Category: Parishioner

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Happy News from Uganda

By Judith Vella & Alex Sanderson (2 of the Amaha We Uganda Trustees)

A Bountiful Harvest: Part of Amaha We Uganda’s ‘No Money No Food’ campaign involved providing seed for planting in August, thus providing crops of beans for food in the next season. Without this help, families were facing a crisis, because during the early Covid lockdown all they had to eat was their seed grain, they had nothing left to plant. We are delighted to report that the harvest was blessed, providing an enormous crop in November. All the women’s groups who had received seed for planting have given some seed back after harvesting. This seed will be redistributed to more groups in March 2021 for the next season’s planting. In this way we hope they can make this a sustainable means of growing food. In total 977kg of beans were paid forward for replanting. An amazing feat.

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Post 2020

 Well, the light is on at the end of the tunnel.

 We are through the Solstice, the daylight hours are increasing, we have survived Christmas, we have survived Brexit, we have survived Hogmanay and there is seemingly even a Covid19 vaccination that gives protection (starting a couple of weeks after the inoculation) enabling us to survive exposure to Covid19 unscathed.

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Useful Numbers – Help is at hand!

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

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Ash Ranges: An open letter to Jeremy Quinn MP

By Simon Brown, Chair, Trail Action Group

Dear Jeremy,

Before delving into what will be a challenging topic I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your staff a very Happy New Year.

Trail Action Group was set up around 10 years ago with the aim of retaining access to the military training lands for cycling. On talking over the Chairman’s role I wanted to build on the previous negotiations with DIO. My goal was to enable and encourage responsible mountain biking on the lands defined by the Aldershot and District Military Lands Byelaws and to correct the anomaly restricting cycling that was added in the 1976 byelaw review.

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Letter from the Vicarage

By Revd. Neil Lambert at St Mary’s                                   

A Happy New Year to you all, and a blessing on you and yours.

As we face a new lock down and schools closing once again, I have been reflecting on what we can learn about successfully surviving a crisis. How are you coping with “Lockdown 3.0”? Have look at the ‘what’s on’ page if you are looking for opportunities to connect with like-minded locals.

Looking for best practise, my thoughts turn not only to recent times, but also to the challenges faced by past generations. You may remember Eric, one of our local heroes who shared his wisdom via a video on Remembrance Day at our carpark & zoom service. I learned so much from my visit to his doorstep last year. Here are 3 things to remember as we face the latest challenges in 2021:

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Activity Advent

Lorraine Faires shares 24 Ideas to prepare you for Christmas 2020

I am sure everyone is bored of hearing how this year is a little different- so instead I am going to focus on our family traditions which stay the same year on year. Instead of a chocolate calendar we have an activity advent – 24 different activities to prepare for our Christmas celebration. Why not join in with ours or make your own?

1. Start a reverse advent calendar. Items for the food bank are a popular one, or you could write a happy thought down each day and “open” them on Christmas morning.

2. Try a Christmas Zumba workout!

3. Make an Origami ornament- share your best effort on our facebook page!

4. Find out about Christmas in another country- why not adopt a new tradition?

5. Make a decoration (We love using salt dough, but snowman toilet rolls or paper snowflakes are also great)

6. Join the St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk (see What’s On page for details)

7. Have a festive indoor picnic

8. Support a local business- if you aren’t buying this year, try sharing on social media or recommending to a friend!

9. Write a letter- to Father Christmas, a friend or a neighbour (everyone loves getting a hand written letter!) Let them know you are thinking of them, even if you can’t visit

10. Enjoy a mince pie or festive bake (make your own if you can)

11. Today is Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day- join in with your best festive outfit!

12. Make a wreath or garland (upcycle your old decorations)

13. Join in with the Christmas Hamper Zoom service (see opposite  for details)

14. Make and send a Christmas card to someone who would appreciate it

15. Take a day off from the news and read a Christmassy story

16. Indulge in Christmas tunes and sing along as loud as you can!

17. Make and enjoy some Santa Bread

18. Take a walk around Ash Vale to see all the lights

19. Make a nativity scene from recycling material

20. Zoom in to Carols by Candlelight (see What’s On page)

21. Have a festive hot chocolate (We enjoy adding gingerbread men!)

22. Prepare a Christmas Eve Box- you don’t need to buy new- choose your best PJ’s, a nice bedtime story or film and maybe even a game to play. Add a yummy biscuit or two – it is Christmas!

23. Enjoy a Christmas movie

24. Join in with Christingle for the Children’s Society (see What’s On page for details)

Have a really lovely Christmas and enjoy making some special memories and new traditions this year!

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St Mary’s invites you to celebrate Christmas 2020

We love our beautiful cover this issue, a Christingle Orange by Dan Austin. We will be celebrating Christingle out in our community on Christmas Eve this year. Please join us! We wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas.

Sun 29th Nov 10am – Advent Service on Zoom

Start Advent with beautiful music & worship for the season. For details email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Sun 6th Dec – St Nicholas Day Lantern Walk

Enjoy a socially distanced lantern walk from The Chapel on Wharf Rd to St Mary’s and see St Nicholas! (Slots available starting from Chapel 3:30pm — 6:30pm) Please dress for the weather and bring a lantern or torch. Booking is essential. Text / phone 07730 609446

Sun 13th Dec 10am—Service & Christmas Hampers

Zoom church service and the opportunity to donate towards hampers for local people in need. For Zoom details contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk  For hamper donations (to give funds or donate items) please contact us on 07730 609446 or the local Covid Support group.

Sun 20th Dec 6:30pm – Carols by Candlelight

Join us from home on Zoom (if restrictions permit we will also have limited tickets in church, booking essential). For Zoom details & to enquire about tickets please email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Thur 24th Dec 4:30pm— Christingle Carol Singing

We can’t gather in church for Christingle, so we will come to you! Look out for carol singers out and about in Ash Vale, and join in with the fun on Zoom. Christingle donations are welcomed for the Children’s Society, and a link will be shared on Facebook & Zoom. At 6pm we will be finishing with everyone bell ringing on their doorsteps too! Email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for links.

Thur 24th Dec 11:30pm – Midnight Mass

Church Service to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will be on Zoom (and some seating in church if regulations allow). Contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk

Fri 25th Dec 10am – Christmas Morning Service

This is our main Christmas Day Morning Service on Zoom (and some seating in church if regulations allow). Contact parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk for details.

Gifts to help our neighbours. We would like to encourage everyone to ‘buy local’ in 2020, to donate for Christmas hampers here, and also to support our twinned communities in Uganda with Christmas Trees for Christmas. www.amahaweuganda.org Thank You.  

All events are subject to change due to Covid-19 safety rules. Please keep in touch via our mailing list for weekly notices by email parishoffice@ash-vale.org.uk or keep an eye on Facebook @StMarysAshVale  St  Mary’s Church, Ash Vale, GU12 5JE

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Christmas Cake recipe

Ingredients: 

225g Plain Flour

225g Butter

225g Soft dark brown sugar

225g Currants

225g Raisins

225g Sultanas

0.5 tsp Cinnamon

0.5 tsp Cloves

0.5 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

125g Chopped Almonds

125g Mixed Peel (Optional)

125g Glacé Cherries (Optional)

Rind of one lemon

Rind of one orange

4 Large Eggs, Beaten

1-2 Tablespoons Brandy

Method:

Grease and line an 8 inch spring-form cake tin. 

Sift flour with spices. In another bowl beat butter with sugar till light and fluffy. Add the citrus rinds and gradually add beaten egg. Fold flour and spice mix in alternately to the fruit and nuts. Finally add Brandy. 

Pour mixture into cake tin and make a slight well in the centre. Bake on bottom shelf of oven at 145’C for about 3 and a half hours. After cooking turn off oven and leave tin, in the oven to cool. 

Once fully cooled, prick cake with a skewer and add 2 tablespoons of Brandy/Rum of your choice, wrap in brown paper and tinfoil and a couple of days before Christmas cover with marzipan and Royal Icing. 

You can find Vicki on Instagram: @vixxihibiscus

By Victoria Fox