Stambourne

In this issue:

• STAMBOURNE CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
• STAMBOURNE PARISH COUNCIL
• STAMBOURNE BONFIRE NIGHT 2021
• ST. PETER & ST. THOMAS BECKET PARISH CHURCH
• SERVICES AT STAMBOURNE FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS
• RECTOR’S RAMBLINGS
• STAMBOURNE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
• WHAT’S ON AT THE CHAPEL
• STAMBOURNE ACTIVITIES

The last meeting of 2021 took place on Wednesday, 17th November 2021 at 7pm in the Village Hall. It has been good to return to face to face meetings and we were pleased to be joined by our County Councillor Peter Schwier and District Councillor Richard van Dulken.

Councillors’ Report

Both councillors had reports on issues that could affect Stambourne residents:

• Plans for the new medical centre in Hedingham are now out for consultation. You can look at the proposals on the Braintree District Council website: braintree.gov.uk
• You may also have heard about the proposals to site a prison at the Wethersfield airbase. Again councillors encouraged everyone to engage with this process.

Pavilion

The next stage of the updating is new flooring and internal repainting. Quotes will be sought and it is hoped work will be carried out in the new year.

Highways

Parish Councils are now able to purchase vehicle activated signs (VAS) for their villages. The Parish Council are looking into the feasibility of doing this. There are certain criteria to follow regarding where they can be put. Further details will follow.

Platinum Jubilee

A number of village groups have got together with a view to arranging a celebration of the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. One meeting has already taken place with some good ideas put forward. The next meeting will take place in December.

Budget and Precept 2022/23

As usual the November meeting is when the Parish Council needs to agree its budget for the next financial year. This is then sent to Braintree District Council and forms part of the Council Tax. The Parish Council do not receive any Localism Fund towards its costs as this was phased out in recent years. Every effort is made to keep costs down and the budget figures low.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday, 20th January 2022 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, Stambourne.

Full minutes are available on the village website: stambourne.com/parish-council.

Wishing you a safe and happy Christmas!

Debbie Hilliard, Parish Clerk

debbiehilliard614@gmail.com, 01440 785 629

What can we say?? It was good to be back after not running in 2020 due to Covid. It was a huge success with people coming from far and wide.

The weather was kind and it has given a great boost to the Bonfire Fund from which donations are made to village groups and events.

We would like to apologise to those of you who were inconvenienced by cars blocking driveways. We did not anticipate that so many people would come and every effort was made to get everyone to park considerately.

It is not possible to put on an event of this kind without the volunteers who come forward to help. A huge thank you to everyone involved including teams on the gate and car parking, managing the bonfire, letting off the fireworks, cooking the barbecue, refreshments, and first aiders.

A special thank you to the young Stambourne Wombles who came to the playing field the day after to do some litter picking. Thank you also to Darkins Stores for the charcoal and Splinters Catering who kindly loaned the gas barbecue.

A big thank you to those who decorated, gave produce or attended the Harvest festival on 10th October. We had a good attendance and the refreshments afterwards were very welcoming!! All tins, packets, etc. were taken to the local food bank.

The Remembrance service on 14th November with Adrian and our friends from the Chapel was very moving and again it was lovely to see so many from the village attend. The collection amounting to £118.95 was sent to the Royal British Legion.

I would like to thank Tucker for cleaning the War Memorial for this special service and for the many other jobs he does, especially in keeping the porch and path clear of leaves this time of year. With the grass cutting from Oscar our Churchyard is something we should all be proud of.

I don’t think I really learned anything new when I was listening to the recent coverage of COP26. We have known for years about the risks of global warming and the impact of more extreme weather events. Our local weather doesn’t seem as dramatic as the pictures we see in the news in other, more vulnerable areas of the world, but you just need to ask our farmers about the tricky year they have just had to know that it impacts us all.

There are some great groups locally on Facebook who are dealing with re-using, recycling and sharing resources but with the big spending season of Christmas coming up I was wondering whether we could do more. Save the planet, save money, care for creation. Here are a few suggestions, which I am sure you have already thought of, but perhaps 2022 is the year for us to actually follow through on good intentions.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Our thanks to all who came to the Christmas Fayre on 13th November. The event took over £400 on the day and this will go toward the Stambourne Chapel Care Project and the building fund.

We are celebrating Christmas in the usual way with a Carol Service in the Chapel on the 19th December at 10.45am.

We are also leading an interactive Christmas celebration in Ridgewell Chapel at 4pm that day where we will be making Christingles, as well as inviting you to come dressed in a character of the nativity if you would like to.

Both services are likely to be followed by refreshments including mince pies! We also have our celebration service on Christmas morning at 9.30am when we will be celebrating the birthday of Jesus, and His coming from glory to earth.

Unfortunately we won’t be having our regular Christmas dinner this year because the kitchen hygiene inspectors say we haven’t made sufficient changes yet.

These are on our building plans to provide a better facility for the village with toilets and a useable kitchen that can provide regular meals. Watch this space!

We won’t be holding a service on 26th December, but will be welcoming the new year on 2nd January 2022 as we look forward to a new year with new opportunities to serve our local communities and support people through difficult times. Stambourne Chapel Care has been slowly gathering momentum with referrals and volunteers so if you know of anyone struggling with care, medical or general support then give Jill a call.

So an exciting time of year! And we pray we will remain without restrictions and safe from the virus. We will continue to hold regular events and activities in the Chapel and look forward to welcoming anyone who would like to come along.

Village Hall available for hire

Cost:

• For residents: £8 per hour (including use of indoor bowls mats and bowls: £10 per hour)
• For non-residents: £10 per hour

There is also a table tennis table to hire. To hire the Hall, ring Rosemary on 01440 785 339. More info »

Women’s workout

Every Tuesday at 6pm at the Playing Field or in the Village Hall (depending on the time of year / weather) and via Zoom.

Contact Lara on 07471 105 210 to check venue and book your place.

Silver Link Club

Stambourne Chapel from 2pm to 4pm every two weeks.

Dates for next meetings: 7th December, 9th December — Christmas Dinner at Horse and Groom, Cornish Hall End, 18th January 2022, 1st February and 15th February.

For more information, contact Vanessa on 01440 785 122 or Lois on 01440 578 720. We love to welcome new members.

Stambourne Ladies Group »

Looking back over 2021, after a low key start we managed to pull a few events out of the hat and for 2022 we’re aiming even higher! We already have four new members lined up for our first meeting of 2022.

We’re simplifying the way we collect our annual fee with a one-off payment of £20 for the year, giving paid-up members access to subsidised events.

So if you’ve any doubts about joining SLG then come along to the Village Hall on 9th March 2022, enjoy drinks and food at the bar and see what we’re about.

In the meantime: Cheers! And Happy Christmas!

If you’d like to know more than please contact Vicky on 07908 099 904 or Lorna on 07980 922 636.

Cathy’s Christmas Wreaths

Available now!

Free Delivery

To order phone: 01440 785 678

Village Hall Committee

Christmas decorations are going up on 3rd December and Oscar Pickess has kindly agreed to donate us a tree.

Bingo

This is fortnightly on Wednesdays at 6.30pm.

The last one for the year will be on Wednesday, 8th December 2021.

For all Stambourne Residents

Free Cheese and Wine Shindig

(just bring your own glass)

Saturday, 11th December 2021 — 7pm – 9 pm

Stambourne Village Hall, Church Road, Stambourne CO9 4NP.

Reflection will play live 60’s music — Grand Draw will be pulled.

If you still need tickets ring Cath 01440 785 678 or Sian 07505 355 994.