Nursling & Rownhams

Village News

St Boniface Church by Rita Cox

Week 9 29 May 2020

A Newsletter for all in the Parish of Nursling and Rownhams

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Editorial

Welcome to the ninth digital edition of the Village News. Thank you to all who have sent us articles and photographs this week on a variety of topics.

At the beginning of lock down, I commented that our village was resembling a huge car boot sale or the ‘Middle of Lidl’ with all the boxes of ‘Help Yourself’ boxes. It is pleasing to see that this habit has continued, showing a real community spirit. Long may it continue! I have also been amused at the range of things ‘Offered’ or ‘Wanted’ on social media. It appears that nothing is unwanted or unavailable in Nursling and Rownhams! Offered: rubble, plant pots, ramekin dishes, trampolines – all gone the same day. Some of the ‘Wanted’ requests have had me shaking my head: surely such niche items won’t be available in such a small population? However, I have been proved wrong every time. Specific type of electric cable? Four immediate offers. Spare tent pegs? First response: ‘Do you want metal or plastic?’ And my favourite so far: ‘Does anyone have a spinning wheel I could have or borrow?’ Two offers within an hour!

It has been suggested that anyone in the village who has items to give away should put them by their gate/drive tomorrow Saturday 30th May between 10am and 4pm and that everyone should walk around the village picking up what they fancy – adhering to current Government health advice. Perhaps this could give Mr Rambler inspiration for his next walk!

With some year groups returning to school this week, it would be interesting to hear how you and your children feel about that. Do let us know what you think about the return to school, or about anything else you are interested in or concerned about. We would especially like to hear from our younger readers and welcome both written and visual contributions.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the editors

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The Sinking of the Titanic April 1912 - a Nursling and Rownhams Connection

On 15th April 1912, more than a hundred years ago, the Titanic rammed an iceberg on her maiden voyage to New York which caused her to sink in less than 3 hours taking the lives of approximately 1,200 of the 2,200 passengers and crew on board.

The loss of life was particularly felt in Southampton, home to many of the officers and crew, and great hardship was suffered by the many families who had lost their loved ones and breadwinners.

A historic link of the tragedy to Nursling & Rownhams is that one crew member survivor was a previous owner of the property Ferndown in Greenhill Lane, Toothill, which is now our home.

He was Alfred Pugh born in Southampton in 1891. He joined the ship as a third class steward with his brother Percy who was a leading fireman. Alfred Pugh was saved in lifeboat No 14 but his brother perished. A third brother had to turn back as the ship was due to depart and fortunately missed the sailing.

According to Pam Ward who, as a member of the Sibley family, was a close neighbour, Alfred Pugh became Postmaster at Maybush Post Office where he was employed during the Second World War. He and his wife bought Ferndown bungalow in Greenhill Lane in 1954, presumably upon his retirement from the GPO.

On 20th July 1955, he wrote a letter about his experiences when the ship struck the iceberg and the sequence of events which followed. At the time of the impact he was playing cards with others in his room until called to help passengers. He helped load passengers into lifeboats Nos 15, 16 and 18 before he and the loading crew were detailed to man lifeboat No 14 for rowing and other duties. When they were clear of the ship, they could hear voices in the distance: people still on deck singing the hymn 'Eternal Father Strong to Save'.

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58 Passengers from boat 14 were transferred to other boats and they then went searching for survivors after Titanic had gone down. They and the survivors were taken on board the rescue ship, Carpathia.

Alfred Pugh died in 1962, leaving his wife Annie May Pugh to deal with the further misfortune of their home catching fire in the winter of 1962/63. This incident is reported in the Echo dated 16 January 1963. The Fire Brigade saved much of the property but the roof was almost completely destroyed. The account describes neighbours helping Mrs Pugh, in the snow, to recover her possessions from the smouldering building. The scorch marks on the ground floor boarding remain as evidence of the blaze.

Brian Sibley tells me that his grandfather worked for Henly’s car hire business before the 1st World War. They took passengers to join the Titanic on her maiden voyage and also collected them when they eventually returned: no-one wanted to talk about their survival experiences.

Norma & John McGinty, Ferndown

(When eventually life returns to some kind of normality, a visit to

Sea City Museum to visit Southampton’s Titanic Story exhibition

in Sea City Museum is well worth it. Over 500 hundred

households in Southampton lost a family member in the

disaster. When you walk around Southampton, you can see

several monuments to the Titanic such as the Engineers’

Memorial. - Ed)

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Scouts Hike to the Moon – and back!

As part of the BBC Big Night In, members of

Scouting were set the task to, collectively,

walk the distance to the moon. In the process

we would get sponsorship and donations

towards the Covid-19 response by Children in

Need and Comic Relief.

Up and down the country members of

Scouting, young and old, together with their families set about it

with energy and determination. Some did socially distanced

walks around the area, others, following the example of Captain

Tom, did laps of their garden. Distances

were recorded on-line, with the result that

we didn’t just hike to the moon, but we got

back again too – a massive 480,000 miles!

In the process £348,000 was raised which,

with matched funding from the

government, meant that £696,000 was

donated to the charities supported by

Children in Need and Comic Relief. Well done and thank you to

all who were involved or sponsored us.

Following on from this many of our Beavers are

doing their Space activity badge, with some tasks

done together, via Zoom, and others carried out

at home.

Randell McKay

Group Scout Leader

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Want to Learn the Ukelele?

So, you’ve always wanted to play a musical instrument.

Now is the time to learn to play the ukulele.

What could be better? You have time, a need for diversion and community and have access to an inexpensive musical instrument.

I have to declare an interest. I lead the Romsey Ukulele Group who, until lockdown, met every week at the Romsey Golf Club. We’ve been going for six years now and the membership has grown from around 16 players to a current average of 100 people having a great time together every Wednesday.

Even with lockdown, we meet up for a virtual meeting on Zoom, with people leading us through terrific songs with the rest of us playing along and having fun.

So, what do you need? A ukulele is probably essential – you can get a perfectly playable instrument for around £30 on the internet. There are loads of tutorials on YouTube to get you started, and with a bit of application you’ll soon have 6 chords under your belt – this is enough to get you playing all kinds of music, from the Beatles to Taylor Swift.

Best of all, the world of the ukulele is wonderfully non-judgemental. You play what you can, and smile. Smiling is a given with the ukulele, it doesn’t matter whether you are playing or listening, you have to smile.

So, if you are a Ramones fan, or prefer Doris Day, the ukulele can be the way into playing music. When the lockdown is over, we’ll be back at 7pm every Wednesday evening at Romsey Golf Club with a big welcome for newcomers and classes for complete beginners.

Give it a go – you’ll soon be terrorising every family gathering!

If you would like more help or information, you can contact me at robharvey33@yahoo.co.uk.

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A letter from the vicar

I wonder how you have manged in the last 10 weeks since lockdown began. It’s been challenging for all of us as we have adapted to a completely new environment and way of doing things. We knew that there was a terrible disease to fight and we all needed to play our part by beginning lockdown overnight. Coming back from those deepest days of lockdown is not going to be easy. The close down was clear. How to begin again will be less straightforward. It seems that new patterns are now falling into place. There is the obvious desire to get back to a more normal way of life, but it’s tricky to work out the best way back.

And yet, change once again is in our midst. At our primary schools, preparations are being made to welcome children back to school. The task of getting things ready for classes of fifteen children in different year groups is huge. It presents a massive logistical challenge and will undoubtedly emotionally affect both teachers, parents and children as this will not be ‘normal’ school. The underlying issue is that there are more uncertainties than many of us can imagine. Our thoughts and prayers go with children parents and staff. In the end we can all simply do our best.

For me personally, the lockdown came only 6 months after I moved into Rownhams -.not much time to get to know people. So, my apologies if you have given me a nod whilst I have been walking around and I have vaguely responded, not sure who everyone is.

During our time in lockdown many people have made both of our churches a destination point for daily walks. It’s not been easy to simply walk around a church without being able to go inside. You may have also noticed that St Johns has lost bits of stone masonry which have come away from the church tower. We have cordoned this off and are awaiting advice from experts on how to remedy the situation. We would ask that you are careful to stay away from the church tower when in the proximity of the building. In St Boniface Church the same is

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also true, though the masonry is falling inside and not outside. These wonderful churches that have so long been sources of God’s presence and love in our communities have themselves, rather like many of us, struggled to keep things together over the last few weeks.

Maybe during the lockdown, you have had moments of struggle, anxiety and fear. Maybe also, you have experienced neighbourliness, good cheer and support from others. I’m not certain that any of us can emerge from lockdown the same people. Some have experienced profound isolation, which still continues, some have lost and buried loved ones in the most difficult of circumstances. As we emerge from lockdown, we will need to find time to continue to support each other and let each other tell stories of what it was like for us.

Maybe lockdown has brought you to a point that makes you question what is going on in your life. Where was God in all of this? Maybe as many have, you would like the chance to explore faith, ask questions, and share your point of view as you emerge from lockdown. If this is you, then we would love you to join us on-line for our virtual Alpha course. Alpha is a place to ask the big questions of life. Connect with others online to watch a series of episodes and explore the Christian faith together. It will start on Tuesday 3rd June at 19:30. If you would like to join then please contact me directly at twinspiresvicar@gmail.com

Alternatively, you are very welcome to join our online live streamed services on our Facebook page at ‘Twinspires - St John's and St Boniface - on Sundays at 10:00am.

Finally, if you would like to talk or pray about anything that has happened or that you have experienced over the last few months, or any other area of life, please do get in touch using my email twinspiresvicar@gmail.com

God bless and take care.

Rev Graeme Dixon

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Twinspires News

Our church buildings are currently closed, but as a church family, we continue to pray, to love, to care for the vulnerable, and build our communities.

Join us on Facebook at 10am on Sunday mornings for our contemporary live streamed service. You can also view our traditional services on the church YouTube channel. See the links page on our website https://twinspires.org.uk/links.html for details and links to our other services and midweek events.

There are some picture quizzes for families as they walk round the area too.

Alpha Course

What – A chance to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal way, all from the comfort of your home.

How - Each session runs as a virtual meeting (using Zoom) and involves watching an inspirational video focussing on different elements of the Christian faith and openly exploring the questions it provokes in smaller groups. No question is a silly one, and you can get involved as little or as much as you like.

When - The first session is on Tuesday 2 June at 7.30pm. For more details or to sign up email office@twinspires.org.uk or phone 023 80738293 and leave a message.

Twin Spires News - the June edition of the church magazine for this parish is now available via the website; www.twinspires.org.uk,

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Yay!

The kiddies all go out to play They’re in their gardens every day They’re sad because they miss their mates They miss their daily playground games And throwing things and calling names But time with parents compensates

They do not miss the stifling dust The houses of the National Trust The boring things that grownups say No more, for now, the dreaded news Of wandering shops and trying shoes So all the kids go ‘Yay!’

And all those things from which they’re free Like adults they no longer see They’re oh so glad they’ve gone away That dentist, dread of every child No haircuts, let the stuff grow wild And all the kids go ‘Yay!’

And who knows when our Aunty Jen Will once again be really free To question, question endlessly Regarding what they learned today The woman’s clearly off her head She says they must be missing school And how exams are really cool Instead the kids go ‘Yay!’

Then Grandma phones and wonders when She’ll see her babies once again She fears it will be many a day She lists the things she really misses Endless hugs and sloppy kisses (what a welcome freedom this is) All the kids go ‘Yay!’

They gallop in the local park They stay up late until its dark They wander in the woodland nooks Conquer worlds in wondrous books

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Explore this life with curious eyes (the young can often be so wise) And when this thing has gone away Their agile minds will surely see That once freed from captivity We revel in our being free And we will all say ‘Yay!’ © Jon Sims 2020

Cartoon credit: Jon Sims

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Old Postcards

We have a few more postcards from the past to interest you thanks to

Peter Ransom. St John’s Nursing Home below taken June 6 1909 in is

still just about recognisable – more tarmac, less lawn now - whilst only

the presence of the children in their Victorian clothing really dates the

view of St Boniface Church, Nutshalling (now Nursling).

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My New Hobby

There are a couple of things I should say about me before I start this. I am not a walker, at least not for many years and I have a mild case of cynophobia.

My favourite exercise is swimming but this is not possible at the moment. Since we returned from our cruise, I have been trying to exercise most days. As we do not have either a home gym or a bike this means I need to get exercise as best I can using the local facilities. In other words, I have taken up walking!

I have discovered parts of Nursling and Rownhams that I never knew existed. Previously all my trips have been by car and so I have only visited the places I have had to go to. The walking is great as I am learning how lovely our village is and where all the hills are. From where we live, I have to either start by going uphill or end by going uphill. Actually, I always seem to end by going uphill: it doesn’t seem to matter which way I start. My conclusion is that this is due to living halfway up a hill.

Mostly I try to make circular walks on the basis I can always cut through somewhere if I get tired. Occasionally I do a “there and back again” walk but these can be problematical as I tend to walk too far out and then wonder how I am going to make it back.

My walks are not very long and my longest was 5.65km this morning when I walked down to the men’s shed and St. Boniface Church then back again. I was very pleased to make it back and looking forward to being able to do something else today.

On my walks or strolls I have always made a point of saying hello to other people who are out walking and by and large pass the time of day with a few people. This is quite useful as it gives me a few minutes rest and I have noticed that people always seem to have time for a quick chat. I am sure this is a result of the lockdown as we need all the, socially distanced, company we can get.

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I have noticed there are a lot of footpaths and whilst it is virtually impossible to get lost it would be nice to know where some of these paths lead before I start walking along them. Maybe the Parish Council could have a look at some signposting for the paths.

I keep finding green spaces that I didn’t know existed and have walked through Home Covert and round Fernyhurst Lake.

I like Fernyhurst, it is great to walk round because it is relatively flat and there is always something interesting to look at or people to talk to. Additionally, it is easy to adjust the length of walk by doing additional laps and afterwards it is a relatively flat walk home.

I enjoy walking in Home Covert but it would be nice to have “you are here dots” on the maps at the entrances and I have noticed some blue arrows but have no idea what they mean. I assume they are routes round Home Covert but I don’t know where they start and finish, it’s probably me not being very observant.

At the beginning I said that I have mild cynophobia. I can assure you this is not irrational but based on experience where dogs take one look at me and think “food” and in the past a border collie literally dragged me face down across a field, when it decided to chase a rabbit. I should say it was on a farm and I was walking it on a lead. So, I am very wary of dogs and for me a Labrador is like the hound of the Baskervilles.

Most of the dog owners I have encountered on my walks are good and keep their dogs under control, even if they are off the lead (I’m not sure if that’s the dog or the owner), or let them run loose in the park areas. All of them are convinced their dog is perfect and good with people, sadly that doesn’t always help me.

One dog came bounding over and as I stood frozen to the spot in the recreation ground behind the village hall, his owner assured me he was really good with people unless they were wearing a hat. Guess what? I was wearing a hat, so it was

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obviously my fault that the dog kept leaping up at me while I was trying to stay perfectly still. His owner apologised and after a while I was able to sort of make friends with the dog. Well at least we declared a truce!

On Saturday I got really freaked out by 2 dogs in Home Covert who came hurtling along the footpath. I froze and yelled get them off me! I was actually scared stiff bordering on abject terror. The owners eventually turned up and got the dogs away. There was no apology and I had to beat a retreat down another path which ended up being a dead end.

Further on I encountered some responsible dog owners, with well controlled dogs and I was able to interact quite well with their dogs. Another person asked me where my dog was, obviously assuming if you are in Home Covert you have to have a dog.

The point is that not everybody loves dogs and some of us are scared stiff of them. It would be nice if dog owners recognised this. As I said before most of the owners really do keep control of their dogs it’s just the odd one.

Brian Richards

(I consulted Phil Bundy, Chair of the Parish Council about the

signposting of footpaths. He recommended the site

https://maps.hants.gov.uk/rightsofwaydefinitivemap

If you type in the postcode, you will find information about the

footpath. Ed)

(PS, Brian, blue or green arrows indicate a footpath. If you

follow the arrows, certainly in Home Covert, you shouldn’t get

lost! Ed)

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Get Walking: Lord’s Wood

Nobody is sure which lord of which manor (Nursling or Chilworth?) lent his name to Lord’s Wood. In the same way that Nightingale Wood lost a chunk of itself to the golf course, Lord’s Wood has had a mighty bite removed by the housing estate of the same name, part of the area being subsumed into Southampton in 1967. The damage could have been worse if a proposed further development of buildings had gone ahead. (I seem to remember some connection with the University; any further info anybody?) It would also seem that there was a plan in 2011 to develop the woods as a forest park with car parking and a visitor centre. Probably best for us that this has come to nothing; this woodland is a local treasure and, without wishing to sound selfish, popular enough as it is.

There are two access points from the Rownhams side. There is the bridleway off Rownhams Lane, just across from the top of Baker’s Drove. Alternatively, there is a public footpath which starts across Rownhams Lane from Routs Way. The bridleway will take you down to Tanner’s Brook and up the other side, across another, smaller stream, eventually emerging onto a track which delineates the eastern side of the accessible woodland. This track leads from Coxford Road, near the Sports Centre, across to the motorway access bridge from Chilworth. The footpath from Routs Way also runs down to Tanner’s Brook before climbing directly to this motorway bridge. In between is approximately 2 square kms of beautiful woodland rising either side of Tanner's Brook, with hidden slopes and gullies presenting a constant change of scenery.

The woods are managed by the Forestry Commission with easy access along some major, metalled tracks and a maze of minor footpaths. Some of these can get muddy in wet weather but nothing good footwear can’t manage. On the Rownhams side, everything downhill will take you down to the brook. The area to the left of the bridleway has had some work done to make it more attractive to visitors although it is a frequent haunt of dubious off-road motorbiking enthusiasts. The burned out

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skeleton of one of their purloined steeds can occasionally be found. Don’t let this discourage you from exploring. The participants, assuming they are still in one piece, are usually long gone. Many of the small paths have been carved out by the more benign mountain bikers who have made this place their own paradise.

Tanner’s Brook makes for a nice waterside walk (more on this in a later issue). The larger area of woodland beyond the stream is a lovely place to explore mixed woodland and rhododendron thickets. The land generally rises to some grand houses near the motorway bridge. A navigational tip: the distant noise from the M27 is always to the north, with Tanner’s Brook flowing south. The eastern edge is bounded by that track from Chilworth to the Sports Centre. Just off the Sports Centre end can be found an iron age fort, Castle Hill, well hidden in the trees, although wear and tear has reduced it to almost nothing. The Roman road from Nursling to Winchester crossed from the Rownhams entrance to the bridleway, skirted the north edge of the trees in a sunken lane which still exists, crossed the fields to the stream and then ran up the hill to Chilworth. A 40 metre section can still be found in the area known as Dymer’s Wood (if you know where to look!) and the final climb along the public footpath to Chilworth is along the route of the road.

Take yourself off to Lord’s Wood, lose yourself for a few hours and enjoy the birds and, if you are lucky, deer, badgers, squirrels and the occasional, impressive mound of wood ants. A beautiful place for a walk and another example of how lucky we are to live where we do.

Mr Rambler

Defibrillators can be found outside

The Village Hall in Nursling Street and Community Centre in Horns Drove

Someone not breathing or breathing erratically? Call 999. Do CPR Ask someone else to go

and get the defibrillator. 999 will give them the code to access the equipment. Follow the

spoken instructions given by the defibrillator.

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Recipe of the Week

Crunchy, Spicy Coleslaw

Ingredients

¼ White Cabbage

¼ Red Cabbage

1 Medium Carrot

1 Medium Raw Beetroot

½ Red Onion

3 Radishes

2 – 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise

½ Lemon, Juice Only

1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

Salt and Pepper

Method

Grate the cabbage, carrot, beetroot, onion and radishes into a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chilli, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Delicious with anything from the grill or BBQ. Rob Harvey

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History Quiz

1. Which emperor was responsible for the Roman colonisation of Britain?

2. Which battle took place three weeks after the Battle of Stamford Bridge?

3. Which English king got the cross channel ferry from Southampton to fight the French at Agincourt?

4. Which two wives lost their heads over Henry VIII?

5. Which British leader insisted on being depicted ‘warts and all’ in a portrait?

6. What did Jethro Tull invent?

7. Who wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol?

8. Which new form of entertainment first took place in Leicester Square in 1896?

9. What British achievement was announced on the same day that the current queen was crowned in March 1953?

10. What did Thomas Telford and James Watt have in common?

Answers will be provided next week

Answers for last week’s Quiz

1. The Danube

2. The Blue Nile and The White Nile

3. The Trent and the Ouse

4. River Wye

5. The Caribbean

6. The Mississippi

7. The Mekong

8. Australia

9. The Fleet

10. The Caspian (meaning that Europe’s largest river basin never feeds into an ocean!)

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Tommy Cooper Hour

Conjunctivitis.com - now that’s a site for sore eyes.

Exit signs? They are on the way out.

Black Beauty? He’s a dark horse.

Batman walked up to me and smashed a plate on my head and said ‘T’pow!’. I said, ‘Don’t you mean Kapow?’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’ve got china in my hand.’

I was in the jungle and saw a monkey with a tin opener. I said ‘You don’t need that to peel a banana.’ He said, ‘I know: this is for the custard.’

I went to Debenhams and asked if they had any net curtains. He said, ‘No, they’ve all got VAT on them.’ I said, ‘That’s gross.’

Rownhams Jigsaw Exchange

Thank you to everyone for the continued support for the Jigsaw Exchange and for some very kind comments: doing jigsaws is definitely helping some villagers endure a difficult time, particularly those who are shielding and have been doing so for some time.

Last weekend, the Exchange reached a peak of 5 boxes thanks to some very generous donations, but we are back to 3 now. If you take a jigsaw without swapping, please return it when you’ve finished with it so that we can maintain a good range.

If you are having a turn out of your cupboards, please consider the Exchange if you find some puzzles you no longer want. Children’s jigsaws would be most welcome as it is sad to see the disappointed faces of kids who descend with enthusiasm on the boxes only to find all the jigsaws are for grown ups!

I have quarantined the Christmas jigsaws for now but they are available on the bench if anyone feels the need to complete an out of season puzzle!

Cath Potten