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St Mary’s Church

PRIEST IN CHARGE

Rev Canon Pat Prestney

2 Cedar Way, 255319

CHURCHWARDEN:

Rosemary Branch

4 Wents Close - 250137

CHURCHWARDEN

Wendy King

17 Larkfield Road - 250852

TREASURER:

Tim Carney

Tudor House, The Green -

01206 251006 (business):

01206 250194 (home)

CHURCH VERGER:

Rita Baverstock

Stonybroke, Station Road - 251271

LAY READER:

Wendy King

17 Larkfield Road - 250852

PCC SECRETARY:

Chris Aplin

Newmay House, The Green - 250385

STEWARDSHIP SECRETARY:

Rosemary Branch

4 Wents Close - 250137

TOWER CAPTAIN:

Roger Carey-Smith - 250521

SUNDAY SCHOOL:

Linda Hayes

Ivy Lodge, Frating - 250207

VESTRY ROOM BOOKING SECRETARY:

Carole Allington

Poplar House, Station Road - 251086

or ring Church Verger

PARISH MAGAZINE EDITOR/ADVERTISING/

DISTRIBUTOR:

Mary Maskell

Caldew Cottage, The Green - 250524

marymaskell@sys3internet.net

METHODIST MINISTER Rev Crawford Logan 37 Southcliff Park, Clacton on Sea, CO15 6HH - 01255 423640

DOCTOR’S SURGERY: Drs F. Bhatti, R.S. O’Reilly, A. Nambi, K. Chumbley, S. Rokkam, B. Muir and G. Pontikis. The Hollies, The Green - 250691

CHIROPODIST: Terry St George - 01255 861387: Mobile: 07775 833200

POLICE: Clacton 0300 333 4444 24 hour Non emergency number 101

In an emergency ring 999

PCSO Louise Cox, Community mobile 07801 316876 or 101 ext. 487703. email: louise.cox@essex.pnn.police.uk

PARISH COUNCIL: Chairman - Jonathan Hills,Grange Farm, Heckfords Rd, CO78RR - 798666

Clerk to the Council - Kevin Harkin Correspondence to: The Clerk, Community Resource Centre, Village Hall, Plough Road, Great Bentley, CO7 8LD Telephone - 256410

TENDRING DISTRICT COUNCILLOR: Lynda McWilliams, Boblyn, St Mary’s Road, Aingers Green - 01206 250732

COUNTY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE: Alan Goggin, Freshfields, Church Road, Brightlingsea, CO7 OQT 01206 308023 email: egog@btinternet.com

GOOD NEIGHBOURS TRANSPORT: Barbara Fookes - 250431

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: Richard Nowak - 250204

MEDICAL AIDS: Sylvia Adams 250160

TENDRING FURNITURE SCHEME: Rocket House, Gorse Lane Industrial Estate, Clacton: 01255 476068

VILLAGE HALL BOOKINGS: Shelley Pizzey, 5 Keeble Court - 252385

VILLAGE HALL DAYTIME KEYHOLDER: Bob Newman 251433

METHODIST HALL BOOKINGS: Robert & Janet Taylor, Dominica, Moors Close - 250087

GT BENTLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL: - 250331

COLNE COMMUNITY SCHOOL: - 303511

VILLAGE HISTORY RECORDER: Heather Taylor, Granville, Plough Road - 251004

COLCHESTER HOSPITALS: 01206 747474

CLACTON & DISTRICT HOSPITAL: 01255 201717

FOOTPATH REP: David Gollifer 250309

DONATIONS FOR ANIMAL RESCUE CENTRE: Judy & Alan Bishop - 5 Morella Close, 251702

VILLAGE TRANSPORT REP: Peter Harry - 250511

VILLAGE CORRESPONDENT: Sue Gibson, 1 Cedar Way, e-mail: suegibson_63@hotmail.com

VILLAGE CARETAKER: Bobby McWilliams, Boblyn, St Mary’s Rd, Aingers Green 250732

Village Information

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2014

CONTENTS

Editorial .. .. .. 1

Letters.. .. .. .. 2

Christmas Services .. .. 3

Church Services .. .. 4

Church Rotas .. .. 5

Thank You .. .. .. 6

Deadline .. .. .. 7

Police News .. .. .. 8

Bus Timetable .. .. 11

Nature Notes .. .. .. 12

District Councillor Notes .. 13

Peter’s Potterings .. .. 14

Surgery News .. .. .. 15

Pet’s Corner .. .. .. 16

Wildlives .. .. .. 17

Running Club .. .. .. 18

Carnival News .. .. 18

History Society .. .. 19

Parish Council .. .. 20/21

Quiz .. .. .. .. 22

Clubs & Organisations .. 23

Children’s Page .. .. 24

Cookery Corner .. .. 25

Pre-School .. .. .. 26

School .. .. .. 30

Football .. .. .. 33

FRONT COVER

Great Bentley Pre-School Nativity Play

DISCLAIMER Neither the Church Wardens, Parochial Church Council, nor the Editor take responsibility for the information given or

views expressed in the Great Bentley Parish News. Nor is any culpability accepted in work undertaken by advertisers.

EDITORIAL A new year and a new beginning. Time to look forward and also to reflect on the year past. As a village we have faced the usual minor challenges but 2014 has also given us a few major issues to discuss. The proposed wind turbine certainly galvanised much public debate and action to oppose the plans. Now, in December, outline planning proposals for 150 houses on land behind Plough Road, have been submitted which arguably would have a far greater and longer lasting effect on village life than the aforementioned proposal. See Parish Council Notes on pages 20/21 for details which can be accessed on the Tendring Council website. The Carnival is under threat as without a Vice Chairman arrangements for 2015 cannot proceed. Please consider helping with this all age village day, appreciated by so many. The Chairman, Brenda Eyers has submitted her report on page 18. We have added the date to our Annual Diary as we cannot believe that there will not be another Carnival. Oh dear it is all sounding rather gloomy so I am moving on to encompass the many positive aspects of life in Great Bentley. Well, for a start the three wonderful village Christmas trees and colourful lights along “The Street”. Thank you to everyone involved with all the hard work which made this possible. Thank you also to the Gibbon and Moorcroft families who fed and entertained over sixty senior citizens, free of charge, at Restaurant 43 in December. Thanks also, in advance to John Glover for giving his time, free of charge to shred Christmas trees, on 10th January. He will be requesting a donation for charity and even if you do not have a tree to shred you can still donate. See page 21 for full details. A big thank you to all of our faithful advertisers who support this publication. We have several new businesses, with a quick resume on page 32. We truly have a magnificent selection of trades and crafts so when you have a few minutes to spare please do check out the Index to Advertisers. I think you will be surprised. Thanks must also go to; the wonderful team of collators and staplers, the deliverers, proof readers and of course Carole Allington who typesets and prints the magazine and all of you who submit articles to share with the readers. Well done to the Youth Football Teams who are doing so well this year, as you will see in their report. Another thank you here to those who give their free time to coach them, organise matches, tournaments etc. If you have some spare time the Manager of The Oaks Residential Home at Aingers Green has written in asking if you might be able to befriend a resident. I am sure you would find this a very rewarding venture. Soon be time to book your tickets for the Vicar of Dibley. I am certain it will be a sell out, so get in quick!! I am not a great one for New Year Resolutions, largely because I am not very disciplined but I hope as a village we can join in aiming to reclaim the title of Best Kept Village 2015 as this will be the 40th year since the competitions inception. We can do it.

A Very Happy And Healthy New Year To All Our Readers

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The Monthly Letters January 2015

I have a very beautiful little oil painting in my study that was given to me by a member of the First United Methodist Church, Shelbyville, USA. I was there for a number of months on a 'pulpit exchange'. On visiting this elderly lady, she enthusiastically showed me round her beautiful home, filled with carvings, paintings and patchwork quilts all made by her own skilful hands. I felt as I looked at all the wonderful things she had created, that in some way she was relating the story, the journey of her life. She clearly was able to express in her creativity her joy and sorrows and also her strong faith. On her easel was a small card which she pointed for me to look at, it was her latest work, still in progress, of a winter scene at twilight. The surrounding trees covered in heavy snow, dark shadows cast across the picture and in the centre a lonely stark cabin, desolate in the middle of a terrible snow storm. It looked cold, isolating and had a sense of darkness and gloom. 'It's not finished yet' she cried, and with a simple stroke of bright yellow paint she put a light in the window and the transformation was immediate and amazing, suddenly the entire picture was transformed into a scene of comfort and welcome and cheer. The coming of Jesus into the world was very similar to this, He came as light into a dark dreary world and to bring comfort and peace. Jesus, who is the light of the world, challenges us to shine for him; see Matthew 5:14-16. Very often things in our lives get in the way - and dim our light of witness, we have to make sure that our hearts are pure and clean so that nothing can prevent Christ's light shining out from within us. 'Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning' is our prayer, or as a clever Sunday School teacher translated that hymn so that young people could understand it's meaning:'Give me batteries in my torch keep me shining’ Give me batteries in my torch I pray, Give me batteries in my torch keep me shining, keep me shining till the break of day. Ever ready, ever ready, ever ready for the King of Kings May your light shine in the darkness this Christmas and even brighter in 2015. God Bless You, Crawford

Dear Friends I am writing this as we are clearing the remaining cribs from the church after the Crib Festival. Firstly can I say thank you to all of you who entered cribs, using such imagination and creativity. They were amazing! I could not possibly choose my favourite, as was the case with everyone who came and voted, because there was such a wide variety of ‘favourites’ that no one came out a clear winner! We had such fun over the weekend, and my thanks go to all those who cooked, baked, made, sold, took part in the concert or helped with crafts, or helped with the worship we offered to God on Sunday, but my favourite moment, I think, was when the Bishop turned on the lights on Friday evening. With a church full of Brownies and Rainbows and families and others we turned all the big lights off, and counted down to the moment when all the special lights were turned on. A gasp went up from everyone at the sheer beauty and awesomeness of the moment. That, for me, sums up Christmas. We wait through the Advent season, waiting in hope for the moment when we celebrate the coming of the Light of the world and pray that He will shine again in our homes and hearts in the celebration of Christmas. And the world waits, often in darkness, for the time when Christ comes again in all his glory and the darkness will be dispersed for ever, for that is the other side of the Advent season. The second coming of Christ is not something contained within the church, although we try day by day to live out His presence among us in the power of the Holy Spirit, but an event which, when it happens, ‘every eye shall see’ and at His coming, ‘every knee shall bow.’ May the Light of Christ shine in your home this Christmas and always. Your friend and Priest

Pat

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CHRISTMAS SERVICES IN GREAT BENTLEY CHURCHES

CHRISTMAS SERVICES AT ST MARY’S CHURCH

Sunday 21st December 6.30pm

Carols by Candlelight (formal Carol service) Wednesday December 24

th 5.00pm

Christingle Service for all the family Wednesday 24

th December 11.30pm

Midnight Communion – Christmas Eve

Thursday 25th

December 10.00am Holy Communion for all the family – Christmas Day

CHRISTMAS SERVICES AND EVENTS

AT GREAT BENTLEY METHODIST CHURCH

21st

December 10.00am Carol Service followed by our Christmas lunch.

25

th December 10am

Christmas Day Service. Bring a present to show us!

Moving on!

As you will know things are changing in our parish. When I was appointed as Priest in charge 18 months ago it was with a specific charge: to enable the parish here to join up with a neighbouring parish, as we were not going to have a resident priest here again (we are too small to support that nowadays). To share some of my experience with some of the lay folk here, so that they could minister in the parish in Baptism and marriage preparation, home Communions, bereavement care and some of the more practical aspects of parish ministry. I was also asked to see if I could encourage more young people and families in the faith, and bring new life into our church community. I hope and pray that I have managed some of these, although sadly we do not see our young families at worship very often, so in this I feel I have failed you as a community. However we are now ready to move into the new phase of the church’s life and of course this affects the whole parish in terms of ministry to the bereaved for example. Rev Sharon Miles, the Vicar of St Osyth takes over as your new parish Priest at the beginning of February, and we shall become the joint Benefice of St Osyth and Great Bentley. She is hoping to spend 1/3rd of her time here and 2/3rds at St Osyth, who have been extremely generous in, for example, agreeing to move their main worship to 11.00 from 10.00, at least for the next 6 months to see how this goes so that our worship pattern can remain the same. There is change everywhere and the church is no exception as fewer people commit to full time, ordained parish ministry. There are legalities to go through and the Public Notice has been displayed since the beginning of December in both our churches. We hope to have a celebration of new ministry early in February. So. P.. this is the last letter I write as your Parish Priest. Thank you to all of you who have been so patient with me over the past couple of years as together we have struggled through this time of change and learnt to embrace it. I wish Sharon every blessing in her new ministry and pray that you will support and encourage her as she works among you. I have known her for many years, and she is a bundle of energy and fun, so take care of her! Pat Prestney

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CHURCH SERVICES AND EVENTS IN

GREAT BENTLEY DURING JANUARY

METHODIST

CHURCH NEWS ST MARY’S CHURCH

SUNDAY 4th JANUARY Service at the Methodist Church Mon 5th Support in Loss Session Wed 7th 10am Morning Prayer SUNDAY 11th January - Baptism of Christ 8.00am Holy Communion 9.30am Family Eucharist Wed 14th 10am Morning Prayer SUNDAY 18th January - Epiphany 2 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 9.30am Special Service with Communion The Methodist Church will be joining us on this occasion Wed 21st 10am Morning Prayer SUNDAY 25th January - Conversion of St Paul 8.00am Holy Communion 9.30am Family Service Wed 28th 10am Morning Prayer

We welcome you to worship with us during January. Morning

worship will be held at 10.00am unless otherwise stated.

The leaders of worship are set out below:-

January 4th Covenant Service Rev Crawford Logan

Members from St. Mary’s will be joining

us for this service to start the New Year.

This afternoon at 3pm Rev Andrew Bell and the Circuit join us

when we welcome youth leader Mick Walker to work with us.

January 11th Robert Taylor

January 18th 9.30 Rev John Allison,

Week of prayer for Christian Unity.

We shall join with the Congregation at St Mary’s.

January 25th Tom Hamblett of Clacton

Rev Crawford and all members of the Church family wish

everyone in the village a peaceful Christmas and New Year.

By the time you read this we should have had our windows

replaced but probably not had the Cross window in memory

of Alf Cole fitted. The tidying up and redecorating will be

done in the New Year. Thank you all for your support.

Events in January

Parent & Toddlers begins again on Thursday 8th January at 9.15

Adventurers Club Restarts 7pm Friday 9th January.

Luncheon Club 20th January

If you would like to come along to the Luncheon Club please ring

251330 and talk to Brenda. Come and see if you enjoy the meal

and company before you commit yourself to coming each time.

Transport can be arranged to help those unable to get to the

Methodist Church.

Messy Church After school 13th January 3.30 to 5.30

This is aimed at parents and carers and their children. We have

activities on a Christian theme and a simple meal together.

Gift Day: We collected several boxes of gifts which have been

taken to Beacon House in Colchester. Beacon House is a centre for

the homeless which provides services such as hot meals,

showers, laundry facilities, clean clothes etc.

No coffee morning or Cameo this month we’re having a rest!

Our December Coffee morning was a great success. We raised

£230. A big thank you to all who supported this event. The money

raised was divided between the Clacton Soup Run and the

Women’s refuge in Colchester

Each week the following events are held at our Church.

Ring these numbers for more information

Luncheon Club Alternate Tuesdays 12 Noon 251330

Parent & Toddlers Group Thursdays 9-15 a.m. 250431

Adventurers Fridays 7 p.m. 250087. For children in school year

3 and older.

We host the Village Teen Youth Club on alternate Thursdays.

FUNERALS

8th December Doris Gillman

11th December Pamela O’Kelly

29th December Pip Bragg

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ST MARY’S CHURCH

SIDESPERSONS ROTA

Sunday 4th

Service at the Methodist Church

Sunday 11th Baptism of Christ

Sidespersons Chris Aplin & Carol Kerridge Reader Chris Aplin/Carol Kerridge (Mark 1: 4-11)

Intercessions Chris Aplin

Sunday 18th Epiphany 2

Sidespersons Maria Pagram & Stephanie Sadler Readers Methodist Church Intercessions Methodist Church

Sunday 25th Conversion of St Paul

Sidespersons George Wright & Family Readers Little George (Acts 9: 1-22) Intercessions Sally Beverton

CLEANING ROTA

3rd Wendy Smith & Beverley Adams

10th Help needed

17th Linda Hayes

24th Chris Aplin & Carol Kerridge

31st Wendy King

COFFEE ROTA 5th Mandy Miles 11th Myrtle Clayton 18th Carole & Peter Allington 25th Stephanie Sadler & Maria Pagram

JANUARY PRAYER LIST

1 Doctors Air Ambulance 2 Keeble Court Action for Children 3 Family Church Clacton Soup Run 4 Morella Close Haven Project 5 The lonely Salvation Army 6 Linnet Way Explorer Scouts 7 Messy Church SOPS 8 St Mary’s Close Parent Line 9 Housebound Laburnham Close 10 The Green 1st Gt Bentley Scouts 11 St Helena’s Hospice Victim Support 12 Hollybush Hill Farmers 13 The Vicar Samaritans 14 Shair Lane EMMAUS 15 The grieving CRUSE 16 Weeley Road Open Road 17 Churchwardens Children’s Hospice 18 Aingers Green Girl Guides 19 Methodist Minister Women’s Refuge 20 Robin Close RAD for the Deaf 21 The sick Premature babies 22 Woodgreen Estate Beacon House 23 Church Sunday School Trefoil Guild 24 St Mary’s Road Careline 25 Children’s Hospice First Responders 26 Flagship Park Ess. Vol. Ass for the blind 27 Church Stewards Youth Club 28 Station Road RSPCA 29 Adventurer’s Club Local Food Bank 30 George Mitchell Close Wildlives 31 The homeless Carers

CHRISTMAS TREE PRAYER

HOLY CREATOR OF TREES

BLESS WITH YOUR ABUNDANT GRACE THIS OUR CHRISTMAS TREE AS A SYMBOL OF JOY

MAY ITS EVERGREEN BRANCHES BE A SIGN OF YOUR NEVER-FADING PROMISES

MAY ITS COLOURFUL LIGHTS AND ORNAMENTS CALL US TO DECORATE WITH LOVE OUR HOME AND OUR WORLD.

MAY THE GIFTS THAT SURROUND THIS TREE BE A SYMBOL OF THE GIFTS WE HAVE RECEIVED

FROM THE TREE OF CHRIST’S CROSS. HOLY CHRISTMAS TREE WITHIN OUR HOME

MAY JOY AND PEACE COME AND NEST IN YOUR BRANCHES AND IN OUR HEARTS.

AMEN

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Animal Bedding How we have arrived at putting our last article for 2014 together we just do not know! The year has just flown by and it would appear that most folk we talk to are of the same opinion. As regular readers will be aware we have made many journeys out and about to the rescues where we are left in no doubt as to how much our arrival with fresh supplies of bedding and pet food are appreciated. Over the past month we have visited Jane and Emma in Hatcheston with a pleasing quantity of bedding, towels and dog food. As is often the case the day we chose was very wet and when manoeuvring the car into the kennels area as close as we can get it was so muddy. In conditions like that you can imagine how quickly the dogs runs’ and beds become dirty and wet. There are no facilities to launder and reuse even if they had time to do so! The accommodation for the rescued dogs was full mostly with Staffies or Staffie Crosses but there was also a very large Rottweiler and a massive Alaskan Malamute X Husky. It is only their excitement at seeing Emma and ‘strangers in the camp’ who they suspect may offer one of them a ‘forever home’ that causes them to bark and leap up at the doors which may lead people who are not used to visiting rescues to be fearful. Their stories are varied, often very sad which makes us angry that people can be so cruel and heartless, no one has to have a dog. However thankfully Emma is a remarkable young woman and although it is to her they look having quickly learnt it is she who feeds them, she has a gift that goes much deeper whereby even the most timid frightened dogs gradually come round and learn to trust again. Gingerly driving out and back onto the lane we were as ever assured in the knowledge that although the situation and conditions may be somewhat basic those dogs who are in Emma’s care at any one time are the lucky ones, such is the case for all animals who have been fortunate enough to be ‘rescued’ it is the ones that no one is aware of that we should worry for. NAWT our local dog and cat rescue centre also benefit greatly from your generosity and the staff and volunteers there now associate us with ‘knitted blankets’, Ladies your fame now goes before you! Brenda in Alresford is always in need of these wonderful blankets, she seldom has a quiet period in common with all cat rescues, there is a constant demand for space. As we write our stocks are very low and we realise what a busy time of year it is for people but if you are able to help in any way with suitable items of bedding, towels, tea towels etc., (not duvets, cushions or pillows please) and where possible donations of food it will ensure we will be able to start deliveries after Christmas and into a New Year when things tend to go quiet but unfortunately not so at the rescue centres where if anything they get busier, and of course we never know what the elements will throw at us. We cannot thank all of you enough for your ongoing and faithful support which allows us the great privilege of spreading some cheer, raising spirits and morale amongst those who work selflessly under what are often difficult trying circumstances and not forgetting of course the animals in their care. Our best wishes for Christmas and 2015 Judy & Alan Bishop, 5 Morella Close. 251702

We should like to acknowledge and thank all the people who in what ever way throughout the year do so much to make and keep our village the wonderful place it is to live in. We do not take it for granted as Great Bentley would be a poorer place without you. Our sincere thanks. Judy & Alan Bishop

Village Christmas Lights As always we have a lot of people to thank for helping to provide the village with Christmas lights.

Thank you to George Wright for providing both the village & Aingers Green trees. Thank you to Pete Giles and Peter Harry for their help with erecting the lights and David Beckham for temporary power supply A special thank you to Pete & Anna Giles, Judy Speck, Mick – Gt. Bentley Garage, Dot & Reg Richer & Rod Fowler and the Cricket Club for providing power for the lights – without your valued contribution there would be no lights. To Scarlett for entertaining us with her beautiful singing. To Sam Giles from Pre-school & Jasmine Morton (assisted by Katherine Webster & Isobell Howlett) from School for switching on the lights. To Lorraine Mann, Julie Mead & Craig Woods for helping with setting up, refreshments, fireworks and clearing away at the end of the evening. To Mark Moorcroft and family for providing the tree and lights near Restaurant 43. Lynda McWilliams for making the announcements. To everyone who came along and supported us – we raised £196.20 for EACH (East Anglian Children’s Hospice) With much appreciation to all of the above as well as householders/business owners /parishioners and visitors who accommodate us so amicably through the install and maintenance period. Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas & Best wishes for the New Year Kevin, Matt & Jackie Plummer As ever we thank Kevin, Matt and Jackie as without them we would not be the best “illuminated village” in the land. We all truly appreciate your generosity. Ed

There was a very good turnout for the switching on of the Aingers Green Christmas tree lights on Friday, 28th November. It may have been a little chilly, but the rain kept at bay. This year, we were lucky to have the Brightlingsea Church Lads and Church Girls Band join us. Having marched from the Royal Fusilier, they played several well known carols to everyone’s enjoyment. Mince pies and sausage rolls were laid on at the Royal Fusilier for those who returned there afterwards. Thanks go to George Wright for supplying the tree, Kevin Plummer, Bill Herbert and Mick Dorling for choosing, delivering and helping erect the tree, David and Lesley Shipp for supplying the lights and electricity, and Liz Bennett for organising the band, and mince pies and sausage rolls afterwards at the Royal Fusilier.

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DEADLINE FOR THE

February 2015 magazine

Thursday 15th January 2015

Material to Mary Maskell, Caldew Cottage, The Green, 250524

Please mark all material - “Parish Magazine”

email: carole@pncallington.co.uk AND marymaskell@sys3internet.net

IMPORTANT - PLEASE SEND ALL INFORMATION TO BOTH OF US

Great Bentley Website: www.greatbentleyparishcouncil.co.uk

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY FOR 2015

April 21 Gardening Club Spring Show to be judged

May 9th Gardening Club and Hospice Plant Sale with refreshments, cake stall, tombola, bric a Brac

30th Little Bentley Hall Garden Show

June 27th Carnival

September 5th Village Show

15th Gardening Club Autumn Show to be judged.

NEW YEARS EVE BASH

31st DECEMBER

PLOUGH INN

WITH

HEAVEN ON EARTH

LIMITED NUMBERS

TICKET ONLY

£5 PER PERSON

BOOK YOUR

TICKET NOW

TO STOP NUISANCE CALLS

Whilst conversation is going on Tap in 99.

This seems to work extremely well.

(Only two 9s remember!!!)

Wanted

Do you have a room to Rent in Great Bentley Please contact Jackie on 01206 250415 if

you are interested in having a lodger. This is required for a mature lady from Poland

who has come to work at The Oaks

Volunteers wanted to befriend some of our elderly residents at The Oaks in Aingers Green. If you could spare an hour or two a week to help enrich the lives of others, I would love to hear from you.

Please contact Jackie Poynter at

The Oaks Residential Home in Gt Bentley. 01206 250415

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£48

LITTLE BENTLEY HALL GARDEN SHOW 2015

Mr & Mrs Palmer-Tompkinson are planning to open their Gardens at Little Bentley Hall again to the public on a much lower key basis to previous shows and for one day only on

Saturday 30th May 2015

Gardens Open - 1pm-5.30pm

Gala Evening - 6pm-9pm Jazz Band, Wine & Canapes.

We would like to involve as many people from the Village in this event and we would invite them to join our Committee. The event this year will be in aid of the Church and the Village.

Everyone else please SAVE THE DATE as we would love as usual to invite all our neighbouring Villages to join us in what has always been a wonderful event.

For more information contact Nigel Dyson - 01206 250622 or visit www.littlebentley.net or visit us on Facebook.

Great Bentley Pcso Report for November 2014 (up to the 29

th Nov)

Below are all calls received during November Domestic -2 Nuisance Neighbour – 3 plus one resulting in an assault. Concern – 3 All separate reports for concern for welfare of persons. Theft -1 Report of the theft of a silver metal Wessex trailer removed from near farm buildings. Nuisiance youths 1 Reports of youths on the train station throwing items at passing trains – on my attendance along with BTP officers a group of youths were dealt with.

Thank You Very Much I am a resident of Aingers Green and I would like to say a huge Thank You to all those responsible for making my journey through the village to home so ‘festive’. The trees and lights are beautiful. Whilst I am at it can I also thank all those who make the village look so pretty with baskets, bedding, hedge trimming, grass cutting etc. - all very hard work and very much appreciated. Then, can I thank all the kind people who run the various clubs, magazines (musn’t forget this one!), committees, etc. in Great Bentley for without you it would be a very dull place. Sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone there’s so much going on! Finally, may I wish all my family, friends, neighbours and residents A Very Happy Christmas and a Very Merry New Year. I have decided not to send cards again this year but will be donating to Alexia Rose’s fund as I was unable to attend her fundraising event - sorry. Have a Good ‘Un.

Donna Morphew

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Janet Frances Merison. 17/2/1940 - 20/11/2014

Born 17/2/1940 to Albert and Vera Smith in the North London borough of Southgate, the youngest of 4 children (1 brother and 2 sisters), Janet attended De-Bohun school in nearby Green Road and on leaving, worked as a secretary/typist for a small radio and television shop in Palmers Green. Her next job was similar at Lesney`s who made Die-cast models (Matchbox toys) and later at Standard telephones, a large telecoms company in New Southgate. Janet met her husband John on a blind date and they married two years later on August bank holiday Monday 1965, at St Andrews church Southgate, and lived in a flat above the department store owned by John`s family in Edmonton. A year later she gave up working as a secretary/typist for M.K electrical for the birth of her first son Ian, born on May 10Th 1967 in North Middlesex hospital Edmonton. They then moved to Cheshunt, where the family increased by the birth of her second son Jason, born 30/12/1969 in Chase Farm hospital, Enfield. Janet and her family moved to Aingers Green, Great Bentley in April 1971 where the boys attended Great Bentley Primary School and later Brightlingsea Colne High. Birds, animals and a succession of Labradors were her main joys in life. Humans always took second place! Never really interested in social events, and hating crowds, being in the countryside preferably near water gave her most pleasure, and therefore she had only a small circle of friends.

Janet was devoted to her mother Vera and travelled to London regularly to visit and look after her, and do whatever she could for her. On many occasions Vera came back to Aingers Green and stayed for several days, sometimes a couple of weeks with Janet enjoying her company while waiting on her hand and foot. Sadly Vera passed away many years ago but was never forgotten by her, and was always in her thoughts.

Her favourite holidays were to the wilds of Scotland, especially the far north west, going there for holidays over thirty times in their touring caravan where she would just want to sit and look at the sea, lake, river or stream and watch the birds and animals, or just the water, which always had a strange hypnotic effect on her. Janet always preferred birds and animals to people in general, and would say a silent prayer each night, for all the wild birds and animals to be cared for. Humans, except husband John, Ian, Jason and Jenny (Jason`s wife) hardly ever got a mention. Moths, spiders, or indeed any other creepy crawlies that came indoors had to be carefully taken out and released unharmed in the garden. Any charity donations always went to birds and animals.

Janet was a regular on the Hedingham Wednesday bus to Colchester to look around the shops and later on the new service, but health problems sadly put a stop to these trips last year.

Local BBC Radio Essex was a regular nightcap from 10 o/c every night, lying in bed listening until about midnight or sometimes later, to her favourite music of the 60`s, and the chat from the regular presenters, except that is, when they dared to have football on which caused her to hurl abuse at the radio, presenter, commentator, or anything else that came to mind, until normal service was resumed at 10.30. The phrase “Would make a trooper blush” probably fits the occasions.

Emmerdale, Coronation Street, East Enders, Casualty, Holby City etc. were her staple viewing in the evenings with murder mystery and detective series (the more gory and violent the better) for light relief from the doom and gloom of the soaps. International rugby union (6 nations etc.) and tennis were also on the must see list, whilst football was considered just a load of overpaid prima donnas being stupid. Wildlife programmes were not viewed just in case some poor bird or animal got eaten or died, even out of view of the camera.

She enjoyed her large garden which was home to a varied selection of trees, shrubs, flowers, and wild birds which were attracted to the ten or so feeders hung up and kept filled all year round. The only birds chased away were sparrow hawks for obvious reasons, as were cats, which although soft fluffy pets to some were in her eyes wildlife killing machines that should be kept indoors. Hedgehogs were also on the must feed and look after list.

During her later years she suffered with continual bowel and breathing problems resulting in two major operations and several less life threatening ones. Over the last year these problems worsened, severely restricting her ability to travel and prevented her from going to her beloved Scotland or her second favourite place, the Lake District. Even local trips became impossible.

A scan on Monday 6th October during another emergency admission to hospital, confirmed her fears. (Something she had suspected for months). Hope was given that radiotherapy may be possible as an outpatient, and a series of appointments were made, but on Sunday 2Nd November during another emergency admission to hospital in the early hours of the morning, it was confirmed that the type of tumour she had was inoperable and radiotherapy impractical and therefore terminal. She accepted the diagnosis with a degree of relief, knowing that at last her torment was coming to an end and that she could at last relax and give up the struggle to keep going, having been assured that she would never be in pain again.

Janet stayed in Colchester General Hospital (Mersea ward) and received exemplary care from the doctors, nurses and staff until she was brought home, as was her wish, on Wednesday 19th November, and passed away at 02.25 on Thursday morning, with her husband John and Labrador Tilly at her side. She leaves behind her husband John, sons Ian and Jason, and her beloved Labrador Tilly, and of course, all the wild birds and animals which she cared about so much about.

May she at last rest in peace.

J.M.

Feel no guilt in laughter, she’d know how much you care. Feel no sorrow in a smile, that she is not there to share. You cannot grieve forever; she would not want you to. She’d hope that you could carry on the way you always do. So, talk about the good times and the way you showed you cared, The days you spent together, all the happiness you shared. Let memories surround you, a word someone might say, Will suddenly recapture a time, an hour, a day, That brings her back as clearly as though she were still here, And fills you with the feeling that she is always near. For if you keep those moments, you will never be apart, And she will live forever, locked safely in your heart.

12

SUBS FOR 2015 SUBS ARE NOW DUE AND

REMAIN THE SAME YET

AGAIN

£4 and £3 concessions

PLEASE help your deliverer by placing your money in an envelope WRITE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

ON THE ENVELOPE and put it in your deliverers door.

They will, I know, be very grateful.

THANK YOU

Obituary

Constance Gosling

16.7.1917 - 16.10.2014

Connie sadly passed away in hospital on 16th October. Until a few days before her death she had led an active and happy life in Great Bentley. She was born in Bexley, Kent, one of three, moving via Croydon to spend her teenage days in Elmstead Market, where she spent many happy days helping a local mother with the upbringing of twins. Here she met Robert Gosling from a local Great Bentley family whom she married in 1939. They initially lived in various rented accommodations around the village and had 3 children Peter, Beryl and Alan. Eventually they built a house, Nil Desperandum in Station Rd, living there for 20 years. In 1961 they moved to South Heath, here they built the present farm house. For her remaining 53 years Connie was very content as wife, mother, grandmother ,great grandmother. After the death of her husband Robert in 1990 she continued to help her son Alan manage the farm and caravan site until her last days. In her formative years she enjoyed being active in Great Bentley community life. Connie had been an active member of the local Muscular Dystrophy and British Legion associations, frequently raising funds for these charities. She was a founder member in 1954 of the Great Bentley Wives get-together group and also enjoyed meetings at the local Evergreens group. Latterly she had pleasure in attending the local Methodist church. Her family would like to thank all of you who have sent their condolences and for contributing with your friendship and companionship to her many happy years.

WILL YOU BE THERE ?

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, YES !!

January 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st at 7.30pm

Tickets available from January 3rd from

Deli-licious , Plough Road in Great Bentley

or by contacting

Peter on 07503 153960

Tickets £7.00

DON’T MISS !!

Make sure you don’t miss this years instalment of ‘The Vicar of Dibley, the Second Coming.’ It was such a fantastic success last year, The Great Bentley Players felt they had to continue with the goings on in the village of Dibley. So get your tickets quickly, because they will soon be gone. Geraldine Granger, and her church committee including Alice, Mrs Cropley, Owen and of course, no, no, no, no Jim, will all be there at Great Bentley village hall. Performances were so good last year, from all of the cast, in fact two of the cast, the vicar played by Amanda Powell who’s likeness to Dawn French is uncanny, and Sarah White who perfected the role of playing the hapless Alice, received awards for their portrayals of their characters with the N.E.T.G (North Essex Theatre Guild.) So for a guaranteed great evening out, and lots

of laughs. Come along and join the congregation.

13

14

Great Bentley Wine Tasting Group For further details please contact Colin and Roni on 01206 252157 or e mail zindhum@hotmail.com

T h e w i n e t a s t i n g group established in August

2012 continues to hold enjoyable and informative evenings. For details please contact the above. The following wines come highly recommended for you to try and are perfect for drinking now; Condrieu, Denuziere, France 2012 Aldi £19.99 This is a rich, dry and pure expression of the Viognier grape grown in its most favoured location. Perfect with Duck or Goose or a vegetarian flan. Expensive but worth it. A really individual intense white wine. Chateauneuf du Pape, Sinards, Perrin, Southern Rhone 2012 Sainsbury £22.99 Made by a top wine maker, this is one of the most individual and quality Chateaneuf wines around. Perfect for the Christmas Turkey, or try with mushroom pate where the combination works really well. It's never worth buying any Chateauneuf du pape under £20. If you can’t afford this try a Vinsobres from the same producer 'Perrin' from Marks and Spencer at £13.99 its delicious and offers a terrific comparison. De Bartoli The Noble One, Australia 2008/2009 Waitrose £18.99 Intense sweet apricot and honeyed richness. This is beautiful and a delight to drink on its own or try with Apple Strudle. This will impress you and your guests. Sweet it certainly is, but never cloying, as it's cut through with a streak of acidy to keep it fresh on the palate. Simply gorgeous but keep away from the Christmas pudding Each month we taste between 6 and 10 wines from £3.99 to £40 a bottle and it is a chance to taste a number of wines in comfort before you rush out and commit. Do call for more details. The next meeting is on Thursday 29th January.

NATURE NOTES For anyone who rambles in the countryside some details from a recent obituary of Swiss-American biologist, Willi Burgdorfer should be more widely known. He isolated the spirochete bacterium causing Lyme disease. The name derives from the place in Connecticut, USA where it was first identified linked to deer and their ticks. In the 1970s a number of children became ill there with fever, rashes and joint pains that could not be satisfactorily diagnosed. An investigation by a Yale team found stark differences in the incidence of symptoms on either side of Connecticut River. The eastern wooded district with numerous deer had thirty times more cases than the western side. In 1981 Willi Burgdorfer made his specific identification when looking at deer ticks for possible links to another human fever. Antibiotics can successfully treat Lyme disease if employed soon enough but early diagnosis is not always straightforward. Symptoms can disappear only to re-emerge sometimes years later and associated problems with the heart, other organs and even, albeit rarely, the central nervous system can arise. It is reckoned there are a hundred times more cases in the USA than the UK, where up to an estimated 3,000 occur annually. I am aware of two or three naturalists who have received treatment and testing is available in NE Essex. Although deer are more widespread locally nowadays there are fewer in Tendring than in other parts of the county, apart from the fallow deer herd associated with St Osyth Priory Park. The small alien muntjac deer are however common now but they are more solitary by nature so the incidence of their spreading bacteria-carrying ticks may be less. Lyme disease should not give the countryside a hostile reputation any more than the occasional presence of adders, wasps or poisonous plants as, with them sensible awareness can reduce risks to a minimum. But if the combination of symptoms is noticed after possible contact with ticks early medical advice should be sought. A sense of proportion should be kept remembering that the hazards of the UK countryside are fairly minimal compared with life in the tropics. We do not want the great outdoors to become a closed, other country for the next generation or for them to be wrapped in cotton wool. After all managing risk is an even greater part of our modern world – just like driving a car! DRB

THANK YOU We would like to thank the Moorcroft & Gibbon Families and all the staff at Restaurant 43 for the wonderful Chistmas meal for us Senior Citizens of Great Bentley on the 8th December. The hospitality and lovely atmosphere at the restaurant was fantastic, everyone enjoyed the afternoon with plenty to eat and drink as well as a sing-along. Thank you once again. Yvonne and David Smith.

15

A FEW NOTES FROM YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILLOR

Planning Application for 150 Houses off Plough Road, with open space, a class B1 employment area and structural landscaping Moonlight Limited - Mr A Irwin has through the Agent, Edward Gittins & Associates, submitted an outline planning application for up to 150 dwellings with open space, a class B1 employment area and structural landscaping. The application number is 14/01750/OUT and can be viewed on Tendring District Council’s website. Many concerns have been relayed to me regarding this application; I have therefore asked the Head of Planning to put this application before the Planning Committee for their consideration if the Case Officer is minded to grant approval of the application. If you do have any comments to make regarding the application this can be done on Tendring District Council’s web site or in writing to The Planning Department, Weeley Council Offices, Thorpe Road, Weeley CO16 9AJ. Please put your comments in as soon as possible. Local Council Support Tax Scheme A new consultation exercise is under way for residents across Tendring to give their views about a potential change to the Local Council Tax Support Scheme (LCTS) Residents have until January 4, 2015 to put their views over, through consultation, about whether they feel child maintenance payments should be included when calculating Council Tax bills. Child maintenance is financial support towards a child’s everyday living costs paid by one parent when separated from the other parent. To make your views known please go to the survey which is on TDC’s website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/lctschanges or people can email benefitsmail@tendringdc.gov.uk, or write to LCTS Consultation, TDC, 88-90 Pier Avenue, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1TN. Great Bentley School Children at Princes Theatre It was pleasing to note Great Bentley School children were given the opportunity to learn about the workings of a theatre. The Year 6 children have been writing their own play scripts and were keen to find out more. Tendring District Council’s (TDC) staff were on hand to show them many aspects of the theatre including stage directions, lighting, sound, microphone use and communications between the stage crew and director. The children had the chance to put Theatre Manager Kai Aberdeen on the spot and asked plenty of questions. The visit is part of the theatre’s on-going programme involving the community in its activities and facilities. Wind Turbine The wind turbine application did not go to Decembers Planning Committee and we are waiting to receive confirmation as to when it will go before the committee. It will not go before committee if the responsible officer is minded to recommend refusal of the application. Sturricks Lane Development At the time of preparing this article no decision has been received from the Government’s Inspector regarding the development.

“A Happy New Year to you All”A Happy New Year to you All”A Happy New Year to you All”A Happy New Year to you All”

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns; I am always very pleased to help and hear from you. Many thanks

Cllr Lynda McWilliams email address lynda@boblyn.co.uk

Tendring District Council Cabinet Member Telephone Number: 01206 250732

For Wellbeing and Partnerships

Tendring District Councillor and Parish Councillor

for the Ward of Great Bentley

16

Peter’s

Potterings

Hopefully you have all been able to relax over the Christmas break and had a good time reading some of the books you were given and to work your way through some of the seed catalogues you have had delivered to your door. There are frequently new varieties in the various catalogues but often there are too many to try them all. I really like to stick to most of the older varieties but to put in one or two of the newer ones that take my fancy. In the flower garden this year I am growing a hydrangea “Glam Rock”. In many respects it is similar to all the rest of its family but it only grows to 3 feet high, has flowers from June to September and the colours are always changing from an initial green to incandescent blues finishing finally in super pink/red flowers. They can be grown in a small garden or even in a large container on your patio. One other shrub I am trying this year is a variation of an old variety that is loved by the bees. This is the buddleia. I have grown these before but they always seem to grow like fury despite lots of cutting back. There are newer varieties that are classed as dwarf buddleia. They are supposed to be much smaller growing to about 3 feet, suitable in the garden or in tubs and there are several different colours and varieties and I am trying one white (called White Chip) and one blue (called Blue Chip). Now my favourite seeds - the vegetables. Apparently the sale of vegetable seeds is greater than the sale of flower seeds as people appreciate the advantages of growing their own. Now we all know about tomatoes - they are round golf ball size and red in colour - wrong - they now come round, egg shaped, plum shaped, sausage shaped - both large and small in size. Red is still the favourite colour but you can now get - red with orange stripes, with green stripes, or orange, green, yellow, mahogany brown and even purple tomatoes. As if that is not enough what about a relative of the tomato “Pepino” that produces creamy coloured fruits with purple stripes and wait for it P tastes like a cross between a melon and a pear. And what have they done to runner beans? For years everyone tried to grow the longest runner beans possible, you can get one now only 5 inches long (about half the normal length). I suppose the idea is you don’t have to slice them to get them on your plate! Oh well I am fed up thinking about all the things that they have done to vegetables. I will just concentrate on the roast potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts etc. that I have been growing on the allotment and will be very tasty with the turkey on Christmas day. Hope you all have a good Christmas. PETER ALLINGTON

Great Bentley Green Many moons ago, Mr. Gosling used to cut a large part of the green once a year and make hay. He had no problem with us children playing in the haycocks. At that time, Skylarks nested on the green and large flocks of Lapwings were a common sight during the winter months, now replaced by the occasional seagull flock. Time has moved on and now the green is cut regularly, and with climatic change, mowing even takes place during the last weekend of November. Most people in the village like to see a green which is cut regularly. However, I believe a few residents would prefer to see the buttercups mown less often in the spring, so that the brilliant show could last a few weeks longer. David Gollifer

THANK YOU

A big thank you to all the kind people who have helped so much by bringing their magazine subscriptions to me. Joye Watson

Happy New Year Plough Quizzers!

Congratulations to our latest winners The Legless Hopefuls

and we raised £159 for St Helena Hospice!

Many thanks to all who have supported the Charity Quiz Nights at The Plough

A big thank you to Christina for the excellent

sandwiches and donation of prizes!

This year

Your Local Charity Quiz Night

Has raised

£1159.50

Supporting

GOSH, Water Aid, Asthma UK, Papworth Hospital,

Macmillan Nurses and St Helena Hospice

Look out for the next Charity Quiz Night sometime in the New Year

Tom

17

Douglas Carswell MP to Attend Patient Participation Group The Great Bentley PPG have arranged for the Clacton MP to attend our monthly meeting on Thursday 15th January at 6.30pm in the Village Hall. This occasion provides a golden opportunity to raise any worries or concerns regarding all aspects of the National Health Service particularly in respect of local issues. Mr Carswell will speak for a while and then there will be the opportunity to ask questions so please take advantage of this rare chance. Light refreshments will be served thereby ensuring a bright, warm welcome.

SURGERY NEWS

Happy New Year to all of our patients!

I hope everyone enjoyed the festive season and time with their families. I know I did! Of course at this time of the year when it can be really cold and adverse weather can significantly affect our elderly or infirm neighbours getting out and about as easily compared to the milder months of the year. Please take the time to check on your neighbours and make sure they have everything they need, even if it’s just a cup of tea and chat. Many people get lonely at this time of the year and a friendly face can make all the difference to many people. For those of you who haven’t got involved with the Patient Participation Group (PPG) yet, you missed a belter of a meeting in November. The PPG hosted one of the local MPs Bernard Jenkin and the meeting turned into a very lively debate on the future of the NHS. Bernard went away under no illusion that the patients and doctors of Great Bentley Surgery place huge value on their local services and want to protect them in their current form. For those who missed this meeting or those who attended and enjoyed it, I’m pleased to announce that we have our other local MP Douglas Carswell attending the January PPG meeting being held on Thursday 15

th at 6.30pm at the Great Bentley Village Hall. Representing a very new and often

controversial party, it will be a very interesting meeting I’m sure! We are now in a general election year, so we have this opportunity to help shape policy on the NHS. I believe this will be a key election issue that affects us all so do come along and make your voice heard. Richard P Miller, Practice Manager Telephone Triage - We have introduced a new system to manage our ever increasing demand - telephone triage. Some of you will have encountered this already as we have been running a pilot for 3 months now. Where appointment requests are unable to be met by available appointments, requests are now triaged either by our Nurse Practitioner or the on call doctor. When talking to you we will decide with you the best way to deal with your problem. Sometimes advice over the phone is appropriate or we may signpost you to another service instead of a GP in order to manage your complaint effectively. If we feel we do need to see you face to face, an appointment will always be found for you. As a direct result of the pilot we have found that there are more appointments available for those that need to be seen and examined by a GP. Any child under 5 will be offered an appointment without triage unless the parent is happy to take advice over the phone. We really believe this is working very well and together as doctors and patients, we can use our service more resourcefully to allow for a fairer delivery of primary care in our area. Dr Freda Bhatti, Senior Partner

SEASONAL JOKE

How do you know Santa has to be a man? No woman is going to wear the same outfit year after year.

18

Pet’s

Corner

Good alternatives are fishing rod type toys, which allow you to get a lot of movement and keep hands for gently stroking. There are lots of these toys available - pick something robust which will not fall apart, but not too big or heavy that it can’t be activated easily. From tiny kittens to golden oldies, it’s always a joy to see cats play. In general, young cats will play more than older ones. However, if they live with friendly dogs or other cats, some will maintain their youth throughout their lives. Find out what makes your cat want to play, give them your time and attention, and enjoy some fun activities together.

PLAYTIME FOR CHRISTMAS

For kittens, play is an essential part of life. Running, climbing, pouncing and pawing is a vital part of their development. When kittens are still with their mother, their play is centred around her, as well as their littermates. This social play teaches kittens to understand and communicate with other cats. Around weaning time, they begin to show interest in playing with objects, going through the stalking, chasing and pouncing motions that teach them how to hunt. They also use their paws to bat and swat at objects, developing their eye-paw coordination. By around 10 to 12 weeks, play based on ‘locomotor’ skills comes to the fore - running, climbing and leaping. Such play develops agility and coordination. By this time, they have a full repertoire of play behaviours that would be essential for survival in the wild, as well as for a well-adjusted cat in your home. Even when they are fully grown adults, play can provide stimulation, exercise and pleasure for a cat, as well as strengthening the bond between you. Your cat will associate you with having a good time Cats are, however, very individual in their personalities, which impacts on how much and what type of play they enjoy. The trick is to find out what your cat likes. Some cats may like to play on their own, either running around or playing with a toy. Some like to interact with other cats - and sometimes dogs - chasing and play fighting. Others may enjoy retrieving games, or exploring boxes or activity centres. Many cats appreciate modern technology, especially laser light point toys and remote-controlled mice. Some cats are very motivated to play and will enjoy a game with all sorts of objects that they come across. If you have a cat that needs a lot of stimulation, you can combine play with feeding - toys that incorporate dry food, which is released as the cat plays, makes the cat work and exercise both body and brain to get the food. There are many types to choose from, but do some research before you buy , as these toys don’t appeal to all cats. What about playing with your cat - are there good and bad things to do? When you have a young kitten, it can be very tempting to keep moving your fingers to attract it to pounce on your hand. However, as the kitten grows, the scratches and bites get harder and the play becomes rougher. A kitten looking for play will instinctively grab a hand, even if they are only being stroked, because that is what has been offered and enjoyed so far. Therefore, it’s better to avoid making hands or feet the focus of play, right from the start.

SESAW NEWS Here we are, January again and time for New Year resolutions. I’ve heard talk of dieting, stopping bad habits (I hope that doesn’t apply to me hoarding things) and new health plans. One of our supporters is already keeping fit for a very special reason. Dave Carr is training for the London Marathon in April to raise money for SESAW. Dave hopes to complete the 26.2 miles in 4 hours, as he did in Edinburgh four years ago. You can read more and donate on Dave’s fundraising page at www.justiving.com/David-Car12 Looking back at 2014 we thank everyone who supported SESAW, including those who braved miserable weather to help raise £1805 at our Christmas Fair and Grand Raffle. An unusual event took place when a party of SESAW Volunteers was treated to a tour of the Mayor’s Parlour in Ipswich. On a sadder note Boff, our resident tailless tabby who often greeted visitors, died in November. A gentleman among cats, Boff was respected by all, including us canines, and will be greatly missed. I’ve just been out with lovely Debbie who responded to my plea for new helpers a few months ago, but we still need dog walkers and animal carers. Please leave a message on 01787 210888 if you can spare one morning a week, or would like to help with fundraising. We have many animals awaiting new homes including a deaf dog named Angel and Harvey the whippet, her constant companion. Next time I’ll tell you more about the animals but now I’ve run out of time. If this article is late, the Editor will not be very pleased with me, Kenny (the Boss) Chihuahua! Suffolk and Essex Small Animal Welfare, Stoke Road, Leavenheath, CO6 4PP. Tel: 01787 210888. www.sesaw.co.uk

19

Survival chances January 2015

‘Catkins’, Frating Road, Thorrington, Colchester CO7 8HT www.wildlives.org.uk Opening hours: October – March 9.00 – 5.00 01206 251174 / 07802 767016

Outside of Wildlives’ hours, please contact the RSPCA 0300 1234999

Registered Charity 1104167 Copyright Wildlives © 2015

The last month has seen a number of animals coming to the centre too late for effective treatment to take

place. Members of the public have been well meaning and have kept animals themselves, sometimes for

weeks, in the hope that they would have seen an improvement in the animal’s condition. However, sadly

this has meant that by the time they get to Wildlives they have deteriorated so badly they are often beyond

help. This has been of particular concern in the case of hedgehogs, but also other animals including a

pheasant and a sparrow hawk. The pheasant had been kept for over a week with a broken femur that had

started to calcify. The other leg was black and necrotic from a wound on the foot and the animal would

have been in agony from these injuries. The sparrow hawk had also been kept for some time with swollen,

badly inflamed eyes that it was unable to open. The people that had found the bird had tried to feed it but

after no success finally brought it in. Although the sparrow hawk has made some improvement, the

prognosis is not good.

The quicker animals are brought in, the greater the chances are of survival, so please don’t try to care

for an animal yourself – seek expert help.

Grebe

A great crested grebe, found collapsed in Felixstowe docks, was brought in by the RSPCA. Grebes are

designed to swim and as a result nature has provided them with two legs that virtually come out of their

bottoms! This means that they are next to useless on land because the design means it is very difficult for

them to walk. So, when they occasionally mistake wet roads for lakes or rivers, they get into serious

difficulty! The grebe was built back up at the centre and then taken back and released onto the water.

Post mortem examinations

Recently, Wildlives has been carrying out post mortem examinations on the hedgehogs that it has been

unable to save to try to establish the reasons for this. A number have clearly indicated that the problem

would have been treatable had it been caught early enough. For example, several hogs had very pale,

collapsed lungs filled with mucus – a sign of pneumonia that develops over time and which, in the earlier

stages, is treatable.

Other post mortems have shown enlarged livers and gall bladders filled with bile – this would be expected

if they had eaten something, however they all had empty stomachs and in some cases an empty digestive

tract as well. Again, these are all indicators that the problem had been going on over a period of time.

Other post mortems have revealed injuries or problems that were untreatable, for example a hedgehog that

had been severely kicked and another suffering with the effects from ingesting bleach. However, what a

number have shown reinforces the message that getting animals treated quickly significantly improves

their chances of survival.

WILDLIVES

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre

20

Great Bentley Running Club GBRC

A very rainy Sunday 23rd November saw the final race in t h e E s s e x R o a d Running Championships take place at Chelmsford. The ladies team ran a strong race, Samantha Godden 42:53(PB),

Vicky Presland 43:29(PB), Steph Horner 46:47(PB) and Rachel Giles 49:06(PB). Russ Sharp finished in 37:14, matching his PB from 4 years previously. Despite the very wet conditions, several runners managed to run a personal best, including Phil Presland 43:34, Lesley Fuller 51:22, Lee Clarkson 44:30, Caroline Searle 54:45, Ade Cherry 45:15, Alison Clarke 57:08, Claire Groves 54:49, Sandra James 1:04:32 and Theresa Hutchings 1:05:06. Other runners were Graham Clarke 44:44, Darren Horner 45:17, Martin Owen 47:44, Anna Lyon 49:16, Clare Reynolds 49.17, Kieron Hayes 49.45, Tonie Wilson 50.45, Chusa Bautista Fructuoso 52.38, Lex Carlisle 53.37, Lynsey Apps 59.20 and John Bush 1:07:41. Final results for the Essex Championship series still have not been published, but we are hopeful that the ladies team have second place, and some runners will have individual medals as well! Viv Cassidy, Louise Cassidy and Luke Groves braved the rain at the Norwich Half Marathon, taking 2:05:32, 1:52:33 and 2:25:00 respectively. Saturday mornings all over the country see Parkruns take place, free to enter 5k races held usually in parks! Great Bentley has regular park run competitors, and the weekend of 23

rd November saw

runners at both Colchester and Maldon Parkruns. Maldon saw Ade Cherry rack up another PB in 21:52 and Caroline Searle finish in her second fastest time ever of 26:00. In Colchester, Russ Sharp finished in third place in just 18:16. Debbie Cubberley and Martin Owen ran it in 27:09, Lisa Parker 29:21(PB) and Charlie Keitch 19:23. The club staged a Parkrun takeover on the following Saturday, 6th December, with members carrying out the majority of the marshaling duties for the race in Castle Park. This meant many Blue Vests were there to see Malcolm Jarvis run his 50th parkrun of 2014, crossing the finish line in 21:36. Other Great Bentley parkrunners were Paul Hollidge 22:10, Pauline Burrows 27:07(PB), Scott Young 22:04, and Claudia Keitch 25:08(PB). Lynsey Apps and Martin Owen competed in Barking and Dagenham Tri Club Track 5k on December 3rd. Apps scored a PB in 25:34, and Owen finished in 22:50. Linzi Iddon ran the Santa 5k, finishing in 28:29.

The evening of Saturday 6th December was the

club’s annual presentation evening and Christmas meal, held at Great Bromley village hall. A great time was had by all, with many members receiving awards for their progress in their running over the year. Our thanks go to Anita Rafferty and her team of helpers for organising the evening and making it such a success. Marion Simmons

GREAT BENTLEY CARNIVAL

A big thank you to the families who came and supported the Childrens Christmas Fun Afternoon on Sunday 7

th December. We would have liked to see

more of you there but perhaps you were just too busy with your Christmas shopping to join us. Crystal’s disco was once again super and got all the children up and dancing and joining in the games. We had some stunning fancy dress costumes and it was really hard to choose the winners. Our hard working Queen Lana presented the winners rosettes and prizes for the first three in the under fives and over fives. My thanks to the committee who all worked through the afternoon on setting up, clearing down, making refreshments, selling raffle tickets and much more. We raised just over £80 for our carnival funds. I would like to thank Adele Rose for continuing to travel far and wide with our Queen Lana and Prince Ben to represent our village at numerous events. Congratulations to Ben who was awarded first place at the Witham Presentation evening in the class for junior court members. Sadly the appeal for more people to help with the 2015 carnival has brought absolutely no response whatsoever and there is now a real danger that there will not be a carnival next year. What a terrible shame to let a village tradition that has been running for so long fold up. If you are thinking about your New Year resolutions, maybe it might be that you could consider doing something for your village by joining the carnival committee and help us to not only raise money for Great Bentley youth and childrens organisations but also help us to provide a great spectacle next June. We have a committee meeting on Thursday 29

th January 2015 starting at

8.00 p.m. at the Scout Hut. If you are interested in finding out more about us, please come along or give me call on 01206 250594 or email brenda.eyers2@btinternet.com From everyone involved with the carnival –

a Very Happy New Year!

21

Letter from Hastoe Housing Association

Hastoe Housing Association Homes - Great Bentley - George Mitchell Close

As you are aware Hastoe Housing Association has a number of rented homes in your parish and these homes were built with the aim of providing affordable homes for people with a connection to the village or local area. A specific criteria is in place for letting these homes which gives priority to households with a local connection. We are very keen to ensure that our homes do go to local people. It is therefore important that local people looking for housing in the village have an awareness of these homes and understand how to apply. As time progresses following the initial letting of a development this awareness can diminish and if local people do not apply then this can result in homes being let to households with a weaker local connection. Any vacancies in these homes are advertised via the Tandridge Home Choice Scheme. Households wanting to be considered for a property need to be registered with the Tandridge Home Choice Scheme to be able to bid for one when advertised. It is important that those interested are registered in advance of vacancies becoming available as properties are only advertised for a short period and registration can take a number of weeks. Further information about the Tandridge Home Choice Scheme registration and bidding process is available at htt;://www.tandridge.gov.uk/Housing/applyingforhousing/CBL/htm. We would be very grateful if you could pass this information to anyone who may be interested in our homes. We recognise that vacancies at our homes are infrequent and therefore a household registered to bid could miss an advertised property. There is not an easy solution to this but we are happy to email someone at the Parish Council when we know a vacancy is due to be advertised in case you are aware of someone who wants to bid for it. If you think this would be useful please email lcameron@hastoe.com to confirm the email address you would like the notification to be sent to. If you have any queries about the letting process for our homes please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely, Liz Cameron— Regional Administrator

History Society Programme 2015

The deadline for the magazine being too early for the History Society AGM does not allow us to report on it; but as the year comes to an end, it is pleasing that the meeting will be able to confirm that in 2015 the society will continue into its 24

th year. It will contain a

full programme of talks and visits as shown below. The new form of programme began last year where we reduced the number of talks slightly and replaced them with extra outside visits which proved very successful, and this is to be continued. Gaining several new members in this past year has been a pleasing sign and we hope to see further additions in the future. Anyone is welcome and visitors may join in all activities. Meetings and visits take place on the second Thursday of each month. January 8th: “London Bridge and the Origins of London (with some local connections)” – Reg Allington February 12th: “Guernsey and the German Occupation” – Margaret Brehaut March 12

th: “Tram Story – The History of

Colchester Tramways” – Peter Jones April 9th: Visit - Trinity House Control Centre, Harwich – 11.30 a.m. May 14th: The City of London Livery Companies with particular reference to the Coopers’ Company – Peter Allington. June 11th: Visit - Destination TBA July 9th: History of Primrose Pork Farm – Karen Moss. August 13th: Visit – Harwich Redoubt September 10

th: “Zillah’s Village” – Mark Roberts

October 8th: John Moss – The Essex Aviation Museum November 12th: Visit – Destination TBA December 10th: AGM and Christmas Social

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GREAT BENTLEY PARISH COUNCIL Community Resource Centre, Village Hall

Plough Road CO7 8LG Tel. 01206 256410

Email clerk@greatbentleyparishcouncil.co.uk Website www.greatbentleyparishcouncil.co.uk

The following items were dealt with at the Parish Council and Planning Committee meetings on Thursday 4 December 2014. Action in Community Teens (ACT) Project: The Council received a presentation at its meeting from Mr John Wharton about his aspiration to organise an ACT project in Great Bentley in 2015. It is hoped that ACT will provide a development programme for teenagers. Hastoe Housing Association (HHA) Homes, Gt Bentley: The Council received a letter from Hastoe Housing advising the importance of local people looking for housing having an awareness of HHA homes locally and understanding how to apply for them. For further information, please see the item in this edition of the Village Magazine on page 19. Flooding in Forge Lane: Councillors expressed frustration at the delay in the Highways Department in resolving the flooding occurring in Forge Lane during periods of heavy rainfall. The Parish Council agreed to install a number of soak-away drains to attempt to resolve this matter. Parish Council Annual Budget 2015/16: The Council agreed its 2015/16 budget and precept a little earlier than usual. The budget shows an increase over recent years as it includes provision for a dedicated PCSO. Replacement tree: It was reported that no one had come forward to offer to fund the replacement tree on the Green behind Restaurant 43. The Council agreed to advertise this opportunity once more this month to try to encourage somebody to fund a new tree to replace the one that died. The cost will be in the region of £100. Please contact the Clerk if you are interested in making a donation. Southside, The Green: The Council having received no representation from residents regarding its proposal to resolve the continuing damage being caused to the Village Green at Southside, agreed to proceed with the project to double-kerb a length of the road where the problem is at its worst. Forge Lane Flooding: This matter was raised in public questions. While this issue has been reported to Highways by a number of different parties over the past couple of months, the Clerk was requested to write once more. Council Meetings: The next scheduled meetings of the Parish Council and its Planning Committee are shown below. These meetings are open to the public to attend. Notices are posted on village noticeboards 5 days in advance of meetings.

Parish Council Meeting: 8 January at 7.30pm

Planning Committee: 8 January at 7.15pm

The Community Resource Centre is staffed on a part time basis only. The opening times are displayed on the

office door and published on the Parish Council website. Planning Applications: The planning applications shown in the table on page 21 were considered by the Parish Council’s Planning Committee on 4 December. The Council’s determination can be seen in the minutes of the meeting published on the Parish Council’s website or on the TDC website. Kevin Harkin Clerk to Great Bentley Parish Council

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CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING

The annual tree shredding will take place on the green near the cricket pavilion on

Saturday 10th January

10am - 12 noon

DONATIONS PLEASE In aid of Brain Tumour UK and Essex Air Ambulance

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR COLLECTION ARRANGEMENTS FOR HOUSEHOLD WASTE AND

RECYCLING IN GREAT BENTLEY

December Tuesday 23rd Normal collection Friday 26th Monday 29th Tuesday 30th Wednesday 31st January Friday 2nd Monday 5th Tuesday 6th Wednesday 7th Friday 9th Saturday 10th All collections return to normal week Commencing Monday 12th January

SEASONAL JOKES

What do Snowmen eat for breakfast?

Frosted Flakes What Christmas Carol is a favourite of parents?

Silent Night

WELCOME

We welcome new residents to Pilgrims Barn at Swallows Row. We hope you enjoy living in

Great Bentley

Planning Reference

No. & Email

Link

Application Details Address

14/01679/TCA

4 No Beech - reduce in height by 1/3, crown reduction & thinning required.

1 The Green Great Bentley

14/01695/FUL

Variation of condition 2 of application 14/00029/FUL to replace plans 1.11 and HACO78NH-GAR1.5 with plans 1.11b and HACO78NH-GAR1.6.

The Haven Aingers Green Road Aingers Green

14/01729/LUEX

Retention of 2 holiday caravans. Land to The rear of Hill Cottages Flag Hill Great Bentley

14/01741/LBC

Part demolition of single storey structure & construction of single storey extension, removal of lean-to roofs & replacement with duo-pitched roofs containing rooms within roof space. Extension & alteration to existing residential annexe. Erection of 3 bay cart lodge.

Moynes Farm Wick Road Great Bentley

14/01751/TCA

G1 - mixed hedging - reduce to 1.8m. G2 - Hawthorn – fell

New May House The Green Great Bentley

14/01750/OUT

Outline application for a mixed use scheme comprising up to 150 Dwellings and open space, a class B1 employment area and structural landscaping.

Land at Station Field, Plough Road, Gt Bentley

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Festive Pot Luck!Festive Pot Luck!Festive Pot Luck!Festive Pot Luck!

1. Which record was a Christmas No.1 in 1975 and 1991?

2. Superstition says that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which

direction?

3. Tom Jones gained a Christmas number one with which hit in 1966?

4. Who composed the music for the festive season ballet 'The Nutcracker'?

5. In which year did Queen Elizabeth II deliver her first televised Christmas message to the nation?

6. On which festive day do the French eat Galette des Rois?

7. Which plant did the Celts refer to as 'all healer'?

8. Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union

until 1935?

9. Thousands of what marched on London from Norfolk just prior to Christmas each year in

Victorian times?

10. Which song was heard on both sides of the trenches on Christmas Eve 1914?

11. What do George C. Scott, Alastair Sim, Daffy Duck, Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Fred

Flintstone and Jim Carrey all have in common?

12. In which city is Kevin left 'Home Alone' at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)

13. Most of us have had to eat 'humble pie' at least once in our lives. During Elizabethan times it was

popular at Christmas feasts. What was the main ingredient?

14. Which milkman was number one in the charts for Christmas 1971?

15. In which pantomime does Widow Twankey traditionally appear?

16. Which Commonwealth country celebrates its National Day on 26th January?

17. Which London Street became the first in the world to be lit by gas lights on January 28th 1807?

18. Which ‘King’ was born on January 8th 1935?

19. Traditionally where does the Queen spend Christmas?

20. Chinese New Year 2015 will be the year of which animal?

1.Bohemian Rhapsody 2.Clockwise 3.Green Green Grass of Home 4.Tchaikovsky

5.1957 6.Epiphany 6th

January 7.Mistletoe 8.Christmas trees 9.Turkeys & geese

10.Silent Night 11.All played Scrooge on film/TV 12.Chicago 13.Innards/offal(usually deer) 14.Ernie

15.Aladdin 16.Australia 17.Pall Mall 18.Elvis Presley (King of Rock n’ Roll!) 19.Sandringham 20.Goat

********************************************************

ANSWERS

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CLUBS &

ORGANISATIONS

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

As usual December has been a busy month for the members of Great Bentley WI, starting with a most enjoyable visit to the West Cliff Theatre to see ‘Season’s Greetings’, a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn. On Monday 8

th December we hosted the annual

Tendring Hundreds Group carol service in St Mary’s Church. WI members from Thorpe le Soken, Engaines and Weeley were invited to join us in a traditional service of carols and readings followed by refreshments in the vestry room. The church looked wonderful with all the cribs and thanks go to Anne for creating the WI entry, (by far the most delicious having been made from breadsticks and gingerbread!) Many thanks to the Rev Canon Pat Prestney for leading the service, to Mr Peter Clayton, the organist, and to the children of Great Bentley Pre-school who delighted us all with their brilliant repertoire of Christmas songs. Also well done to Billie for the seamless organisation, it was a lovely way to spend a sunny but very cold afternoon. On Tuesday 9

th December several members

attended the Essex County carol service held at Chelmsford Cathedral. Our December meeting opened with WI business, after which our Christmas party began. Many thanks to Billie and her team of ‘elves’ who served us a tasty buffet supper followed by our bumper festive raffle! We were entertained throughout by our regular live singer, Mr Dave Godward, who finished off the evening (and some of us!) with the ‘Hokey Cokey’ and Auld Lang Syne! Just the one date for your diary

New Year’s meal Thursday 15th January.P

please pay £10 deposit to Edna a.s.a.p.

Finally, Great Bentley WI would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

EVERGREEN FRIENDSHIP CLUB

We had a most enjoyable afternoon at our November meeting when the Frinton Community Singers made a very welcome return, bringing with them some of the songs we know and love, and the entertainment finished with a few Christmas ones to take us into the coming season. The Buffet at Westwood House will take place on Monday December 22nd and the post Christmas Lunch will be at The Barn on Wednesday January 14th 2015. The time of both events will be 12noon for 12.30pm Our next afternoon meeting in the Mitchell Room will be on Wednesday January 28th when Bob Newman will be taking us on a trip to Istanbul. Please join us on our journey if you have nothing else planned for that afternoon.

Joye

GARDENING CLUB

Our January meeting is in the Village Hall on Tuesday 20th at 8.00pm. when our speaker will be Brenda Eyers. Brenda will talk on ‘Miss Wilmott’s Ghost” It is a social evening so please bring your own drinks. New members are welcome, subs remain at £12. Visitors are also welcome (£1 for the visit) I look forward to seeing you there. Bob Newman Chairman

Poppy Appeal The amount raised in the Great Bentley and District for the Poppy Appeal was £1,413.48p. This area was previously covered by the past branch of the Great Bentley and Thorrington RBL. Two new collectors have come forward this year but more are still needed for Great Bentley and Thorrington so if you can spare a couple of hours next year please contact me on 250799. Michael Dorling.

ART CLUB

Tuesday 13th January

Workshop with Lesley Sheldon

Village Hall, 10am - 4pm

CHARLES WILLIAM JARVIS

Charles William Jarvis died peacefully in hospital on the 3rd December at the age of 94. Liz and Anna would like to thank his friends for their care and concern over the past few months.

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27

New Year Cookery Corner tips from the Fat Goose

With our new deli and village stores now open, I thought we would give you a few ideas, on how to use deli ingredients to prepare very easy canapés to serve with drinks over the festive New Year period. Ham and Stem Ginger Wafers

Two packets of your favourite thin and crispy biscuits for cheese, very thinly sliced stem ginger in syrup, 300g ham shredded into pieces. Mix the ham with the thinly sliced ginger and a little of the syrup, spoon onto the biscuits

Chorizo and Celeriac Remoulade Rolls

Chorizo is a very salty meat and goes particularly well with creamy celeriac mixed with quality mayonnaise, choose garlic mayonnaise for an extra kick or keep it simple with ordinary mayo. Simply peel half a small celeriac and grate. Toss in lemon juice then mix with salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons double cream. Then spread onto the meat and roll up, secure with a cocktail stick.

Sweet cheesy stuffed figs

Figs and Christmas just go together and this recipe uses Docelatte cheese, which is a sweet tasting soft blue veined cheese. You will need 16 soft dried figs, 8 teaspoons Dolcelatte cheese, 8 sliced prosciutto and chopped parsley. Simply remove the hard core from the figs to leave a pocket and fill with the soft creamy cheese, wrap each fig in a slice of the ham and secure with a cocktail stick. Sprinkle over the parsley. Enjoy with a chilled glass of bubbly.

Happy New Year from everyone at The Fat Goose

Come and pay us a visit and we will show you the changes we have made to the Goose

Shop and Deli open every day

Coffee and Bar Lounge open every day for drinks and snacks

Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday

We look forward to seeing you

A CHANGE FROM MINCE PIES

THE MINCEMEAT CAKE

Ingredients 6 oz (150gm) of room soft butter

6 oz (150gm) sugar

2 medium sized eggs

9 oz (225gm) self raising flour

3 oz (75gm) of sultanas

A 1lb (400gm) jar of good mincemeat

a 23cm or 9” round baking tin

Place a piece of non-stick baking paper on the base of the tin or grease well. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream. Add the eggs one at a time and mix in well. Add the flour, the sultanas and the mincemeat and mix well. Pour into your tin, level the top and cook for about 75 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 160°C. Put a skewer or clean knife into the middle of the cake after about an hour. When cooked it should come out clean. Allow to cool and keep in an air tight tin.

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Firstly I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and thank all the parents/carers and children for their generous gifts and kind words over the festive period. I would like to welcome Stanley, Olly, William, Flo and all your families who are joining our Pre-school this month. I would also like to officially welcome Charlie and his family who joined us at the end of November. We all hope you enjoy your time within our Pre-school and we look forward to working with you and your families throughout your journey within Early Years Education. Theme Our theme when we return in January will be ‘Occupations/Helpers’. This is a great topic to involve some of you parents/carers to come in and talk to the children about what you do. If anyone within the local community or parent/carer would be willing to come in and help please let me know. Our Christmas Assembly WowP.I hope you were all as proud as I was!! What a wonderful performance the children put on both times. They were all so well-behaved, looked wonderful; they sang their hearts out and all took part with such pride. Thank you for the lovely costumes the children wore and thank you for coming to watch them. Both performances were full to the brim and it was so lovely to see all the extended families supporting their little stars. Also thank you to the Church and especially Reverend Pat Prestney for your help and support in letting us perform in such a lovely setting. You always are so accommodating and make us feel so welcome. And thank you again to the parents who made a donation to the Church. On the Monday night alone £80 was donated. Christmas Crib Festival Thank you to everyone who went along to the Christmas Crib Festival at St Mary’s Church. I hope you managed to spot ours amongst the wonderful display of them all. Christmas Party All the children had great fun at the Christmas party. They all joined in with games, a disco and a whole lot of Christmas fun from Jo Jingles, thank you to Beth who came along and helped entertain the children with Jo. After a great big party tea was supplied we all sat down to welcome Father Christmas who gave each child a gift. Thank you to all the parents and carers that supplied donations for the wonderful feast the children enjoyed. 2 Year Old Funding I would like to inform parents that the government is still providing opportunities to fund some 2 year olds and we are a registered provider of this scheme. There are certain criteria that 2 year olds or their families need to meet to enable funding and if any one of the criteria is met the child would be eligible for the Free Early Education Entitlement. Although the criteria can change at times a big part of the criteria at the moment is based around financial circumstances. If you feel that your 2 year old would benefit in coming to an Early Years Setting but you may need help to pay the fees and you receive any tax credits then please speak to myself or Allison in confidence who will talk you through the criteria. Pre-school Assistant Vacancy We are looking for a Pre-school assistant to join our friendly team. Initially this is a relief position covering holidays and sickness, with the possibility of covering maternity leave after Easter 2015. Applicants must be very flexible and will need to be able to work at short notice. We would prefer candidates to hold a level 3 qualification, however applicants with a level 2 will be considered. For a full description of job role and duties please log on to www.indeed.co.uk and enter ‘Pre-school Assistant’ and ‘Great Bentley’ into the search bar. You can either apply through this or send your CV into us at the Village Hall. Best Wishes and Happy New Year Julie Wiles

Great Bentley Pre-school

www.greatbentleypreschool.co.uk

information@greatbentleypreschool.co.uk

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PLANTS FROM THE PAST

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

“The holly and the ivy

When they are both full grown

Of all the trees that are in the wood

The holly bears the crown”

(extract taken from the traditional carol)

Strange as it may seem, I can find very little on holly especially regarding dates as to when it actually

arrived in Britain. As you know there are many varieties but I am going for Ilex aquifolium as

according to my archives, this could be the variety that was first grown and used during medieval

times and earlier.

In those days it was thought that the holly had magical properties and had to be approached with

caution - “it could be a friend or it could cause disaster”. Holly wood was used to keep unfriendly

spirits away, it was also good for warding off ailments afflicting children and animals and within the

confines of the Christian religion it symbolized the passion and crucifixion of Christ - milk-white

flowers, blood-red berries, prickles as sharp as thorns and bark bitter as gall.

It was considered bad luck to burn it, chop is down, cut off branches and definitely not to bring it

indoors other than at Christmas. For all that it did not stop hungry country dwellers experimenting

with it, discovering you could make an effective bird-lime with the juice of the bark mixed with oil.

Not like today, Christmas lasted the whole twelve days, beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on

the Twelfth Night. All midwinter evergreens were treated with respect as it was thought that they all

had magical powers - holly (which featured at every Saturnalia), yew and laurel were used to cover

every possible surface and a huge bunch of evergreens, the Christmas Bush, was hung from the

ceiling.

Like we consider the ‘lion to be the king of the forest’ there was a battle for mastery between holly

and ivy, holly always wins, since it was considered to be the masculine plant, ivy the feminine.

“A! the holy grouth grene

With ive all alone

When flowerys can not be sene,

And grene wode levys be gone.

Grene growith the holy, so doth the ive

Thow wynter blastys blow never so hye,

Greene growith the holy.

(attributed to Henry VIII expressing perennial struggle within nature)

Ivy (feminine!) is another magical plant - either good or ill. It was one of the herbs of St John as any

plant that grows in late autumn was thought to have strange powers. As the ivy was considered

unlucky only at the precise duration of Christmas was the ivy brought into the home and it had to be

outside again no later than 6 January.

The ivy had many prosaic uses - in the laundry, as a cure for corns and burns, swollen glands and

dropsy and a protector of livestock. At sometime or other, we have all suffered with sunburn but

this complaint goes as far back as the Anglo-Saxons ‘for sunburn boil in butter, tender ivy twigs,

smear therewith’. This dates back to around 900 and was written on vellum!.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

Sylvia Steed

Bibliography: ‘Medieval Flowers’ by Miranda Innes and Clay Perry

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The spirit of Goodwill! A miserable few days in late November was lit up (pardon the pun) by the team from Plummer Electrical erecting the Christmas tree and lights. I guess most of us take the lights as part of the year’s events. It is a time to remember that all this happens in the slick way that it does because of Kevin and Matt Plummer and all those who helped. The many hours of work is taken on year in and year out free of charge – a good example of goodwill in the village. This year’s switch on was again handed over to the youngsters and this was preceded by a carol singing session led by Scarlet Moorcroft whose voice drifted far and wide over the village green. Father Christmas was in attendance and even 5 minutes of snow was recorded! A large gathering of villagers including many children and young at heart attended to enjoy the mulled wine and snacks that were on offer, prepared by Jackie Plummer and her helpers. The evening was rounded off by fireworks and the tree was supplied this year by Mr. George Wright.

The Spirit of Goodwill – Part 2

The previous night at Aingers Green the tree light switch on took place at Fir Tree Corner. This was attended by carol singers and a goodly number of residents and afterwards a procession took place to the Fusiliers for Christmas refreshments. Thanks are extended to George Wright for the tree and to David Shipp and his team for erecting the tree and lights which this year looks quite wonderful.

The Spirit of Goodwill – Part 3

Today many of us had the pleasure of a free Christmas lunch with bubbly jointly supplied by the Gibbon and Moorcroft family at Restaurant 43. A wonderful gesture for the pensioners of Great Bentley and thoroughly enjoyed by all those who attended – well done to all those in the preparation and serving of the turkey Christmas dinner. The turkey was supplied by David Gibbon and the venue by the Moorcroft family who all joined in with the serving and the wellbeing of all those who attended. The staff donated their tips to the Evergreens and gave their services free. Nothing was missing – even a seasonal snow shower took place during the meal. Thank you all for this special gesture of goodwill. Michael Dorling

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS FLOWER DECORATIONS

and the legends behind them. The Bible and its traditions provide us with a wealth of stories concerning flowers, many of which are associated with the birth of Jesus. When the Angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she had been chosen as the Mother of Jesus, he carried a lily in his hand to signify innocence and purity. The lily has since been regarded as the special flower of the Virgin Mary. Flowers of the countryside have become involved in the story of the birth of Jesus in the stable. One legend says that Jesus was placed in a manger filled with sainfoin and the next morning the dry hay had blossomed and the baby was surrounded by its beautiful red flower. Since then sainfoin has been known as “Holy Hay”. Another legend says that Mary later prepared the crib with a white variety of Lady’s Bedstraw. The humble plant was so honoured that its white flowers became golden. When Mary spread the baby Jesus’ swaddling clothes over a rosemary bush, “to dry in the sweet of the morning”, it flowered profusely with a wonderful scent, and the traditional white flowers became a beautiful purple. Another story about rosemary was that it gave Mary and Joseph protection from Herod’s soldiers when they were fleeing Egypt. Also on their flight from Egypt, Mary and Joseph are said to have stopped to admire a shimmering field of flax, when a farmer warned them of Herod’s soldiers. There was nowhere to hide but the flax parted to make a cradle for Jesus. Ever since, flax has been blessed and abundant in the countryside. The best known Christmas plant is the holly. Apparently a holly tree grew close to the stable, but had no red berries as they had all been eaten by the birds. When the tree saw the star over the cradle, it burst into blossom and produced a wonderful display of scarlet berries in honour of the new born King. From that time on the tree’s reward was to be evergreen and to produce berries at this time of year. This story also explains why we like to put a star at the top of our Christmas tree.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDANCE ON FESTIVE SONGS

Jingle Bells Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh O’er the fields we go Laughing all the way. A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a nuisance. While Shepherds watched Their flocks by night All seated on the ground The angel of the Lord came down And glory shone around The Union of Shepherds has complained that it breaches their health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year that they should watch their flocks via CCTV cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts. Please note, the angel of the Lord is reminded that before shining his/her glory all around she/he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory.

Little Donkey Little Donkey, on the dusty road Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load. The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load that a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry; also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear FFP2 dust masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled ‘little’ and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights. We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar Field and fountain, moor and mountain Following yonder star. Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as ‘cash for gold’ etc. gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipient’s name or perhaps give a gift voucher. We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC route-finder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Dust masks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves.

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Year 2 made a superb crib for the Crib Festival at St Mary’s Church recent event. The church was aglow with lit cribs and we enjoyed being part of it.

“Which Child wouldn’t want to learn here?”

Update on the Read to Feed Challenge—the final amount raised allows the school to send a Goat—this will have a life changing impact to the family who receive it, so well done for all that reading.

Y6 Trip to the Princes Theatre On Wednesday 3 December Y6 had a visit to the Princes Theatre in Clacton. We had a very thorough tour and got to act, sing and dance. Kai, the Theatre Manager, showed us all the different lights and their purposes. Did you know all of the power used is enough to power three lighthouses?

We all got the chance to act on stage. We are writing thank you letters to Kai and hope to see him again soon. By Lizzie Sparling.

That was the quote from the Local Government inspector who visited in December, he also spoke about the engaging curriculum and wonderful opportunities for the children. By the time you read this issue we would have broken up for our Christmas holidays—this term has been as busy as ever. The school has been decorated beautifully and we particularly love our own fireplace. The PTA organised an amazing Christmas Fair on Thursday 4 December, which we hope some of you could come and enjoy. This year each class ran their own stall, p la nn ing , ma k ing a nd managing the whole project—Alan Sugar would have been impressed by the creativity. Lots to do and fun to be had and a special treat this year the Salvation Army Band!

Snapshot News: • Seasonal round-up • Reception Assembly • Read to Feed Update • Year 6 Trip to

Princes Theatre • Music Concert

January 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM US ALL

Termly Music Concert On 5th December parents of performers were invited into school by Nikki Turner, our new Music Co-ordinator. Music filled the hall and we were delighted by some excellent festive pieces. Recorders, Flutes, Guitars, Piano, Cornet, Violins, Drums; we were treated to them all. Mrs Caffull even joined in on the recorder when one pupil had stage fright! The commitment and dedication to their musical instrument tuition was evident and many certificates were awarded for practice ethic. Jingle Bells were all around and we really were ‘Walking in the Air’ as they finished and we enjoyed tea and mince pies.

Reception’s Assembly This was their first assembly at school. It showed us all about what they’ve learnt about space. They showed us their very own planets, rockets and aliens! It was finished with a song about aliens. We all know they worked very, very, very hard. I think they might have given us the best assembly so far this term! They wrote it themselves – WOW! By Lizzie Sparling.

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The 12 Days of Christmas

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge that won't come out of the pear tree, have to do with Christmas? For the answers, read on. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The five golden rings recalled the Torah, or Law.... the first five books of the Old Testament. The six geese 'a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit -- Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit -- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. The twelve drummers drumming symbolised the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

May God grant you Peace & Happiness

throughout this Christmas Season!

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Great Bentley Parish Council Grants Great Bentley Parish Council has a limited budget for grant funding and wishes to invite local charities and not for profit organisations to register expressions of interest for a local grant. The contribution made by the many organisations and individuals to the well-being of the local community is recognised by the Council as important. The purpose of any grants provided by the Council is to support initiatives in the local community and to help create opportunities for the residents of Great Bentley and Aingers Green and Flag Hill that are not, as a matter of course, self-funding or funded by the Council. All applications for Grants are required to be made on an annual basis justifying the need for the future year. It is unlikely that the amount for any individual award would exceed a maximum of £500. P l eas e c o n tac t t h e P a r i s h C l e r k clerk@greatbentleyparishcouncil.co.uk or tel. 01206 256410 for an application form. The deadline for completed applications is 31 December 2015.

THANK YOU Thank you, to all those kind people who donated their time and more to make our 'Christmas Lights' celebrations a date for the diary in Great Bentley. There are so many events that would not occur in this village were it not for the generosity of a few. The weekends before the event hanging lights, the tree being made secure and then on the day a marquee to be erected, food and drink to be moved, heated and served and the brilliant fireworks at the end. We are all very lucky to have you, you know who you are. THANK YOU! The Herbert Family

CHOIR FROM SCRATCH

CALLING ALL SINGERSMM.

Sunday 21st December

St Mary’s Church Carol Service

You are invited to join us at 2.00pm on 21st December in Church. We will practice the carols that afternoon. No experience necessary and you do not have to attend church to be involved. We will then perform at the Carol Service that evening at 6.30pm. Do join us, you will be very welcome. Fiona Bodmer 01206 251321

NEW ADVERTISERS

We welcome some new advertisers to our magazine for 2015. Ellie Lonsdale, Mobile Beauty Service is featured on page H and includes prices for the various treatments. Pilates East Anglia on page S will give you information on the type of classes and where you can attend. A small article was featured in the December issue on page 24. Mario’s Restaurant at Tenpenny Hill has become Soranos, serving traditional breakfasts, and Sunday roasts with Italian food at lunch time and in the evenings, see page 34 Storage is on offer locally and also storage for caravans, trailers etc page 34. LANDROVER OWNERS ALERT JA 4x4 was started in 1980 and taken over by the current owners 10 years ago and

is based at Unit 9, Brampton Hall Farm, Ravens Green,

CO7 8TA. They specialise in Land Rovers, the older

models preferred and undertake full restorations and any

service work including MOTs. They have the full

diagnostic sets available and spares for every model of Land

Rovers – from 1948 to present day. See page S.

We also have Oven Cleaning on page I, Music 4 Your Ears,

a mobile Disco, page 34 and Tas’s Alterations, a seamstress

in our village also featured on page 34.

PEOPLE’S POST CODE LOTTERY

I have recently received a letter addressed to me at my home address. It is titled “People’s Post Code Lottery” in different colours. Underneath this title is printed “Winning Notification”, “Audit Control Number” and “I. D. Number”. It goes on to say I have won £825,000. I have to make contact to pay a fee. I have to pay a processing fee!! There are phone, fax and email addresses.

THIS IS A SCAM. If you receive one bin it.

Some of these telephone numbers divert you to a

premium line that costs around £12,000 per minute. YES you have read this correctly. Another tip, do not phone back a number you do not recognise, because even if you are just on for a second, you will get charged the full minute. If somebody needs to speak to you, they will phone you back. Whatever you do, do not give out any personal information or bank account details to anyone, especially over the phone. Dave Stevens

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GREAT BENTLEY YOUTH FOOTBALL We have reached the half way point of the season and it’s great to report that our teams are enjoying a fantastic season. Great Bentley Youth football club has become one of the most successful clubs in our area. All of our teams have very healthy squad sizes and we are constantly being asked if we can accommodate additional lads from parents keen to get their children involved with the club. Indeed, many of our teams have lads who are just happy to be training with the club even though at this stage there is not room for them to sign on for the league teams. This is great for the future of the club and then hopefully the future of the men's teams as well. You can see full details of our teams results and league standings either on the Great Bentley Youth football club website or directly on the Colchester and Essex Youth football website. It promises to be an exciting second half of the season for many of our teams with possible league promotions or a good cup run on offer. Mark's under 12's team have had quite a turnaround in fortunes this season. After securing promotion last season they found it tough in the higher league early on but have since been on a great winning run that has seen them climb to the top of the league! Bailey Farley has been in great goal scoring form lately and the whole team have been playing exceptionally well.

Also a special mention for two of our mini soccer teams as at the time of writing this report the Under 8's Blues and the Under 10's teams have remained unbeaten through all of there games this season. A terrific effort well done boys! The mini soccer teams now enjoy a well deserved mid season break. The games will start again at the beginning of February.

From all at the club we would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year, and thank you all for your continued support.

Rob

FOOTBALL CLUB NOTES Results and Fixtures 2014-15. Reserves (Essex & Suffolk Border League Division 2): 29

th Nov away University of Essex Res

(Reserve K.O. Cup Rd 1), 2-6; 6

th Dec away Weeley Athletic, 1-3;

13th Dec home Cinque Port, 0-2;

20th Dec home Team Brantham;

3rd

Jan home Earls Colne Res; 10

th Jan away Horkesley;

17th Jan away Cinque Port;

24th Jan away Bradfield Rovers Res;

31st Jan away Dedham Old Boys Res.

Great Bentley Veterans (North Essex Veterans League): 29

th Nov away Metpol (Chigwell)

(County Cup) 0-3; 6

th Dec home AFC Wivenhoe Vets, 2-3;

13th Dec home Holland F. C. Vets, 3-2;

3rd

Jan home Beacon Hill Rovers Vets; 10

th Jan home Oyster Vets;

17th Jan home Halstead Vets.

All Border League and Veterans games are on Saturdays, kick-off 2 p.m., unless stated. Prior to the game against Cinque Port the teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of former Great Bentley manager and long-time supporter, Nigel Bareham, who passed away recently. Nigel was an absolute gentleman, and one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. His passion for football began at the old Great Holland F.C., where he became one of their longest-serving players. He had a spell as manager of Walton Town before coming to Bentley, and will be greatly missed by his many friends in the game. After three months of trauma at the start of this season, recent weeks, under the new regime, have been incredibly calm. New manager, Julian Buda has selected a squad from our most reliable players, and has been rewarded with a full turnout at every game. Both manager and club are now working towards an agenda, which will restore a sense of pride in playing for, and supporting, Great Bentley F.C. Already we have seen a new spirit in the team and, without getting too carried away this early, I am quietly confident that I will be able to report on sound progress, month by month. The Veterans’ good run came to an end at Metpol (Chigwell) in the County Cup, a game of missed chances by all accounts, and a depleted Bentley then suffered a narrow defeat at home to A.F.C. Wivenhoe. They returned to winning ways, however, with a 3-2 win against Holland F.C., and are still riding high in the N.E.V.L. The Vets have acquitted themselves well in their new venture and, apart from their successes on the pitch, have reintroduced training to the club, and brought a welcome camaraderie and bon viveur to the clubhouse.

The annual Past versus Present takes place on Thursday 1

st January at 12 noon, on The Green,

and usually provides the perfect finale to a week of over indulgence and merry-making. Lucky Team Winner December: G.Marlow (Liverpool) £25. Stoner.

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Diary for January

Dec 31st NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH at the Plough Inn, p. 7

Mon 5th WEA Starts, p. 8

Thurs 8th METHODIST PARENT & TODDLER GROUP starts

Thurs 8th HISTORY SOCIETY, Village Hall.

Thurs 8th PLANNING COMMITTEE & PARISH COUNCIL MEETING,

7.15 and 7.30pm, Village Hall

Sat 10th CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING, p.21

Tues 13th MESSY CHURCH, Methodist Church, 3.30pm

Tues 13th ART CLUB, Workshop with Lesley Sheldon, Village Hall, 10-4pm

Wed 14th EVERGREEN FRIENDSHIP CLUB LUNCH, p.23

Thurs 15th PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP, Village Hall, 6.30pm

Thurs 15th W.I. NEW YEAR’S EVENING MEAL

Thurs 15th MAGAZINE DEADLINE

Tues 20th LUNCHEON CLUB, Methodist Church

Tues 20th GARDENING CLUB, Village Hall, 8pm

Wed 25th EVERGREEN FRIENDSHIP CLUB, p. 23

Wed 28/Thurs 29/Fri 30th/Sat 31st A VICAR OF DIBLEY, Village Hall, 7.30pm

Thurs 29th WINE TASTING GROUP, details 01206 252157.

Thurs 29th CARNIVAL COMMITTEE MEETING, 8pm, Scout Hut

Fri 30th MAGAZINE COLLATING, Vestry Room, 9am