PARISH NEWSDecember 2013/january 2014

HOLY TRINITY CHURCHBradford on Avon

Benefice  of  Bradford  on  Avon  Holy  Trinity, Westwood  and Wingfield

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Holy Trinity Winter 1982

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DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY CHURCHRector The Revd Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BA15 1AF

joanna@abecassis.freeserve.co.uk 864444Churchwardens Trevor Ford 25 Downavon, BA15 1JH 862240

Judith Holland 23 Avonfield Avenue, BA15 1JD 866215Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton beneficeadmin@brad-avon-ht.org.ukAdmin Assistant Aylene Clack beneficeoffice@brad-avon-ht.org.ukAssistant Wardens David Emerson, David Milne, Brian Netley, Val Payne, John WoodsRetired Clergy Canon Richard Askew, The Ven John Burgess, Canon David Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones, Canon Peter Hardman, The Revd Jim Hill, The Rt Revd Bill Ind, The Revd Angela Onions, The Ven Ian Stanes, The Revd Karl Wiggins.Benefice Lay Ministers Graham Dove (licensed) 868654 Andrew Desmond (licensed) 862168 Dr Malcolm Walsh (retired)Pastoral Care Team see page 37Director of Music Thomas Pelham 07922 849982Times of Services (Check Bulletins and notices or Church web site)Sundays 8am Eucharist (Traditional language) 9.30am Sung Eucharist (coffee afterwards) 6pm Evensong, Compline, etcWeekday Eucharist 10am Wednesdays 12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwardsDaily (not Sundays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm (please enter via the north door opposite the Saxon Church, and check Bulletin for any cancellations)Church opening times April to September: the church is usually open to visitors on weekdays from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.Times of MeetingsChoir Practice 6.30pm Church, TuesdaysTeam Trinity 9.30am Guide HQ (1st and 2nd Sundays in the month, September to July, except Easter)Mothers’ Union 7.30pm 3rd Thursday, Cedar Court, Berryfield Road, BoA.Saxon Club 2–4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church HallBell Practice 7.30–9pm 2nd and 4th MondaysBenefice web-site www.brad-avon-ht.org.ukWeekly Bulletin Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday.

Please let the Rector, an LLM, or any other member of the PastoralCare Team know if someone needs visiting at home or in hospital.

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DIARY  FOR DECEMBER

WEEKLY GROUPS

Monday 7.30pm ‘Faith Explored’ (fortnightly) (for venue ring 868654)

Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children – school terms only)

Thursday 11am ‘ Faith Explored’ (not Boxing Day) Vicarage, 18A, Woolley Street

1 SUNDAY THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

9.30am Sung Eucharist

  6pm  BACT  &  Benefice  Candlelit  Advent  Carol  Service

5 Thursday 8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory

8 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Evensong Christ Church

10 Tuesday (until 15 Sunday) 10.30am-6pm CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL

(opens 11am on 15 December)

13 Friday 7.30pm Bradford Choral Society Christmas Concert

15 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

9.30am Christmas Tree Festival 'Sing Hosanna' with Nativity Tableau

  6pm  Benefice  Tree  Festival  Songs  of  Praise

17 Tuesday 7pm St Laurence School Carol Service

19 Thursday 10am Fitzmaurice School Carol Service

7.30pm Mothers' Union Readings and Carols for Christmas Cedar Court

22 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Candlelit Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

SEE PAGE 5 FOR CHRISTMAS SERVICES

27 Friday 12 noon NB No Eucharist Today

29 SUNDAY THE FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS

8am No Service today

  10am  Benefice  Eucharist  with  Carols  and  Christmas  Readings

6pm No Songs of Praise at Westwood today

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DIARY  FOR JANUARY

Parish News copy date for February is 19th January

WEEKLY GROUPS

Monday 7.30pm ‘Faith Explored’ (fortnightly) (for venue ring 868654)

Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children – school terms only)

Thursday 11am ‘ Faith Explored’ (not 2 or 23 January) Vicarage, 18A, Woolley Street

2 Thursday 8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory

5 SUNDAY THE EPIPHANY

9.30am Festival Sung Eucharist (with incense)

6pm Compline

12 SUNDAY THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Evensong Christ Church

19 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY

9.30am ‘Sing Hosanna’ Eucharist

5.30pm Amahl and the Night Visitors with Bradford Barnstorm

NB no Evensong at Westwood

25 Saturday 11am Parish Gathering and Lunch to celebrate and discuss our life together and the Street Market 2014

26 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY

9.30am Sung Eucharist with The Revd Ann Keating

6pm Evensong

STOP PRESS!On Wednesday, 20�� November, the General Synod of the Church ofEngland voted overwhelmingly in favour of women bishops, so endinga 20-year impasse. We could now see women ordained as bishops bythe end of 2014. What a splendid way to end 2013!

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HOLY TRINITY PARISH CHURCHBradford on Avon

CHRISTMAS SERVICES 2013

SUNDAY, 15�� DECEMBER – Christmas Tree Festival9.30am ‘Sing Hosanna’ Eucharist with Nativity Tableau

6pm Christmas Tree Festival Songs of Praise

SUNDAY, 22�� DECEMBER6pm Traditional Candlelit Service of

Nine Lessons and Carols

CHRISTMAS EVE3pm Crib and Christingle Service

Please come dressed as your favourite Nativity character!11.15pm Midnight Mass

CHRISTMAS DAY8am Eucharist

10am ‘Sing Hosanna’ Eucharist with Carols

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Happy New Year!

I t occurs to me that thiscombined edition of ParishNews for December and

January gives me the perfectopportunity to wish you (us?!) all avery, very Happy New Year! For withAdvent Sunday falling as it does thisyear on 1�� December, we arebeginning the church year –complete with our candlelit AdventCarol Service and new LectionaryReadings – and then of course on 1��January we begin the new calendaryear. And isn't it extraordinary howeach year as the clock strikes 12 onNew Year's Eve, we somehow drawa breath and prepare in some senseto ‘start again’? But how many of usdo that on the First Sunday ofAdvent?

So perhaps this might provide forus, this year, a rare opportunity topress that all-important ‘Pause’button: to stop, reflect, spend sometime with and listen to our God? TheSeason of Advent – if we let it be, andthe daily and Sunday lectionary iscertainly there to help us – is rich withchallenge. We have the great themesof ‘watching and waiting’, of ‘darknessto light’, of waters flowing in thedesert, of loosed chains and breakingfree, as we journey towards themystery of the Feast of the Incarnationwhich we celebrate with renewed aweand wonder, and joy, each year atChristmas.

For the great gift and mystery ofprayer and of watching and waitingupon our God is surely one of the joysof our faith? And yet in our ever-increasing busyness, we seem to runaround in ever-decreasing circles bothas individuals and as a church. Howmuch richer Christmas will be if wegrasp this opportunity to step back andspend time reflecting, with God? To‘fast’ before the great feast. We aremuch better programmed to do this inLent, of course – but it is equallyimportant in Advent. As many of youwill know, I take myself off for a‘hermit’ week twice a year to a Cornishcliff‐top barn conversion. I find myselflooking forward to it for the rest of theyear, as that time apart with nothingon the agenda (and no interruptions!)but being with God is sheer bliss. Andit really re-charges my spiritualbatteries for the next 6 months.

That is a very unusual form ofretreat – I know – but there are someglorious Retreat Houses up and downthe country offering a tempting rangeof Quiet Days and longer residentialretreats, often on a theme, such aspainting or bird-watching. The onesclosest to us are Ivy House inWarminster and Ammerdown nearRadstock – but then there's also SarumCollege in Salisbury from where youcan amble across the Green to theCathedral. Sadly, Retreat Housesacross the country are closing for want

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of custom - so use them or lose them!But, even closer to home, as you willsee from the Diary and the notice onpage 21 I am really delighted to saythat (thanks to Judith, David and Karl)we shall be having our very own QuietDay, ‘Being Present to the Light’, onthe eve of the Feast of Candlemas atThe Old Bakery, Freshford. This will beled by the Revd Dr Ali Green who hasrecently moved into Bradford.

So after this very special Advent –when we shall have had the excitingopportunity once again to open thedoors and host and welcome the widercommunity into Holy Trinity for our 3��Christmas Tree Festival (courtesy ofthe hard work and commitment of TheFriends) – we shall be ready tocelebrate Christmas together in greatstyle with our two school CarolServices, our own Service of NineLessons and Carols, as the choir goesfrom strength to strength, theChristingle and Crib Service (completewith costumes) and then the two greatEucharists of Midnight and Christmasmorning. But this year, before all that,we have carefully focussed worship atthe Christmas Tree Festival with theNativity Tableau ‘Sing Hosanna’ in themorning and a Songs of Praise in theevening, to include a visit from KhalilEstaytieh who will help us promotethe Caritas Hospital, Bethehem,Advent Appeal. Originally, Khalil isfrom Bethlehem, though he has livedin Jerusalem for a while, and hisbrother is a doctor who works in the

refugee camps outside Bethlehem.Khalil now lives in Bradford on Avon!

And so onto the new year, when weshall look forward to our church re-ordering plans unfolding and takingshape. The Christmas Tree Festival hasto be a great precedent for us openingour doors to the community muchmore often in future years. Andanother new year’s gift is that the PCChas decided that this truly excellentpublication, Parish News, should bemade much more widely available andfree of charge from the February issueonwards. It is just too valuable aresource to keep to a limited numberof subscribers! Thank you Bryan andAnn!

I end with my love and prayers andevery blessing for Christmas and theNew Year with an inspirational prayerby Anne Lewin:

Flame Dancing Spirit, comesweep us off our feet anddance us through our days.Surprise us with your rhythms,dare us to try new steps, explorenew patterns and new partnerships.Release us from old routines,to swing in abandoned joyand fearful adventure.And in the intervalsRest us in your still centre.

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Team Trinity NewsHopefully, by the time this magazine is circulatedwe shall have a full cast for the Nativity Tableauand rehearsals will be well under way. The Tableautakes place at the Morning Service at 9.30am onSunday, 15th December, and we can alwaysaccommodate more shepherds and angels. During our meetings in November we decorated a large picture ofpoppies which was proudly posted on our notice board in Church forRemembrance Sunday. It is always so gratifying to see so manychildren in Church on Remembrance Sunday and later at the WarMemorial. We shall be taking part in the Christmas Tree Festival again this yearand we shall be making our tree decorations when we next meet on thefirst Sunday in December.

June Harrison

FROM THE REGISTERSBaptisms

Bradley Ikechuckwu Clement October 27th

Caitlin Serenity Bryant October 27th

Marriage

Joe Johnston and Louise Smart October 26th

Funerals

Dora Olive Woods (aged 103) November 7th

Linda Conley Thanksgiving Service November 22nd

Iris Mary Bolwell November 27th

Cover photograph: We are grateful to Tim Smellie, an 8 o’clocker at HolyTrinity, for sending this photograph of the church on a cold winter’s day in 1982.Tim took the picture when he worked for St Ivel which was based in Abbey Houseat the time. It is shot from the top floor of Abbey House.

Editors

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Ian opened the November meetingwith prayer and, after a few shortnotices and a very relevant

anecdote from Chris Hodge aboutwearing our MU badges, heintroduced the session entitled ‘RoadSigns’. This involved four groups ofsix people looking at 20 road signsand then trying to see what theymight be saying about our MU branchas it is at the present time. Ian askedpeople to think laterally and not beafraid to tell of the ‘good, the badand the ugly’. Among the ‘good’ itwas noted that we support our olderand disabled members, a number helpwith mainly music,  we  find  joy  inhelping others, we support marriage,our membership is growing and weface up to the challenges of today'ssociety. Even the fact that men werenow members was seen as a plus. Weoffer  support  to  projects  at  home  andoverseas and we have learnt from thepast and have moved on. On themore negative side we noted (sparkedby the 40mph road sign) that wehave no members under 40 (in factonly a handful under 70!). In the mainthe branch was positive about itself:and then we moved on to look at the

future – where are we going?Could we do more, should we do

some things differently, how can wepromote the MU in the church andcommunity, how can we increase ourmembership and could we cooperatemore with other branches? Our groupdiscussions gave us much food forthought. Among these thoughts wasthat we should be seen as membershelping in other organizations. As manymembers as possible should get a widerview of the MU through the DiocesanCouncil, the National AGM and throughMU literature. We should cooperatewith other local branches. We should tryto spread the work-load amongmembers through team working. Weshould try to bring the knowledge of theMU to the wider church in as many waysas possible, including having a speakerin a main church service from thenational leadership.

This is only a summary of all that wastalked about and will give thecommittee much to discuss as they lookto the future programme. Marlene,Chris G-J and Dawn providedrefreshments and Heather won theflowers supplied by Celia.

We wish you every blessing forChristmas and the New Year.

Sylvia and Ian

Dates for your diaryThurs 19th Dec, 7.30pm: Readings and Carols for Christmas, Cedar Court with beverages and mince piesThurs 16th Jan, 7pm: Christmas Dinner, Limpley Stoke Hotel (menus to be circulated shortly)Thurs 23rd Jan, 7.30pm: Communion at start of new year and AGM , in church

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We are three years old! Yes, in November, it was ourthird birthday and we celebrated with balloons, birthdaycake and a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to ourselves.Three years of music, rhyme and rhythm and lots offriendships and connections made. Our songs are soattractive and memorable that we are often heardsinging them in our own homes with not a child insight!

One of the aims of mainly music is for the children toappreciate music and styles and they certainly do when they play drums andrhythm sticks to the beat of the music. They quickly realise that they need andlove to put a lot more energy into playing loud and fast as opposed to soft andslowly!

While the children then have free play, the parents enjoy talking to eachother and eating the cakes that many of you make for us. They love the home-made cake and wish to say a big thank you to the bakers. We would still likesome more bakers to provide us with a cake every 6 to 8 weeks.

To involve the children with the Christmas Tree Festival, they have eachbeen given a card on which there is an outline of a child. We ask that they takethis card home, colour it in, put their name on it with a photograph ofthemselves if they wish, and return it to us to put on the mainly music tree.

Our last session for this year is on Tuesday, 17�� December, when PercyParrot will fly in from Paraguay to entertain us. We have a book telling thestory of Christmas for each of our families and each child will have a lucky dipwhich is something to hang on their own Christmas trees.

Very exciting times and I am sure we shall all miss one another until westart again on January 7��.

Marlene Haffenden

BACT Report for November 2013Owing to the timing of publication of the Dec/Jan issue of Parish News, itwasn't possible to include a report from the BACT meeting held atBearfield  on  November  25��. Instead, a copy of this report will be found atthe back of the church, on the notice board.

The first BACT meeting for 2014 will be held at The Friend's Meeting House,Whiteheads Lane on Monday 23�� January at 7.30pm.

David RawstronSee also the BACT article by David Driscoll on page 25.

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Congratulations…To Anne and Tony Carter on their Golden Wedding

Following the ‘Sing Hosanna’ Eucharist on Sunday, 17�� November, thecongregation were invited to wine and cake in celebration of this greatoccasion to which there was more thana little history attached, Holy Trinityhaving played an amazingly central partin the lives of Anne’s family over theyears. Anne points out that themarriages of her paternal grandparents,her own parents, Tony and herself, anddaughter Michelle and husband Ben alltook place in this church. Anne wasbaptized  and  confirmed  in  Holy  Trinity,and her brother was also baptized here,eventually joining the choir andbecoming the Head Chorister.

Tony’s parents were members of ChristChurch, where Tony was baptized. ButAnne remembers:

When we were in our teens Holy Trinityand Christ Church had a very thrivingYouth Fellowship, involving bothchurches, to which we both belonged. The two churches did a lot together,including joint Christmas parties and Sunday School Outings in the summer.and I believe there was a friendly cricket match in the summer.

A memorable and happy occasion, and our thanks to Anne and Tony forallowing us to share in their happiness.

Bryan HarrisPhoto and cake by Chris Hodge

The Revd Canon Bill Ma�hewsWe are very sad to report that after his long illness Bill Matthews diedpeacefully in the early hours of 24�� November. We shall have moreabout Bill in the February issue of Parish News.

Editors

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TOWN REMEMBRANCE SERVICE, 2013

The annual Town Remembrance Service took place in Holy Trinity onSunday 10�� November followedby the laying of wreaths at theWar Memorial in WestburyGardens. After the Gatheringprayers  offered  by  Joanna,  theColour Bearers paraded theirbanners to the altar rail duringthe  singing  of  the  first  hymn.

The Deputy Mayor, CouncillorAlison Craddock, read a passage

from the first letter of John,following which there was amoving and thought-provoking Address by MajorGabriel Burchell of the ArmyAir Corps the text of which isprinted in the following pages.We are grateful to Gabriel forallowing us to print hisAddress in full.

The service concluded withthe Act of Commitment  and a final hymn during which the Colours werereceived back by the Colour Bearers and the Choir then led the procession fromthe church to the War Memorial in time for the Last Post which was followedimmediately by the two-minute silence. The Act of Remembrance concludedwith the wreath-laying ceremony.

As the photographs above show, the ceremony took place in brilliantsunshine, and Westbury Gardens was, as always, packed with participants andonlookers.

Bryan Harris

BH

BH

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It is a very great privilege to havebeen asked by Joanna to speakon  the  significance  of  the  Act  of

Remembrance.Towards the end of August 2012,

Captain Andrew Griffiths, an infantryplatoon commander, was leading hismen on patrol in Afghanistan when hestepped on an improvised explosivedevice. He was grievously injured andhis platoon requested medicalassistance from the MedicalEmergency Response helicopter. Highwinds had caused sand storms in thearea and visibility was well below thatrequired for safe flying. In fact, allhelicopter flights had been cancelled,so great was the risk of crashing insuch weather. Nevertheless, at greatpersonal risk, the Chinook helicopter,with the medical team on board,launched with an Apache helicopterescort. Flying at just a hundred feetabove the desert, relying entirely onthe Apache and its RADAR to leadthem, they arrived at the scene whereAndrew was just still alive. He wasgiven extensive life support on the wayback to Camp Bastion, where thehospital took over. He wassubsequently flown back to the UK buttragically died of his wounds twoweeks later. I was part of the team thatplanned and executed his medicalevacuation from the battlefield and itwas a bitter day when we learnt that,despite all our endeavours, Andrewhad not survived.

Andrew'sstory is not sodifferent fromthat of themany whohave died inAfghanistanand onbattlefieldsthroughouthistory. Whyare thesestories important to us who are beyondthe immediate friends and familieswho suffer directly as a result of theloss of a loved one?

The two world wars of the lastcentury demanded an unprecedentedsacrifice, both on and off the battlefield– on the battlefield in terms of thecasualties of service men and women,and off it in the hardships endured bythe population, as every sinew of thecountry strained to feed the constantdemand for war supplies. When HarryPatch died in 2009, he was the lastman who had fought in WW1. As thosewho personally remember WW2become fewer each year, what will bethe future of the Act of Remembrance?

I suggest that there are two verystrong reasons for never allowingRemembrance Day to fall from thecentral position it currently holdswithin society. First, because if we donot remember we forget. This countrycommitted itself to total war twice inthe last century

(Continued on page 14)

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY ADDRESS

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because we believed vehemently that‘All that is necessary for the triumph ofevil is that good people do nothing’.Nations paid dearly for that belief butone need only look at Syria today to seethe effect of unconstrained violence oninnocent people. Our remembrance ofthose two wars reminds us each yearthat we must never let this happenagain. We, with the allies, werevictorious, and it was the actions ofevery man, woman and child thatensured it. As Churchill said to theNation in 1945:

“This is your victory! Everyone hastried. Neither the long years, nor thedangers, nor the fierce attacks of theenemy, have in any way weakened theunbending resolve of the British nation.”

But the cost, physically andpsychologically, was enormous. And notjust for Britain. All the nations involvedin those conflicts were scarred byactions on and off the battlefield. Theeffect of warfare on combatants andnon-combatants is profound and wemust not lose sight, when we committhe armed forces to combat, of how weconduct ourselves.

And this brings me to my secondreason for the importance ofRemembrance Day; that it serves toremind the military, and you, the peopleof Britain, of our responsibilities to eachother. We bear arms on your behalf tobe used by the country as a last resort.And that is a responsibility not to beunderestimated. We shall always striveto act with integrity, but, as the trial ofthree Royal Marines for murder last

week demonstrates, sometimes we fallshort. It is absolutely right that weshould be held accountable for theseinstances so that you can commit us towar with the confidence that we shallconduct ourselves with honour. But weask for something in return.

We have been a nation at war for 10years – not on the scale of the worldwars of the twentieth century, butfighting campaigns in both Iraq andAfghanistan. The cost to those whohave served is only starting to becomeapparent. 179 British Service personnelwere killed in Iraq. The death last weekof Sergeant Major Ian Fisher broughtthe total killed in Afghanistan to 446.He will not be the last. But the numberreturning with physical and mental scarsis significantly greater. The work ofcharities such as Help for Heroes hasdone much to raise awareness of thechallenges that many of our returningservicemen and women will face and wein the military thank you for thatsupport. Your generosity is humbling.But the challenge will be to keep themomentum going once we return fromAfghanistan and the visual reminder ofmen and women on operations ceases.It is not yet clear how great the scale ofthese challenges will be. We shall needyour continuing help and support nowand in the future as we, as a nation, lookafter those who have fought on ourbehalf, and as we maintain our proudhistory of not standing by when evilthreatens.

Major Gabriel BurchellArmy Air Corps

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In May 2011 our daughter Janey'shusband, Major Steve McCulley,42 Commando, Royal Marines,

was very seriously injured inAfghanistan. He was in an inducedcoma for three weeks andunderwent extensive surgery at theQueen Elizabeth hospital,Birmingham. Your thoughts andprayers at that time were a greatsupport to the whole family andvery much appreciated.

As we understand many of youhave been asking about Steve, wehave been asked to write a furtherupdate on Steve's progress followingarticles in Parish News of September2011 and October 2012.

These are Steve's own words fromthe Help for Heroes (H4H) web site:(www.helpforheroes.org.uk/how-we-help)

Owing to the severerisk from the shrapnelremaining in my lung,in August 2012 Iunderwent majorsurgery to remove asmuch of it as possible.I lost 80% of my lungbut they managed toremove fifteen piecesof shrapnel from mychest cavity. A year onand I'm doing OK,although I still getchest pain and amhaving a lot ofproblems with my

knee, which may require furthersurgery. I get lethargic because oxygenisn't getting to my muscles quicklyenough. I can't do any impact exercise,but I have been able to start cyclingagain – I have always loved bikes; Ibuilt my first with my father when Iwas eight years old. During mymilitary career I have taken part incompetitive cycling representing boththe Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.I know that I shall not be able tocompete again but, nonetheless, Iremain passionate about cycling andwant to continue in the industry. So, inbetween surgery and medicalrehabilitation, and with support fromthe Royal Marines and Help forHeroes, I founded LIOS Bikes. I offera personalized service for people whoappreciate quality but may not have thetime or experience to purchase or buildtheir own bike. H4H paid for me to goon cycle technician courses to get

accreditation, so I'mnow qualified to thehighest level possiblein the UK. The charityhas been amazing –thanks to their supportI'm now following mydream to run my ownbusiness and feel that Ihave a real futureoutside of the Marines.

In 2012 Steve andJaney bought anEdwardian familyhome in Lee-on-the-Solent, which

(Continued on page 16)

STEVE McCULLEY: An Update

Janey and Steve at Goodwood

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required extensive renovation. Steveorganized the major building workwith military precision and we wereable to join them for their Christmaslast year just days after therenovations had been completed.

He has called his company LIOS,named after ourgrandchildren Lily (5)and Oscar (7). Thecompany waslaunched at the OrbitalCycle Festival atGoodwood in July thisyear and he had a ‘pop-up’ shop inMarylebone, London,for one week whichgenerated a lot ofinterest. His shop wasfeatured on televisionin the BBC Londonregional news(http://youtu.be/lcVOjLROtsM) and in theLondon EveningStandard. Theconsultants who had been treatingSteve since he returned fromAfghanistan also recently published amedical article in the 27�� September2013 issue of The Lancet. Over the last50 years they could not find anyonewho had survived with so muchshrapnel in their chest, so Steve's casewas used as an example of how

potentially to deal with someone withsimilar injuries in the future.

To assist further with businesssetup costs, Steve approached Helpfor Heroes with a view to gaining agrant towards bike fitting equipmenthe had purchased, so the Board of

Directors at H4Hstaged a ‘Dragons’Den’ style interviewfor him. EmmaParry, co-founder ofHelp for Heroes, saidSteve was one of themost impressivecandidates they hadseen. Steve has builta bike for keensportswomanFrancine Clarkson,wife of JeremyClarkson, and waspart of the supportteam when shecompleted theIronman Triathlontriathlon for the

charity in Bolton this year. Steve hasalso assisted fellow injured ex-servicemen with bike fittings,including a former paratrooper who isnow the British Para-Cycling road racechampion.

You can read more about Steve atwww.liosbikes.com.

Daphne and Malcolm Hancock

Steve holding a Lios Javelin bike

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At 6.30am on Monday 7��, 32 ofus  set  off  from  Bradford,  on  aChandlers  coach,  on  the  first

step of our journey to Bruges andother places in Belgium. Roger, thedriver, had come from Durham forthis trip as Harvey, our usual driveron Friends trips, couldn't do this one.Margaret (Chandler) was on boardwith Nicky, who was under trainingto drive coaches for Chandlers. It wasgreat to have them with us as theywere constantly serving us with hotand cold drinks, including wine,which saved us from buying inservice areas at far greater cost.

We made for the A303 and thentowards the M25, and so to Folkestone.Unfortunately, we had a huge hold upon the way (guess where!), and lostover an hour. However, we were stillable to get straight onto a train whenwe got to Folkestone. That was a reallyinteresting experience, as although I'ddone it in a car before, I'd neverexperienced it from a coach. Excellentdriving is required to swing the coachinto the tightest opening, drive downthrough the train, and then have thedoors closed before and behind thecoach to enclose it in a separatecompartment. A small group got off  tostand in front of the coach rather thanendure the rocking motion of thejourney inside the coach. Passengerscan walk along the train through smalldoors in the big ones, although whyanyone would want to, I don't know.

Having reached Calais, wedisembarked the same way, with Rogeremerging without having touchedeither of the wing mirrors against thetrain – some feat! Through Frenchcountryside and on into Belgium; wewere unpacked in our rooms in the ParkHotel in Bruges by 5pm, and going outto explore to find somewhere fordinner. The Park is in a big squarecalled T'Zand, and I'd stayed on theother side of the square in May,realising it was a great place to stay, asyou only had to go down one mainstreet to reach the centre of Bruges.

Tuesday was a beautiful day, whenthe sun shone and it was really warm.Most of the group had opted for a tourof the Historium at 11am – a pictorialand animated story of an incident inthe life of Jan van Eyck, a model hewanted to use, together with a greenparrot and a young man who workedfor him. The story took an hour, andwas hugely enjoyed, together with thequizzes and information about themaking of it at the end . We then splitup, going our separate ways for the restof the day – all to lunch, then most hada half-hour canal trip which showedsome of the lovely areas of Bruges fromthe waterway. My friend Jill Matthewsand I wandered around afterwards, anddiscovered the Gruuthuse HofRestaurant, which I'd wanted to visit inMay, but it was closed on the night Iwanted to go! We decided to go backthere for dinner

(Continued on page 18)

FRIENDS TRIP TO BRUGES, 7th-11th OCTOBER 2013

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that night, and it was an extremelygood place to go. We not only had avery good meal, at a very good price –food in Bruges is very expensive – butwe also met two women on the nexttable who were talking in a foreignlanguage which turned out to beWelsh! One of them owned a flat 100yards from where Jill lives in Llandaff,although it's her second home. Smallworld! On Wednesday we were off to avery early start, 8am from the hotel, inorder to get to Ghent and meet thetour guide at 9.15. We got to the rightplace at 9.15, but couldn't stop there:Roger had turned into one side of thesquare, the guide was on the other,and we had to keep driving, with Nickyfollowing the map to get him througha one-way system to get back there!Useful to have a second driversometimes! We met up with the guides– there were 2 of them – and split into2 groups, the first going off at a rapidpace to the Cathedral of St Bavo, tolearn a bit about Ghent on the way.Our group followed at a more statelypace. We had a good guide in Guy, and

he gave a us a lot of information aboutthe buildings we could see and thehistory of the town. It was raining, sowe were glad to get into the Cathedral.There Guy took us to a chapel wherethere was a copy of Jan van Eyck'sgreat polyptych ‘The Adoration of theLamb’, painted in 1432. He told us thatsome parts of the masterpiece werefake, as they had been sold at differenttimes and some had never beenreturned. Having had the lecture onthe picture, we then paid to go in tosee the actual work, which is nowhoused behind a glass screen, havingbeen vandalised in the 1980s. I firstsaw it in 1950 and have been to see it 3times since then. It really is anincredible piece of art.

After our tour finished, we only hadtime for a hot drink as the cafes wewere closest to were not selling food.Anne Carter thoughtfully provided apacket of Oreos from Tony's rucksack,which a small group of us enjoyed withour drink, the first time I'd had one,having enjoyed the adverts for themfor some time.

Off to Ypres in the early afternoon,with only 2½ hrs to spend there , so itwas all a bit rushed. Most of us went toSt George's church, whichcommemorates those that fell in WWI.Beautiful, colourful kneelers and lovelywindows gave us much to see beforemoving hastily on to the Menin Gate,which is inscribed with all the names ofthose who have no known grave –thousands of them. When a body is

Inside the Menin Gate

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found (as still happens) and can beidentified  and given fullburial honours, the nameis taken off the MeninGate. From there wewent to the Cloth Hall, tothe Flanders FieldMuseum, which Iremembered was sobeautiful on my last visitabout 10 years ago. Ithad all been modernized,and was now a ‘hands-on’ museum for youngpeople. Still lots ofinterest, but not as niceas I remembered!Leaving there we went out toDuhallows Cemetery, where MargaretHarkcom’s maternal grandfather wasburied, having lost his life in 1917, aged35 when her mother was 6 years old.Margaret laid a wreath on his grave andwe wandered around, marvelling at thebeautiful way the graveswere kept. Margaretopened the book, kept inthe cupboard of thegatepost, and I took aphoto of the entry abouther grand-dad. Wemoved on from there toanother cemetery wherewe saw the grave of theyoungest casualty of thatwar, Rifleman Strudwick,killed in 1916 at the ageof 15. From there to seethe grave of JohnMcCrae, who wrote the

poem In Flanders Fields. Getting back toBruges later, Jill and Idecided to go to theGruuthuse Hof again, onlyto find it was closed onboth Wednesdays andThursdays – verydisappointing. By then itwas pouring with rain, sowe hastened back toT'Zand, and found arestaurant where the meal,unfortunately, did notcompare with the one wehad last night.

Thursday, and an extralie-in: we didn't have to

leave the hotel until 8.30!! We wereheading for Antwerp for a guided touron the coach at 10.15. There was, attimes, torrential rain on the journey anda dreadful hold-up, so that we didn'tget there until 11.15. Although theguide was waiting (I had been in touch

with the office and toldthem about the hold-up),she informed me thatAntwerp was not suitablefor a coach tour, whichwas what the office hadsuggested! As we had acouple of people on-board who were not upto a lot of walking, I wasnot a happy bunny!However, most agreed togive it a try, and it wasn'ttoo far to the GroteMarkt, to see the lovely

(Continued on page 20)

The grave of the youngestcasualty of that war,

Rifleman Strudwick, aged 15.

The headstone of the grave ofJohn McCrae, composer of ‘In

Flanders fields’.

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buildings surrounding the square andthe bronze fountain depicting SilviusBrabo casting the giant's severed handinto the River Scheldt. This is howAntwerp got itsname –handwerpenmeaning ‘handthrow’. She toldus the legend ofthe giant DruonAntigon, whoused to dominatethis bend of theriver, taking tollsfrom all the ships,and cutting offthe hands ofanyone unable topay. Silvius Brabo was a Roman soldierwho killed the giant and hurled his handinto the river. We then went to theCathedral of Our Lady, hemmed in byhouses, but the largest, and probably,the most beautiful church in Belgium.There was an exhibition of paintingsthere, together with the very famousRubens paintings ‘The Raiding of theCross’ and ‘The Descent from theCross’, painted in 1610, and 1612 –incredible works of art. But, to ourdelight, our guide showed us in theexhibition a huge painting by QuentinMetsys of ‘The Pietà’, which hadobviously been cleaned and was verycolourful. I, personally, did not like thefigure of Christ, but undoubtedly, thepainting was worth a tremendousamount of money. What a coincidence,that so soon after selling our own

Metsys painting, we should see anotherone on a Friends’ holiday.

Having finished her tour of thecathedral, our guide left us, and we had

a few hours tofind lunch andsee more ofthe city beforea mid-afternoondeparture forBruges, givingus time to doour lastshopping therebefore our final

dinner, togetherthis time, in therestaurant of

the Park Hotel. Many of us started theevening in the bar with a free glass ofCava provided by the hotel!

After dinner, John presented mewith a card signed by everyone and agift of money from the group as athank-you for organizing the trip. As Iexplained, I love doing them, thoughthis one had been different in that I'dplanned it from scratch. I've used themoney to buy an M & S jewellery boxwhich has replaced two old ones.Margaret, Roger and Nicky had joinedus for coffee, and came to the bar withus afterwards. They had enjoyed thetrip, too, so it was lovely that they feltso comfortable with the group.

A really late start on Friday – notuntil 10am – as we set off for Calais andthe Cité Europe to do some shopping

The altar piece known as Pietà, or Lamentation,by Quentin Metsys in the Cathedral of our Lady in

Antwerp.

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before getting on the ‘Chunnel’ train. Alarge hypermarket was able to supplyall we needed in the way of booze andother odds and ends, and there was asuper C & A there as well as everyother shop that might have beenwanted. Several purchases were madein C & A, I know! There were dozens ofplaces to buy lunch, accompanied, nodoubt, by the last glass of wine onFrench soil, before getting back to thecoach with our purchases, again inpouring rain. The journey wasuneventful until we got to the M25,and then – another huge hold-up, as itwas rush hour. Some rush! Arriving

back at Fleet services, an hour late, Valunfortunately misjudged the height ofthe step up to the path and hurt hershoulder in the fall. I do seem to have ahabit of bringing, or not bringing ashappened in Israel, casualties homefrom our trips!

Please don't be put off, though,because the next trip, in 2015, will beto Prague, Budapest and Vienna, suchwonderful cities, and we do needpeople to sign up for it. For details,please contact me, on 869357 or athodge_c1@sky.com.

Text and photos by Chris Hodge

A QUIET DAY FOR CANDLEMAS:Being Present to the Light

10am to 4pm, on Saturday, February 1st, 2014at The Old Bakery, Freshford.

An experiential quiet day...time to contemplate, to review, to write, tofocus, to take the inner journey, with guidance from the Revd Dr AlisonGreen.

Ali Green trained in Salisbury, was priested in Bath and Wells and for thelast eight years has ministered in the Monmouth group of parishes. In additionto being a theologian and published author she is an experienced prayer guide,spiritual director, retreat giver and pilgrimage leader. Ali has led manyindividually guided retreats for small groups and regularly takes larger parishgroups on retreats and pilgrimages in the UK and abroad. She offers one‐to‐one accompaniment as a spiritual guide trained in the Ignatian tradition.

Homemade soup and warm rolls provided: bring your own sandwich,salad or other extras.

Coffee and tea available all day as needed.

Parking  is  difficult  so  a  train  to  Freshford  Station  is  a  good  option.09.50am from BoA.

A sign-up form will be available in church early in January.Judith Holland

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CARITAS CHRISTMAS APPEALThe Charities Vision Group will again design and have available in churchfrom the 15�� December a card in which to write our Christmas greetings toone another and at the same time make a contribution to the Caritas BabyHospital in Bethlehem.

Some of you have already met Khalil Estaytieh, a Palestinian Christian, whohas recently moved to Bradford with his family. He has kindly agreed to comeand talk to us at the 6pm Songs of Praise Tree service on the 15�� December.

This will be a rare opportunity for us to hear directly from someone who wasborn and brought up in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Khalil still has many relativesin both towns, including his brother, a doctor, who runs a clinic in one of theBethlehem refugee camps.

There will be a retiring collection after this service and another after the9.30am service on the 22ⁿ� in aid of Caritas.

Last year we raised the wonderful sum of £570 for Caritas

Let's see what we can do this year…Margaret Harris

Charities Co-ordinator

A Le�er from BethlehemI hope you are all well and keeping warm at home. It's still tee-shirtweather here but very comfortable British tee-shirt weather! It's been areally full-on week or so, part of the time having orientation in Jerusalemand part having handover in Bethlehem. Yesterday we had a lovelyceremony in the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem with all 35 of thelast EAPPi Group handing over lighted candles to all 36 of this group. Weare split into 8 teams in various parts of the West Bank and EastJerusalem. My  team  of  five  are me,  Pete  –  a  Canadian,  Eric  fromSwitzerland, Maria from Norway and Julia from Poland – all really greatpeople. We  have  a  ground  floor  apartment  near  Checkpoint  300  –  which  isconvenient since we have to be there at 4am four days a week.

I did my first full Checkpoint duty this morning and it was pretty shocking.Over 5000 Palestinian people from all over the southern West Bank passthrough between 4am and 7am on their way to jobs in East Jerusalem and

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beyond. They leave home betweenmidnight and 3am. They are packedinto a long caged walkway and have topass through several turnstiles, a metaldetector and an ID booth where theyshow their ID cards and permits andhave their finger prints checked. Manyare turned back for spurious reasonslosing days of income. It was chaos atpeak point when over 1000 peoplepassed through the turnstiles in half anhour and it was taking over an hour toget through the terminal. The Wall and the checkpoint itself are on Palestinianterritory, not on the Israeli Border.

Tomorrow we have to leave home at 6.45am to accompany school kids toschool and provide a Protective Presence because they are harassed andintimidated by the Israeli Defence Force. We go to four different schools eachweek.

Love to you allAli Morgan

Ali is an ecumenical accompanier in Palestine. If you would like to follow herprogress she has a blog at the link: http://greennumberplate.wordpress.com

Margaret Harris

Stamps and Postcards for the Episcopal Churchin Sudan and South Sudan

The collecting point in Church House in Salisbury for stamps for theEpiscopal Church has been closed. There may be other arrangements infuture – watch this space.

There has been a major alteration to the building housing the boxes for bothstamps and cards. For the moment postcards are still being accepted, so pleasekeep them coming, but put your stamps in the box for Amnesty International atthe back of the church.

Thank you to all who have given stamps and postcards this year.Muriel Freeborn

No words needed!

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THE PHILIPPINES - THE 'PLAN' THAT WAS

Since working in the Middle East with the British Council about 35years ago the charity Plan International, as it was then called, cameto my notice and we have been involved with this seventy-year old

organisation ever since.It involves sponsoring a child in a family living in a poor area designated by

Plan to be the focus for growth and development for a period of years. Part ofthe money goes towards the well-being of the child you sponsor – his or herhealth, schooling, and housing – while the balance goes towards developingschool buildings, clean water, a health centre and agriculture. In addition, wehave the pleasure of exchanging letters with a sponsored child, watching themgrow and seeing the difference our donations are making.

We have had the pleasure of sponsoring a girl in Kenya, whose father wasblind and when the area was sufficiently self‐supportive, were moved on tohelping a boy and his family in Nepal. However, most of our sponsored childrencome from the Philippines and we have watched with interest to see how thelives of Gretchen, a little girl in Quirina in the north eastern part of thePhilippines, Junie Ray from Calapan, Mindoro, and our latest child, Daryl and hisfamily have progressed. Along with this, the development of the local area hasshown that agriculture hasimproved and schools havegradually been built with aHealth Centre and many otherfacilities in the province ofSablayan, Occidental Mindoro,south east of Manila.

Then disaster struck! At thetime of writing we do not knowexactly the extent of the damagewhich appears to centre around Tacloban. Occidental Mondoro, where ourfamilies are situated, has not been mentioned. It lies to the south-west of thecapital, so we are hoping and praying that this area will not have been so badlyaffected.

Please pray with us!Ann Holland

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It's good to remind ourselves fromtime to time why we need BACT,or Bradford on Avon Area

Churches Together, to give its fulltitle. From my brief involvementwith it I am convinced BACT has avital rôle to play in the life of all ourmember churches, especially in thesupport it gives to our sharedcommission to proclaim the GoodNews of Jesus Christ. Christian unitycan never be an end in itself but hasto  have  a  definite  purpose.  In  John,ch 17, we read that in Jesus’s prayerto his Father he included thesewords on behalf of his disciples,“May they all be one that the worldmay believe”. Also in I Corinthianswe have Paul’s words in the openingchapter showing how appalled hewas to discover divisions in the verychurch he had founded on hissecond missionary journey. Paul feltas if the very body of Christ hadbeen divided! It is therefore noaccident that the Week of Prayer forChristian Unity always ends on 25��January, the Feast of the Conversionof St Paul. The unity we seek is‘Christ’s gift and Christ’s will’ and isfor the sake of the Church’s mission,‘that the world may believe’. Despitethe wonderful achievements of theChurch over 2000 years of history,set alongside this is the greattragedy of the divisions that havegrown up between Christians which

inevitably causeconsiderable harm toits mission. Thankfully,there have been brave attempts tobring churches back closer together.One such attempt occurred just over100 years ago in 1910 when aninternational missionary conferencewas held in Edinburgh. It consistedof representatives from all over theworld – from most of the non-Roman-Catholic churches plus theirmissionary societies – and thisproved to be the beginning of themodern ecumenical movement. Thesuccess of the conference led tofurther international meetingsculminating in the establishment ofthe World Council of Churches(WCC) in 1948. At the same timenational ecumenical bodies werecoming into being, among them theBritish Council of Churches (BCC) ,actually set up six years earlier in1942.

Another important date was 1947when Anglicans, Methodists,Presbyterians and Congregationalistscame together to form the unitedChurch of South India. There werefurther successful unity schemes in theIndian subcontinent, namely theChurches of North India and Pakistanin 1970 and the Church of Bangladeshin 1971. A notable ecumenical event inour own country was a BCC conferenceheld at

(Continued on page 26)

Bradford on Avon Churches TogetherWHY WE NEED BACT

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Nottingham in 1964 which passed thefollowing remarkable resolution, ‘Wedare to hope that churches in Britainwill be united by Easter Day 1980!’ Aswe well know that hoped for unitynever happened. Sadly, conversationsbetween the Church of England andthe Methodist Church, which hadtaken place right through the 1960s,also ended in failure when the Churchof England General Synod rejected theunity proposals at a meeting in 1972.However, there was one success whenthe Presbyterians andCongregationalists came together thatyear to form the United ReformedChurch, and relations between theChurch of England and the MethodistChurch haven't entirely broken down.The two churches are still in acovenant relationship with each other.God willing, this may lead to unity oneday.

A further positive step towardsChristian unity also occurred in the1960s when the Roman CatholicChurch resolved to play a full part inthe ecumenical movement. This wasthe consequence of the election in1958 of Pope John XXIII who, fouryears later, called the Second VaticanCouncil in 1962. Since Vatican II, therehas been a significant liturgical revivalwhen orders of the Mass in thevernacular were published and,remarkably, a free exchange ofliturgical practice and ideas across thedenominations. However, what waseven more important was the RomanCatholic Church’s positive intent to

restore links with their ‘separatedbrethren’ a phrase that the churchused in its official Vatican II documentsto describe other churches. I personallyexperienced this new development atfirst hand while at University when, forthe first time, Roman Catholicstudents were allowed to join ourcollege branch of the Student ChristianMovement. Slightly different, but justas important, was the setting up oflocal ecumenical projects betweenchurches – on new housing estates, forexample – and as a result of thesuccess of such schemes, currentthinking is that ecumenical advance ismore likely to occur through localinitiatives rather than national ones,although the latter are still important.

Nevertheless, by the middle of the1980s there was a noticeable decline inecumenical activity; for example farless interest was shown in the annualWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity inJanuary. Clearly a fresh initiative wasrequired. This came through thechurches’ agreement to take part in ajoint ecumenical Lent course in 1986.The course proved very successful andfurther joint Lent courses wereplanned in future years. As a result,there was a gradual realisation thatstructural changes were requirednationally and locally, and the BCC wasreplaced by a new ecumenical body,Churches Together in Britain andIreland, plus separate ecumenicalbodies for each nation making up theUnited Kingdom, the body in Englandhas the title Churches Together in

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England. At the same time, localcouncils of churches were encouragedto form similar bodies, ie. AnytownCouncil of Churches taking on a newtitle like, Churches Together inAnytown , like ours – Bradford on AvonArea Churches Together.

The change of title might seempure semantics, but the intention wasthat these new bodies would have arôle different from those of the bodiesthey replaced, with a clear change ofemphasis. No longer would meetingssimply consist of representatives frommember churches, althoughrepresentation is very important.Because churches are essentiallypeople, from now on meetings wereobviously meant to be open toeveryone. In that way every churchmember would now have theopportunity of getting to know fellowChristians from other churches, and,hopefully, working much more closelytogether. I'm sure that's why we havehad joint Lent courses for a long timebecause this is an ideal way forChristians to come together across thedenominations. And since there areclose links between unity and missionwe felt it was highly appropriate thatthe Lent course that took place earlierthis year should have been based onthe following Five Marks of Mission:

1. To proclaim the good news ofthe Kingdom

2. To teach, baptize and nurturenew believers

3. To respond to human need by

loving service4. To challenge violence, injustice

and oppression, and to work forpeace and reconciliation

5. To strive to safeguard theintegrity of creation and sustainand renew the life of the earth.

It was obviously intended thatthose taking part in the Lent Coursewould find it extremely worthwhile,but we also hoped there would bepositive outcomes as a result of thecourse, ones which member churcheswould feel able to support in the futurework of BACT. To our pleasant surprisewe received an enormous number ofsuggestions, more than we everexpected. Here are 12 of them:

1. A BACT stall at the weeklymarket in Bradford

2. Street Pastors3. An ‘Experience Easter’ project for

local schools4. A joint event at Pentecost5. A joint young people’s group and

clubbing together for a youthworker

6. An ecumenical streetrepresentatives’ scheme forBradford

7. Setting up a churches networkwith local statutory andvoluntary bodies in cases ofemergency

8. Setting up an advice centre inthe middle of Bradford to meetneeds such as debt counselling,youth unemployment and thefood bank

(Continued on page 28)

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9. Reviving the Boathouse (Alabaré)10. Raising concerns on justice issues

such as in the IF campaign,human  trafficking  andhomelessness

11. Working individually andcollectively with Climate FriendlyBradford on Avon to reduce ourcarbon footprint

12. Setting up a web site in order tocommunicate BACT moreeffectively

Some of these could beimplemented quite quickly, whileothers might require considerableplanning. We shall certainly need toprioritize: and we must be preparedthat some of these suggestions willprove impracticable. To facilitate theprocess, we have decided to set upfour focus groups which are as follows:(1) Evangelism and Nurture, (2)Service, (3) Justice and Peace, and (4)Care of the environment. We areurgently looking for volunteers whowould agree to take part in one of thegroups.

Each focus group will be asked tolook at the suggestions relevant totheir group, to makerecommendations as to how theymight be implemented, and, onceapproved, to plan accordingly. Eachgroup would take it in turns to takeresponsibility for choosing andpresenting an agenda item at a BACTmeeting related to their group. Aspreviously stated, we are extremely

keen that BACT meetings should beopen to anyone who would like toattend, even if they are not already achurch representative. Above all, weare very anxious that BACT doesn'tbecome a closed shop but is availableto everybody. It is terribly importantthat every opportunity is given forpeople to get to know one another andform friendships across ourdenominations. We certainly don'tintend BACT activities to be dull. Weare keen that far more people shouldget involved!

Planning has already started fornext year’s Lent course which is beingorganised by Churches Together inBritain & Ireland on a very appropriatetheme: ‘A right relationship withmoney’. It will be held over the sixweeks of Lent with the followingsessions: Temptation, Betrayal,Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Ridicule, andTransformation. We are planningweekly sessions on Sundays, plus thesetting up of groups meeting inhouses, so you can choose either orboth. Further information about thecourse will be available soon.

As a postscript, think of ourdifferent denominations as the spokesof a wheel with Christ at the centre.When we grow closer to Christ, weshall naturally grow closer to oneanother. And as we grow closer to oneanother, we shall grow closer to Christ.

David DriscollChairman of BACT

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A CORNISH LETTER

Hello everyone. I started towrite about my new parishand found I was writing

about its children, so here goes!I am currently living in a village in

Cornwall in the diocese of Truro, wheremy church is in one of four parishesmanaged by a priest and two layreaders. It's sometimes difficult beingthe new girl at school, especially whenit comes to the Peace, which goes onforever as everyone has to shakeeveryone else's hand and if you onlyknow a couple of people it's a bitdifficult!

Hymns are sung with gusto, evenwhen the congregation numbers 15 orless, and there are many good thingsdone at a local level; there will betraining for Messy Church in the NewYear. I had been longing to read andfinally asked if I might... Oh silly me! Iwas handed The Message. For thosewho are not familiar with it, a friendcalls it the ‘Listen up, you guys’ Bible,so you can see it represented achallenge. As it happens, I quiteenjoyed myself.

The children are fully integratedinto the Family Eucharist, where theyask questions to which priest andcongregation reply. I simply didn't seehow it could work, but it does. I havebeen to several of these services nowand the children speak up because theyare proud to play their part. They ask;

“Why do we give thanks and praiseat this table?”. “Why do we eat bread

together at this table? “. “Why do wedrink from the cup together at thistable?”. and “What do we remember atthis table?”.

Another difference; at theseservices we have ‘Open Book’ where amember of the congregation tells astory – for example, Elijah fed by theravens – while other adults enact thestory. It is simply and beautifully done.That week the group will have visitedthe local village C of E primary schoolfollowing the same procedure, with theresult that on Sunday the children liketheir parents to hear the story, too.

Our priest initiated somethingcalled ‘Celebrate Harvest’ where one ofthe churches, the largest, had different‘stations’ to celebrate the Harvest ofthe Sea, the Harvest of the Earth etc.Mine was ‘Harvest of the Flock’. Ateach station a group of 7 or 8 childrenlearned about a particular harvest andat the end they were told of the deepermeanings attached to Harvest. Duringthat week we welcomed 700 childrenfrom local village primary schools overthree days. Exhausting but veryrewarding. I think ‘Experience Easter’may be next.

Any reservations? Mmmm... onlyones that reflect on me, I think. Peopleare kind and it's all very jolly but I domiss Holy Trinity! I think of you all withaffection every Sunday.

With my love,Sue (Platt)

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Christmas is the time of yearwhen most of us think aboutour friends and relations,

some old, some new and some past.It is a time when relationships andconnections are more important thanever. My father loved meeting newpeople and also had a wealth ofknowledge  about  them  after  his  firstor second meeting. I am sure theyalso got to know his life history.One ‘tip’ he passed on to me wasthat no matter whom you meet youwill  usually  find  you  have  somethingin common with them wherever orwhenever you meet. During myyears as an International Sales andMarketing Director I always kept myfather's words at the forefront of mymind and it was surprising howquickly good relationships were builtwith  people  from many  differentcountries  with  different  cultures  andbeliefs. Our distributors werestrategically spread around theworld: Muslims in Saudi and Iran,Buddhists in Thailand and Sri Lanka,Hindus in India, Catholics in Europeand South America, Christians inNorth America and Canada,Communists in Russia and otherEastern Bloc countries and so on.My rôle was to visit them from timeto time and encourage sales and, asyou may imagine, many friendshipsand common bonds were developed.Anecdotes are plentiful in the

Haffenden  family  especially  when  itcomes to how to do business withRussians!

There were three ExecutiveDirectors in our technology businessand even we had different religions,cultures and nationalities. There wasme in my rôle as Marketing Directorand an English Christian, our TechnicalDirector Michael who was a DutchMuslim, and Fritz our ManagingDirector who was a Jew from Vienna.We worked together for over thirteenyears and built up a very successfulbusiness which we eventually sold.Despite our very different backgroundsand cultures we had so much incommon and formed extremely goodrelationships and total trust in oneanother. Needless to say Christmastime was very different for each of usbut as we had a great deal of respectfor one another there was never anycompetition between our faiths andthe way we chose to celebrate ourspecific festivals. One example of thiswas that when Michael observedRamadan, Fritz and I supported him bybeing especially careful how weorganized our diaries to make certainwe avoided meal times.

Where is this leading, you mayquite rightly be asking yourselves. Theclue is in the title ‘How well connectedare you?’. In other words, I am curiousabout how well we are all connected toour fellow Christians, and with those at

HOW WELL CONNECTED ARE YOU?

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Holy Trinity as a starting point.Interestingly enough, Marlene and Iare fairly well connected with many inour congregation even though we maynot always have met. Let me give yousome examples and I hope they won'tmind me using their names.

David Rawstron's Uncle Fred wasmy Sales Manager in 1966 and bothDavid and I have stayed at the houseof his Uncle and Aunt in Droitwich atdifferent times – without meeting.Marlene and Muriel Freeborn bothwent to Parkstone Grammar Schoolnear Poole and can have conversationsabout the teachers there. Bunty andHugh Johns had a great friend calledHamish who was a DepartmentalManager at Beale's in Poole and webought one of our earlier stereosystems from him. Ian Stanes wasChairman of the Governors at theschool where two of our grandsonsattend. Beryl and John Cox (as well asCanon Peter and Frances Hardmanwho knew our Vicar when we were atPoole) lived for quite a while atWareham which is about five milesfrom where Marlene was born. Johnused regularly to visit the JointServices Amphibious Warfare Centreat Hamworthy where I did some of myNational Service and where I first metMarlene on a nearby sandy beach.

During our recent visit to the HolyLand I was talking to Revd Alun Glyn-Jones about his time at CambridgeUniversity and his great love of cricket.

We also talked about my time atLewes Grammar School and Imentioned that my English teacher,Colin Silk, had a son called Nick. Nickalso went to Lewes Grammar Schooland then on to Cambridge. In 1965Nick started playing rugby forEngland,  his first game being againstWales. Once again, and much to mysurprise, Alun knew him as they wereat Cambridge around the same time.Both were leading sportsmen andrepresented the University in theirchosen sports.

The coincidences continue in ourextended Benefice where I havediscovered that Marlene’s MU friendAnne Hawke and I spent most of ourchildhood living less than two milesapart and her father was a formerplayer for the cricket team that Iplayed for.

Finally, one of our Parish NewsEditors, Bryan, lived in Lewes for quitea while and Margaret and Bryan stillhave friends there whom they visitfrom time to time. I wouldn't be at allsurprised to find that if we were todraw up a kind of Holy TrinityConnections Tree we were allconnected in some way.

I hope you and your connections, asmembers of our Christian Family, allhave a very joyous and peacefulChristmas.

Tony Haffenden

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A little while ago Chris rangme and asked if I would liketo accompany her on a ‘Holly

and Mistletoe’ weekend in Tenbyorganised by Chandlers. I readilyagreed as I had not had a break forover two years.

We left Bradford on the 8�� Nov atthe civilized hour of 10.30am in thepouring rain and proceeded to Tenbywith an hour and a half stop inSwansea where, lo and behold, thesun was shining. We had met up witha father and daughter who weresitting in front of us on the coach andwho proved to be great company overthe weekend. We arrived at our hotelin the late afternoon with plenty oftime to prepare for dinner and acomplimentary glass of sherry.

The next day was ‘Christmas Dayand New Year's Eve’ rolled into oneand we started the day with anexcellent full English breakfast (or fullWelsh as Chris insisted on calling it)and left for a coach trip through theWelsh countryside to Carmarthenwhere there were both an open and acovered market. After a wanderround and a cup of coffee we returnedto the hotel by a different route toprepare for Christmas dinner. Wewere given a glass of punch to startwith then there was a choice of menubut most people opted for the turkeyand all the trimmings. After dinnerFather Christmas arrived bringing a

small wrapped gift for everyone. Itmust have taken the staff a long timeto wrap all those pens.

Next day was ‘New Year's Day’and also Remembrance Sunday whenwe opened our curtains we weregreeted with the most amazingsunrise. After breakfast we walkedinto Tenby and explored the narrowstreets and the harbour, intending toattend a Communion Service but wewere misinformed of the servicetimes by the staff at the hotel andmissed it. However we went to thewar memorial for the RemembranceDay parade which included manyorganizations including the RoyalNavy, Army, Navy and Air Forcecadets and also schoolchildren. Aseleven o'clock approached the hugecrowd fell silent and on the hour a gunwas fired which startled all the gullsand other birds which took flight withraucous cries breaking the silence.After this we went to St Mary'sChurch for the Remembrance Dayservice during which the names of allthe local people who were killedduring the first and second world warswere read out and the service endedwith the singing of the Welsh and ourown National anthems. It was a verymoving service, after which wewandered back to the hotel for lunch.

After lunch Chris and I took part ina general knowledge quiz which wewon and received a box of Quality

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS

33

Street as a prize, there was more funand then we were supplied with teaand cakes. For the dessert course atdinner that evening we were given adessert called Hanky Panky slicewhich caused much amusement.After dinner there was moreentertainment laid on and we sat withour new friends and played Bingowhich none of us really liked but wehad some fun and Linda won £10,then the four of us took part inanother quiz and we won a bottle ofwine as first prize.

Next morning the weather wasdamp and foggy and we said goodbyeto the excellent staff who had been sofriendly and helpful and returnedhome stopping at Cardiff Bay where

Chris gave me a guided tour, we hadlunch and then returned to the coachand journeyed back home arrivingmid-afternoon having enjoyed a verygood weekend.

Jackie Uncles

Hanky-panky pudding!

Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth; Goodwill to Men; andBatteries not included.

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they will never cease to beamused.

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THE RE-ORDERING OF HOLY TRINITYIntroducing the Architects…Chedburn Dudley Building Conservation and DesignThe practice was formed in July 1996 with the aim of providing a widerange  of  specialist  conservation  services,  whilst  offering  efficiency  and  valuefor money. Based in Limpley Stoke, the company works throughout thesouthern half of the country, including London and as far north asHerefordshire.

Working with historic buildings requires a specific set of skills and rigorousattention to detail. With over 40 years’ experience across a broad spectrum ofprojects between our senior partners, Chedburn Design and Conservation offersa serious alternative to the larger practices in this field. As ConservationArchitects, we specialise in the restoration, alteration and refurbishment ofhistoric buildings, either in a full design/project management rôle or acting asconsultants for projects requiring a conservation input.

George ChedburnGeorge  qualified  as  an  architect  at  Newcastle  upon  Tyne  with  a  first‐classhonours  degree  and  has  additional  qualifications  in  Building  Conservationfrom the Architectural Association. He is a member of RIBA and a panelmember of the Bath and Wells Board of the Diocesan Advisory Committee.He  also  acts  as  Consultant  Conservation  Officer  to  a Welsh  local  authority.

Angela DudleyAngela’s architectural training was undertaken at Cheltenham College ofArt and Plymouth Polytechnic, followed by a diploma in ArchitecturalConservation at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. Prior to joiningGeorge, she worked in the buildings department of a large estatemanagement company, and with a specialist conservation practice.

Angela provides the critical management impetus that links on-site workswith the backroom services provided from the office. She is a member of theInstitute of Historic Building Conservation and is Grants Secretary of the‘Friends of Somerset Churches and Chapels’, as well as being a committeemember of the Trust.

George and Angela bring a wide range of experience of working on historicbuildings and, along with six technical and architectural staff, have developedan extensive portfolio of work, from private houses and churches, to historicallyimportant buildings and monuments for a range of individual clients includingThe National Trust and the Court Service.

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… and the Project Manager...Jim Crouch and Buro Happold

Buro Happold are delighted to have been appointedProject Manager and Cost Consultant for the work at HolyTrinity Church.

The company was founded in Bath in 1976 by the lateProfessor Sir Edmund Happold, a Quaker. Today, after 35years, we have grown to a world-class, multi-disciplinaryengineering consultancy with an international network of 25 offices. Ourintricate knowledge of the industry and our commitment to the principles ofcare, value and elegance on which Ted Happold founded the practice sets usapart and adds value. We shall apply the same level of complex thought andspecialist expertise to Holy Trinity as we did in delivering the ‘Egg’ theatre inBath and the Royal Shakespeare theatre.

Buro Happold are conscious of issues concerning community, sustainabilityand the environment and we share an important rôle in

(Continued on page 36)

Recent ProjectsRecent projects include the complete re-ordering of the interior of theGrade II* Listed Georgian church of St Swithin’s Church, Walcot, Bath. Thisproject included the removal of the Victorian pews and provision of newunder‐floor  heating  system,  lighting  and  sound  facilities.  In  addition,  thesecond phase of the project is nearing completion for the conversion of thecrypt  to  form  a  crèche,  meeting  room  and  office  combined  with modernkitchen and toilet facilities. Chedburn Dudley have also completed theprovision of up-to-date facilities in the mediaeval church of Holy Trinity,Street. They undertook the total reordering of this Grade I Listed,mediæval  church,  the  brief  being  to  create  a  modern,  flexible  and  lightinterior to serve the needs of the existing congregation, along with thevarious neighbouring schools and youth groups. The project involved theremoval  of  the  Victorian  pews  and  the  provision  of  an  under‐floor  heatingsystem and new lighting scheme. The church is currently in daily use formeetings,  lectures  and  festivals,  as  well  as  for  different  types  of  churchservices.

So George and Angela now look forward very much to working with us hereat Holy Trinity, Bradford on Avon..

36

helping to improve the quality of the built environment and to ensure thedevelopment is undertaken in a way that ‘touches the earth lightly’ – anaboriginal saying.

Jim Crouch, appointed Project Manager to Holy Trinity Church, is anAssociate Director at Buro Happold. He provides a mix of projectmanagement, contract administration and strategic quantity surveyingadvice  and  clients  benefit  from  his  positive  approach  to  delivery  and  designteam integration. Jim has a holistic approach to cost management and inkeeping with this, has particular skills in Whole Life Costing and CostAuditing.Progress Report

With the confirmation of the appointment of the Architect and ProjectManager the Reordering Steering Group has met with Chedburn Dudley andBuro Happold to investigate the needs, constraints and opportunities of thisproject. At the moment all options are open and the thoughts to date ofmembers of the congregation and church community have been fed through tothe Architects, as has the recent Quinquennial Survey.

Chedburn Dudley have started carrying out a full internal and partial externalsurvey of the church, and Buro Happold will be carrying out a light‐touch flood‐risk assessment and drainage survey so that we can understand any floodingmitigation measures that may be required.

The next step will be to review alternative heating and lighting strategies,and then explore some alternative solutions with the Steering Group beforeconsulting in ‘workshops’ with members of the church community and thenwith the wider community, before  starting to talk to the various official bodiesthat have an interest in any development at Holy Trinity.

Jim Crouch

Miscellaneous observations on life...The love of God is broader than the measures of man's mind.Forget your mistakes but never what you learned from them.I haven't lost my mind – it's backed up on disk somewhere.If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.Some days you are the bug – some days you are the windshield.Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.Advertising: The science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to getmoney from it. Stephen Leacock

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THE CHOIR CHRISTMAS LUNCHEONThe choir's annual Christmas luncheon took place on Nov 16�� atCumberwell  Golf  Club.  The  weather  was  set  fine  and  the  views  from  thewindow of our private room were breath-taking and far reaching. This isalways a happy and festive occasion and our numbers were increased thisyear by the presence of Joanna. The menu choice was quite extensive andthe lunch was complemented by a selection of wines which were excellent.

Chris Hodge, our illustrious social events organizer, really excelled herselfthis year by making the booking at Cumberwell Park, and we hope that a returnvisit might be arranged fornext year's Christmasluncheon. As in previousyears, funding came fromthose weddings andfunerals at which the choir

were invited to sing, and anyof those fees left over aregiven to various charities,including Christian Aid,Water Aid, Send a Cow, andthe Bangladesh flood appeal.

The last ‘big meal’ event that we attended was the BACT Harvest Lunch inSeptember – isn't it amazing how Christian fellowship is enhanced when weall sit down together and enjoy a good meal? We look forward to the nextoccasion!

Article and photos: David Rawstron

Ride and Stride 2013 raised £440. Half will come directly back to HolyTrinity! Many thanks to the team and to our sponsors.

Edward Shaw

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Recent EventsWe have had our Basic Skills QualityMark renewed following a verythorough process of auditing andinspection before half term. Thisaward celebrates and supportscontinuous improvement in literacyand numeracy and recognises aschool’s provision, practice andperformance in these areas. Manycongratulations to Mr White, wholed  the  bid,  and  all  the  other  staffwho contributed towards thisachievement. This really helps ourstudents achieve all of theirpotential.

Year 11, having completed theirwork experience in various jobsaround the county of Wiltshire andsometimes even further afield, arebusy with mock exams before theycan celebrate the Christmas season.Year 8 returned from a very wet butwonderful trip to the Lake District fullof their experiences. Watch out for theresults of their work in the TownLibrary in the near future.

The school held a Jeans for Genesday on 15�� November as part of theBBC Children in Need appeal to raisemoney for children with geneticdisorders.

The Geography departmentrecently took a trip abroad to the Bayof Naples to look at tectonic and

volcanic activity. All returned safelydespite a birthday party celebrationon the summit of Vesuvius.

A school concert of Music from theMovies was held in the Wiltshire MusicCentre on 20�� November showcasingonce again our talented students at StLaurence.

The Spirit of ‘45Years 12 and 13 Film Studies andHistory students from St Laurencejoined older members of the town'scommunity for a special screeningof Ken Loach's documentary aboutthe post-WWII formation of theWelfare State and thenationalization of British industry.Following the screening, there wasan extremely energizing debateabout the principles behind thepost-war forms, and what haschanged since. St Laurence studentsspoke with great intelligence,generosity and articulacy as theydiscussed issues of community,citizenship and social justice witholder members of the audience. Itwas gratifying to see members oftwo generations engage with oneanother so well. This was led by theEnglish and History Departments.

Forthcoming EventsAll are welcome to come down toHartley Farm Shop and Café,Winsley, on Thursday 19�� December

39

from 5.45pm for the wonderful,magical St Laurence School Choir.And the school Carol Service will bein Holy Trinity Church on 17��December.

St Laurence SchoolAssociationSLSA are holding a Fashion Show onFriday 6�� December in aid of schoolfunds. Come along for a fun eveninghosted at the school.

You can also support our school byjoining the prize draw run by theSLSA.  The  first  Draw  will  take  placeon 5�� January, 2014, and will haveguaranteed prizes of at least £20and £10 for the two winningnumbers. To be in the Draw youneed to pay a membership of a £1monthly by standing order. Themore members we have, the biggerthe prizes and the more money willbe raised for School funds. You canhave more than one number in theDraw; the more numbers then thegreater the prize fund and yourchances of winning it! To join, emailrobert.beesley@talktalk.net for amembership pack.

SLSA Business Directory

There is a possibility of setting up aBusiness Directory via the schoolweb site. If you would be interestedin helping to set up this project oradvertising in it, could you contactthe chair of the SLSAcaroline.m.watson4@gmail.com.

The STEM ClubDo you work in a Science andTechnology Making Things sort ofprofession? If so, would you bewilling to:

o Help run an after-school session?

o Give a talk or presentation to ourstudents during the day or evening?

o Organise a visit to your workplaceto allow students to see whereSTEM subjects could take them?

If you would like to get involved,share  a  contact  or  offer  ideas  pleasemake contact with Mr Jones, ScienceTeacher.

It only remains to wish everyone avery Merry Christmas and a HappyNew Year. Watch out for our treesin the Holy Trinity Christmas TreeFestival.

Lorraine MarlowBe Spirited Co-Ordinator

Bradford on Avon District LinkGood Neighbour volunteers available to help you.

If you have a problem getting to a hospital or doctor’s appointment,shopping, or just visiting a friend…

Phone LINK: 07957 367124

40

FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY

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AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORSby Gian-Carlo Meno�i

At Holy Trinity on Sunday 19th January, 5.30pmA funny, poignant, short musical story for Epiphany with a heartening NewYear message at its core. The story is wonderful and magical: a tale ofhardship and hope, frailty and forgiveness.

Amahl lives somewhere in the Middle East. He is about 12, imaginative,lame and destitute. One evening he exclaims: “Mother, hanging over our roof isa star as large as a window. And the star has a tail…!”. Then outlandish andeccentric strangers knock at the door and so begins a night of extraordinaryand miraculous happenings.

Bradford Barnstorm, the team who produced Noye's Fludde, brings you thechance to join a community chorus and take part in this professionally ledproduction. If you are interested in taking part and would like more informationplease email Jacqui (choircontact@gmail.com) or speak to Thomas Pelham atHoly Trinity. If you don't want to sing, bring your family and friends to watch.It’s entirely suitable for children. Book now at Bradford on Avon TIC and don’trely on tickets on the door. Subsidised ticket prices adults £8 and childrenunder 12 £3.

The cast are:- Oliver Gooch – Musical Director and Accompanist Lise Christensen – Artistic Director and Mother Michael Bracegirdle – King Kaspar Matthew Sprange – King Melchior        Matthew  Stiff  –  King  Balthazar

Christmas Tree Festival: week of December 9��.Once again Barnstorm will be supporting the Holy Trinity Christmas TreeFestival with free gingerbread biscuits for children.

Ona’s FloodOn Monday Jan 6�� at 7.30pm there will be a screening in the WiltshireMusic  Centre  auditorium  of  Anna  Thornhill's  film  of  last  July's Ona's Floodin the Tithe Barn, the companion piece to Noye's Fludde. If you wereinvolved then come and relive the experience – both the full Ona's Floodperformance and some of the peripheral activities that went into theNoye's Fludde show. No charge but voluntary contributions welcome.Unfortunately  we  were  not  allowed  to  film Noye's Fludde itself because ofrestrictions on images of children.

Keep up to date at: www.bradfordbarnstorm.org.uk

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Bradford Choral to performDream of Gerontius

On Wednesday, January 8��, rehearsals begin for thechoir's performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius whichwill take place in Bath on May 17��. Bradford Choral willbe joining forces with the Bath Cantata Group for this exciting newventure. New singers are always welcome; no audition required. Justturn up at the United Church Hall on Wednesday 8�� at 7.30pm and giveit a whirl…For further information: contact Megan Jones on 01225 862670 or SimonLittle on 01225 864617.

Winter SongA fold of earth ribbed by ancestral plough.Mist lying in the hollow.Grey immobile skies.No sound.

Is it end or beginning?Silence or still rejoicing,Death or gentle living,Grief or glad wakening?

Primeval peace perhaps paused in self-contemplativeperfection,All time and space locked in immobility,Pondering the joy that lies in patience, potent inpassivity,Ere action surges into swift futility.

Patience is here and power and age-long peace;Patience enduring and rejoicing. HereIs revealed the promise of the year's releaseWhen  life  fulfilled  yields  to  the    waiting  year.In  this  bare  field,  potent  with  sure  increase,Secure under arching skies, Spring is near.

Joan FletcherJoan was formerly a member of the Holy Trinitycongregation and she often contributed poems to ParishNews. Muriel Freeborn suggested that this was a suitablyhopeful poem for January.

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WINTER WANDERLAND

Have you everwalked past alighted home in

the evening and foundyourself unable to resistthe temptation to peerin? If you have, thenthe Bradford on AvonArt Festival fundraiser,Winter Wanderland, isfor you. No longer willyou have to contentyourself with a glance through a window. Unique in our country, WinterWanderland is a special event during which home-owners open their doorsand welcome you in. Escorted groups will tour residences and be invited tohear the fascinating stories behind some of the special homes that arepart of our town's rich history. Home-owners will also talk about theirreasons for choosing their homes and a little about their interior designand renovation projects.

This year guests will have the option of starting the evening with a buffetdinner at the Fat Fowl. The Silent Auction will offer many gift ideas for all thoseon your Christmas list. Some of the items you may want to bid on are spatreatments, a safari lunch, a day trip on a canal boat, wine, beer, piano lessons,unique experiences, and many others. You may also go home with a veryspecial bottle of wine for your Christmas dinner from our wine table.

After the tour, join home-owners and volunteers and warm up at the FatFowl with mince pies and mulled wine. This is a fun time to share more with thehome‐owners and with each other about the experience and to enjoy the finalbidding on auction items.

This year Winter Wanderland is to be held on Wednesday, 4�� December,starting at the Fat Fowl. Dinner will begin at 6:00 pm and the tour groups willset off at 7:00 pm. All ticket holders are asked to arrive fifteen minutes early forthe check-in process.

Tickets and auction catalogues are now available at the Fat Fowl. Prices are£15 per person for the tour, mince pies, and mulled wine. The optional dinnerwill be £10 per person.

Further information is available at www.theartsfestival.co.uk.

Eberlin

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WILTSHIRE BUTTERFLIES, November  2013My  apologies  for  no  butterfly  report  last  month.  October  was  generallymild and wet although a few species were still to be seen after theirexceptional earlier abundance – notably the 'whites', Small Tortoiseshells,Commas and Red Admirals.

Today, 13�� November, has experienced the first overnight frost of thewinter and only a few hardy Red Admirals are likely to be seen now. So far 9have been reported during November (at least 21 in October) and I wassurprised to see two Small Tortoiseshells here in Bradford in yesterday'ssunshine.

All of our butterflies have to survive insome way through the winter and only 4 or5 do so as adults. By far the most,hibernate as caterpillars, tucked away invegetation until the warmth of early springarouses them into action.

A detailed report for 2013, logging thefortunes of all of Wiltshire's 45 butterflyspecies will be available next spring and ifanyone would like a copy, do let me know.

If you are particularly interested inbutterflies, why not join ButterflyConservation to keep in touch with all thatis happening nationally. I can providedetails if you are interested.

Mike FullerWiltshire Butterfly Recorder

A Note from the EditorsWe should like to thank Joanna for her kind words about Parish Newsand  for  her  enthusiasm  for  the magazine. We  also  offer  our  gratefulthanks to our many excellent contributors without whose continuingsupport this publication would not be what it is. Keep writing!

Ann and Bryan

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SantaWhat do you call Santa’s helpers?: Subordinate Clauses.

46

Saxon Club Programme for December and JanuaryWe meet in the United Church Hall at 2 pm on Tuesdays.

You are very welcome to join us. December 3rd: Visit to Bruges – Val Payne

December 10th: Christmas Lunch – The PloughDecember 17th: Readings and CarolsDecember 24th: No meetingDecember 31st: No meetingJanuary 7th: Musical Afternoon – Simon ArnoldJanuary 14th: Journey to Jordan – Irene and ElizabethJanuary 21st: David Driscoll – topic to be announcedJanuary 28th: Geneviève Roberts – topic to be announced

FOR PRAYER IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY

In December we  pray  for:� Our personal Advent journey� The Caritas Children's Hospital, Bethlehem� The Bradford Food Bank and its recipients� The Friends of Holy Trinity

  and in January:� The world's refugees at the start of this new year� Holy Trinity PCC� Westwood PCC� Wingfield PCC

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, WestwoodChurchwardens:

Jonathan Azis jonathan@azis.co.ukDavid Chalmers chalmers.david8@gmail.com 01225 866734PCC Secretary: Elizabeth Luxton elizalux@hotmail.com

  The  Parish  Church  of  St  Mary,  WingfieldChurchwardens:

David Robinson david.robinson@paultonsstreet.com 01225 769018Sue Phillips jandsphillips@hotmail.com 01225 755431PCC Secretary: Sue Phillips

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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

THE STANDING COMMITTEE Chairman, Churchwardens, LLM and Treasurer

CHURCHWARDENS EMERITIJeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch.

THE PASTORAL CARE TEAMJoanna, Graham, Anne Carter, Joan Finch, Marlene Haffenden, Tony Haffenden,Chris Hodge, Evelyn Humphrey, Heather Knight, Sue Lavis, Val Payne,David Rawstron, Hazel Rawstron, Sylvia Stanes.

THE FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCHChairman: John CoxSecretaries: Mike and Jenny Fuller Treasurer: John WoodsCommittee: Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Chris Hodge, Jeremy Lavis, Revd Angela Onions, Raymond WinrowEx officio: Judith Holland, Trevor Ford

BRADFORD GROUP MINISTRYThis is a longstanding body which now comprises the two benefices of North Bradfordon Avon and Villages and our own. We look forward to establishing a much closer bondand to this end joint meetings and services have recently been held, and the Groupclergy meet regularly.

PARISH NEWSEditors: Ann Holland (862731) & Bryan Harris (863011)

e-mail: HT.ParishNews@gmail.comDistribution: John and Beryl Cox (864270)

*Deanery Synod representatives

Members

OfficersThe Revd Joanna Abecassis, ChairmanTrevor Ford (Churchwarden), Vice ChairmanJudith Holland (Churchwarden)

Anne Carter Margaret Harris Erin Shields-PettGraham Dove June Harrison* Malcolm Walsh*Elaine Crabbe Chris Hodge (Secretary) Anne Willis*Ron Dell Jeremy Lavis (Treasurer) Ray Crabbe (co-opted)Joan Finch Brian NetleyMarlene Haffenden* Bette Riddle

Printed  at  the  Parish  Office,  18A Woolley  Street,  Bradford  on  Avon.

Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.brad-avon-ht.org.uk/.Previous issues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.

OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS

PCC Secretary Chris Hodge 869357 email: hodge_c1@sky.comPCC Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600Benefice  Administrator    Sally  Palmer‐Walton beneficeadmin@brad‐avon‐ht.org.ukBenefice  Admin  Assistant  Aylene  Clack beneficeoffice@brad-avon-ht.org.ukBellringers Phil Gaisford 863538Bookstall Rev Angela Onions 309001Brass Cleaning Chris Hodge 869357Coffee  on  Sunday  Janet  Brown  and  862188 Malcolm Walsh 862702Church Stewards David Milne 864341Director of Music Thomas Pelham 07922 849982Display Co-ordinator Revd Angela Onions 309001Electoral  Roll  Officer  Alan  Knight  860991Flowers Jonquil Burgess 868905Food Bank Margaret & Bryan Harris 863011Guides & Brownies Bryony Green 865820

email: girlguiding_boa@btinternet.comMothers’ Union Ian & Sylvia Stanes 309036MU Prayer Circle Chris Hodge 869357Servers Mary Ford 862240Saxon Club Revd Angela Onions 309001Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees:                Chairman  Anna  Tanfield  (all  bookings)    863819 Secretary Diana Shaw Stewart 863253 Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600Sidesmen Rota Judith Holland 866215Stewardship Secretary Pam Harman 866995Street Market: Community Stalls John Cox 864270 Church Stalls John Woods 863298 Communications Deborah Robinson 866552Team Trinity June Harrison 863745

Parish Representatives on other organisations:Bradford Group Council: The ChurchwardensChildren’s Society: Anne CarterChristian Aid: Jonquil BurgessDeanery  Synod:  June  Harrison,  Marlene  Haffenden, Malcolm Walsh; Anne WillisBoA Churches Together: David RawstronSt Laurence School: The Revd Joanna Abecassis and Heather Knight (Foundation Governors)

The Chapel of St Mary Tory Inset: East window by Mark Angus

The Saxon church of St Laurence