickies'.<br />

You can read his article on page 15.<br />

Claude's contribution was one of the first I laid out<br />

for this issue about two weeks before the final editorial<br />

deadline. <strong>The</strong>n by chance, one of the last contributions I<br />

received was a brief item from the vicar about some major<br />

work that is being planned in our churchyard which —<br />

you may have already guessed — requires a large financial<br />

investment of around £30,000 in order to restore the long<br />

brick wall that runs from the lych gate near the junction<br />

of Sonning Lane and Pearson Road towards the church.<br />

(see page 7)<br />

Lych gates, by the way, were originally gateways into a<br />

churchyard, or cemetery, with a roof designed to protect<br />

a coffin when it was waiting outside a church before being<br />

carried in for the funeral. <strong>The</strong>y are rarely used for that<br />

purpose today and can only usually be found outside older<br />

Church of England parish churches such as St Andrew's.<br />

BY CHANCE<br />

So, was it a coincidence, a chance happening, that<br />

bricks are being featured in this issue? <strong>The</strong> more often this<br />

type of 'coincidence' happens, the more I feel that it is not<br />

something that happens by chance.<br />

It may surprise you that 'coincidence' is not a Biblical<br />

occurrence. <strong>The</strong> word itself is only found once in the Bible<br />

and then only in a few translations. In most translations<br />

of the Bible the phrase 'by chance' is used instead. <strong>The</strong><br />

word can be found in the parable Jesus told about the<br />

Good Samaritan when he said, 'And by a coincidence [or<br />

by chance] a certain priest was going down that way' (Luke<br />

10:31). <strong>The</strong> more times unexplained coincidences happen,<br />

the more convinced I am that God is at work in our world,<br />

not just in the big decisions and events that we carefully<br />

plan and organise but also in every small, routine thing<br />

such as deciding on the content of this magazine.


14 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to advertisements<br />

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feature — 1<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 15<br />

Another brick in the wall ? . . . or is it<br />

a Stretcher, Rat Trap, Flemish, English<br />

or a Header?<br />

Following last month's article about<br />

my time in school, when I was taught<br />

the art of bricklaying because post<br />

WWII there was huge demand for<br />

new houses, here are some of my<br />

memories as a bricklayer! writes<br />

Claude Masters<br />

Stretcher, Rat trap, Flemish and<br />

English are the names of different<br />

brick bonds — the 'bond' being the<br />

way in which bricks can be joined<br />

together when building. Rat trap has a<br />

cavity that increases thermal energy.<br />

In my opinion, the most<br />

attractive bonds are Flemish and<br />

English bond.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se days, most modern houses<br />

are built using Stretcher bond, with<br />

11 inch cavity walls, and very often<br />

the cavities are filled with insulation.<br />

Stretcher bond is when the long side<br />

Stretcher<br />

Flemish<br />

English<br />

Header<br />

of the brick is viewed. <strong>The</strong> bricks are<br />

staggered to give support.<br />

English and Flemish bonds use<br />

both the side and end of the bricks to<br />

create patterns and strength to the<br />

walls.<br />

However, in Victorian times,<br />

brickwork was much more interesting,<br />

as so many more brick bond varieties<br />

and details were used.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Victorians also included<br />

much terracotta work and finials.<br />

We are lucky to have some fine<br />

examples in Reading, particularly in St<br />

Bartholomew’s Road.<br />

READING BRICKS<br />

I think that it must have been much<br />

more enjoyable being a bricklayer<br />

during the Victorian period. Reading<br />

was famous for its brickworks and I<br />

particularly remember one in south<br />

Reading by the Kennet — I believe<br />

it was Colliers Brickworks — where<br />

many of Reading’s bricks were made.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re was a conveyor going across the<br />

road to take the clay to the brickworks.<br />

Of course, there are a variety of<br />

brick sizes. Bricks were built bigger up<br />

north than down south. This was due<br />

to a tax being imposed, towards the<br />

end of the 18th Century, on the number<br />

of bricks used in buildings. Ingenious<br />

builders used larger bricks to keep<br />

down their costs! When the authorities<br />

realised, they started to specify sizes<br />

but, by then, many of the brick makers<br />

in the Midlands and the North had<br />

spent much money on machinery to<br />

create these bricks and so kept these<br />

larger sizes.<br />

When Brunel built the Maidenhead<br />

railway bridge over the Thames, the<br />

authorities didn’t think that the arches<br />

would hold because of how shallow they<br />

were. However, a great storm removed<br />

the form work, which allowed the river<br />

to wash this away. <strong>The</strong> bridge stood!<br />

One unusual job that I was involved<br />

in was rubbing bricks! Softer bricks<br />

were needed, which you could rub<br />

into shape to make an arch. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />

positioned on the ground to see the<br />

finished arch shape before laying in<br />

their final place. Because they had been<br />

rubbed and shaped, they fitted together<br />

well so only a thin mortar joint was<br />

needed; it was also aesthetically more<br />

pleasing. As this was an expensive<br />

way of producing an arch, I was only<br />

involved once.<br />

Please enjoy spending time looking<br />

at the wonderful buildings in our local<br />

area — including the St Andrew's<br />

Church walls and arches some of which<br />

used bricks salvaged from the WWII<br />

bombing of London.


16 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

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feature — 2<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 17<br />

Three reasons to celebrate in <strong>April</strong><br />

For almost every day of the year there seems to be a day to celebrate something or someone. As <strong>April</strong> is no exception,<br />

here are three suggestions picked at random (well almost!) writes Bob Peters<br />

St George’s Day 23 <strong>April</strong><br />

Saint George's Day is the feast day<br />

of Saint George, England's patron<br />

saint.<br />

It's a day that is also celebrated by<br />

Christian churches, countries, and<br />

regions of which he is the patron<br />

saint, including Bulgaria, Ethiopia,<br />

Greece, Georgia, Portugal, Romania,<br />

Syria, Lebanon, Catalonia, Alcoi,<br />

Aragon, and Rio de Janeiro.<br />

<strong>The</strong> strange thing about St George<br />

is that no-one knows who he was,<br />

where he came from, or why he<br />

was made a saint, and, there is no<br />

authenticated record of him ever<br />

visiting England!<br />

ENGLISH?<br />

It seems that he was not even<br />

English, but then, only the English<br />

would choose such an unknown<br />

entity to be our patron saint!<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is the mythical tale about<br />

him saving a village somewhere in<br />

Europe from a vicious dragon. I was<br />

taught this story when I was a Boy<br />

Scout — my troop met in St George’s<br />

Church in Tarpots, Essex.<br />

EVERY DAY<br />

Peter Rennie<br />

An 18th Century Georgian<br />

geographer and historian Vakhushti<br />

Bagrationi once claimed that there<br />

are 365 Orthodox churches in Georgia<br />

named after Saint George, that’s one<br />

for every day of the year.<br />

In the UK there are 243<br />

churches dedicated to St George,<br />

that’s 15th in the list of church names<br />

which is led by St Mary with 2,368<br />

dedications!<br />

Probably the best known<br />

church in the world that is named<br />

after St George is St George’s Chapel<br />

in Windsor Castle which is privately<br />

owned by King Charles III.<br />

Volodymyr Melnyk, dreamstime.com<br />

Jazz Appreciation Month<br />

Aptly called JAM, this is a music<br />

festival held in recognition of the<br />

significant contribution that jazz<br />

music has made to society.<br />

<strong>The</strong> organisers say that it aims to<br />

pay tribute to jazz for its historic and<br />

cultural significance by encouraging<br />

organisations, governments, and<br />

schools, to participate in various<br />

events such as free jazz concerts and<br />

educational programmes.<br />

WORLDWIDE<br />

JAM was started in 2001 by<br />

John Edward Hasse, a curator at the<br />

Smithsonian National Museum of<br />

American History and it was funded<br />

by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable<br />

Foundation, whose archives are<br />

housed at the Smithsonian.<br />

In 2012, Smithsonian Folkways<br />

Recordings group received<br />

permission from the estate of Louis<br />

Armstrong to release his recordings<br />

on a new album titled Satchmo. <strong>The</strong><br />

release was made at the 2012 annual<br />

Jazz Appreciation Month events<br />

in the US. Today, it is a worldwide<br />

event.<br />

Through jazz-focused events, JAM<br />

works to support today’s jazz scene<br />

and encourages an appreciation of<br />

jazz music in people of all ages.<br />

Throughout <strong>April</strong>, we will be<br />

encouraged to participate in jazz<br />

activities such as studying jazz<br />

music, attending jazz concerts,<br />

reading books about jazz and its<br />

history, or just simply listening<br />

to good jazz music — I would<br />

recommend Louis Armstrong if you<br />

enjoy big band Jazz, or Dave Brubeck<br />

if Modern Jazz is your preference.<br />

I also hear that Richard Meehan,<br />

St Andrew's director of music, is a<br />

talented jazz pianist!<br />

Kiosea39, dreamstime.com<br />

Screaming Day 26 <strong>April</strong><br />

This special day was created to<br />

raise awareness of the health<br />

benefits of screaming out loud.<br />

At some point, all of us have<br />

benefited from letting out a long<br />

howl, whether it was screaming<br />

into a pillow, in the car, in an empty<br />

room, or in any space where we feel<br />

comfortable.<br />

Screaming Day doesn’t have a<br />

long history or any traditions, but<br />

this will likely change in a few years<br />

as we learn more about screaming,<br />

and our pressure-filled lifestyles<br />

compel us to turn to new methods of<br />

venting and releasing tension.<br />

Screaming has been considered<br />

healing for centuries. More than<br />

2,000 years ago, it was viewed as<br />

therapeutic and was supplementary<br />

to Eastern medicine. Master of<br />

Chinese medicine, Dr Lu, believes<br />

that screaming helps with liver<br />

stagnation.<br />

BIBLICAL<br />

Screaming is mentioned in the<br />

Bible, for example, Isaiah 13:6 says:<br />

Scream in terror, for the day of the<br />

Lord has arrived — the time for the<br />

Screaming Almighty to destroy.<br />

Primal screaming was designed<br />

by Arthur Yanov to process emotions<br />

and let it all out with a long howl.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is evidence that screaming taps<br />

into deep emotions and brings them<br />

to the surface.<br />

While there are benefits to<br />

screaming, using it to heal must<br />

be done properly, and not in<br />

a space that will make others<br />

uncomfortable, or even justify bad<br />

behaviour towards others under the<br />

guise of using screaming to channel<br />

emotions. If you are going to scream,<br />

do it thoughtfully!


18 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

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around the villages — 1<br />

Following the announcement at the<br />

end of last year that the Charvilbased<br />

My Cancer My Choices (see<br />

our January <strong>2024</strong> issue) had won<br />

<strong>The</strong> King's Award for Voluntary<br />

Service, 10 of the charity’s current<br />

longest-serving volunteers were<br />

invited to a ceremony at Windsor<br />

Guildhall where the Crystal Award<br />

and Certificate were presented by<br />

Andrew Try, the Lord Lieutenant for<br />

the Royal County of Berkshire, on<br />

behalf of His Majesty the King.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 19<br />

Charvil's cancer support volunteers receive their King's<br />

Service Award<br />

<strong>The</strong> King’s Award for Voluntary Service<br />

is the highest award a local voluntary<br />

group can receive in the UK. It is<br />

equivalent to an MBE.<br />

<strong>The</strong> volunteers represent the wide<br />

range of support provided to the<br />

charity, including complementary<br />

therapists, meeter-greeters, trustees,<br />

marketing, fundraising and admin<br />

volunteers.<br />

In the citation, given by Lindsey<br />

Beard JP DL, Deputy Lieutenant of<br />

the Royal County of Berkshire, she<br />

said, 'It is difficult to capture the power<br />

and importance of this charity… Unique<br />

in Berkshire, it is clearly one of the most<br />

important and effective charities one is<br />

ever likely to meet.'<br />

<strong>The</strong> original announcement was<br />

made on the King’s birthday, following<br />

a very rigorous nomination and<br />

assessment process.<br />

My Cancer My Choices (MCMC)<br />

provides complementary therapies<br />

and support to people living with, and<br />

beyond, cancer across Berkshire. Its<br />

mission is to empower people with<br />

cancer, enabling them to make active<br />

choices to enhance their well-being, as<br />

they come to terms with their diagnosis.<br />

Specialist therapists volunteer their<br />

time to offer a range of one-to-one<br />

therapies (acupuncture, scar tissue,<br />

aromatherapy and oncology massage,<br />

art therapy, reiki and reflexology) and<br />

group therapies (mindfulness and yoga),<br />

which help manage the side effects of<br />

conventional treatment and improve<br />

mental and physical health. <strong>The</strong> charity<br />

has about 65 volunteers at four locations<br />

across Berkshire and is funded purely<br />

through donations and grants.<br />

St St Andrew's Andrew's Ark Ark<br />

St Andrew's Ark<br />

Third Sunday of the month (accept August)<br />

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Stories Craft— — Craft— Science Games Science — Songs Puzzles — Puzzles — Celebration<br />

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Free — Food! Songs — Celebration — Celebration<br />

Free Food! Free Food!<br />

An afternoon of fun, fellowship and a free meal together<br />

An afternoon An afternoon of fun, A of fellowship different fun, fellowship theme and a each free and meal month a free together meal together<br />

A different A different theme each theme month each month<br />

For more information:<br />

For more For information:<br />

more Corinne information:<br />

Corinne Corinne<br />

corinne@sonningparish.org.uk<br />

corinne@sonningparish.org.uk<br />

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COMMUNITIES the church of OF st CHARVIL,<br />

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20 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

around the villages — 2<br />

This year, 1st Sonning-on-Thames Scouts celebrates its 90 th birthday! Since 1934 many Sonning 'alumni'<br />

have been involved creating memories to treasure. Today, the group continues offering its scouts, cubs and<br />

beavers a host of activities that the children may not otherwise experience in school and other clubs.<br />

A biannual family camp brings together the scouts,<br />

cubs and beavers and their family members, to have<br />

fun together through a variety of fun activities.<br />

SCOUTS<br />

Scouts, age from 10½ to 14 years, meet on<br />

Wednesday evenings in Beech Lodge Sonning and, as<br />

well as camping, enjoy many other outdoor activities<br />

such as abseiling, axe throwing, caving, climbing, fire<br />

making, katakanuing, pioneering, and raft building,<br />

Holly said, 'I like Scouts because I get to do new<br />

things like camping, fire lighting, cooking and eating,'<br />

while Keiron likes it 'because we have winter camps,<br />

when it’s cold!'<br />

CUBS<br />

Cubs, aged 8 to 10½ years, meet on Monday<br />

evenings and get involved in many of the outdoor<br />

activities with the scouts along with their own<br />

activities including: camping, climbing, cooking, firelighting,<br />

hiking, having fun on the water, and indoor<br />

games.<br />

Indya said, 'I was told by a boy called Josh about<br />

the good things like camps and learning knots and even<br />

cooking, so I joined cubs to learn to become a better<br />

person. I like learning how to do things and to earn<br />

badges, and it makes me feel happy. My friend Cicely said<br />

she wanted to join so she can learn many things as well.'<br />

'I like going to cubs because I like the outdoors and<br />

adventure. I also like learning survival skills and having<br />

fun,' added Josh.<br />

BEAVERS<br />

<strong>The</strong> beavers, aged 6-8 years, meet on Thursday<br />

evenings and have recently been involved in learning<br />

about their local community by meeting different<br />

groups such as the emergency services, and local<br />

sports groups such as Sonning Cricket Club and<br />

Berkshire Country Club Tennis Club. <strong>The</strong>y recently<br />

visited Sonning Gardens Care Home where they<br />

enjoyed craft activities with the residents.<br />

Beaver Wilson said, 'I love beavers because we get to<br />

see lots of people, and it educates our mind while we are<br />

not at school. We learn things that you don't already know<br />

about. I enjoyed the firefighters visit when we learned<br />

about how they dealt with fires and what they do.'<br />

Sonning <strong>Parish</strong> Council and Sonning Twinning<br />

Association members have also visited the beavers to<br />

explain how they help serve the local community.<br />

Whether playing giant noughts and crosses with<br />

pioneering poles, designing, and making Lego<br />

models or preparing and munching fruit kebabs<br />

while thinking about how to eat healthily, every<br />

session is a big hit with the beavers.<br />

Beaver Noah summed up one session saying, 'It<br />

was fabulous because we built bridges out of newspaper<br />

and tape and tested them w<br />

played stave hockey!'<br />

ADULT L<br />

Looking to the future,<br />

Scout Group's treasurer, c<br />

looking forward to building<br />

future. However, we are cur<br />

beavers and adult leaders fo<br />

need help to keep this sectio<br />

especially as we look toward<br />

years’ time.<br />

SQUIRR<br />

'We’re also want to start<br />

year olds called Squirrels an<br />

skills for life at a time when<br />

it's most needed, and we req<br />

it' he said.<br />

CHAIR AND<br />

'<br />

Additional support is inv<br />

whether in a uniformed cap<br />

or non-unformed where th<br />

chairperson and a group sc<br />

HOW TO GET<br />

If you have a child intereste<br />

or squirrels or you would lik<br />

see https://sonningscouts.org.u<br />

sonningscouts.org.uk or call A


<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 21<br />

<strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

ith blocks, and we also<br />

EADERS<br />

Jason Crow, Sonning<br />

ommented, 'We are<br />

on this heritage for the<br />

rently short on both<br />

r the beavers colony and<br />

n running for the future,<br />

s our centenary in a few<br />

ELS<br />

a new group for local 4-6<br />

d help young people to gain<br />

it matters most and where<br />

uire volunteers to help run<br />

LEADERS<br />

aluable across the group<br />

acity as section leaders<br />

ere are vacancies for a<br />

out leader.<br />

INVOLVED<br />

d in scouts, cubs, beavers,<br />

e to get involved yourself,<br />

k/ or email: info@<br />

nne on 0795 842 4744


22 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

Homecare<br />

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• Meal Preparation<br />

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• And much more…<br />

To find out more call or visit:<br />

01182 371 573<br />

goodoakshomecare.co.uk/<br />

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around the villages — 13<br />

Sonning CofE Primary<br />

begins new care home<br />

community partnership<br />

Sonning Primary CofE School has begun a new<br />

community partnership with the Signature at<br />

Caversham care home where pupils have been<br />

visiting to help decorate the residents’ frames<br />

and read with them.<br />

<strong>The</strong> new partners are planning craft and game<br />

clubs for residents and pupils, and are also<br />

hoping to arrange some chess matches between<br />

the residents and pupils!<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 23<br />

Wokingham Borough Council's road safety competition to design a<br />

hi-vis safety jacket was won by a Sonning Primary pupil! <strong>The</strong> school<br />

is very proud of its pupil for entering and winning the competition.


24 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

around the villages — 4<br />

Race night raises £900!<br />

Friends of St Andrew’s Church Sonning<br />

Present a Grand<br />

Musical Evening<br />

Sally Wilson<br />

<strong>The</strong> Friends of St Andrew’s Church, Sonning (FoStAC)<br />

pass on their gratitude to everyone who attended their<br />

Charity Race Night in Pearson Hall on Saturday 24<br />

February.<br />

A fun night was had by everyone who attended, and<br />

they are delighted to say that the event helped raise<br />

nearly £900. It will be put towards the ongoing costs to<br />

repair the Vicar's vestry wall. One attendee commented<br />

afterwards, 'thank you for a great evening, really enjoyed it,<br />

everyone was so welcoming.'<br />

This event is one of a number being organised by<br />

FoStAC, you can find the others on their website at<br />

https://www.fostac.org. FoStAC's next event is a Musical<br />

Evening at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday, 27 <strong>April</strong> at<br />

7pm — full details on the right.<br />

Featuring<br />

Ascot Brass Band<br />

Sonning CofE Primary School Choir<br />

Soloist – Celeste Hexter<br />

Sat 27 <strong>April</strong> at 7.00pm<br />

at<br />

St Andrews Church Sonning<br />

Tickets: Adults £10, Children free (with accompanied adult) from<br />

Sally Wilson mustangsallywilson@gmail.com 0118 979 3328<br />

Keith Nichols g.keithnichols@gmail.com 07766 500 552<br />

In aid of FoStAC fund raising for repairs to St Andrews Church vestry wall.<br />

https://www.fostac.org - Registered Charity Number 1101944


around the villages — 5<br />

Transformative education?<br />

Hannah Saunders (right), the<br />

dedicated head of early years at<br />

Crosfields School, is committed<br />

to ensuring a 'transformative<br />

educational experience' for children,<br />

which is something that the school<br />

says 'makes her a beacon in early<br />

childhood education'. We asked her<br />

to explain ...<br />

What is your philosophy on early<br />

childhood education?<br />

'Our philosophy on early years at<br />

Crosfields School is to deliver the<br />

richest early educational experiences<br />

for our children, ensuring that we are<br />

keeping up to date with the evolving<br />

changes, latest research, and any<br />

recommendations about early years<br />

development, in order to offer a high<br />

level of quality learning.'<br />

How do you ensure the well-being and<br />

safety of the children in your care?<br />

'Children’s well-being and safety<br />

is fundamentally one of the most<br />

important aspects. In the school<br />

day we ensure we have a good level<br />

of structure and regular routines;<br />

we ensure children have a good<br />

understanding about healthy eating,<br />

and ensure children are exposed<br />

to a balanced diet. Alongside the<br />

EYFS* statutory guidelines, we<br />

also give children the knowledge,<br />

understanding and opportunity to<br />

be able to grow, develop, and take<br />

appropriate risks through physical<br />

play.'<br />

* EYFS is the Early Years Foundation<br />

Stage that sets standards for the<br />

learning, development and care of<br />

children from birth to 5 years old. All<br />

schools and Ofsted-registered early<br />

years providers must follow EYFS.<br />

This includes childminders, preschools,<br />

nurseries and school reception classes.<br />

Can you describe your approach to<br />

fostering a supportive and inclusive<br />

learning environment?<br />

'In every classroom we create<br />

opportunities to ensure every child<br />

has a voice. Every teacher is aware<br />

of specific needs of each individual<br />

child. We understand that children<br />

have different learning styles and,<br />

through effective planning, we<br />

ensure we are meeting every child’s<br />

need.'<br />

What strategies do you use to support<br />

and develop your staff?<br />

'At Crosfields we pride ourselves<br />

on developing everyone as an<br />

individual. Each term we ensure staff<br />

have regular meetings with their<br />

heads of departments, to discuss<br />

their own professional development,<br />

in which they can create targets,<br />

discuss further training as well as<br />

having a chance to talk about their<br />

own well-being.’<br />

How do you engage with parents<br />

and families to create a strong<br />

partnership in the child’s early<br />

development?<br />

'Parents are their child’s first and<br />

more enduring educators so, as an<br />

early years department, we ensure<br />

we create strong relationships with<br />

parents.<br />

We work together to support<br />

parents with their child’s learning by<br />

offering parents' evenings as well as<br />

inviting parents into Crosfields for<br />

presentations and events throughout<br />

the year.<br />

We also have an open door policy<br />

and parents can talk to their child’s<br />

teacher every day.<br />

We use an online platform<br />

where both parents and teachers<br />

can upload important milestones<br />

and share a child’s interest, which<br />

enables the adults to engage on<br />

these topics with the child and offer<br />

similar experiences which will help<br />

further a child’s development.’<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 25<br />

Hidden Wargrave<br />

history and WWI<br />

29 March: Terry Grourk talks on '<strong>The</strong><br />

Hidden History of Wargrave Hall'<br />

26 <strong>April</strong>: Graham Horn talks on '<strong>The</strong><br />

Thankful Villages of WWI whose<br />

soldiers returned'.<br />

23 May: Amy Stoke talks on '<strong>The</strong> Great<br />

Fire at Windsor Castle'.<br />

<strong>The</strong> talks, hosted by the Sonning &<br />

Sonning Eye Society are in Pearson<br />

Hall and start at 7.30pm.<br />

Tickets are £5 for members<br />

and £6 for guests, and include a<br />

complimentary glass of wine.<br />

Tickets will be available on<br />

https://sonning.org.uk or from Penny<br />

Feathers on: 0118 934 3193 or<br />

penny.feathers@btinternet.com<br />

Sonning Village walk<br />

<strong>The</strong>re will be a Sonning Village walk<br />

on Friday 17 May starting at 10am.<br />

It will include places of historical<br />

interest, St Andrew's Church, Sonning<br />

Mill and various houses. <strong>The</strong> walk will<br />

be limited to 20 people. Look out for<br />

further details nearer the time.<br />

80th D-Day update<br />

<strong>The</strong> 80th D-Day celebration<br />

organisers tell us that the Syd<br />

Lawrence Orchestra, that had been<br />

booked previously, said they cannot<br />

be accommodated in the awnings<br />

being used, so City Jazz has been<br />

booked instead.<br />

Parallel Windsor <strong>2024</strong><br />

Me2 Club is joining Parallel Windsor<br />

again this year and is seeking<br />

volunteers to support them.<br />

Parallel Windsor, on 7 July, is a<br />

festival of inclusivity with challenge<br />

events for all ages, health conditions<br />

and abilities.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re will be 100m, 1k, 5k or 10k<br />

courses which can be walked or run<br />

while fund raising for Me2 Club.<br />

Me2 Club will also have a stall<br />

on the day and are looking for<br />

volunteers to help with it!<br />

If you are interested in taking part<br />

in the challenge event, volunteering<br />

or learning more about Me2 Club<br />

email: info@me2club.org.uk


26 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

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around the villages — 6<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 27<br />

Year Inner Wheel Black Tie Celebration<br />

75 members and guests of the Inner Wheel Club of<br />

Reading Maiden Erlegh relished the chance to dress up<br />

for the black tie dinner held at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club<br />

in celebration of the centenary of Inner Wheel.<br />

Guests were welcomed with a drink and enjoyed the music<br />

of harpist Marion England.<br />

A delicious meal was followed by entertainment from<br />

the Belle Canto Trio with songs through the decades since<br />

the 1920’s — the year that Inner Wheel was formed.<br />

Inner Wheel District 9 Chairman, Hilary Tindall, spoke<br />

about the 100 years of Inner Wheel in this country, and<br />

Reading Maiden Erlegh President, Margaret Adams, spoke<br />

about what the club had achieved since 2002 and the many<br />

local, national and international charities that have been<br />

supporting by a variety of events the club has organised,<br />

including raising approximately £100,000.<br />

https://www.innerwheelrme.org<br />

Planning Your<br />

Traditional Wedding?<br />

<strong>The</strong>n you might like to<br />

discuss the possibility of<br />

marriage in our ancient and<br />

beautiful parish church.<br />

If so, call the vicar, Jamie<br />

0118 969 3298<br />

He will be pleased to help!<br />

In addition to the stunning and historic location in Sonning,<br />

we will work hard to provide you with a memorable and<br />

moving occasion. We can provide a choir, organ, peal of<br />

eight bells, beautiful flowers, over 100 lit candles set in<br />

ornate Victorian chandeliers and the use of our beautiful<br />

churchyard as a backdrop for your photographs.<br />

Church of St Andrew<br />

Serving Sonning, Charvil & Sonning Eye<br />

the church of st andrew SERVING CHARVIL,<br />

SONNING & sonning eye since the 7 th century<br />

People on landscapes<br />

Sonning Art Group welcomed Jenny Halstead (above<br />

left) to present a tutor session on how to put people into<br />

a landscape.<br />

Jenny has recently had six of her artworks<br />

displayed at the Mall Galleries in London as part of<br />

the successful Pastel Society Exhibition.<br />

She is currently working on a book with other<br />

contributors due out this autumn called Beyond the Arch<br />

which is a history of Reading Old Cemetery at Cemetery<br />

Junction. Her work can be seen at:<br />

https://www.jennyhalstead.co.uk<br />

Wanted: female voices<br />

Charvil's Project Singers has a few spaces available in<br />

its ladies' choir which meets for rehearsals on Monday<br />

evenings from 8-9.30pm at Charvil Village Hall.<br />

<strong>The</strong> choir's summer term project is 'Chocolate Box'. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

will be working towards a concert on 7 July, which is<br />

World Chocolate Day!<br />

Songs will include Lollipop, I can't help myself sugar pie,<br />

Hotta chocolatta, Pure imagination, and When I take my<br />

sugar to tea. <strong>The</strong> term ends with a local restaurant meal on<br />

8 July.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Project Singers are a small, hard-working, group of<br />

ladies who sing in three parts. <strong>The</strong>y are looking for singers<br />

who are enthusiastic and committed. For more details<br />

contact the choir's musical director, Suzanne Newman, on<br />

0118 934 0589 / suzanneynewman@btinternet.com


28 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to advertisements<br />

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FASHION BY HARRIET NELSON<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 29<br />

Pastel pink paired with mom-jeans this spring?<br />

Goodbye, knitwear, comfy Ugg<br />

boots, my favourite woolly scarf and<br />

hello, spring <strong>2024</strong> fashion trends!<br />

Don't get me wrong, the winter<br />

season is my favourite time of<br />

the year. Getting to wrap up in<br />

many different layers of clothing,<br />

ready to embrace the cold outside<br />

temperatures, has always been fun to<br />

style and wear.<br />

However, spring is just around the<br />

corner, and I'm certainly preparing<br />

my wardrobe for the warm weather.<br />

Jumpers are out, and T-shirts are<br />

back in! Pack away those winter coats<br />

and gloves and appreciate that we are<br />

finally in <strong>April</strong>.<br />

If your wardrobe is starting to feel<br />

a bit tired after the many months of<br />

rain and gloom, you're in luck!<br />

A new season of fashion is on the<br />

way, bringing plenty of unique and<br />

fresh spring outfits ready for the new<br />

season of sunshine.<br />

TRENDS<br />

<strong>The</strong> trends of <strong>2024</strong> spring have<br />

just been announced, with our<br />

favourite brands dropping new<br />

collections every day.<br />

This year's biggest trends are<br />

venturing back into the early 2010<br />

styles of dark colours and mom<br />

jeans, compared to last year's trends<br />

of nostalgic 90's style minimalism<br />

within fashion.<br />

So, what will we be wearing this<br />

year?<br />

From what I can see popping up in<br />

many of the latest collections, colours<br />

again this year are the turning point.<br />

Rich burgundy, which to most<br />

would be considered a dark winter<br />

colour and is mainly associated with<br />

Christmas, has randomly made a<br />

comeback this spring.<br />

Going darker this spring is the<br />

new pastel trend of last year. Going<br />

darker with your wardrobe brings<br />

a boldness to your looks and will<br />

pair well with many of the existing<br />

colours you already have in your<br />

wardrobe, such as creams and<br />

browns.<br />

But don't fret! Bright colours are<br />

still in this year. Sky blue is on the<br />

rise this spring. <strong>The</strong> high street is<br />

bringing the outdoor colours into<br />

our homes this year with the bright<br />

spring colours of the season.<br />

Sky blue is a timeless colour we<br />

see daily that will brighten up your<br />

wardrobe and bring calmness to your<br />

looks.<br />

Pantone's colour of the year is<br />

called peach fuzz, a muted coral<br />

colour that will pop up in cardigans,<br />

dresses, and footwear during the first<br />

half of this year, with more on the<br />

way.<br />

This pink peach is a great colour<br />

to get noticed and bring out the<br />

feminine spring looks inspired by<br />

the Oscar winning (best song) Barbie<br />

film. Pink will be a popular colour to<br />

style this year during the spring with<br />

trendy pastel pinks everywhere!<br />

With this pastel pink, designers<br />

everywhere have created and loved<br />

bows, ruffles, and lace in the spring<br />

collections this year.<br />

Social media can't get enough of<br />

it. Whether it's the 'cottagecore' or<br />

'girlcore' trends on TikTok, pastel<br />

colours have become really trendy,<br />

and teenagers have started dressing<br />

like ballerinas.<br />

Influencers are styling their<br />

favourite romantic spring dress or<br />

lacy skirt with a floral choker and<br />

bows so the 2010 look has made a<br />

comeback, but has been mixed with<br />

pastels.<br />

Girls everywhere are loving<br />

this softer and more elegant look<br />

and TikTok definitely continues to<br />

influence all these fashion trends.<br />

I mentioned earlier that mom<br />

jeans are another staple this year.<br />

Year after year, people rediscovered<br />

just how comfortable and flattering<br />

they can be, and brands are noticing<br />

too.<br />

MOM JEANS?<br />

If you don't know what a mom<br />

jean is, it's a type of high-waisted<br />

baggy denim jeans that we'll never<br />

get tired of, or stop wearing.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y used to be unpopular and<br />

'uncool' for a few decades but now<br />

they are returning and becoming<br />

a firm favourite in most people's<br />

wardrobes.<br />

While skinny jeans might be<br />

rumoured to have a comeback in<br />

fashion this year — hopefully not!<br />

<strong>The</strong> baggy jeans continue to be a<br />

street-style favourite for their classic<br />

high-style combo.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se jeans are perfect for a classic<br />

spring day; not too loose, not too<br />

tight and smart enough to wear out<br />

and to the office.<br />

<strong>The</strong> mom jeans are a fan favourite<br />

this spring, with Gen Z jumping from<br />

their TikTok feed to real life, making<br />

it cool again.<br />

What does spring fashion look like<br />

to you? Will you be wearing pastel<br />

pink paired with mom jeans this<br />

spring?


30 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

HEALTH<br />

Dr Simon Ruffle writes . . . Monoclonal Antibodies<br />

Sounds a bit scientific and<br />

impenetrable?<br />

Not really when we understand how<br />

many functions and processes in the<br />

body work.<br />

When I was at medical school this<br />

subject was in its infancy. We were<br />

taught a lock and key principle.<br />

Essentially a protein on the<br />

surface of cells (antigen) would<br />

accept a key (antibody) and this<br />

would unlock the process within the<br />

cell.<br />

<strong>The</strong> antibody can be specific to<br />

the antigen or there may be some<br />

partial action — this is important<br />

when considering using antibodies<br />

as treatments.<br />

Most of us have heard of<br />

antibodies that ‘attack’ viruses<br />

and bacteria in terms of infection<br />

but they also have a role in cancer,<br />

multiple sclerosis, joint disease,<br />

asthma, migraine and many more<br />

diseases.<br />

CLEVER SCIENTISTS<br />

Monoclonal means a single colony<br />

of antibodies, that is, one type only.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se are man made and are<br />

designed to attach to one antigen<br />

that is specific to the process causing<br />

disease. This should mean that the<br />

treatment is very clean without side<br />

effects.<br />

Unfortunately this is not aways<br />

the case as some antibodies attach to<br />

more than one antigen but also the<br />

antigen and subsequent process may<br />

not just be associated with a disease<br />

but also a normal process.<br />

We, I mean the clever scientists,<br />

can attach drugs to the antibodies<br />

so they are delivered directly to the<br />

cell. One drug for lymphoma sticks a<br />

drug to the B-cells that have become<br />

cancerous, triggering cell death.<br />

Other antibodies have radioactive<br />

particle attached to them.<br />

Some monoclonal antibodies also<br />

attach to proteins that are ‘free’ in<br />

the body and thus preventing them<br />

attaching to the cell where they are<br />

supposed to. Some diseases are a<br />

result of over production of proteins<br />

or over production of ‘locks’ on some<br />

cells.<br />

I remember a very short course<br />

on ‘immunotherapy’ at medical<br />

Cristian Storto, dreamstime.com<br />

school and a very excitable lecturer<br />

claiming that this would be the<br />

future of medicine, much to the<br />

chagrin of the pharmacology team.<br />

Together these scientists are<br />

changing the way we can treat many<br />

diseases including those diseases<br />

that our own bodies create.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se are known as autoimmune<br />

diseases. We produce abnormal<br />

antibodies that attack our own<br />

bodies. Forms of arthritis are the<br />

most common of these diseases.<br />

We use drugs that suppress<br />

the immune system and<br />

therefore decreasing the antibody<br />

level. Unfortunately this is a<br />

sledgehammer to break a nut, but we<br />

have no alternative.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se drugs by their nature are<br />

toxic to other systems in the body.<br />

Often these systems are where cell<br />

turnover is high. Such as bowel, lung<br />

and skin.<br />

Monoclonal antibodies get past<br />

this problem by being quite specific<br />

and their side effects are mostly<br />

predictable.<br />

One antibody therapy binds to<br />

a receptor that is only found in the<br />

bowel and brain. This is used where<br />

other therapies for migraine have<br />

failed. Predictably the side effects<br />

are in the bowel but as the receptor<br />

antigen is not found elsewhere there<br />

are no other side effects.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se treatments are currently<br />

very expensive but as we learn more<br />

the costs will decrease. Currently<br />

most are for use in cancer treatment,<br />

very successfully in breast cancer.<br />

I’m happy to predict that<br />

my immunology lecturer will<br />

continue to be prescient on this<br />

subject and we need to support our<br />

research industry to develop these<br />

treatments.<br />

WIDELY USED<br />

Currently the production of<br />

a year's worth of a drug to treat<br />

multiple sclerosis is $55,000. <strong>The</strong>re<br />

are some rising to $200,000. This<br />

is without the development costs<br />

which often exceed the millions.<br />

Once called the magic bullet<br />

these treatments change lives for the<br />

better and I’m pleased to say I can’t<br />

keep up with the number of these<br />

treatments but as their safety and<br />

efficacy are proved they will become<br />

more widely used and thus cheaper.<br />

Please remember your<br />

donations for the<br />

Woodley Food Bank<br />

Please inside remember St Andrew's your<br />

Church which is open<br />

10am - 4pm every day<br />

donations for the Woodley Food<br />

Bank and place them in the box<br />

just inside St Andrew's Church.<br />

Thank you!


THE ARTS<br />

Poetry Corner<br />

Breath Bestowed<br />

By Steven Rolling<br />

John 20 v.19-23 parts<br />

Tune: Vulpius - ‘Christ is the King, O friends, rejoice’<br />

1. Evening of resurrection day<br />

Jesus to disciples did say<br />

Peace be unto you now, always<br />

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!<br />

2. He showed them His wounded hands, side<br />

<strong>The</strong>y did Him see, it not denied<br />

<strong>The</strong> risen Christ, and none beside<br />

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!<br />

3. He did say, Peace be unto you<br />

As my father has sent me true<br />

E’en so I send you out anew<br />

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!<br />

4. When He has said this He breathed on<br />

<strong>The</strong> disciples, unto each one<br />

Said, Receive the Spirit, it's done<br />

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!<br />

5. Whose sins they forgave, forgiven<br />

Were they e’en in that moment when<br />

<strong>The</strong>y proclaimed forgiving word then<br />

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!<br />

Public domain: wikipedia<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 31<br />

<strong>The</strong> TQ tingle<br />

that opens a<br />

world of wonder<br />

Rev Michael Burgess continues his<br />

series looking at great works of music<br />

In the 1980s <strong>The</strong> Sunday Times<br />

writer Godfrey Smith wrote a series<br />

about music that has TQ — the<br />

Tingle Quotient. This is the shiver of<br />

excitement up and down the spine<br />

that opens for us a new world of<br />

beauty and wonder.<br />

One such work is Allegri’s Miserere,<br />

the setting of which by Gregorio<br />

Allegri (1582-1652), was the exclusive<br />

possession of the Sistine Chapel in the<br />

Vatican.<br />

Copying the music would result in<br />

excommunication.<br />

In spite of this, a 14-year-old<br />

Mozart heard the piece in 1770 and<br />

wrote it down from memory.<br />

BEAUTY AND MAGIC<br />

<strong>The</strong> Emperor, Leopold 1, the King<br />

of Portugal, persuaded the Pope<br />

to grant him a copy. When it was<br />

performed in his imperial chapel, he<br />

was disappointed. He even thought<br />

the Pope had palmed him off with an<br />

inferior work.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n he realised that the beauty<br />

and magic of the music lay in its being<br />

sung in the Sistine Chapel where the<br />

plainsong and the high C cadences<br />

could ring out among the pillars and<br />

arches of that great building.<br />

A MOVING APPEAL<br />

<strong>The</strong> Miserere, or Psalm 51, is the<br />

heart-felt cry of the Church for<br />

mercy.<br />

As one of the penitential psalms,<br />

it is a very personal expression of<br />

sorrow for sin and a moving appeal<br />

to God for mercy and restoration.<br />

A single voice in the music scales<br />

the heights of heaven to represent<br />

all of us as we turn to God with<br />

that same awareness of sin, plea<br />

for mercy, and the affirmation<br />

that we will then turn to God with<br />

thanksgiving and the offering of a<br />

humble and contrite heart.<br />

And so with the psalmist and with<br />

Allegri, we can pray ‘Have mercy upon<br />

me, O God, after thy great goodness.’


32 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

History<br />

Was it really? . . .<br />

What do safety pins and cats eyes have to do with <strong>April</strong>?<br />

dreamstime.com<br />

. . . 300 YEARS AGO on 7 <strong>April</strong> 1724 the German composer<br />

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion was performed<br />

for the first time at a church in Leipzig.<br />

. . . 300 YEARS AGO on 22 <strong>April</strong> 1724 Immanuel Kant, the<br />

German philosopher was born. He was one of the leading<br />

philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment.<br />

. . . 200 YEARS AGO on 19 <strong>April</strong> 1824 Lord Byron died.<br />

One of the greatest British poets and leading figures in<br />

the Romantic movement, he died, aged 36, of sepsis/fever<br />

while fighting for Greek independence from the Ottoman<br />

Empire.<br />

. . . 175 YEARS AGO on 10 <strong>April</strong> 1849 American mechanic<br />

Walter Hunt was granted a US patent for his invention of<br />

the safety pin. He immediately sold the rights for $400<br />

— about $12,000 today. <strong>The</strong> company he sold it to made<br />

millions from it.<br />

. . . 150 YEARS AGO on 5 <strong>April</strong> 1874 Johann Strauss II’s<br />

operetta Die Fledermaus was performed for the first time,<br />

in Vienna.<br />

. . . 125 YEARS AGO on 29 <strong>April</strong> 1899 that Duke Ellington,<br />

American jazz/swing pianist, composer and orchestra<br />

leader, was born.<br />

. . . 100 YEARS AGO on on 23 <strong>April</strong> 1924 that the British<br />

Empire Exhibition opened in Wembley, London.<br />

. . . 90 YEARS AGO on 3 <strong>April</strong> 1934 that British inventor<br />

Percy Shaw patented the Cat’s Eye reflective road stud.<br />

He created a company to manufacture them in 1935 and<br />

in 1937 he was awarded a government contract to mass<br />

produce them for national use.<br />

. . . 75 YEARS AGO on 4 <strong>April</strong> 1949 that NATO (North<br />

Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was founded.<br />

. . . 70 YEARS AGO on 26 <strong>April</strong> 1954 that the Soviet<br />

Union transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine. In<br />

2014 Russia annexed Crimea, but it was not recognised<br />

internationally and sanctions were imposed on Russia.<br />

. . . 60 YEARS AGO on 15 <strong>April</strong> 1964 that 12 men convicted<br />

of carrying out the Great Train Robbery in August of 1963<br />

were jailed for a total of 307 years.<br />

. . . 50 YEARS AGO on 6 <strong>April</strong> 1974 that ABBA won the<br />

Eurovision Song Contest with 'Waterloo'.<br />

. . . 40 YEARS AGO on 17 <strong>April</strong> 1984 that British<br />

police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead during a<br />

demonstration outside the Libyan Embassy in London.<br />

. . . 30 YEARS AGO on 26 <strong>April</strong> 1994 that the first postapartheid<br />

multiracial elections were held in South Africa.<br />

BOOK REVIEWS — 1<br />

<strong>The</strong> Empty Tomb - a story of Easter<br />

By Brian Sibley, SPCK, £6.99<br />

Here is an illustrated retelling of<br />

the Easter story in short chapters,<br />

ideal for 6+ years. It would be a<br />

good introduction to the stories of<br />

Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the<br />

death and resurrection of Jesus, his<br />

Ascension, and Pentecost.<br />

<strong>The</strong> book includes the procession<br />

of the singing crowd as Jesus<br />

entered Jerusalem, and the moment Jesus shared the<br />

bread and the cup at the Passover meal. It also tells of<br />

how the disciples’ sorrow turned to joy and wonder when<br />

they saw Jesus once again after his death, eating and<br />

drinking with them. <strong>The</strong> book also relates the excitement<br />

of Pentecost. <strong>The</strong> stories can be read alone, or read aloud.<br />

Facing Fear 365 - daily reflections for hope,<br />

peace and courage<br />

By Dan Blythe and Rocky Nti, SPCK,<br />

£13.99<br />

Every day we face a choice: to give<br />

into fear, or meet it with faith? From<br />

health concerns to comparison-rife<br />

social media, the world offers us<br />

plenty of reasons to live in fear. Yet<br />

God offers us countless reasons to<br />

live life to the full, facing cowardice<br />

and stepping forward with courage.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are 365 daily reflections to<br />

help cultivate courage to fight fear with faith each day.<br />

A Christening Gift Prayer and Memory Book<br />

Various authors, SPCK £8.99<br />

This could be a good gift for a<br />

grandparent, godparent, or family<br />

member, to give to a young child.<br />

It is an illustrated gift book<br />

to commemorate a young child's<br />

christening and includes a<br />

collection of prayers, Bible verses,<br />

and pages for recording details,<br />

memories, and messages of the<br />

special occasion. Parents can add their own memories,<br />

with photos and special blessings from the guests, as well<br />

as recording key milestones in their child's early years.<br />

Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea - the<br />

Good News about the Good News<br />

By Chris Russell, Canterbury Press £16.99<br />

<strong>The</strong> book takes its title from a quote<br />

by Saint-Exupery: 'If you want to build<br />

a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather<br />

wood, and give orders. Instead, teach them<br />

to yearn for the vast and endless sea.'<br />

Drawing on Bonhoeffer, Newbigin<br />

and Pope Francis’ Euangelii Gaudium,<br />

Chris Russell asks how the church and<br />

individual Christians can communicate<br />

the love of God in language and action, and also explores<br />

how the good news is received.


THE SCIENCES<br />

CLARIFY<br />

CONSTRAINT<br />

CONSIDER<br />

COMPARE<br />

CHOOSE<br />

BOOK REVIEWS — 2<br />

Palax66, dreamstime.com<br />

On Mission with Jesus - changing the default<br />

setting of the church<br />

By Graham Cray, Canterbury Press<br />

£18.99<br />

January <strong>2024</strong> marked the 20th<br />

anniversary of the start of the<br />

Fresh Expressions movement which<br />

has spread internationally and<br />

denominationally from its origins<br />

in the Church of England. Graham<br />

Cray was its first national Leader.<br />

In the last 20 years, countless<br />

new forms of church have emerged through Fresh<br />

Expressions, Church Army, New Wine, and various<br />

pioneer networks. It offers a theological understanding of<br />

the mission nature of the Church, and will inform local<br />

practice and assist ministerial and pioneer training.<br />

Grandparenting for Faith: sharing God with<br />

the children you love the most<br />

By Becky Sedgwick, BRF, £9.99<br />

Grandparenting brings the<br />

opportunity to walk spiritually<br />

alongside our grandchildren,<br />

offering tools and skills for the<br />

journey.<br />

Whatever your circumstances,<br />

God has positioned you to be a<br />

unique voice, speaking into your<br />

grandchildren’s lives, helping to<br />

nurture them into the reality of a<br />

relationship with the God who loves<br />

them.<br />

It will help grandparents to encourage and equip their<br />

grandchildren to know God better.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 33<br />

<strong>The</strong> five C's of<br />

ethical thinking<br />

By Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, Church Engagement Director<br />

at <strong>The</strong> Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in<br />

Cambridge<br />

Science tells us how the world works, and technology<br />

offers applications of that knowledge, but neither can<br />

tell us what we ought to do. All scientific discoveries<br />

or new technologies can be used to either help or harm<br />

others. For example, a smartphone can be used to stay in<br />

touch but also enables bullying.<br />

It is important to get past our initial reactions: the ‘yuk!’<br />

or ‘wow!’ <strong>The</strong>se feelings may well change once we learn<br />

more about the science and other factors behind a new<br />

development.<br />

Ethical thinking can be divided into three main<br />

categories. <strong>The</strong> consequentialist approach is demonstrated<br />

in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, when Wisdom<br />

calls young men to consider the outcome of their actions.<br />

Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialist ethic that<br />

tries to maximise the greatest good for the largest number<br />

of people affected, but unchecked it leaves minorities out<br />

in the cold.<br />

Duty or law-based ethics start with intrinsic values,<br />

asking what is the correct course of action, or our<br />

duty? <strong>The</strong>se values might be God-given, such as the Ten<br />

Commandments, or worked out by human reason.<br />

It is possible, however, to do harm while obeying the<br />

law, especially if someone asks, ‘What can I get away<br />

with?’ Also, what happens when rules collide? For example,<br />

who should be treated first when resources are limited?<br />

CHARACTER BUILDING<br />

Virtue ethics are about building character, growing<br />

in wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit. <strong>The</strong>re are plenty<br />

of Biblical principles to guide virtuous living, such as<br />

the idea that we are ‘made in the image of God’ which<br />

supports the value of every human life (Genesis 1:26–27,<br />

Genesis 9:6, James 3:9–10), but the right decision can vary<br />

depending on circumstances.<br />

So how can we make ethical decisions about new<br />

technologies? <strong>The</strong> five Cs bring together a number<br />

of different types of ethical thinking into a helpful<br />

framework for decision-making:<br />

1: Clarify the facts and key questions.<br />

2: Consider our choices: what could we achieve?<br />

3: Constraints: External— what must we do?<br />

Internal—how should we behave?<br />

4: Compare the pros and cons of each approach.<br />

5: Choose what is best, with all parties in mind.<br />

Finally, we have to recognise that the information<br />

available to us will change over time, our knowledge of<br />

God and his word will keep growing, and we cannot avoid<br />

making mistakes. This means that our ethical decisions<br />

will need to be revisited and revised from time to time.


34 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

PUZZLE PAGE — 1<br />

BIBLE (NIV) CROSSWORD<br />

ACROSS<br />

8 ‘He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the<br />

— ’ (Isaiah 53:12) (13)<br />

9 ‘When they had sung a hymn, they went — to the Mount of<br />

Olives (Matthew 26:30) (3)<br />

10 Comes between Galatians and Philippians (9)<br />

11 ‘Your heart will — and swell with joy’ (Isaiah 60:5) (5)<br />

13 Muslim holy month (7)<br />

16 Ten ears (anag.) (7)<br />

19 Under (poetic abbrev.) (5)<br />

22 How Abram described himself to God when he complained that<br />

his inheritance would pass to a servant (Genesis 15:2) (9)<br />

24 ‘Go to the — , you sluggard’ (Proverbs 6:6) (3)<br />

25 Debar from receiving Communion (13)<br />

Famous People Verse Search by Ralph<br />

H<br />

R<br />

E<br />

C<br />

H<br />

H<br />

C<br />

H<br />

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R<br />

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H<br />

I<br />

L<br />

L<br />

B<br />

S<br />

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H<br />

A<br />

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C<br />

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V<br />

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N<br />

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F<br />

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S<br />

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L<br />

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L<br />

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A<br />

A<br />

O<br />

G<br />

L<br />

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S<br />

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C<br />

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L<br />

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G<br />

M<br />

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S<br />

F<br />

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L<br />

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Ralph's ‘word search’ grid above contains the names of 25<br />

famous people whose names begin: A; 4B; 4C; D; E; 2H. L;<br />

5M; N; P; 3R; W. If you find all 25 you will also notice that<br />

the unused letters in the grid spell out a relevant verse<br />

from the Good News Bible. You might even manage to<br />

identify the verse. Good luck, and God Bless!<br />

Write your answers here . . .<br />

E<br />

I<br />

T<br />

A<br />

N<br />

U<br />

T<br />

O<br />

O<br />

R<br />

L<br />

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B<br />

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U<br />

M<br />

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D<br />

T<br />

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R<br />

E<br />

E<br />

R<br />

I<br />

V<br />

I<br />

N<br />

N<br />

O<br />

M<br />

A<br />

H<br />

B<br />

I<br />

W<br />

D<br />

O<br />

O<br />

N<br />

A<br />

E<br />

S<br />

N<br />

S<br />

V<br />

A<br />

N<br />

S<br />

M<br />

C<br />

W<br />

L<br />

O<br />

N<br />

I<br />

S<br />

E<br />

H<br />

I<br />

T<br />

E<br />

N<br />

O<br />

A<br />

N<br />

E<br />

B<br />

U<br />

A<br />

H<br />

T<br />

P<br />

N<br />

G<br />

T<br />

E<br />

R<br />

E<br />

I<br />

W<br />

E<br />

L<br />

N<br />

H<br />

C<br />

F<br />

C<br />

R<br />

T<br />

T<br />

C<br />

I<br />

N<br />

T<br />

L<br />

H<br />

E<br />

L<br />

T<br />

A<br />

I<br />

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A<br />

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L<br />

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L<br />

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H<br />

C<br />

I<br />

M<br />

DOWN<br />

1 My — for His Highest (Oswald Chambers’ best-known book) (6)<br />

2 Festival of the resurrection (6)<br />

3 ‘His sons will prepare for war and — a great army’ (Daniel 11:10) (8)<br />

4 ‘Let not the — string his bow’ (Jeremiah 51:3) (6)<br />

5 Name of the River Thames in and around Oxford (4)<br />

6 ‘From then on Judas watched for an opportunity — — him over’<br />

(Matthew 26:16) (2,4)<br />

7 ‘But Christ is faithful — — — over God’s house’ (Hebrews 3:6)<br />

(2,1,3)<br />

12 Long-handled implement used to till the soil (Isaiah 7:25) (3)<br />

14 Order to which monks and nuns devote themselves (8)<br />

15 Appropriate (Proverbs 15:23) (3)<br />

16 I, uncle (anag.) (6)<br />

17 ‘<strong>The</strong>y gave him — — of broiled fish’ (Luke 24:42) (1,5)<br />

18 ‘Weren’t there three men that we — — and threw into the fire?’<br />

(Daniel 3:24) (4,2)<br />

20 Mountain where Noah’s ark came to rest (Genesis 8:4) (6)<br />

21 ‘Don’t you know that friendship with the world is — towards<br />

God?’ (James 4:4) (6)<br />

23 Prominent architectural feature of large cathedrals such as St<br />

Paul’s (4)<br />

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S RIVERS SEARCH<br />

AMAZON<br />

ARNO<br />

BLACKWATER<br />

BRAHAMAPUTA<br />

CLYDE<br />

COLORADO<br />

CONGA<br />

DNIEPER<br />

DORDOGNE<br />

EUPHRATES<br />

GANGES<br />

MEDWAY<br />

MISSISSIPPI<br />

MISSOURI<br />

NIGER<br />

NILE<br />

ORANGE<br />

ORINOCO<br />

RUBICON<br />

SEVERN<br />

THAMES<br />

TIBER<br />

TIGRIS<br />

TRENT<br />

VOLGA<br />

YANGTZE<br />

YELLOW<br />

ZAMBEZI<br />

<strong>The</strong> hidden Bible verse was from Revelation 22:1<br />

(Good News Bible)<br />

THE ANGEL ALSO SHOWED ME THE RIVER OF<br />

THE WATER OF LIFE


PUZZLE PAGE — 2<br />

CROSSWORD<br />

Across<br />

1 - Cipher (4)<br />

3 - Set out on a voyage (8)<br />

9 - Pointer (anag) (7)<br />

10 - Holding/grasping device (5)<br />

11 - <strong>The</strong>rapeutic use of plant<br />

extracts (12)<br />

13 - Insect larvae (6)<br />

15 - Absorbent material (6)<br />

17 - Impregnable (12)<br />

20 - Impersonator (5)<br />

21 - Music with a syncopated<br />

melody (7)<br />

22 - Easiest (8)<br />

23 - Main body of a book (4)<br />

CODEWORD<br />

Down<br />

1 - Skippers (8)<br />

2 - Cathedral (5)<br />

4 - Eg May and June (6)<br />

5 - Study of human<br />

societies (12)<br />

6 - Central bolt (7)<br />

7 - Stage of twilight (4)<br />

8 - Highly abstract (12)<br />

12 - Showing deep and<br />

solemn respect (8)<br />

14 - Smallest amount (7)<br />

16 - <strong>The</strong> Bull (star sign) (6)<br />

18 - Newly-wed (5)<br />

19 - Mischievous sprites (4)<br />

25 17 23 16 14 6 25 9 6 25 12 19<br />

10 25 3 16 3 15 6<br />

8 1 19 25 12 20 22 25 23 15 13 25<br />

20 16 11 18 6 6 12<br />

19 3 17 3 1 26 6 1 15 21<br />

20 16 12 12 3 20 2 22<br />

1 6 21 25 16 6<br />

3 1 19 4 25 20 12 20<br />

21 3 21 13 20 26 21 22 1 15<br />

12 16 1 24 13 6 19<br />

16 25 19 16 12 1 6 20 9 25 10 20<br />

21 19 16 20 15 7 1<br />

21 15 16 12 26 20 12 9 22 5 25 12<br />

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z<br />

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13<br />

B<br />

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26<br />

F<br />

T<br />

SUDOKU<br />

Each of the nine blocks has to contain all the<br />

numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number<br />

can only appear once in a row, column or box.<br />

WORDSEARCH FOR APRIL<br />

St George of the Golden Legend<br />

St George is Patron Saint of England, but<br />

he never actually came here. He was<br />

a Christian officer in the Roman army<br />

under Diocletian, who refused to abandon<br />

his faith during the Terror. George was<br />

therefore martyred in Palestine about 300<br />

AD. His courage became legendary, and St<br />

George became the example of a Christian<br />

fighting-man, a powerful helper against<br />

evil powers affecting individual lives. He<br />

was the soldier-hero of the Middle Ages.<br />

In the Golden Legend of the 13th century,<br />

Jacobus de Voragine tells the story of how<br />

St George helped rescue the people of<br />

Sylene in Lybia from a dragon, especially<br />

the princess, who had been offered to the<br />

dragon as a sacrifice. With the dragon<br />

dead, and the princess returned to her<br />

father the King, the people of Sylene<br />

converted to Christianity.<br />

GEORGE<br />

PATRON<br />

SAINT<br />

ENGLAND<br />

OFFICER<br />

ROMAN<br />

ARMY<br />

DIOCLETIAN<br />

TERROR<br />

MARTYRED<br />

PALESTINE<br />

COURAGE<br />

EXAMPLE<br />

HELPER<br />

EVIL<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 35<br />

answers in the next issue<br />

March<br />

Solutions<br />

SOLDIER<br />

HERO<br />

GOLDEN<br />

LEGEND<br />

DRAGON<br />

PRINCESS<br />

CONVERTED<br />

CROSSWORD<br />

O F F I C E R S F L A T<br />

I O O E P I R<br />

L I N E N M A R I M B A<br />

Y D S E E B V<br />

K A L E I D O S C O P E<br />

C N R Y U S<br />

A C T I V E U M L A U T<br />

U A D P B Y<br />

C O U R T M A R T I A L<br />

U N O P U N G<br />

S T I R R U P O L D E R<br />

E T Y L U O I<br />

S E E R S E A S O N E D<br />

CODEWORD<br />

S S B E R P<br />

Y U C C A S S Q U A L L<br />

M U N F U Z O<br />

B I P E D A L I V O R Y<br />

O P S A N R S<br />

L E E K A G L O W<br />

S R J S X M T<br />

D U S T S G E A R<br />

U S M A E M O<br />

S L O O P F I T T E S T<br />

A L E F H N T<br />

G O V E R N B O T T L E<br />

E E S S O D<br />

SUDOKU<br />

WORDSEARCH MARCH<br />

BIBLE CROSSWORD


36 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to advertisements<br />

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 37


38 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when replying to advertisements<br />

information — 2<br />

<strong>Parish</strong> contacts<br />

Ministry Team<br />

— <strong>The</strong> Vicar: Revd Jamie Taylor (Day off Friday)<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> Office, Thames Street, Sonning, RG4 6UR<br />

vicar@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298<br />

— Youth Minister: Chris West (Westy)<br />

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk / 0794 622 4106<br />

— Licensed Lay Minister: Bob Peters<br />

bob@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 377 5887<br />

— Female Youth and Children's Worker, Corinne Robertson,<br />

0118 969 3298<br />

Churchwardens<br />

— Stuart Bowman sdbowman73@aol.com / 0118 978 8414<br />

— Liz Nelson liz.nelson1@ntlworld.com / 0779 194 4270<br />

Deputy Churchwardens<br />

— Simon Darvall sdarvall@businessmoves.com / 0793 928 2535<br />

— Terry Hunt terencehunt@me.com / 0773 470 7368<br />

— Sue Peters mail@susanjpeters.com / 0118 377 5887<br />

— Ruth Jeffery, 0118 969 3298<br />

— Molly Woodley (deputy churchwarden emeritus)<br />

mollywoodley@live.co.uk / 0118 946 3667<br />

<strong>Parish</strong> Office Manager<br />

— Hilary Rennie<br />

office@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298<br />

Parochial Church Council<br />

— Secretary: Hilary Rennie 0118 969 3298<br />

— Treasurer: Jerry Wood 0118 969 3298<br />

Director of Music, organist and choirmaster<br />

— Richard Meehan MA ARCO<br />

music@sonningparish.org.uk<br />

Safeguarding Officer<br />

— Nicola Riley 0118 969 3298<br />

Sonning Bell Ringers<br />

— Tower Captain: Pam Elliston<br />

pam.elliston@talktalk.net / 0118 969 5967<br />

— Deputy Tower Captain: Rob Needham<br />

r06needham@gmail.com / 0118 926 7724<br />

Advertisers' index<br />

ABD Construction 6<br />

Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society 6<br />

ACG Services Locksmith 36<br />

Active Security 26<br />

AMS Water Softeners 14<br />

Barn Store Henley 6<br />

Berkshire Stump Removals 36<br />

Big Heart Tree Care 36<br />

Blandy & Blandy Solicitors 14<br />

Blue Moose 22<br />

Bridges Homecare Meals on Wheels 12<br />

Bull Inn 28<br />

Canon Tree Care 26<br />

Chole Lefroy Counselling 36<br />

Clark Bignall Plumbing 36<br />

Computer Frustrations 36<br />

Crosfields School 28<br />

French Horn 4<br />

Gardiners Home Care 28<br />

Good Oaks Home Care 22<br />

Great House Sonning 12<br />

Handyman and Decorating Services 36<br />

Handyman and Satellite TV repairs 36<br />

Haslams Estate Agents 2<br />

Hicks Group 18<br />

Home Stair Lifts 18<br />

Kingfisher Bathrooms 26<br />

MC Cleaning 36<br />

Mill at Sonning 4<br />

Muck & Mulch 40<br />

Reading Blue Coat School 14<br />

Richfield Flooring 16<br />

Shiplake College 16<br />

Smallwood Landscaping 36<br />

Sonning Golf Club 16<br />

Sonning Scouts 36<br />

Studio DFP 36<br />

Thames Valley Water Softeners 6<br />

Thames Chimney Sweep 36<br />

<strong>The</strong> Abbey Nursery 39<br />

Tomalin Funerals 14<br />

Walker Funerals 12<br />

Water Softener Salt 18<br />

Window Cleaner 18<br />

<strong>Parish</strong> Website: http://www.sonningparish.org.uk<br />

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Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to this advertisement<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 39<br />

AB0049_<strong>The</strong>_Abbey_Little_Knellies_Ad_175x255.indd 1 06/03/<strong>2024</strong> 09:32


40 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>April</strong> <strong>2024</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to this advertisement<br />

BOOKING NOW<br />

11 APRIL- 1 JUNE <strong>2024</strong><br />

6 JUNE- 13 JULY <strong>2024</strong><br />

THE WATERWHEEL BAR<br />

STORYTIME<br />

Open Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm for Hot Bar<br />

Food, Homemade Cakes & Artisan Coffee. Come<br />

and treat yourself to a scrumptious lunch in the<br />

most beautiful setting.<br />

PLEASE FIND FULL MENU ONLINE<br />

On Wednesday Mornings, enjoy a magical<br />

experience as pre-school children are treated to<br />

a story and singing in the theatre, followed by<br />

dressing up and colouring in activities in the<br />

Waterwheel Bar. £6, book at Box Office.<br />

B O X O F F I C E : ( 0 1 1 8 ) 9 6 9 8 0 0 0<br />

millatsonning.com

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