September Parish News


ST ANDREWS CHURCH

Services & events for November
Holy Communion each Thursday at 10.30

 

Sun 3 10.00am

Family Worship

  11-00am

Informal Communion

Wed 6 10.30am     

Pram Service

Sun 10 10-30am 

Remembrance Parade Service

   2-30pm      

St Andrews Ramblers

    6-00pm      

Youth Communion @ Holy Trinity

Wed13  8-00pm       

MU Meeting @8 Crawley Close

Sun 17 10-30am     

Communion

Wed20 10-30am     

Pram Service

Sun 24 10-30am     

Morning Praise

Wed27  2-30pm      

Woodside Nursing Home

Thu 28   9-00am      

Luton Prayer Initiative @ Word of Faith Centre 29 Alma Street


A PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY

Every day I need Thee Lord,
But this day specially,
I need some extra strength,
To face whatever is to be.
This day, more than any day
I need to feel Thee near
To fortify my courage,
And to overcome my fears
By Myself I cannot meet
The challenge of the hour.
There are times when human creatures
Need a higher Power,
To help them bear
What must be born.
And so, Lord, I pray
Hold on to my trembling hand,
And be with me to-day


REMEMBRANCE DAY


In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you, from falling hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If we break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In May 1915 Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps wrote In Flanders fields.
In 1918 Moira Michael an American, wrote a poem in reply. We shall keep the faith, in which she promised to wear a poppy 'in honour of our dead' and so began the tradition of wearing a poppy in remembrance.


PLANT PEOPLE
Beginnings of winter seem to be on us now but I'm still thinking back to summer time and the fun we had with the Hanging Basket Competition and the Open Garden day.
So much enjoyed, in fact, that many people have asked me about next year. It would be lovely if we could make it an annual event but there is an awful lot of 'behind the scenes' work involved.
Some of us who opened our gardens, met recently in Carol and John Hazelwoods lovely garden at Woodside, at their kind invitation, to swap plants and cuttings. Another beautiful day. More Pimms on the lawn. We had a long discussion about the future. We are all delighted to discover that the people of Slip End and Woodside are so interested in gardening, but, at the end of the day, we thought Open Gardens should become a biennial Village event rather than an annual one. However, we did think we might have a grand Plant Sale somewhere in the village on the alternate years. What do you think?
We decided to form a small committee which we have called Plant People. We will be meeting some time this month to discuss these ideas. Hanging baskets will be included, and anything else you would like to suggest. Let us know.
Please ring me, Val Church, on 458443 with your thoughts, or write to me at 2 Summer Street, Slip End.
Val Church


WOMENS INSTITUTE
After the singing of Jerusalem which I was surprised to hear is not the beginning of all W.I's any more, the business was dealt with. The speaker for the evening then had the floor, literally, Mr E Elsey is an artist in pastel work. How he arrived at this medium he explained. To paint in watercolour is the most difficult, oils are smelly and take a long time to dry between colour applications, acrylic is the most obliging. To paint with pastel though is a different story. You can change colour by rubbing the paint and covering with a different colour, play about with the scene and you don't have to be able to draw. He put his money where his mouth was and proved it! The lovely scene he completed he generously gave as a raffle prize. We shall put it by until Christmas.
A group meeting hosted by Downside W.I. held at Watling Lower School was a very enjoyable occasion. The speaker has a passion for collecting clothes and needlework items from Victorian times and has some even earlier. Five ladies were chosen to model the clothes, two from Caddington W.I. Jenny had ¾ layers plus a bustle and although the evening was chilly Jenny was 'melting'. Lorna in a wedding dress was let off as it only had one thickness. we all marvelled at the fine needlework, thinking of the situation they were working in. No electric lights being the most important. We finished the evening with typical W.I. refreshments, lovely. Thank you very much to all concerned.
Saturday 19th October a few of us were collected by coach to spend Apple Day at Sulgrave Manor, Northampton which was home to the ancestors of George Washington. In 1529 the manor was bought from Henry VIII by Lawrence Washington, and his descendants were to live there for the next 120 years. it was a beautiful day, weather-wise and the event was unbelievable. Apple Marquee Gloucester Cheeses, farm Meats, Shropshire Juice makers, Master Thatcher, Cane smith, Pottery, Garden Furniture, Herbs, Botanic Artist, Spinner, Weaver, Oils, Decoupage embroidery kits, shawls and flower arrangements. You can see we were all eyes and it was a lovely day out.
Forthcoming dates
Nov 19th - Pottering at Sothebys Mrs J Donald
Dec 17th Crazy Bag Whist.
We meet 3rd Tues in the moth 7.30 - 10pm Baptist Church Hall.
See you there
Patricia Crick


Foil Appeal
Guide dogs for the Blind.
Please leave at 67 Five Oaks
For collection, ring 480107
K Baker


ALEY GREEN METHODIST CHURCH
Our preserve team were hard at work in August and September and we sold over £200 of pickles, chutney, marmalade, jam and jelly.
The Harvest Festival family service was well attended and the Auction on Monday raised £156 for the Methodist Relief and Development Fund.
Seven of our young people collecting small change raised £303. They will be presented with their awards at 11am on Sunday 3rd November. The N.C.H. door to door collection raised £194.72.
We are again filling shoe boxes for Romania as Christmas gifts. If you would like to take part in this, please ring me for a list of items needed. Tel 733668.
Members of the church have voted for a new carpet for the church. The winning one will be laid as soon as possible. A big thankyou to everyone who came along to our Autumn Fayre £668.00 was raised towards the running of our church.
Dates for your diary:
Wednesday Nov 13th - Mini Craft Fayre at the church at 7.30pm. Everyone welcome.
Nov 16th - Our preserve stall at the craft market at Collingswell Hall in Caddington.
God alone is worthy to be praised from Aley Green Methodist Church

Ann Meader


SLIP END PARISH COUNCIL.
CRIME FIGURES FOR AUGUST 2002.
In the Parish of Slip End during August the following crimes were reported:
3 Arson.2 Criminal Damage (other) 1 Theft (other) 2 Theft of motor vehicles. 1 Burglary (non dwelling) and 1 Burglary (dwelling) and 10 Thefts from Motor vehicles. Let's keep our cars locked!!!
Can you also please keep a look out for two 'respectable' looking middle aged well spoken men in an 'old black car with leather seats' who are wanted in connection with distraction burglaries in this area. Also can you look out for a white cavalier with a red stripe driven by two youths, one white one Asian who are wanted in connection with a 'drive by' mugging in the Markyate Road end of September.
ABANDONED VEHICLES.
South Beds District Council are declaring an amnesty on unwanted cars from October until Christmas Eve 2002. If you have a car that you want to get rid of please ring the hotline on 01582 474180 and give them your details. You will only need to provide proof of ownership and they will come to collect your vehicle and take it away.
LOWER LUTON ROAD.
I suspect that this information will be too late by the time the PN goes to print but anyone picking it up on the website may be interested. The Lower Luton Road between Airport Way and Batford will be closed completely between 28th October and the 1st November for improvements - diversions will be in operation - please allow yourselves extra time if travelling along this road.
CLLR. PIP BRIERS
No doubt some of you will have read of the untimely death of Cllr. Pip Briers of Caddington. Until this Parish split from Caddington last year Pip represented us all on a number of committees, notably the Bedfordshire Assoc of Town & Parish Councils and with me on the London Luton Airport Cons. Committee. He will be very much missed and our condolences to go Dorothy and family.
GOLDEN JUBILEE COINS
I am finalising the lists this week. Hopefully the medals will be distributed within the next two or three weeks.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE ELDERLY.
I have to report to you that this particular list is almost becoming the 'tail wagging the dog'. With this in mind Parish Councillors have decided to close the list for this year. There will be no other additions to the list until we can get some kind of new criteria sorted out. At the moment if you are over 60 (woman) 65 (man), resident in the Parish for five years or more or housebound or recently bereaved you should be on our list. When I first started doing this list nearly fifteen years ago the gifts - which are small - but let's face it - it's the thought that counts were fairly evenly distributed and certainly to the elderly residents of the village who needed them. Recently its become somewhat embarrassing - Parish Councillors are asking themselves exactly who on this list really qualifies. More and more retired people ( and I am nearly one) really don't need a box of biscuits or a bottle of British Sherry and a Terry's Chocolate Orange. More and more of you go away for Christmas. What I am asking you to do is:- if you are on the list does it mean that much to you at Christmas? Could you do without it? Can we agree on a new criteria of say,
65 or older for both sexes if living on their own, housebound, recently bereaved or anything else that may be relevant. What we would like to do is spend more money on the fewer people that really need the Gifts.. What do you think?
BUMS ON SEATS
To date we still have a vacancy for one Parish Councillor to be co-opted by the Council. You will recall Philip Penman's article about help needed for the Peter Edwards Memorial Hall and you will also remember Muriel's article in last months PN re the committee for the Village Hall. We desperately need new volunteers to help run these and more committees around the Parish. it never fails to amaze me how many e-mails and or letters or telephone calls we all get from residents, but unfortunately we never get offers of assistance. Bluntly, if we don't get some offers of help soon, a lot of the traditional benefits and institutions that are taken for granted in the Parish will cease to exist. Now I know that there are a lot of you out there who have taken early retirement etc., and one of the reasons you have moved to this village is for its community atmosphere but there won't be a community left if something is not done about volunteers we will lose most, if not all, that is dear to us in the Parish.
CRAWLEY PLAYGROUND.
Wicksteed have been out and have quoted us nearly a thousand pound for repairs to the equipment. We have put our order in and this should be taken care of soon. Playdale are coming out to have a look at the new equipment but that is being put right under guarantee. The fences have been repaired (yet again). The litter problem seems to get worse instead of better and we are now employing someone to empty the litter bins daily. It seems the litter comes from the older children who use the park whilst waiting for the buses. Can parents be aware of this and keep an eye on it? I shall write to the Middle and Upper schools in the hope that I maybe invited down to talk to the young people of the village with an eye to community awareness. There is a lot of drinking (under age in some respects) that goes on in the playground and motor cycles have been noticed in there as well (see next article on this). We will be approaching the Village Hall Committee with a view to meeting the costs of updating their CCTV to include the playground and also putting in CCTV compatible lights to discourage our nocturnal visitors. We are also looking at new gates that will exclude bicycles but not prams to discourage riding in there. The list is endless.
0 TO BRAIN DEAD IN 17 YEARS.
I have been on the Parish Council for nearly 16 years. For nearly all that time one of the most regular complaints from parents within the parish has been the speeding of cars and motor bicycles whilst their children have been out playing, especially around the quieter residential roads. Fair enough, being a parent myself it is worrying when your children are out playing and someone in a car comes round the corner on two wheels well over the speed limit. Times change and the bike and skateboard brigades of the past few years have now become the boy racers of today. The speeds that some of these young people drive around the streets of this parish are totally unacceptable to all of us. So, parents, if you have a newly ( or not so newly) qualified boy or (girl) racer, please take the time to explain to them that when they played outside they did in relative safety only because we were all pushing the idea of safe driving. Having come through to being a driver themselves - would it not be a good idea to remember and try to keep a new generation of younger kids safe on their own streets. Using the roads gives you rights - but it certainly also gives you responsibilities and one of them is to SLOW DOWN. Please note also that the car park outside the Post Office is not Pole Position on the Grid at the INDY 500 - a bit more thought and a lot less burning rubber please.
QUADROPHENIA IT ISN'T
There are some young people in the village who are the proud owners of nice new scooters. To ride these scooters they must be at least 16. As far as street cred with their peer group goes it must be good for them. Where these wannabee 21st century Mods let themselves down is - the Crawley Playground?? I mean, The Ace Cafe or Brighton beachfront it isn't. Parents, if you have a young person with one of these scooters please tell them not to take them into the Playground. There are By-laws that forbid anyone over 16 (!), or cycles to be in that playground and we will have to get tougher if they continue to use it ( or the village hall for that matter) - what's the matter with the open road? At the speed limit of course!
That's what happens when you go away for a month. It all mounts up and gets away from you. Sorry if you think I have gone on a bit. Until next month take care going about your business and lives and remember with rights come responsibilities.
Christine Benson.
Chairman
Slip End Parish Council.


1ST & 2ND WOODSIDE BROWNIES
Recently two brownies, Hannah & Bethany, went away to Havering for the weekend. They came back with lots of Badges they had gained and they said they had a good time.

Thanks to those who supported our coffee morning recently for the McMillan Caner Relief, we raised £230.00

The Craft Fair being held on Sunday December 1st we have a lot of different stalls, as more people keep ringing up enquiring about it, so please pop along and have a look, and make their day worthwhile.
Gillian Plummer, Brown Owl


GARDEN ASSOCIATION
November in the Vegetable garden
Protect broccoli from frost by bending over some of the outer leaves, late cauliflowers will also need protection. Sow hardy culinary peas in a sheltered place outdoors. Remove yelowing leaves from sprouts and cabbage, check vegetables in store.

Flower Garden
Tidy borders, store dahlia atubers, gladioli and begonia corms in frost free shed. Plant tulip bulbs and also hyacinths.

Shrubs and trees and bushes
Prune almost all bush and standard roses as soon as leaves have fallen. This is a great month for planting all deciduos trees, shrubs and climbers.

Fruits
Cut back established blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes, start winter pruning of apples and pear trees. There is not much point in trying to keep bunches of late grapes hanging on the vines any longer, strore them in a dry room.

General work
Dig over vacant plots and lime dress, but clean off weeds first. Make this a rough dig as the frost will break and purify. Gather leaves for composting, particularly beech.


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