Author: The Parishioner

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My favourite recipe – Walnut Kisses

One of the joys I had growing up in the late 60’s/early 70’s was coming home from school on a Friday evening to find the kitchen full of wonderful yummy cakes which were being readied for the weekend. My maternal grandmother (Nonna) was from Italian stock; she was born in England but both her parents were Italian, and most of her family still spoke Italian at home. She married an Englishman (Charlie) and had 5 children. My mother was the oldest daughter after her brother, and as my grandfather was ill for much of her teens during the war, my mother became second mum to her younger siblings while Nonna worked, cooking as her mum had, in the Italian style with spaghetti etc. Consequently my brother and I grew up with an accomplished homely cook with a very rich palette of food – not fancy but very tasty.

Obviously our leanings were towards the sweet things. One of the best was a little biscuit called a ‘walnut kiss’ using coffee as the flavouring. Not particularly Italian but it sat right alongside the Victoria Sponge cake or crunchy biscuits which were also favourites. I share it with you as it was written in my mother’s recipe book – some of it you will need to play around with to get it ‘right’!

Walnut Kisses

  • 2oz butter/marg
  • 2oz sugar
  • 1 tsp coffee essence
  • 30z chopped walnuts
  • 3oz SR flour
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon

· Grease a baking tray and preheat the oven to Gas 6 200C, 400F.

· Cream the fat and sugar; beat in the coffee essence.

· Add the lemon rind and nuts.

· Mix in the flour and knead gently with fingertips (Author’s note: it is a dryish mix…if more moisture needed maybe add a drop of lemon juice?)

· Break into small pieces (about walnut size) and form into balls.

· Place on the grease baking tray, wide apart.

· Cook in the oven on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes

· Leave to cool and top with coffee water icing (made with icing sugar and coffee essence).

I have a note that this may be too hot an oven…with the advent of modern ovens the heat can probably be reduced to Gas 5 (190C) for and cooked for 12 minutes.

Guess what I’m going to be cooking this Friday evening!

By Jackie Scott

Would you like to share your favourite recipe? Send it to us at

parishioner@ash-vale.org.uk.

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Friday Night Isonation

The parishioner interviewed Stephen Worsfold, a local DJ who has been busy this year making Friday Nights a lot more fun for us all!

Q.          What is  Isonation?

It’s a bi-weekly live DJ set on a Friday evening from 7pm until 9pm

I love music, and started Isonation as a way of doing my bit while we were in lockdown, so people had something to look forward to on a Friday night.

Q.          Why the name Isonation?

I choose the name as it’s the two words “isolated nation”  – there are also other people using this name so I shorted it into ISONATION – something snappy !

Q.          How do I listen in?

You can either listen in live on a Friday night or you can visit this page to listen to the library of previous sets that are available online. You can also download the mixcloud app and create a free account then follow “isolation-live”.

Q.          What’s been your best experience in the last year running  Isonation?

I did a four and half hour set on New Years Eve 2020 that was my favourite evening.

Q.          How many users do you have listening in?

We have now gone international! We also get an average of 100 people listening in per week.

Q. What are your plans this Summer?

I have a big family, so we are taking a break for the Summer to enjoy time with the children, and will be back with our live sets in the Autumn term, 14th September. If you would like to listen to a sample of what we do, here is a link:

 www.mixcloud.com/isonation-live Enjoy!

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Faith, Hope and Love in Lockdown

News from the Amaha We Uganda team

If lockdown was hard for us here, imagine what it must be like for our friends over in Uganda at the moment. As I write, they are in full lockdown, and our team reports that it is the poorest of the poor who are really struggling to survive. We worry about the poorest in the communities—elderly widows for example—and we pray for the street children, who usually manage to eat each day by labouring in the market places. With the markets shut, they  have no way to make money to get something to eat.

The Amaha We Uganda Team have been instrumental in linking the most vulnerable poor to the local churches, and managing emergency food distribution. This is not the kind of work that they usually do  — after all, Amaha We Uganda is not a relief agency — but they have surrounded the most vulnerable with prayer, in their hour of need, and shown them love. Thank you to all of you in the UK who responded to the emergency appeal. You can  donate online here for this work, which is still ongoing: https://tinyurl.com/AWUcrisis

As if this wasn’t enough to be doing, William and his team are persevering with the unenviable task of planting trees. We have joined Bishop Nasen in his vision to have a tree nursery in each archdeaconry of the South Rwenzori Diocese – 13 in total. Three nurseries have already provided 33,500 saplings and are now in the process of being replanted to grow new saplings. Another five nurseries are under way in the areas of most need. This is a crucial project, since the trees they are planting are the future hope for the region. Reforesting the hills is vital  in maintaining farmable soil, locking away carbon, providing food & shelter and preventing disastrous land slides. The photo below shows some of the very first saplings that were handed out at the women’s conference at Ibanda, and planted on the slopes of The Rwenzori. They have grown beautifully. Can you help us to keep AWU going and plant some more trees please? A Tree nursery costs around £500. Every penny goes a long way in Uganda!  https://tinyurl.com/AWUganda  Thank you for your support!

For more information, blogs and photos: https://www.amahaweuganda.org/

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Neighbourly Reflections

Before lockdown I was very much challenged by a talk at church about how we can love our neighbours; and in fact asking whether we even know any of them. We were asked if we took note of who moved in and if we welcomed people into the street. Jesus was big on telling people to love their neighbour, but I’ve never really looked at it terms of the people in my street – I’ve always seen my neighbour as relating to the people I work with, the parents of my children’s friends etc, because I spend time with those people. We don’t tend to have connections with neighbours other than living next door and sharing a hedge/fence! So the challenge was a good one …. and then lockdown happened!

We have lived in our current house for 24 years and in Ash Vale for 34 years since our marriage. We know our immediate neighbours but have not spoken to many of the others in the street for most of that time – even though there have been comings and goings along the road over the years. I guess the reason I have always used is that our street has only got houses on one side of the road – we can’t look in neighbours’ windows and be nosy! And it makes things a little less easy to connect with those we live side by side with. When we went into lockdown, to my shame I did not dash along to all the neighbours and check that they were all OK – I have followed the isolation rules as was demanded because we have an elderly relative that we have ‘bubbled’ with and so we were not involved with other community initiatives during lockdown. Covid has thrown us all onto a new horizon; giving us new ways of looking at our locality; making us re-evaluate how we work and how we connect with friends and our neighbours. We did become acquainted with one or two via a nod and a ‘Hello!’ as we walked past on our way to pick up shopping from the Village, but that’s about as far as it went.

As the restrictions started to lift in April and May, we started to think outwards again and realised that over lockdown there had been three houses in our little patch alone that had sold and now had new people settling in. Having two sons who also moved during lockdown I appreciate just how difficult a thing it has been for people to move and find out about a locality in these times of restrictions. So things had to change – I no longer wanted to be an ostrich. The best way I know of connecting with people is through food, so we decided to hold a cream tea in the garden which we could do within the restrictions. We hand delivered invitations and invited all the neighbours in the small section of street near our home – about 10 invites in all – and waited. Even though we had left it really late to invite people, we got responses almost straight away and had about 8 families accept the invitation. I was very pleased. The day we chose to host our cream tea was one of the hottest in the late Spring which meant that we could all gather in our shady garden and drink tea, prosecco, wine and eat scones to our hearts content; but more importantly it connected all the households who came together. People were initially hesitant, but by the time the afternoon ended everyone knew who each other was  and which house they lived in. It was the first event of what I hope will be a continuing trend – how can we progress this? How can we really be neighbours to our neighbours?

How have you connected with your neighbours this last 18 months? I would love to know other peoples’ experiences – I want to pick up creative ways to be a good neighbour – to do what Jesus told me to do.

By Jackie Scott

Do you have a story about how you got to know your neighbours, or people being neighbourly? The Parishioner would love to hear from you. parishioner@ash-vale.org.uk

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Summer Ball 21st August 2021

Summer Ball in aid of the Children’s Society

The St Mary’s Ash Vale Children’s Society Support Group have pleasure in inviting you to a Summer Ball in aid of  The Children’s Society. It is the 140th Anniversary of this outstanding Children’s Charity in August and to mark the occasion and raise vital funds for them please come and join us on:

Saturday 21st August from 5.30 – 10pm

Ticket prices:  Adult £10 / Child £3.50

Tickets on sale now from Jan at jan@tompot.co.uk

Ticket price includes:

  • Fish and chip supper*,  from “The Big Fry”
  • Family Disco with DJ Martin
  • Special appearance from some young dancers

* Other alternatives will be available, please enquire

This is a ticket-only event. After costs, all remaining proceeds will go to The Children’s Society.

Message from our sponsor  Apteriors :

“Apteriors are delighted to be able to contribute towards The Children’s Society Summer Ball 2021; we love to create inspiring learning environments for children, and without the hope and happiness that The Children’s Society fights for, the seed of curiosity and inspiration cannot grow.”

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St Mary’s Church Details August 2021

St Mary’s Church, Ash Vale
Roots down… into the Gospel, walls down… into the community

Sunday Morning 10am Services: In the Vicarage Garden this Summer, or on Zoom. You are very welcome to join us in the vicarage garden, or for the zoom option simply email the Parish Administrator to receive the link, or find it on Facebook @StMarysAshVale. In the garden, please maintain social distance for safety. We must not mingle too closely so as to protect all those attending while COVID infection rates are still high. Please stay at home and use Zoom if you have COVID-19 symptoms). We look forward to welcoming you. 

Evensong Wednesdays 8pm: You can Zoom in to Evensong on Wednesday nights . Email the Parish Administrator to join our mailing list and receive the link. Keep in touch as arrangements are always evolving! parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Monthly Messy Church:

  •  Sun 26th Sept in church 4pm
  • 31st Oct Love & Light event
  • 6th Dec St Nic Lantern Walk.

Text Alex to book your place at Messy Church: 07730 609446

Vicar: Rev Neil Lambert, 203 Vale Road, Ash Vale, Surrey, GU12 5JE

email: revneil@me.com

Churchwardens: Martin Lindsay and Nikki Glover            

Hon. Treasurer: Patrick Brown

Parish Administrator: Jackie Scott         

E-mail parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Office Hours Tues 11am-4pm, Thurs 10am-3pm

Parish Office Mobile: 9am-5pm: 07863 311165

St Mary’s Community Centre

· Large hall & kitchen              

· Small hall & sink / coffee making  area

· Wheelchair accessible toilet

Bookings: Please contact the Parish Administrator for news. We are following latest Government and CofE guidance.

Ash Vale Chapel, Wharf Rd

(Joint project with Hants Surrey Border Methodist Circuit) www.ashvalechapel.com

Project Manager: 07730 609446

Parishioner Magazine Team:

Editors: Alex Sanderson & Neil Lambert

Advertising: Eileen Monds Collation: Alison Shewell   Distribution: Caroline Johnson

Contact the Parishioner team: parishioner@ash-vale.org.uk / Alex: 07730 609446

During the Pandemic we are publishing mainly online, via blog, online PDF, email and social media, with paper copies on request. Please collect your copy at St Mary’s or text us: 077309 609446  www.ash-vale.org.uk

We are hugely grateful to a small army of willing volunteers who contribute, collate, publish, email, print, bundle and deliver The Parishioner to all our readers!

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Help is at hand! Useful Phone Numbers

Here are some of the useful numbers you may need if you need support.

If you think we are missing a number please let us know.

Local Churches:

St Mary’s, Ash Vale – 07863 311165 (Parish Administrator’s Mobile)

The Chapel, Ash Vale –  07730 609446 (Project Manager’s Mobile)

St Peter’s, Ash – 01252 331161

Holy Angels, Ash – 01252 321422

St Paul’s, Tongham – 01252 782790

Continue reading “Help is at hand! Useful Phone Numbers”
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Modern Life

When I were a lad, in long socks and short trousers, I attended the village school.  This was a Church School where the local Rector was a significant member of staff.  One of the advantages of going to a church school was that we “scholars” would get a ½day holiday on Ascension Day after attending a Church Service to which we were taken in crocodile formation for the ¾mile walk from the school to the church.  Six groups of 30-50 children each, progressing from school to church in line took a lot of marshalling and caused lots of disruption, but this was a long time ago. After the service we were free for the rest of the day! No crocodile back to the school just 240 or so kids released into the environment. Think St Trinians (Google that if you need) but with a co-ed rather than a single sex school. The holiday was not popular amongst parents/guardians as that day there were no school dinners and unless an adult was at home the latch-key kids had extra time to mess up the home.

In the run up to Easter many families will have pancakes on “Pancake Day” and the supermarkets certainly push the sale of lemons and pancake mixtures for that, and many people “give up something for the 40 day Lenten fast”: this may be just not eating chocolate or drinking alcohol, but it is something.  Easter with its Easter Eggs and two bank holidays is firmly still part of the “system” and the psyche of modern life. But Ascension Day & Whitsunday barely get a look in.  It’s probably because no one has found a commercial exploitation of these two days, Historically Whitsun was such an important festival that in Mediaeval times Villeins were even released from their obligations to work for their lord for a whole week.

According to the Bible Jesus took 40 days after his resurrection to complete his earthly mission before ascending into heaven (Ascension Day) and then a few days later the Holy Spirit arrives (Whitsun or nowadays Pentecost) and fills the Apostles with vim and vigour to start their mission to preach the Gospel.  So much so that Peter is recorded as having to tell the listening crowd that “no, these men are not drunk as it is only 9o’clock of the morning!”

As we slowly come out of the semi-hibernation that will forever be associated with COVID19 and all its offspring we will need a bit (or probably more) of the vigour shown by Peter and the others to get back to some form of “normality” whatever that will mean.  So “gird up your loins” and prepare for the work required to repair us as individuals and society in general both mentally and physically; and hopefully we could end up in a better place than where we were before.

Scrivener

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News from Abbeywood

By Sylwia Whyman

Hello from Abbeywood!

Everyone  has been very busy over the last couple of months. We welcomed three new residents to our home who have settled well with us.

We have also been making our home very animal friendly.  The number of four legged and beaked friends has increased considerably over the last few months.  We have added Malcom, Alex, Peter and Benji the rabbits.  We have two guineapigs ( Roger and Ralf), three fish and nine budgies ( Hammond, Clarkson, May, Stick, Bina G, Bina R,  Ashley, Gladys, Shai with two eggs, so may be 11 at time of going to press).  This adds to the existing household of four terrapins, (Raphael , Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo), two cats (Laurel and Hardy) and three dogs that visit on a regular basis (Chica, Frankie and Marley).  The residents love cuddling the bunnies, and visiting the aviary.

The residents have been working hard planting flowers for our garden.  We are starting work on our trial veggie patch, and hope to have some amazing, possibly ugly pumpkins ready for October.   Who doesn’t love a big ugly pumpkin?

The staff are starting work on our much awaited Christmas performance of Cinderella.  Songs are being decided, the cast is being selected/volunteered from a very high set of acting capabilities. We look forward to welcoming everyone from the community, tickets and dates will be available soon.

Fund raising has really been non-existent, this year.  We do have a gofundme page( gf.me/u/zswp2h)  All proceeds go towards to funding residents’ trips and outings, something they have really missed over the last year.

We are still quite restricted in what we can do and who can visit.  Please do put in a big wave if you are passing by, it really puts a smile on all our faces when the residents see a friendly stranger making contact in these difficult times.

Thank you for reading and best wishes

All residents and staff from

Abbeywood