Buckland Newton C of E P rimar y S chool Christmas Pictur e Co mpetit ion Winner

December 2024

The Lydden Vale News

3

Lydden V ale News T eam Edito r Am anda M cKenna lyd de nvalle y@gm ail.com T reasurer V incent M cKenn a Adv ertis ing M anag er Al an Si mmons All Enqu iries and A dverts to: lyd denvale adverts@gm ail.com Reports/ Art icles/Interview s lyddenvalle y@gm ail.com Distribu t ion V incent M cKenn a 0130 0 3453 67 Distributor s Pauline Adam s Bridget Bak er Nick i Bark er Gar y Cairns Dam ian Brothers Jane Coll ins Jerem y Collins Lesle y D ock sey Jenny J esty Elodie Frank lin David Morris J ohn M arj oram Jenn y Donnell y Janet Sea l y Hele n Sim pson Jane W est Susan Mor ing Spare copies available from The Old Chapel Store s

The Bit at the Beginning … . W ell done and congratu lations to Ella for her f ant astic Christm as picture f eatured on th e Front Co ve r and to th e five runn ers -up on page 13. And thank you to Buck land Newton Prim ar y for tak ing the tim e to organise this during a bus y tim e, along w ith Jane W illis, who also judged them . I alwa ys enjoy put ting toget her the Christm as L VN (love a bit of Christm as clipart as you can probably tell – too m uch? Never .) and this year we had so m any contributions it was a bit of a juggling act to f it it all in. I alwa ys tr y to include ever ything I receive, but ver y occasionally I just don ’t have the room – so, sorr y if you were expecting to see your piece feat ured. Keep an e ye out in the Ja nuar y issue. W ith less than 4 weeks to the big da y it ’s all s ystem s go, unless you are one of those super organis ed people who have already bought and wrapped their gifts. Definit ely not m e! It is wort h po pping into t he Old Chape l Stores and helpin g th e Sherbor ne Food Bank (see page 17). Great idea! Plus, you ca n also sig n th e Charit y Christm as card and donate to 2 ver y wort h charities at the sam e tim e. Ever y little helps. I hope you all have a fab C hristm as and a ver y Happy New Y ear! A m anda ________ ___ ___ ___ __________ ___ _____

T he Buc k land Ne wton Comm unity W ebsite www .bucklandnewton.com Y our local website f or up -to -date ne ws, e ve nts, clu bs, grou p s, directori es f or busin ess es and services - and inform ation about the village and its surrou ndings (and th e online vers ion of the L VN! )

------------------------------ The opinio ns i mplied o r ex pre sse d in th is new sletter ar e no t nece ssa r ily th ose o f the news team nor the pub lisher . Alth ough e ver y effort i s made t o en sure a ccura cy neither the new s team no r the pub li she r a ccep t lia b ili ty for error s o r o mis sion s. N either the new s tea m no r the pub li sher a ccept s re s pon sibi lity for an y o f the serv ice s o r e ven t s ad ver tised here in. N o re s pon sibility can b e a ccep ted for unsolicited manuscripts o r ima ger y . The editor r eser v es the r igh t t o modify contribution s. Prin ted b y Saru m Gr aph ics

Adverti sing to: Em ail: lyddenvaleadverts @gm ail.com Advertising fees (wef 1 Apr il 2024)

SIZE 1 M onth 3 M onths 12 M onths

⅛ Page * £17:00 £31:50 £70: 00 £88: 00 ¼ Page * £31: 50 £62: 50 £106:50 £134:00 ½ P age £62: 50 £121 :00 £153:00 £191 .00 Full Pa ge £76:00 £182 :50 £306:50 £384.00

Publication D eadlin e : T he deadline for subm issions is on the 18th of ever y m onth T ext, Photographs, Community M essages, Enquiries, etc. to Amand a at: Email: lyddenvalle y@gmail.com Meetings/ intervie ws: arra nged via em ail

* ⅛ Page Landsc ape pl ea se. ¼ P age Portra it - unle ss full width of page, in w hich ca se Lan ds cape . Th ank Y ou ! T he L VN is a gre at p lace to advertise covering a br oad and divers e area, whether you have a colour or m ono advert! Kindl y m ention the L ydden V ale Ne ws when responding to advertisem ents. This Month’s Front Cover Credit: Ella Oraell Age 5

5

BUCKLAND NEWTON VILLAGE C AFÉ There is NO VILLAGE CAFE in December . I am sure we will all be “Otherwise Occupied ”. M erry Christmas everyone. We look forw ard to seeing you on Friday 31st Jan uary for the first Cafe in 2025. Lyn Cox 01300 345739 Liza Hill 01300 345230 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ ++ + +++ + ++ +

HOL Y ROOD CHUR C H, BUCKL AND NE W T ON Christmas Ca rol Servic e 4.30 pm See Page 20 +++++++++++ +++++ + +++ +++ +++++ +++++ + +++ +++ +++++ +++++

Se e p ag e 7 +++++++++++ +++++ + +++ +++ +++++ +++++ + +++ +++ +++++ +++++ + ++

Sunday 15th December ALL AGE SERVICE 4 pm - Holy Rood Church, Buckland Newton All Age Service 4 pm on 15 th December will be a Christmas Celebration. A service and a party . Everyone welcome who is young in years and heart. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + ++ + ++ +

ADVANCE NOT ICE Saturday 18 th January 2025 MEXICAN TRAIN – 7 pm - Buckland New ton Village Hall The M ex ican train is scheduled to stop at 7.00 pm on Saturday 18th January at Buckland New ton Village Hall. To reserve your ticket s in advance ( £5 for the jour ney , a fun evening and including nibbles) cont act M aree on 345349 or email mareepollard@g mail.com Early booking advised as seat s w ill be limited. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ ++ + +++ + ++

Saturday 21 st December CHRISTMAS COFFEE MORNING - Pulham V illage Hall 10.30 til 12.30 pm See page 6 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + ++ ++ + +++ + +

7

Christmas   Willow   Weaving - Wednesday 4 th December . Join Andy a s h e teaches you t o make various Christmas themed w illow decorations. A day course from 10am. Includes tea, coffees, lunch & cake! £6 5 pe r person. T ickets available from the pu b and via www .ticketsource.co.uk/gaggle Knit   &   Natter - Thursday 12 th December - the fortnightly craf ting social group. Free to attend. Bring a project and perhaps some cak e! 2 til 4pm Pub   Quiz - W ednesday 18 th December – ou r popular Gaggle Christmas pu b quiz. Festive fun evening o f head scratchers, cryptic clues and g ene ral knowledge. T eams o f u p t o 6 . £ 2 per person o r free i f you dine before the quiz. Booking required. Future quiz date W ednesday 29 th Janua ry . Christmas   Ca rols – S unday’s 1 st , 8 th , 15 t h , 22 nd December – fantastic to b e s upportin g the community i n carol si nging practices a t the Gaggle, Su nda y ev enings throughout D ec emb er from 5.30pm. All ages welcome! An d then on Christmas Eve, a n evening o f carols, mul led wine and festiv e cheer! Ch ristmas Op en in g Times Monday 23 rd December – closed T uesday 24 th – Christmas Eve – open for drinks and an evening of carol singing from 4pm Christmas Day – open for drinks from midday until 2pm. Christmas jumpers optional! Boxing Day – closed Friday 27 th to Sunday 29 th – nor mal hours. Booking recommended if you would like to eat. January   Break – to give us and our team a break, the pub will be closed from Monday 29 th December . Re-opening f rom 5pm on Thursday 23 rd January . ******* *********** ************************************************* *********** *******

9

In the Buck land N ewton Book Corner… The Keeper of Sto ries by Sally Page Janice is a cle aner , ‘a n exc eptiona l clean er ’ who, as she g oes ab out her d aily lif e, collects ot her p eop le ’s stories. T hese she co llate s in h er m ind as she believes that it is onl y t hrou gh their stor ies that you ca n reall y understand peopl e. She st arts cleaning for the cantank erous, astute and c om pletel y m arvellous Mrs B. who, it tur ns out, is a form er spy with a stor y worth hearing. H owever , Janice is only c leaning f or Mrs B because sh e was duped in to d oing so b y her son and is n ot intend ing to sta y . Mrs B t ells Janice the stor y of a g irl sh e calls Beck y (in fact, V anity F air), and in telling the stor y little b y lit tle , she encoura ges Jan ice to k eep returning. T he shre wd Mrs B. g oes on to prov e that Janice is not only a k eeper of stories, but a teller of stories, as Janic e herself begins to ack nowledge the secret she has tried to bur y f or m any ye ars. T his is Sall y Page ’s debut novel, and her characterisa tion is wonderf ul as the people Ja nice m eets com e alive on the pag e. Mrs Y eah Y e ah Y eah, Mr NoNoN otNow , Geordie, the opera s inger , Fiona and Adam com ing to term s with loss, Carrie -Louise and Mavis whose po int scori ng is a jo y to t he eavesdrop ping reader , the Geograp hy teach er wh o ha s never been in a classroom , Mycroft, who yo u do n ’t see com ing and, possibly m ost delightf ul of all, Decius, a talk ing (and swearing) pedigr ee f ox terrier! I loved Janice’s stor y and the wa y she evolved throughout the book from a wom an worn down by her circum stances to som eone with such hope f or the f uture. It is a book with a num ber of dif ferent thre ads, som e of them seem ingl y looser than others, but as the y are all pulled together it is obvious that Sall y Page has plotted this book incredibl y well. She draws all the character s and their stor ies toget her to pro duce a st or y that is poignant, charm ing and a little bit quirk y . I enjo ye d it ver y m uch. Karen W hiter +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ ++ + +++ + ++

SNOW MUCH FU N! Over the p ast we ek , we have had lo ts of fun in the s n o w her e in schoo l a nd at h om e. Due to the wea ther , we had a snow da y on T hursday and then we were back in school on Frid a y to enjoy all of the crisp whit e snow in school!

We are also starting to get in the Christmas spirit here in school with lots of exciting events coming up including a nativit y , carol ser vice, Chr istm as Fa yre and whole school C hristm as lunch at the lo cal pub. We hope ever yone has a fantastic Christm as and New Y ear! Phil Sa les (Hea dteacher) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ ++ + +++ + ++

1 1

Buckland Ne wton Environment Group - Parish Field Meado w Trial T he sharp eyed am ongst you will have not iced an are a of grass at the bottom of the pla ying f ie ld was lef t un m own during the latter part of this summ er . T his is a tria l prop osed by t he Parish Council and Buck land N ewton Enviro nm ent Group to se e if a wildflo wer m eadow can be created over t he com ing years. T he idea is to gentl y steer t he grassland plant comm unit y away from grass dom inance towards a s ward comprised of m any m ore species of flowers and m eadow grasses (im agine the flower y displays of Frogs Bottom Meadow or the cem eter y in high summer). If successf ul, there are gains f or bio diversit y , esp e cially plants and p ollinat ors , and a contribut ion towards flood prevent ion by slowing over land flow at the lo wer e nd of the field during episo des of extrem e rainfall – not to m ention the sim ple joys of butterf lies and flowers. Buck land Newton Environm ent Group carried out an init ial plant sur ve y in late summer which re vealed a surprisingly high num ber of plant spec ies alread y present, although currentl y repr essed by regular m ower decapitat ion. In tota l, t wenty s pecies of f lowerin g plant including C omm on k napweed, Y arro w , Lesser stitch wort, Self heal and the wonderf ully n am ed Cork y-f ruited wa ter -dropwort, as well as f our species of grass. W ildflower seed of local provenance was collected and broadcast by hand in late summ er into roughed up areas to ensure g ood contact wit h th e soil. Comm on spotted orchid, Oxe ye dais y , Co wslip and D evils -bit scabious were added along with f resh seed of Y e llo w Ra ttle. Y ello w Rattle is a m eadow -m ak ers f riend in so m uch as it parasitises grass roots and helps to create space for other wildflo wers to m ove into t he s war d. At the sam e tim e som e locall y gro wn Cowslip and R agged robin plug plants wer e ad d ed. Managem ent in f uture year s would be som ething ak in to the tradition ha y cut: a single cut and rem ove intervention. T his would be tim ed later than traditional m id -summ er haym ak ing, to allow m ore species to flower and provide interest to p assing people and wild lif e alik e. Ho wever , t his low intervention and re lativel y lo w -cost approach re quires pat ie nce and a de gree of goodwill to succeed. In the first few summers the area m ay look little m ore than an unm own area. It tak es tim e for perennia l wildflowers to establish and the pla nt comm unit y to adj ust to a new m anagem ent regim e – here in lies the im portance of committing to th is trial, as a villa ge, for enough ye ars to develo p an area worth y of such a ce ntral l ocati on. Buck land Newton is luck y in having an unusually high num ber of fragm ents of flower rich grassland wit hin the bounds of the village an d here is an op portunit y to add a f ew m ore square m eters bet we en t he existin g patch es in the Parish Pa ddock and L ydden Meadow . Keep an e ye out for upcom ing Buck land Newton Environm ent Group act ivities f or a chance to get involved or m ak e contact via b  nen  vgr@gm  ail.com  f or m ore inform ation.

1 3

1 5

AQUAHEAT SERVICES LIMITED Plumbi ng, He ating & Oil Mai nten ance & Serv ic es Rel iable and profession al se r vice at reasona ble rates No cal l out charges Free quotes with no obligatio n Fully i nsured

1 7

J A S P E RS HAIR S ALO N Your friendly l ocal salon providing exceptiona l result s Check out our new webs it e - www.jaspershairsalon.co.uk

OPENI NG TIMES Mond ay: Closed Tuesd ay : 9.00 am -4.00pm Wednesd ay : 9.00 am -6.00pm Thurs day: 9.00 am -5.00pm Frid ay : 9.00 am -7.00pm Saturday: 8.30am -1.30pm Don’t fo rget to ask a bout ou r Loyal ty ca rds a nd special offers 01 300 348 569 Main  Stre e t, P idd let re nthide , D T2 7 QL

Holiday opening times: Chris tm as Eve 7 am – 6 pm Christm as Da y closed Boxing Day 8 am -12 pm Then norm al hours New Years Eve 7 am – 6 p m New Years Da y 8 am -12 pm then back to norm al hours Meat orders f rom Else butcher Bread from Evershot bak ery wh ich will need to be in by Saturday 21st D ecem ber A ver y Merry Christm as and Happy New Year! Sue and Pete N ick isson ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ + ++ Sherborn e Food B an k Ple ase cons ider donating t o Sh erborn e Food Bank i n tim e for Christm as. I have a rranged wit h Sue & Pete f or them to m ak e u p £ 5, £10 and £2 0 pack s o f f ood which you can 'order' a nd pa y f or at the till when you are buying for your o wn item s. T hey will then box these up and I will delive r them to the sorti ng point in Long burto n. Not onl y will you be helping those less f ortunat e th an yourselves, but you will also be boosting sales at our f antast ic villa g e shop. Let's see if we ca n reach £1 ,00 0! T hanks Damian Brot hers and Jane Thrift

1 9

PATRICK NEEDHA M NCH & ND in Arboricu lture T ree  Surgery , W oodland Ma nagem ent Hedg e T rim ming Chipp ing Se rvic e N.P .T .C. Qua lif ie d (cha ins aw & spr aying use) Fully Insured TEL: 07899 92454 5 or 01258 817382

ALEX FR O ST an d NAT HAN CURTIS MA STER THA T CHERS

F ABRIC SE AR CH BR OCADE CHIFF O N CHINT Z C O TT ON C O RDUR O Y CR E P E D AMASK DEN IM FL ANNEL G IN G HA M MOL E SKIN MUS LIN O R GANZ A S A T IN S ILK T AFFE T A T W E E D T WILL VEL V ET V OILE

2 1

Buckland Newton Village H all

Superb light and airy venue f or Hire Kitchen, Covered Patio, Stage, Bar Area, Disabled Facilities and Wi -Fi W eddings from £220 Children’s Parties, Local Events and regular hire from £12 an hour Call I an Scott (Booking Secretary ) for m ore info rm ation 01300 3 45455 or bnvillagehall@gm ail.com - please use ‘Hall Booking’ in subject title

Dear Frien d s, Christm as is for the children. We rem em ber at the heart of the festival the birth of an infant. This child is born in Bethlehem of Judea - a province under m ilitar y occupation wit h arm ed soldiers on ever y street . T wo years after his birth, t hose so ld iers return to m assacre all the childr en u nder t wo years o ld on t he ord ers of their paranoid Com m ander - the Rom an p uppe t Kin g Hero d. Mercif ully , th is child esc ap es bec a u se his p arents h ave sou ght refuge in neighbour ing Eg ypt to t he So uth. T hey couldn’t do that today . An im penetrable arm ed and patrolled barrier has been built across the Israel/ Eg ypt border . T here would now be no where safe to go , no re f uge, no resp it e. A s part of the Rem em brance Cerem onies last m onth, w e had, i n addition to th e f orm al Rem em brance Sunda y services, a sim ple Peace V igil f ocussing on the innocent childre n wh o h ave d ied i n the prese nt conf lict i n wh at w e still refer to as ‘T he H ol y Land’. W e rem em bered them b y f ull nam es and ages, com piled a nd re le ased i n Ja nuar y 2024 . T he f irst nam es I read wer e of the Israeli children hor rif icall y tar geted a nd k illed i n t he outra geous Ham as terror attack of 7 th Octo ber last ye ar . On e source gave 17 nam es of under 18s, T he Jeru salem Post ne wspap er g ave 3 6 , bu t that included 1 8 - an d 1 9 -ye a r -olds. A s a bereaved parent, m yself I feel for the grief o f t heir parents, f am ili es and lo ved ones. I then tur ned t o the nam es of the other child victim s. They were printed on sheets o f A 4 paper , 4 7 nam es on each page. T he pages wer e la id out o n ever y pew , and the y were laid o ver the ent ire chancel f loor . T here wer e 2 48 pages of nam es com piled t o Januar y 2024. It totals nearl y t welve thousand names. W ith the attack s i n Leb anon, and the cont inued gri nding bom bing of Ga za, t he only current est im ate I have seen i s 16 ,00 0 n am ed children under 18. And th en t here are the wounde d. W e walk ed am ong the nam es i n silence, dum bfounded. W e were ask ed to pick one, read out the full nam e and age, a nd lig ht a ca ndle f or that o ne - out of all t he th ousands. I did , and then sat down i n st unn ed silence . Ho w m uch blood? how m uch blood? Innocent b lo od can ne ver wipe out the blood o f in nocents. W hat will I write on my Christm as cards this year? ‘Happy Christm as?’ I wonder . I re ally wonder . Jonat han

Buckland Ne wton Villag e Hal l notic e The Village Hall is extrem ely grateful to everyone who tak es awa y the tea towels to wash after using the k itchen in the H all, but p lease can user groups rem em ber to return them . Se vera l sets of 12 tea towe ls have bee n boug ht and donated in the last year alone and yet there are re gularl y onl y t wo or thre e cle an tea to wels to be found f or users in th e dra wer . ********************************************************* ***** ***** *** ** ** *** ** ** ** *** ** ***** ***** *** ** ** ***** ** ** *** ** ***** *** ** *