Author: The Parishioner

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Snow on Ash Ranges in the 1980s

During the snowy winter of 1981/82 here in Ash/Ash Vale, along with everywhere else in Southern England, we awoke one day to find there had been a huge snowfall overnight and everyone was totally ‘snowed in’!  There was no way in, or out of Ash & Ash Vale, all roads were impassable until the snowploughs reached us with grit etc.  For that day we were all ‘cut-off’!  Those who did try to drive to work, found the roads where impassable & had to return home.  This was a day I shall never forget!

What a wonderful day of fun and laughter the day turned out to be!  Everyone (young or older, with or without children) made for the ranges!  We all took everything we could find to have fun!  We wore our boots, wellies, thick coats, gloves, mittens, and hats to keep our ears warm.  Sledges, toboggans, tin trays, and even ski’s were the ‘order of the day’! .  There were numerous snowball fights (between children & children, plus adults and adults!), several snow-men (or “snow-people” to be politically correct these days!) were built and children just enjoyed rolling in the snow, especially down the butts (but no damage was done, the snow was so thick)!  Everyone mixed in with the fun, regardless of their age. 

A couple of the menfolk built a fire (in a sheltered snow-hole) and managed to get a decent fire going. They then found sticks/branches, planted them in the snow with a line of string attached to make a ‘drying line’ for drying gloves!

As the kiddies (& adults) gloves became soaked through, they would take them to the fire, take them off and they were ‘pegged’ onto the line to dry out!  In exchange they received another ‘dry’ish pair of gloves, any gloves that fitted!

I am certain no child (or adult) went home that day with their own gloves, but no-one cared! It was a day nobody who was involved in will ever forget and will probably not happen again?  The ‘Community Spirit’ was definitely shown on that day.

By Pat Scott

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Suffer the little Children and great big Animals to come to me

Christmas Eve in 1972 was a Sunday.  This is why the Sunday School at the Ash Vale Methodist Church planned a special Christmas procession on that Sunday morning. The idea of Mary and Joseph accompanied by a group of shepherds and the three Wise Men travelling to Bethlehem, appealed to the children and so a plan was hatched to produce something the people of Ash would remember and talk about for years to come.

I, as a new Sunday School Teacher, was one of the team elected to ensure the planned procession took place. My daughter, a newly recruited pupil at the Sunday School was also excited to help.

Many suggestions were considered and rejected.  The shepherds should have some sheep and if possible lambs with them. Wasn’t a new born lamb one of the gifts presented to the Baby Jesus ?  Enquiries were made but it transpired that sheep, and especially lambs, were not available, so this suggestion had to be shelved.

However, someone was found who could walk with the children whilst playing an accordion. For the next five weeks he, and the children practised their Christmas Carols.

We found an animal refuge that was prepared to lend us a Donkey for the day and they would deliver and collect the Donkey to meet our timing.

So on that Sunday Morning a transporter was met by forty, or so,  Sunday School Children at the end of Wharf Road and a Donkey was off loaded.

Now every donkey I had ever seen, and certainly all the pictures I had seen in the Children’s Bible were of a creature that was about half the size of a small pony In the Children’s Bible, Mary was the only rider and she overflowed on all sides of the steed.  The donkey that lumbered out of the transporter was huge.  About five feet tall with enough space on his back to accommodate the whole Sunday School. We opted for Mary and Joseph together with three companions to ride and the rest of the ‘tribe’ to follow singing  Christmas Carols.

Arriving at the Church we were met by the Minister, Bernard, who had thoughtfully brought a bucket and spade with him, in case of accidents. The idea was that the Children should celebrate Christmas and still be there when worshippers arrived for the morning service at 11.00 o’clock. And of course so would Mary, Joseph, the three Kings, Shepherds and, the Donkey.

Entry into the Church was simple enough, the doors were wide enough and it just needed a turn to the right and all would be well.  This was when Neddy displayed his thespian independence.  As soon as his front half was in, he stopped. He became rooted to the spot. I experienced my first example of an immovable object. We pushed, we pulled we pushed again, we offered carrots and pulled but to no avail. Neddy was not going in any further. But our attempts to put him in reverse were also no good. He had decided that he was there and was going to stay there. Front legs, head and shoulders in the Church and rear quarters firmly filling the doorway. Then, oh catastrophe, the congregation started to arrive. No way to get past this impenetrable blockage so they had to use Minister’s door and so were able to take part in the Service. Bernard was very amused but we faced to problem of getting Neddy out when his transport arrived to take him home.

By Mike Jacobs

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Walking the Wall for Foodshare

Walking The Wall for Food-Share

Hi – I’m Kirsty and I’ve been part of the Ash & Ash Vale Community for nearly 12 years now.  During lockdown it was wonderful to see the community around me fly into action to support those in need. I wasn’t able to help as much as I would have liked to. I was at capacity – both mentally and physically – working at home from the kitchen table, home schooling and supporting two young girls. But I never ever took for granted just how fortunate we were. There was a regular salary coming in, we were healthy, we were fed, and both of our employers allowed us the flexibility we needed to look after the girls.

By August life felt like it was getting more normal. The kids were heading to school, the husband was able to commute and work from his office, and I was now looking like I was actually going to get an hour or two ON MY OWN for the first time in what felt like YEARS!!!!!

BUT – I had a growing niggle in the brain that I needed to do something; something to recognise how fortunate we were as a family. I had another niggle that others in the community were still having an incredibly hard time. But what could I do? How to help?

I’d always hankered after completing a walking challenge one day so in a moment of madness (only one glass of wine was involved) I thought I’d make my own and walk the equivalent miles in a month. I picked Hadrian’s Wall – all 84 miles of it. A challenge but not an insurmountable one. And the foodshare of the St Marys’ and the Ash, Ash Vale & Ash Green Coronavirus Support group felt like the right thing to support. They were, and still are, supporting over 20 families with weekly food parcels.  

One Just Giving page later and I was off! I was walking the equivalent length of Hadrian’s wall in September. To help the miles seem a bit easier to complete I decided to read a guide book of the wall and chart what I would have been walking past if I was actually there. Key things I learnt are that there is far less wall than you think, its beautiful countryside up there, and that the Romans carved a surprising amount of phallic graffiti into the wall! (my girls giggled lots at those pictures)

I was totally overwhelmed by the donations that my friends and family and the St Mary’s family gave. It made the miles so much more meaningful and helped to drag my bum off the sofa to keep on track. I do however want to give a particularly enormous “THANK YOU” to the two anonymous donations of £500 and £100 – I truly hope you fully appreciate the massive difference that will make.

I handed over a staggeringly huge £1200 last week to the foodshare and could not have been prouder – prouder of my friends and family for the donations, proud of the husband and kids who coped with less of me in September, and prouder of the community that I now feel a bigger part of.

By Kirsty Denman

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News from Ash Citizens Advice

I live with my two children and partner in a small semi-detached house. During the winter we use more heating and electricity as we’re home more. Do you have any tips on how I can keep the cost of my energy down during the winter?

There are a few things you can do to save some money during the winter period. Check when your energy contract is due to expire. If you’re at the end of your contract use energy compare by Citizens Advice to see if you could save money by switching supplier or tariff.

If you’re on a prepayment meter you could save money by replacing your meter with one that lets you pay after using energy rather than in advance. Most suppliers won’t charge for removing a prepayment meter, though many will run a credit check or ask for a deposit.

You may also be eligible for certain grants and benefits these could include Warm Home discount or help with energy debt.

Here are a few practical tips to help keep costs down:

· Using a timer for your heating, lowering your thermostat and using radiator valve controls could save you over £100 per year

· Changing light bulbs to more efficient ones could save £50 over the lifetime of the bulb

· Turn appliances off standby mode to save around £30 a year

· Seal cracks in floors, skirting boards and add draft excluders to letterboxes, doors and windows.

· Some energy suppliers also offer grants to allow improvements to your home, like insulation or a new boiler. What help you can get depends on your circumstances and what would help your home. You don’t need to be a customer of one of these suppliers to apply but you’ll Need to check your eligibility. If you would like help with the any of the issues above, please contact Ash Citizens Advice on 01252 315569.

Citizens Advice Ash is an independent local charity. We depend on local funding from local authorities, local charitable trusts, local businesses and private donations. Our highly trained volunteers, who give their free time to help local people, are currently working from home providing free independent telephone and email advice service. We have recent funding from the CO-OP to help us continue to provide this service post the pandemic, helping us to return to face to face services in a safe and secure environment . If you would like to support us you can do this by going to the CO-OP website and becoming a CO-OP member https://www.coop.co.uk/membership?

Citizens Advice Ash is open Monday to Thursday 9.30 am to 4 pm for telephone advice (01252 315569). Email advice is available via our website: www.ashcab.org.uk.

By Sandra Luff

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No, it’s not cancelled! Christingle is coming to you!

24th December 2020  4:30pm-6:00pm

In the streets of Ash Vale, doorsteps & Zoom 

Join us on Zoom for a virtual Christingle, or join our roving carol singers to bring some Christmas cheer to our neighbours too! At 6pm we will finish off with bell ringing on our doorsteps to wish the whole community a blessed and peaceful Christmas. We will be collecting donations in aid of the Children’s Society online:  https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

If you’d like the zoom link and a Christingle Kit to make at home, or are interested in joining in with the roving carol singing groups outside please get in touch asap on 07730 609446 or email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Please note—we will be following the covid rules, so the carols will be in households, bubbles or small groups according to the laws on the day.

#Christingle2020 #ChildrensSociety #ChristmasEve #CopingWithCovid #LoveWhereWeLive #AshVale #StMarysAshVale #ChristingleAndCarols

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Speaking truth to power

By Revd Neil Lambert

I expect by now you have heard friends and neighbours discussing the ranges. One side claiming health & safety issues and locking the gates, the other side outraged and warning of an MOD land grab. Our community stands to lose access to 12% of the ranges—and not just any 12%  – the area is one of the most used, and most accessible.

How do we respond?  My sister Val—whom many of you know from her visits, and the wonderful blessings she has shared at Zoom services—is a great sounding board and in discussing this issue together we searched for wisdom in this matter.  The theme that kept coming  up was to be unwavering in speaking truth to power.  So what does this mean?

It means doing our homework and unpicking the legal status of the space to find the truth. Some sources say this is MOD land. Other say it is Ash Common, and the ancient rights of access still apply.  Byelaws were created to protect people from harm during dangerous activities. The right of access at other times has never been removed.  We must diligently seek the truth and be the voice of challenge when lies and misunderstandings are masquerading as fact.

It means shining a light on injustice, and calling out patterns of behaviour that are unacceptable. We have seen the “land grab” approach elsewhere and we will not tolerate it here. It means fighting for the consultation we are entitled to and celebrating the wonderful benefits of the ranges, so that we can all see what we stand to lose.

It means listening to all our neighbours,  not just the loudest ones or the most powerful ones. Hear the voices of our children and young people. See the plight of those with disabilities fighting for access to open space. Seek out the stories of the older generation who can paint the picture for us of all that the ranges have been to this community and should be in the future.  Involve the busy parents, the introverts, those whose anxiety prevents them from speaking out. We must give all of them a voice, and make sure they are represented as we take a seat at the table.

It means being creative, both in seeking solutions (What can we do to keep people safe instead of locking the gates?) and  in how we go about standing our ground (If we are not being listened to, we will find ways to make our voices heard!)

It’s not about the politics. As a church, we do not need to ‘take sides’ or choose a political stance to make a difference. Our power lies not in polarising the community and creating discord, but in being bringing people together. We are united in love, both for our friends and for our enemies. We strive to become  oaks of righteousness, rooted in God’s love and seeking the common good.

Speaking truth to power is a phrase first used by the Quakers in the 1950’s. It came to prominence in 1942 when Baynard Rusting, an American civil rights leader, wrote that… The role of a religious group was to “speak the truth to power”, which is what we intend to do. Our elected representatives have, it would appear, grossly underestimated the importance of this issue to our community, and the anger that there seems to be at the apparent disregard of the MOD and DIO for their neighbours and the people they share the ranges with. They need to know that we will not back down, and we will protect and demand access to the ranges not only for us , but for future generations. 

Artwork by Dan Austin
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The Power of Music

Steve Worsfold invites you to log on and enjoy!

While we are all living in uncertain times music is one of the things to keep us positive. As an individual with long-term health conditions I thought long and hard: what I can give back to the community as I am restricted to what I can do? My love of all forms of music came to the forefront, and after learning the new skill of mixing music together I have decided how I can give back to the local community:

Lockdown sessions is a 2hr live DJ set every Friday night starting at 7pm and ending just after 9pm. I produce a mix of dance and house music.

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Chapel Arts: Book now for Monthly Makes!

Artists in residence Debi & Jono Retallick usually host a ‘monthly make’ fundraising event at the chapel in Ash Vale to support the Chapel project and help us keep doing what we do. Due to the coronavirus situation we are now doing the “Monthly Makes” via ‘zoom’ online. The sessions are suitable for people 7 yrs and above. Book now to join in!

 October Monthly Make: Your own needle felted penguin!

Continue reading “Chapel Arts: Book now for Monthly Makes!”