roots down walls down
By Revd. Neil Lambert, St Mary’s Ash Vale
Welcome to this very special edition of The Parishioner Magazine, where we are celebrating our amazing local churches and all the love, support and joy they bring to our local community.
Continue reading “Welcome — Local Churches Special Edition!”
St Mary’s, Vale Road, Ash Vale (Church of England)
Sundays 10am Communion Service
Wednesdays Zoom Evensong 8pm
Monthly Messy Church 4pm: 27 Jun, 18 Jul (book a Messy Church table on 07730 609446)
Continue reading “Local Church Services & Contact Details Summer 2021”
I have been living in my privately rented flat for years. I generally have a good relationship with my landlord, but I just cannot get them to carry out various repairs that have built up. How can I get them to act – and what exactly do they have to do?
This must be a very frustrating situation. The law states that your landlord must provide accommodation that is safe, healthy, and free from things that could cause serious harm. (This is for England only)
You do not say exactly what repairs are needed. If you have problems such as electrical wiring that you think might be faulty, or there’s damp, or an infestation by pests, the landlord has a legal obligation to put things right.
Landlords are also responsible for the maintenance of the general structure, and fittings such as boilers and radiators; basins, baths, and toilets; and the drains.
The first step is to contact your landlord again, in writing. Include photographs of the problems. Keep a record of all communications and evidence relating to the disrepair.
If that does not prompt any action, advisors at Citizens Advice can help you with next steps. These could include contacting your local council who have dedicated officers for dealing with privately rented properties in disrepair or asking for a visit by the environmental health team.
Tenants can take their landlords to court to force them to carry out repairs. However, it is worth getting some advice and thinking carefully before embarking on this route. You can contact us by email at ashcab.org.uk or call 01252 315569.
UPDATE from the Ash Office
Ash Citizens Advice would like to welcome Louise Seabrook Scrase, who will be the new Chief Officer for the Bureau. Louise has been volunteering with the bureau and is excited to be part of the highly skilled team delivering support and advice to our community. She is very much looking forward to working with the people of Ash
We currently have a vacancy for a Money Advice and Benefits Caseworker as part of a highly skilled and experienced casework team providing money and benefits advice to prevent homelessness across the borough of Guildford. You can find out more about this role by visiting our website ashcab.org.uk or e mail admin@ashcab.org.uk or call 01252 330080.
Ash Citizens Advice helps people deal with the problems they face in everyday life and covers a range of topics including legal, consumer, employment, housing, benefits, debt and much much more. If you would like to find out more about Volunteering or would like an application pack, please call on 01252 330080 or email admin@ashcab.org.uk.
Every year Citizens Advice puts thousands of pounds back into the pockets of hard-pressed families, the unemployed, homeless, and poorest communities it serves. It does this by helping them to manage their money, claim their full financial entitlements and avoid the costs of getting into debt.
This money is critical to their lives and to local business. Without money people cannot afford the essentials of life and without spending, local business cannot thrive.
You can help us to keep local markets buoyant by supporting our work with people in need in your community.
Citizens Advice Ash is looking for Corporate Partners to work alongside us in the local community.
Citizens Advice Ash is currently open for telephone Advice, Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4pm
We had so much fun with the lost sheep trail at Half Term, we are doing another one for Easter!
Please pop an Easter Egg, Easter Scene, Easter Garden, Easter Wreath or even a knitted Easter Egg in your window or front garden in time for Easter Sunday, and leave it up for 2 weeks, so we can all enjoy finding them during the Easter Holidays. We have our Easter Trail web page ready to go, and will add all your trail locations to our list in time for Easter Day.
Trail link: https://ash-vale.org.uk/easter-trail-4th-18th-april-2021/ Click here to see where to start hunting for Easter windows!
Continue reading “The Ash Vale Easter Trail!”Here are some of the useful numbers you may need if you need support in Ash Vale. 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
Local help and support during the Covid-19 crisis:
Ash, Ash Vale & Ash Green Coronavirus Support group (volunteers doing shopping & prescription runs & emergency food parcels) – 07843 489796
Ash Parish Council – 01252 328 287
Ash Citizens Advice – 01252 315569 or 01252 314711
Ash Vale Health Centre – 01252 317551 (Out of hours phone 111, in an emergency dial 999)
Guildford Borough Council Covid-19 Community Helpline – 01483 444400
Community Wellbeing Team – 07769 642053 / 07901 513652
Safe & Settled Team – 01483 444476 for those needing help at home on arriving back from hospital or needing some help to manage at home.
If you need to talk to someone : national helplines
Samaritans (24/7 service) – 116 123 or text SHOUT 85258
National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ (run by Refuge)
The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327
The Mix, free information/support for under 25s in the UK – 0808 808 4994
National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0800 999 5428
PAPYRUS—Young suicide prevention society, 0800 068 4141
Childline for children 0800 1111
Alcoholics Anonymous—0800 917 7650 (24/7)
Narcotics Anonymous—0300 999 1212
Cruse Bereavement Care— 0808 808 1677
Contacting The Parishioner:
Call Alex (Ed) 07730 609446 in the first instance and she will put you in touch with the right volunteer. parishioner@ash-vale.org.uk
Donations: Did you know? You can now ’give a little’ online to support St Mary’s Church and all the work we do. We very much need and appreciate your support in these difficult times. https://givealittle.co/campaigns/e912dae4-3af1-4453-99dc-0330f32faf15 Thank you!
It was just after 3pm on the 3rd April 33AD. The Roman Army Execution Detail noted that the first of the three prisoners being executed that day had just died. It was a bit of a surprise because normally a prisoner took much longer to die, but as the Detail had to remain until all the prisoners were dead it was probably more of “One down, two to go” feeling than anything else. In the meanwhile it was back to gambling to while away the hours until they could return to barracks; after all they were just Roman soldiers carrying out their orders.
The background to this? At the time the Roman Empire was busy being the Roman Empire. The Emperor Tiberius ruled in Rome and Pontius Pilate (a junior Roman Civil Servant) was the Roman charged with keeping order in the province of Judea. To keep things rosy he had cosied up to the Jewish Religious Powers and they to him, but being Pilate he had still managed to alienate others. Also in the frame was Herod Antipas (a son of Herod the Great) who was the Roman appointed Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. So far so good.
Then along came trouble, a 30odd year preacher who had gone about preaching that the Kingdom of God was close at hand had come to town. The new preacher was accompanied by a band of rustics (including ex fishers, an ex tax collector and an ex zealot), he did not rail against the Roman Authorities but preached that one should love God and love one’s neighbour as one’s self. He had upset the Religious Authorities by declaring that the Temple was a place for prayer and worship and not a place for commerce. For the Religious authorities the question of the day was how to neutralise this threat without upsetting the status quo?
Herod Antipas had incarcerated a previous troublesome preacher (and cousin to the new one), then without trial the preacher had been beheaded, his head put on a platter and presented to a young dancer who had pleased the said Herod Antipas. This option was no longer available.
The preacher was detained by the Temple Authorities and after a confrontation was handed over to the Roman Authorities. The death penalty was demanded by the Temple Authorities and to avoid trouble this was granted by Pilate, which takes us back to the start of the article.
Epilogue: Pilate was removed from office 36AD, Tiberius died 37AD, Herod was removed from office 39AD, the Temple was destroyed 70AD and that rag tag army of fishers and others (excluding the zealot) spread the teachings of the executed man until in 313AD Christianity was recognised as an acceptable religion within the Roman Empire. Now THAT is a story!
Scrivener
PS. The date quoted above is believed to be the most probable, by many scholars.
What’s inside?
An Invitation to the Table — (p3&4) By Revd Neil Lambert
Book of Psalms 2021 — (p5) New Psalms by local people in trying times
Meet the Local—(p8&9) The Parishioner interviews Mary Langsford
Our local Waterways Chaplain (p10) Rosie Leakey
News from Abbeywood Care Home (p11) We’re doing a panto! Oh yes we are!
Poems & Poetry Competition — (p14&15) Enter your poems by 30th April!
How to Celebrate Easter 2021—(p16) St Mary’s services
What’s on in Ash Vale — (p17)
Bible Study for Eastertide —(20 & 21) By Helen Lambert
Pea shoots, a seasonal favourite – (p22) By Vicki Fox
News from St Paul’s Tongham— (p23) Ramp building has started!
How I came to write ‘Navigating by the Son’ – (p25) Author Stephen Cox shares his journey and the key themes from his new book.
Meet the Candidates for the County Council elections on 6th May (p26 – 28)
15:00 03/04/33 — (p29) Scrivener reflects on the Romans at Easter
Help is at Hand! – (p30) Useful numbers
Easter Trail—(inside back cover) Free fun in the holidays! Decorate your windows and front gardens for some lovely Easter walks! #AshValeEasterTrail
Don’t miss the Easter Service!
Sunday 10am on Zoom (See centre pages for what’s on)
We welcome fun, informative and local interest items! The copy deadline for the June/July 2021 issue of The Parishioner is the 7th May 2021. Emails please to: parishioner@ash-vale.org.uk
In these unusual times we are minimising the risk to our readers and volunteers by printing only on request, and by sharing The Parishioner far and wide via email, website and social media instead. Please remember to like & share online! If you or someone you know would like a paper copy please pick one up at St Mary’s or The Chapel, or call / text 07730 609446 to request one. Best wishes & stay safe!
The Parishioner seeks to explore and reflect upon a wide variety of local issues whilst recognizing that not everyone will agree with the views expressed. These do not necessarily reflect the views of all the members of St Mary’s Church nor those of its Parochial Church Council.
Palm Sunday 28th March: Zoom Service 10am
Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for the link or see below for zoom details. Hosanna!
Good Friday 2nd April: Stations of the Cross & Prayer
Follow the stations of the cross trail from The Chapel on Wharf Road to St Mary’s Church on Vale Road. Arrive at St Mary’s for a socially distanced opportunity for private prayer and reflection in church. (Open 10am onwards)
Easter Sunday 4th April: Zoom Service 10am
Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for the Zoom link or to book your seat in Church (spaces are limited) We look forward to celebrating the risen Christ!
Weekly Events at St Mary’s :
Sundays 10am –Join St Mary’s for our weekly Church Service. All are welcome. During lockdown we will be on Zoom only, and once the doors open again at Easter we will be both in Zoom and in person.
Evensong is back too, contact the office for the latest timings.
Contact: Parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk
Mondays 11am: Coffee Chat Zoom Join fellow parents and carers for informal coffee chat and friendship. (Term time only) Contact Alex: 07730609446
Continue reading “What’s on – April & May 2021”By Victoria Fox
Marrowfat peas make excellent Mushy Peas, but they also make delicious salad greens and are really simple to grow!
What you need:
· A pot, a trough, a pot, anything that will hold soil will do!
· Compost/soil (enough to fill your pot)
· Marrowfat Pea seeds.
If you are recycling your plant pot then make sure it’s had a good scrub in soapy water as dirty pots can harbour bacteria and moulds. Fill your pot loosely with compost. Lay your peas on the surface around an inch apart and poke them around half an inch down into the soil. Cover slightly so the peas are under the surface and water well.
Until April they will do better inside, on a sunny windowsill, after that they will do best outside. Place your pot somewhere where mice can’t get to it. Mice love peas!
When they are around 6 inches high, trim the top few inches to eat. They taste lovely on their own, but are great in salad!
