The Hanbury Herald
Issue 90
SUMMER 2024
As I sit down to write the rain is pouring, ag ain I am hoping that the sun will come out at some point this Summer and give us all some much-needed Vitamin D and the chance to enjoy some lovely summer days out At least the rain held off for the Hanbur y Gathering that took place in June this year. A couple of us from the Herald team were there with our tombola which raised £175 towards keeping the Herald in print T hank you to
those that came out to suppor t us, unfortunately the cost of kee ping the Herald g oing is quite a bit more than what was raised, we still need help to make sure that this remains a free publication to all parishioners
If you can please suppor t us by donating it would be g reatly appreciated h t t p s : / / w w w g o f u n d m e c o m / f / t h ehanbur y-herald
Please Scan to donate
Now back to the dreaming of sunnier days - Judy has listed a g ood number of walled g ardens to visit locally in her ar ticle T he Joy of Walled Gardens, David has g one Up the Garden Path this time and
THE EDITORIAL GROUP - the volunteer s who produce the Hanbur y Herald are :- Judy Adams, Celia Bar nby, Mark Bishop, Hannah Eno, Lizzy Evans, Fi K ameen, David Lowe, Ed Richards and Ma ggie W heatley
Richard Sandland with the Bishop at Priesting
and has plenty of tips for you to bring your own g arden to life
As always, we have a brilliant insight into the lives of our young Hanburians from Hanbur y CofE First School with stories of their school day out at Cotswold Wildlife Park; the Year 4 Residential; a multitude of fun lear ning topics and the opening of their long awaited onsite Forest School.
Reverend Richard Sandland has now been in the Bowbrook Group of Parishes since April this year and we are now shining the spotlight on him in this issue’s ‘In the Spotlight’ and he speaks of how ‘ we bring a transcendent, loving faith, into an increasingly secular world.’ T he Church Mouse has also sent in some news of recent g oings on up at St Mar y ’ s Church!
Lizzy
Contact the Editor
Should you wish to contact editor Lizzy Evans, please call her on 01527 822712 or email Lizzyhanbur yherald@outlook com
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Deadline for Issue 91 (Copy & Pictures) Thursday 3rd October - 5.00pm
Disclaimer -
Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the newsletter to ensure that they are accurate, but the Editor accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions
The Editor reserves the right to use items or not and to shorten, as necessary
No article or part of any article may be reproduced without prior permission of the Editor and author
Please note that taking adverts to be placed in this newsletter does not indicate any recommendations of the services offered in them.
Hanbury Herald free advertisement policy All Hanbury based not for profit organisations can advertise forthcoming events in the Herald free of charge The size of these advertisements is solely determined by the Herald committee bearing in mind the cost, retaining a balance between organisations and the potential interest It is sometimes the case that the printer needs to stretch the typeface to fit On such occasions we make advertisements bigger
Some non-village charities may be given a free of charge advertisement after consideration by the committee These too will never be more than a quarter page unless paid for Any for-profit organisation will be charged the full commercial rate And of course these may be as large as they pay for This money is used to help to fund the Herald
Diary Dates
August
10th Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet Hanbury Hall
11th & 25th Afternoon Teas Jinney Ring
17th
Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers Hanbury Hall
September
7th Hound of the Baskervilles Hanbury Hall
8th Afternoon Teas Jinney Ring
13th Pudding Night
Jinney Ring
26th Hanbury History Group “The Battle of Edgehill” - Andy Dunn Village Hall, 7 30pm
28th Ballard Singers Hanbury Church 7 30pm
29th Hanbury Parish Council meeting, The Pavilion, 7 30pm
October
5th Women’s Education Day Village Hall 10am - 4pm
6th Kite Day Jinney Ring
28th Hanbury Parish Council meeting, The Pavilion, 7 30pm
TO CONTACT HANBURY CHURCH
For services and events, application forms for Christenings, weddings and churchyard memorials please visit www hanburychurch org
Bowbrook Administrator
Helen Volak’s office hours are Tuesday – Thursday 9.00 am – 3.30 pm 01905 778181 bowbrookgroup1@gmail.com
Bowbrook Rector
The Reverend Richard Sandland Tibbberton Parsonage Church Lane, Tibberton Worcester WR9 5ET 01905 978007 richardjsandland@btinternet.com
NB Richard’s Sabbath is Thursday
PCC Secretary
Bridget Weaving 07769 357648 bridgetweaving@hotmail.com
Verger Judith Burman 01527 821443 juditheburman@aol.com
Regular events in the Village Hall:
Hanbury Brownies and Rainbows Monday evenings 5 00pm - 6 30pm Contact beckywinter@yahoo.com 07882 699639 Term time only
Parish Council - last Monday in the month unless separately listed 7 30pm Contact clerk@hanbury parishcouncil.org.uk
Hobnobs - Thursdays 10 00 - 11 00am contact: amberhoney@btinternet com
W I - second Thursday in the month 7.30pm Contact Jill Harper 01527 821725 or email hanburypres@wfedwi.org.uk
In the Spotlight with Reverend Richard Sandland
W hen I left school in Tamwor th, I went to the Royal College of Music , wher e my principal study was the Tuba.
I studied with John Jenkins who played tuba first at Covent Garden and for many years in the Philhar monic Orchestra; he was a g reat man, and a monumental tuba player! W hen I left the RCM I then played tuba in a brass quintet, the Fine Ar ts Brass Ensemble, for 15 years, travelling the world, we played in Finland, Japan, USA, Ecuador, Nig eria, Swaziland, Botswana, and many other places in Africa; in Oman and Jordan (where we were snowed in once), and many, many places in Europe. It was g reat fun, but the downside was that I had to car r y my tuba around ever ywhere You can g et fed up of that!
Par t of my playing involved freelance work for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and somehow, I ended up working in the Music Office there, doing admin and logistics
Gradually that role went full-time and the tuba playing receded, I left FABE to work at the RSC between 2002 and 2021, eventually as Music Operations Manag er. T hen Covid hit and the RSC had to downsize, so I took voluntar y redundancy
In the meantime, ordination beckoned; in 2011 we did a new play at Stratford, called 'Written on the Hear t ' which was about the 400th anniversar y of the writing of the King James Version of the Bible. As I worked on the production and saw the play a few times, the words (par ticularly of T he Beatitudes, Matthew 5: 3-12) str uck home and I wondered if I'd been wrong all my life about this whole 'religion thing'.
So, I read and (as I know now) prayed and then went to church, at St Mar y ' s in Kidder minster - a little Communion Ser vice that used to happen at 8:30 on Friday mor nings. I remember not wanting to g o on a Sunday, as I thought that if you do,
then they've ' g ot you ' , and you aren't g etting away T hen things developed and one day a voice (who might that have been?) said to me over my left shoulder, 'What's it like to be a priest, then?'
I looked into it and many Church of England processes later, somehow ended up as the Rector of Bowbrook! It's just one of Gods much-adver tised 'mysterious ways ’ , I think. My brother Ralph says that I've never had a proper job - tuba player, theatre work and now vicar; he's probably right
W hen I worked in music, I rarely sat and listened to much music; but since I've not worked in music, my original love of music that sent me to the RCM has come back I spend a lot of time listening to music and reading about musicians I spend a lot of time reading about the early Church - what it was like to be there in Palestine in the g eneration immediately after Jesus and how they tried to figure out what He had really meant in the world W hat an experience to have had, to have known him or to be able to speak with someone who'd known him.
I like cricket and r ugby union but rarely g et chance to watch either at the moment; vicars only g et one day off per week and it’s not enough to fit many things in As for football – I can’t really understand the world’s obsession with it, I find it such a disappointingly dull g ame.
I don't play tuba much now, but I am tr ying to teach myself the English Concer tina, as I just missed playing;
one of the most embar rassing experiences of my life was g oing for a concer tina lesson with the g reat Rob Harbron; I practised for hours, but during the lesson it felt like I'd never picked one up before!
Isaiah 61: 1 - 6 seemed to pop up at the most impor tant moment of my 'vocational jour ney ' ; it’s a passag e I retur n to most often of all, I think. I love the phrase 'the year of the Lord's favour.' No idea why
Above all I think a church has to be inclusive; being Christian means acce ptance and a celebration of difference; you might worship differently, you might have a different sexuality, or different political views, you might be unsure of the God that I follow, you might think that, on balance, God hasn't been g ood for humanity - but you are always welcome in my church, to talk with me about the myster y of life, to sug g est things that l've never thought of None of the above lessens my faith in the God who sustains me and who chang ed the path of my life I don't have all the answers, or indeed any of the answers, but I find the questions more interesting. I think that's tr uly what an inclusive, g enuine, moder n and relevant church looks like; authentically, distinctively and unashamedly Anglican, loving our traditions and looking where we fit, where we bring a transcendent, loving faith into an increasingly secular world
Reverend Richard Sandland
Richard Sandland In Concer t with Fine Ar ts Brass
Khobar, Saudi Arabia in 2002
Hanbury Church NOTICE BOARD
CHURCH NEWS
romsgrove. There will also be three Christenings to add to the happy times!
If you are looking to entertain children over the summer holidays, do call in for light refreshments, crafting, a search game and books to take away. Why not design a cover for our October, November or December magazines? See ad for more details
The church calendar is presently in ‘Proper Time’ with the altar dressed in green and gospel readings working through John and Mark Rich, our new rector, delivers cracking sermons on third Sundays of the month at 10.30 am and Keith our organist never fails to delight with sensational pieces to close worship John Spencer’s ‘Morning Ser vice’ continues at 10 30 am on fourth Sundays of the month
We look for ward to four weddings in this quarter; parishioners Josh and Emmanuelle will celebrate at The Firs, and Micheal and Mar y in the garden at Eggthorne Cottage Emma and Alfie are from Droitwich and will party at Jinney Ring and Christian and Annabelle are from Richard’s old parish in
Sadly, longstanding resident Mar y Mullen has died at the age of 101 5! Mar y lived in the Courts Close development from 1949, and agreed to move into a care home just two years ago after falling ten times in one year She always delighted in her family and having met them at the funeral at Worcester crematorium, I can see why! Nostalgic music was played from Jim Reeves (I Love you Because), Cat Stevens (Morning has Broken) and Englebert Humperdinck (The Last Waltz) and the beautiful hymn ‘Abide with Me’ was sung
Other Hanbur y residents who have arrived in the churchyard in recent months are Tony Cocum and Roger Wright; we send our love and condolences to their families
Please do join us in the beautiful parish church for our fundraising concert on Saturday 28 September when the refreshments will be ver y good! Book ahead or buy a ticket on the door!
Wor ks at Hanbur y Church
T hose of you with good memories will r emember that plans have long been af oot f or what is ter med a “re-ordering” at Saint Mar y’s church.
Detailed plans had been developed to enable more open spaces to be created, improved accessibility and the installation of a universally accessible W C Plans also included installing better heating so that the church could be used by more g roups all year round. A lot of time and effor t went into pre paring these plans and hug e difficulties were encountered with various statutor y and other bodies such as Historic England, the Georgian Society, the Victorian Society and even
par ts of the Church of England Covid threw another spanner into the works and things really g round to a halt Following the retirement of our previous architect, a new professional has been eng ag ed and we are now moving ahead with revised plans
T he first of these that will be evidenced is a remodelling and re pairing of the main ste ps to the west door. T hese have fallen into slight disre pair through the effects of time and feet and we understand they can be difficult to neg otiate for those of a cer tain ag e or disability; with railings that are also less than useful Our new architect has drawn up plans to improve accessibility for all,
these will be reviewed by all bodies with an interest, and plans put forward for approval. Assuming such approval is g ranted, this work should star t early next year.
T he PCC (Parochial Church council) has also decided to accelerate plans to restore the org an T his excellent instr ument has for some time been demonstrating difficult behaviour causing problems for our excellent org anist, Keith Hear nshaw He, with exper t colleagues he has brought in, has been advising on what we should be doing to improve the sound quality and playability of the org an. T he exter nal org an case, which is of g reat historical interest, will also be restored at some point, but this will be under taken as a se parate project at a later date We believe there are g rants available for all of the work on the org an, but doubtless there will also be some fundraising to under take.
Recently completed works that you will be able to see within the church relate to the wonderful chandelier, donated by ‘T he Parkers’ in 1795, which has long needed rewiring with several lights not working. It also needed re-hanging from the ceiling as the original bolt has been cor roding and work to re place it has been recommended in our Quinquennial Inspection car ried out by the architect ever y five years as its name sug g ests. T his work has recently been concluded and we are delighted to say that it has been funded in its entirety through the kindness and g enerosity of Olive Poultney, in memor y of her beloved husband and villag e historian Ber nard We offer our sincere thanks to Olive for this g enerous donation. Please see photog raphs of work in prog ress and the finished ar ticle
Reg arding the ong oing re-ordering please watch this space for fur ther news as it emerg es, we are optimistic that prog ress will be made within our lifetimes!
Church
Mouse
See picture in the colour centre.
Out & About in Hanbur y... Out & About
T he Hanbur y Gathering
T he f our th Hanbur y Gathering took place on Sunday 23rd June at the Pavilion and Recr eation Ground. It was a sunny day, but unf or tunatel y attendance wasn’ t as high as hoped.
T hose who did come enjoyed stalls from T he Cinnamon Tr ust, Friends of Hanbur y School, Hanbur y Herald, the Girls with their beaded gifts, Sandy with her cards, Hanbur y Rainbows and Hanbur y Church. Many thanks to them for their suppor t on the day Luckily we didn’t need the marquee to shelter under this year, but many thanks to Ian Few for g enerously setting it up for us T he WI ladies ser ved teas and put on a g ood spread of delicious cakes. T he children’s g ames were popular and thanks must g o ag ain to Percy for his enthusiastic help with them Michele also did “Splat the Rat”!
See pictures in colour centre.
Hanbur y Histor y Gr oup
T hur sday 26th Sept 2024 7:30pm
Hanbur y Villa ge Hall T he Battle of Edgehill
With our own Andy Dunn
Sunday 23rd October 1642 the royalist ar my of King Char les I enga ged the par liamentarian ar my in the fir st pitched battle of the English Civil War.
Approximatel y 25,000 men clashed that day and the news would reach all cor ner s of the countr y. Mass g rave pits were dug and legends were bor n, but archaeolog y from the battlefield would not reveal many of the battle's secrets until onl y recentl y, in the 21st centur y.
The Edgehill battlefield remains the largest in Britain and the battle was technicall y the longest of the entire conf lict as militar y manoeuvres lasted a fur ther two days.
Member s - Free - including a drink and biscuit !!!! Nonmember s - £5.00 - don't f orget your drink and biscuit !!!!
Mobile Phone Signals in Hanbur y
Over the last few year s Hanbur y Parish Council, with the help of Worcester shir e County Council and R achel Maclean, has been seeking ways of impr oving mobile phone signals in Hanbur y.
Within the parish there are many areas where the signal is either ver y poor or non-existent T his impacts all our lives now and will do so more seriously in future as there will be a g reater dependence on connectivity for health ser vices, businesses and in ever yday life One notable example being difficulties with taking electronic payments at the Hanbur y Countr yside Show.
Further, as copper wire ser vices are withdrawn from landline subscribers (resist this move if you can!), the re placement fibre ser vice through a router will not work in the event of a power cut, even more reason to press for better mobile signals
We have been introduced to Atlas Tower Group who are looking at potential sites in Hanbur y. T heir business model is to find sites in areas where signals are poor, but the major providers will not invest. They neg otiate with landowners to install a mast and then sell space to the network providers Masts are g enerally neater than they used to be but wherever they
are located they will always be visible – a small price to pay for access to essential moder n technolog y Atlas have held meetings with Worcestershire County Council and the Parish Council, we are all fully suppor tive of their proposal and the final selection of sites which is done through detailed data analysis to ensure maximum coverag e.
We will kee p you up to date on developments
Mark A Bishop - Chair man On behalf of Hanbur y Parish Council
Out & About in Hanbur y... Out & About Great news!
Footpath Wardens’
Repor t
June 2024
Ver y often we criticise local authorities for perceived, or real inaction and slow r esponses, so it is with g r eat pleasure that I am able to praise and thank Worcester shir e County Council for the work they have done for us recently.
We asked them to look at the ditch crossings on the footpath below the school leading to Pumphouse Lane. All these ditch crossings have been re paired or re placed. To our complete sur prise, just yesterday, I received a photo of a new bridg e and the rehung g ate at the Pumphouse Lane end of this path It now means that all the crossings on this path have been re placed Wow!
Next, I discussed with them the possibility of making the increasingly popular path, g oing from opposite the Ver non Ar ms to the Jinney Ring, stile free, re placing the three remaining stiles with gates. This would therefore open up many routes, including to the Church, Hanbur y Hall and the Woods to those who find stiles hard to neg otiate My request was accepted, provided I contacted the landowners and ascer tained that they were willing to g rant per mission for this to happen With much g ratitude to the landowners, they all ag reed to allow the work to g o ahead At the time of writing two of the stiles have been re placed by g ates, the work being done by Redditch Ramblers under the super vision of Worcester. T he third stile, to the South of Pumphouse Lane
Hanbury Recreation and Play Area project
Funding of £145,000 from Wychavon’s Community Legacy Fund has been awarded to help meet the total project cost of £177,000
A requirement of the grant is that part of the cost is raised by the community. We have already raised £25,600 thanks Hanbury Parish Council and the generosity of several parishioners, following our last appeal in the Hanbury Herald
We therefore need to raise a further £6,400 in the next month for the project to happen.
We are appealing to you all to support this wonderful
I’m told is to be done ASAP.
Whilst in contact with Worcester County Council I also mentioned that the stile and ditch crossing opposite the W hite House on Pumphouse Lane was deteriorating Much to my sur prise, that has now been re placed by a new one with a g ate Once ag ain, my thanks to the landowner who g ranted per mission for the work to be car ried out.
More g ood news! A chance conversation in a shop car park has led to Richard from Wychbold volunteering to g o out with pathwardens David and Kevin, to see if he would like to join
opportunity. Please help us today by donating whatever you can to:
https://gofund.me/87951679
Scan to donate
or contact Clare Shinner directly at clerk@hanbury parishcouncil.gov.uk
Deadline date: August 31st 2024
them. Fing ers crossed!
Now it’s that time of year that we str ug gle to kee p up with the rapid g rowth of nettles and brambles that seem designed to attack the unwar y walker We endeavour to do our best, but inevitably some paths will be heavily invaded before we can g et to them, so please, do feel free to take a pair of secateurs with you on your walks!
Happy rambling to you all!
Tony
The Joy of Walled Gardens
A shor t histor y
The fir st walled gardens were found in Per sia and wer e places of calm and ref lection as opposed to places f or g rowing: religion dictated their design and when they became commonplace in monasteries the same ecclesiastical approach was taken to f or ming their layouts, featuring straight lines, motifs and an over riding sense of order.
W hen they became par t of the big countr y houses they were usually out of sight of the main pleasure g rounds but near enough to be useful With high walls they had their own microclimates-south facing walls were used to g row espaliered fr uit and with the introduction of g reenhouses the g rowing season was extended.
Ever ything from g ooseber ries, raspber ries, cur rants and apples were g rown and, when adventurous Victorian plant collectors retur ned from their travel, they were useful to kee p rare plants that would have suffered in the British climate
Nowadays, walled gardens old and new are a mixture of wonderful herbaceous and shr ub borders g rowing alongside cut f lowers and tender plants and veg etables.
W ho wouldn’t be excited by the glorious scents and sights of early sweet peas, fabulous displays of delicate cut f lowers and juicy soft fr uits?
A few recommended Walled Gardens To Visit
Woller ton Old Hall Gardens, Woller ton, Mar ket Drayton TF9 3NA www.woller tonoldhallgarden.com
Voted one of the Nation’s favourite g ardens in 2019 T he g arden rooms are
richly planted with perennials and roses.
Hampton Cour t Castle gardens, Hope under Dinmore HR6 0PN Open Early April until late October hamptoncour tcastle.co.uk
Sur rounded by original Victorian Walls this is a g arden with lots of g arden rooms displaying different styles.
Wildegoose Nur ser y and Garden near Craven Ar ms. A fabulous, welcoming historic walled garden, nurser y and tearoom with superb plants. www.wildegoosenur ser y.co.uk
Spetchley Par k Gardens, Spetchley WR5 1RS
www.spetchleygardens.co.uk
With a hug e plant collection and a wondrous display of plants woven around many rare specimen trees and shr ubs
Bour ton House Garden, Bour ton on the Hill, Gloucester shir e, GL56 9AE
bour tonhouse.com
Featured recently in BBC Gardeners World Mag azine T he g arden features
luxuriant ter races and wide herbaceous borders with stunning plant, texture and colour combinations
Croome Park Walled garden, Sever n Stoke, Worcester a private restoration, one of the finest Georgian walled g ardens in the UK and one of the larg est in Europe
Croomewalledgardens.com
Coughton Cour t Alcester Warwickshire
Comprising a series of g arden rooms. www.coughtoncour t.co.uk
Fur ther afield, Chatswor th House, Derbyshire, Bar rington House, Somerset, Tyntesfield House, Bristol, Powis Castle, Welshpool
Other options in local National Tr ust Gardens and Parks and walled g ardens for late summer colour and displays include Hanbur y Hall, Hidcote, Ber rington Hall, Croft Castle and Baddesley Clinton to name but a few.
T here are also many more private g ardens open for the NGS (National Garden Scheme) so it’s wor th kee ping an eye on their website for g ardens around the area www.ngs.org.uk
Please check websites for up-to-date infor mation as ar rang ements, dates and timings may chang e
By the way I would love to hear of any g arden g ems you know about ....if you know of anywhere really special please let the Editor know so I can add them into future ar ticles
Judy Adams
See Woller ton Old Hall Garden in the colour centre.
Bour ton House Garden
Up the Garden Path Summer
T his time you may have noticed a slight change in the title. I’m heading up my garden path towards our NINETIETH Edition!
So, I am star ting at the bottom and the g oing up the path with a guided tour as we g o. T he whole plot has about the same dimensions as a tennis cour t so modest in size T he g arden slopes g ently downhill towards a dee p ditch in which f lows a stream that eventually joins Shell Brook It faces south south-east towards Middle Hill. T he soil is a medium-heavy loam but drains well and is slightly alkaline in pH. I think it was originally par t of cottag e g ardens so has been cultivated in the past T he ver y bottom on the bank of the stream is my “Wild Area” with hawthor n, field maple, brambles, briars, ivy and nettles. It offers an excellent habitat for wildlife including breeding birds T he benefit is less slugs, snails and other g arden pests T he only downside is the occasional rat
Moving up I have my compost bins, one in use and filling fast, one being emptied and the other used for spent potting compost from various containers I use this with fresh potting compost for filling the larg e containers planted each year and as a mulch along with the composted compost.
Tucked in the south facing cor ner is my ver y useful g reenhouse It g ets sun from early mor ning until evening and is the beating hear t of the g arden I thoroughly recommend that anyone interested in g ardening g ets one, no matter how small. I must be careful at the star t of the season because it is unheated and is situated at the foot of the valley in a frost pocket Temperatures regularly fall below freezing so weather watching, and ample hor ticultural f leece is essential. During early spring it is a propag ation unit for hardy veg etables and or namentals For tender plants I have my conser vator y and sunny upstairs windowsills From late April onwards it houses my tomato plants, cucumbers and pe ppers.
Slightly to the south of the g reenhouse in front of, and as a screen to the compost area, is my raspber r y bed I have a double row suppor ted by posts and wires There are several different varieties to give a long fr uiting season from summer right through into autumn. In fact I picked my ver y first one on 10th June, Despite feeding the local bird population there always seems to be enough for my needs and some to freeze
Like most of us I have a vast amount of g arden tools, g arden fur niture, barbecues, fer tilizer and parapher nalia that needs storag e, so a shed or in my case sheds are vital I have constr ucted a wood store between them for the fuel for my log bur ner It is not the tidiest of areas so is screened off with trellis panels up which I g row clematis, climbing roses and honeysuckle T he Nelly Moser and Hagley Hybrid clematis have f lowered extremely well and Honeysuckle Lonicera tellmaniana was covered with orang e-yellow f lowers in May. Beneath is a nar row border planted with some herbs, hardy annuals and bulbs T here are some delightful Welsh Poppies, Meconopsis cambrica, with their dainty bright yellow f lowers dotted about T hey are a native plant and self-seed around the g arden in the damp shaded areas.
Moving across there is a nar row strip of lawn before the veg etable patch T his is a semicircular area on the nor th side facing south so g ets plenty of sunshine. I am not a fan of raised beds in my situation. I have a few scaffolding planks that I use to divide the various crops and provide a walkway and avoid compacting the soil T his gives me the f lexibility to chang e bed widths to suit the rotation of veg etables each year. I kee p a plan of where things are located as I can never remember by the next year T he mainstay of the veg etables are r unner beans, Swiss chard, potatoes, courg ettes, mang etout peas, broad beans, broccoli and lettuce. I also fit in a row of sweet peas. At the top end of the veg eta-
vid’s veg gie patch
bles are more trellis panels up which more clematis and a climbing rose are trained.
Fur ther up I have planted two apple trees, Discover y and Howg ate Wonder T hese must have been in for thir ty years and are mature. Both are on M9 root stock, which is dwarfing but the Howg ate Wonder is vig orous and requires summer pr uning to help kee p it in check I have a couple of mistletoe g rowths on the tree that I implanted by r ubbing ber ries into crevices in the bark Hopefully this helps with reducing vig our and is most useful at Christmas. Beneath both trees are borders that are shaded T herefore, choice of plants has been restricted T hose that have prospered include Hellebor us, Br unneria, Astrantia, Pulmonaria, Lily of the Valley, self-seeding Forg et-Me Not, Cyclamen coum and neopolitanum and herbaceous g eraniums On a less shady area there are some herbs including mint, oreg ano and chives T he mint has escaped from bottomless bucket I originally planted it in and needs regular controlling as it can be ver y invasive. If you plant any do bear this in mind It is g ood in mint sauce with lamb and added to a glass of Pimms!
Fur ther up on both sides of the g arden along the fence line shr ubs have been
Da
placed to provide added interest, screening and shelter. A mixture of everg reens such as Aucuba japonica Varieg ata, a g ood plant for shade, Euonymus Silver Queen, Photinia Red Robin and Gar r ya elliptica, with its interesting tassels, provide year-round foliag e With deciduous shr ubs I have Vibur num opulus Sterile (Snowball Tree or Whitsun Boss), Kolkwitzia amabilis (Beauty Bush) with arching branches of pink f lowers in May and June, Spiraea japonica Goldf lame with bronze-red foliag e in spring and early summer tur ning g reen followed by clusters of dark pink f lowers in mid to late summer, Spiraea arguta (Bridal Wreath) has arching branches covered with small white f lowers in spring With spring and summer f lowering shr ubs always pr une them immediately after f lowering this ensures g rowth for f lowers next year. Lonicera frag rantissima is a shr ubby honeysuckle which is winter f lowering with g org eously scented cream f lowers It is literally buzzing with early f lying pollinators on sunny days in late winter and is thoroughly recommended. Pr une it immediately after f lowering too.
I have two borders one on each side of the oval lawn, one faces south the other nor th and present a different environment T he sunny side is ideal for a variety of herbaceous perennials such as Phlox paniculata, Delphiniums, Japanese anemones, that f lower in late summer through into autumn, Hemerocallis and Crocosmia T he Crocosmia has a habit of spreading so I allow it to f lower in late summer and then pull up those that have strayed where they are not wanted. Between the perennials spring bulbs are doted about and give interest in early spring T he edg es are planted with hardy annuals such as Cosmea, Eschscholzia (Califor nian Poppy), Calendula and Nig ella. I star t these off by sowing into modules in early spring in the g reenhouse and transplanting when larg e enough This gives them a g ood star t and is economical with seed
T he nor th border is obviously more shaded, but spring bulbs, cyclamen and herbaceous g eraniums provide some colour through the seasons In a slightly more open position is a pink f lowering rose called Flower Car pet T his spreads nicely to fill a g ap and is trouble free It just needs a regular trim in winter to keep it under control.
Now we are well and tr uly at the top of the path reaching a low retaining wall suppor ting the patio Beneath the wall I have a nar row border that g ets lots of sun Sedum “Autumn Joy” loves such a hot spot with f leshy pale g reen leaves and f lat-topped f lower heads of pink f lowers in late summer through into autumn. The nectar rich blooms are ver y attractive to a wide rang e of pollinators par ticularly butterf lies It dies back each winter and just needs a tidy up in early spring to remove the dead g rowth. Next to this is a favourite of mine, Car yopteris x clandonensis “Fer n-down.” It has g reyg reen aromatic leaves and bright blue f lowers in late summer Ag ain, it is attractive to bees and hoverf lies I saved some of the dried f lower heads in the autumn and sowed some seeds in a g ritty free draining compost in the g reenhouse. To my amazement in the spring three seedlings g er minated that are now g rowing on nicely With nur turing in the conser vator y over the winter it will be most interesting to see how they develop. T he mother plant will need pr uning back in March to within a couple of inches of g round level I g enerally wait until I can see new g rowth star ting as the old wood provides some shelter to the crown of the shr ub in the cold weather A beautiful bright blue Delphinium is next with a white self-sown foxglove behind and a Lavender Munstead Filling in between plants are my hardy annuals
Up the ste ps to the patio with space for a table and chairs, bench and the conser vator y. On the souther n boundar y fence, I have attached some more trellis panels Ag ainst the panels I have planted two Trachelosper num jasminoides otherwise known as Star Jasmine A star they have proved to be One cultivar called Bella has creamy yellow f lowers the other white. Only planted last year they are already spreading nicely up the trellis with bright everg reen leaves and the g org eously scented f lowers Ever y time I g o out of the back door now, (in June), I catch a whiff of their scent Tucked in the cor ner by the house in a larg e pot is my olive tree. T his has done well over about ten years When smaller it used to g o in the conser vator y for shelter during the winter Now it is too heavy and larg e to move and so it g ets a protective f leece cover over the winter. So far this has proved adequate, but I dread a hard
winter. Under the kitchen window, hiding the pipework and drain is a ver y reliable shr ub, Euonymus “Emerald n Gold,” an everg reen with g old and dark g reen varieg ated leaves It stands clipping well and needs little care Between the conser vator y and fence is a nar row shady area. As a screen for privacy, I have an everg reen climbing Hydrang ea seemanii that has white f lowers in summer and has covered the whole fence panel with dark g reen leaves Finally, the rest of the patio provides a sheltered sitting area and a chance for me to show off all the containers with Zonal Pelarg oniums, Dahlias, Ag apanthus and glorious Nemesia Confetti Improved T he Nemesia is a mass of soft pink scented f lowers and g rows well in this sunny position There is thyme, rosemar y, and sag e in pots all within easy reach of the kitchen and all three g rown from seed A larg e bay tree in a half bar rel and Camellia in a big ceramic pot and finally just enough space for a nurser y area for seeds and cutting raising Of course, the conser vator y tops it all. Used in the winter as a propag ation unit, safe overwintering area for any tender plants, a comfy sitting area, and home now to five larg e tomato plants
I hope my little tour has been useful with a few sug g estions of plants to tr y. I have been looking back to the Fiftieth Edition of the Herald which was published in the summer of 2014 I think one of my first forays Down the Garden Path star ted in the spring of that year So g ood that it is still g oing strong!
At the time of writing in early June the weather has been decidedly chang eable with cold nor th westerly winds and chilly nights Not g ood g rowing conditions for tender outdoor veg etables We hope for some war m sunshine to ripen the toms and brighten up the g arden path.
David Lowe
See one of David’s beautiful blooms in the colour centre.
Join us f or a jam-packed summer of games and activities in the gardens at Hanbur y Hall until Sunday 8 September. Step back in time to the Victorian era, inspir ed by fetes held by Sir Har r y and Lady Georgina Ver non f or Hanbur y villa ge. We would love to welcome our local community back to the Hall as the Ver non f amil y did all those year s a go! T he gardens will be transfor med into a summer fete style experience, with a riot of bunting, bell tents, hay bales, and giant Victorian character s.
HANBURY HALL
Explore six different play zones across the g ardens, with g ames including a racetrack and traditional fayre g ames on the Orang er y Lawn, bowls on the historic bowling g reen, and a stage and dress up in the Front Park Join in activities including circus skills, bracelet making, stor ytelling and face painting Meet historic reenactors dressed in their Victorian finer y as they bring Hanbur y Hall’s past to life
Book tickets for outdoor theatre shows perfor med in the beautiful g ardens. Join award-winning Illyria T heatre on Saturday 10 August for Shakespear e classic Romeo and Juliet, Gilber t & Sullivan’s T he Gondolier s on Saturday 17 August, and an evening of myster y with the Hound of the Basker villes on Saturday 7 September. Pack a picnic and stock up on essentials from the Stables Café as you settle down for an
evening of enter tainment as the sun g oes down.
Join local ar tist Shir ley Sloman for a series of watercolour wor kshops in the Long Galler y this August Come and have a g o at creating a magnificent mountain scene or lear n how to paint landscapes with reflections Take home your own ar twork at the end of the class. Find out more and book via the Hanbur y Hall website
Our annual Apple Har vest will retur n in September Come along to the Hanbur y Orchard to pick your own org anic apples fresh from the tree Lear n about the 52 varieties that g row here at Hanbur y, including the Golden Pippin, Howg ate Wonder and the traditional Bramley. Discover some delicious new recipes, and enjoy spending time in the g ardens as summer tur ns to autumn.
Plan your visit and book tickets for events here www nationaltr ust o r g. u k / v i s i t / wo r c e s t e r s h i r e - h e r efordshire/hanbur y-hall/events
See another pictur e in the colour pa ges.
Come and ha ve a game of bowls at Hanbur y Hall! cr edit Shaun Fellows
Lots of out door game fun this summer! cr edit Shaun Fellows
KIDS
Can you find these 10 words that you can also find in Hanbury?
l HANBURY
l CHURCH
l SCHOOL
l FARMS
l COUNTRY
l PARK
l BROWNIES
l FRIENDS
l FAMILY
l HERALD
Recipe
R aspber r y Bakewell Cake
INGREDIENTS
140g g round almonds
140g softened butter
140g g olden caster sug ar
140g self-raising f lour
2 eg gs
1tsp vanilla extract
250g fresh raspber ries
2tbsp f laked almonds
Icing sug ar to ser ve
METHOD
Step 1
Heat oven to 180 c/160c fan/g as4 and base line and g rease 20cm loose bottomed cake tin Blitz the g round almonds, butter, sug ar, f lour, eg gs and vanilla extract in food processor until well combined.
Step 2
Spread half the mixture over the cake tin and smooth over the top Scatter the raspber ries over and dollop the remaining cake mixture over the top and roughly smooth over.
Scatter the f laked almonds over and bake for 50 mins until g olden brown Cool and dust with icing sug ar
C O R N E R
See the answers on page 26.
Village Hall 10am - 4pm
M E E T I N G D AT E S : Ever yone is ver y welcome All at 7 30pm The meetings of the Parish Council will be held in the Pavilion. The nex t meetings are as follows; September 30th 2024 October 28th 2024
Ac tivity over the past 3 months
l 3 planning applications of var ying sizes have been examined and commented upon.
l The Council are continuing to liaise with a local football club who wish to use the football pitch on the Recreation Ground. Astwood bank Cricket Club are to continue using the cricket pitch for the for thcoming cricket season
l The Council are assisting the Playground Group with their redeveloping of the playground projec t and look for ward to hearing back regarding funding.
l Flooding has been discussed and assistance given to a local householder
l A new fence has been installed in the Memorial Gardens after a lengthy application process.
l At the annual parish meeting, Cllr M Bishop was elec ted as Chairman and Caroline Marock as Vice Chairman - many thanks to them for their hard work
l The Council’s accounts have been internally audited and are currently with the government appointed ex ternal auditor for their opinion
l A mast to improve the mobile signal for Hanbur y is currently being investigated by the Parish Council.
l The Council are considering replacing the fascia and guttering at the Village
Hall, but for financial reasons this may be scheduled for 2025.
Chairman’s end of year repor t It’s been a fairly good year for us and notably it’s been our first year with Sarah and Tony as parish Councillors New blood which is always welcome, also welcome is the struc ture of the parish council in that we have pretty much 50-50 men and women, younger and older, farmers and non-farmers it’s a good mix and it seems to work well.
Challenges; of course, we’ve had a few difficulties, with one parishioner who likened us to Nazis and a contentious planning application which is still ongoing but overall, nothing we can’t handle
Achievements, and with more to come, we’ve managed to complete the fencing on the western boundar y of the Memorial Gardens This was far more complex and expensive than hoped, as it had to go to planning. We continue to keep our assets in good condition with new windows in the Village Hall and other works such as maintaining the ex terior of the hall, keeping the recreation ground in good order and installing new signage Looking for ward, we anticipate the proposed major redevelopment of the recreation ground which looks ver y exciting and the possible improvement in
mobile phone signals through working with the Atlas Tower Group which we will discuss later, this is also looking ver y promising.
Financially we are secure but spent rather more this year than usual so our reser ves are lower than we might like and we will need to be cautious going for ward. Reser ves should normally be maintained at a minimum of 50% of the precept, for us this would equate to something over £13,000. In the past we have held rather greater amounts.
Finally, I’d like to thank all councillors, I think it’s a really good, ac tive group, thanks also to Tony Miller our County Councillor and Nick Dawkes our Distric t Councillor who both show real suppor t and involvement Thanks should also go to all of the parishioners who do so much for the running of the parish and its various organisations behind the scenes
Parish maintenance
Our local parish Lengthsman - Chris Cooke does a fabulous job around the parish, keeping an eye on overgrown shrubber y and repor ting fly-tipping daily Please note that if you have trees or hedges on your proper ty, that you are responsible for keeping them trimmed and off the highways/footpaths
If you notice anything that needs maintaining, please do let the Clerk know as soon as possible.
T he Hanbur y Countr yside Show 2024
Wet weather f ails to dampen the spirits of visitor s to the 77th Hanbur y Countr yside Show (Saturday, 6th July!)
A poor weather forecast in the lead-up, and inclement weather on the day, failed to dampen the spirits of visitors, exhibitors, competitors and traders attending the 77th annual Hanbur y Countr yside Show, which took place at the weekend
In spite of challenging conditions and less than sunny skies, the mood was never theless jubilant, as thousands of people defied the British weather and tur ned out, suitably dressed, to celebrate the best of r ural Worcestershire in all its glor y
Show Manag er, Sue Far mer, said that the Show's social media channels were awash with positive feedback about the long-r unning event, completely overwhelming the team and its ar my of 300 volunteer staff and stewards, and she thanked the Community at larg e for its never-ending, loyal suppor t.
"It's quite unusual to have such a wet Hanbur y Countr yside Show,” she said, "and although we were pre pared as always, we would have prefer red to see a bit more sunshine on the day! I would like to say thank you to the incredible Show team whose dedication saw them car r y on reg ardless, and of course, to all those who came to compete, exhibit, trade and enjoy."
Back at the Show by popular demand this year, was special guest, countr yman and TV presenter Jules Hudson, who appeared on stag e in the Car ter Jonas Talks T heatre to speak about his television career to date and opening up his g arden for charity, before taking to the stag e at the Bandstand and catching up with hilarious duo Laurel & Hardy do Devon! who he met last year
Jules also chatted with commentators Carey Knox, Tom Sellers and Jack Walton in the ETG Civil Engineering Main Arena, joining for mer jockey Bob
Champion for the presentation of the Shetland Pony Grand National, and then touring the Show's many attractions and feature displays
This year's Show saw a record-breaking 560 entries in the shee p section and a well suppor ted cattle section. Entries for T he Poultr y Show - the first for four years - were also ver y healthy
T he Show Society was pleased to be awarded more London Inter national Horse Show qualifiers in 2024 and many equestrians achieved success, including local rider, Caroline Webley
T his year's Main Arena prog ramme didn't disappoint, with some excellent spor tsmanship in the Shetland Pony Grand National, raising money for the Bob Champion Cancer Tr ust, exhilarating show jumping competitions, the Tom Longton shee pdog display, and the traditional Grand Parade of awardwinning cattle, shee p and of course, this year's Champion Pig!
T he Vintag e Parade of classic and historical vehicles - always a favourite with show visitors - included 6 magnificent steam traction engines, and around 70 old tr ucks, tractors, spor ts cars and motorbikes.
The Hanbur y Countr yside Show prides
itself on delivering an action-packed day out with something to suit all ag es & interests and introduces new features to complement old favourites each year
Aside from the Shetland Pony Grand National, the Shee p Shearing Competition was a new addition for 2024, drawing a g ood crowd who came to watch 26 shearers from all over the countr y shear their sheep in an exciting race ag ainst the clock! T he Fun Dog Show, Gundog Scur r y and the Midlands Heavy Horse Show drew g ood ringside crowds too.
T his year's musical enter tainment was provided by sing er Helen Pearson, K aren Car penter tribute Anne Marie Marlow, T he Ballard Sing ers and the SKAveng ers - a high energ y, SKA and reg g ae show featuring the tunes of Madness, T he Specials, the Beat, Bad Manners, UB40, Bob Marley and more
Also back for 2024 was the Attwell Far m Park feature where visitors were able to g et up close to a menag erie of animals including rabbits, alpacas, g oats and spiders!
Other show highlights included hor ticulture, crafts, fine food and drink, f loral ar t, far rier y, fer rets, woodcar ving, blacksmithing and many other countr yside activities, as well as quality shopping from around 200 trade stands
Next year's Hanbur y Countr yside Show takes place on Saturday, 5th July 2025
For more infor mation about the Show, please g o to: www hanbur yshow co uk
Sharon Gilber t Communications Mana ger Hanbur y Countr yside Show
See colour pictures in the centre.
Show Manager Sue Far mer and Jules Hudson Cr edit Shar on Gilber t
Something cheesy - Jules at the
y Show
Summertime in H
Hang in ther e! Fo
Hanbur
Born in Hanbur y - the little fluff y owlets!
Baa! w er e am I? - Unusual show shee p
Da vid Low e ’ s beautiful Clematis
Scr umptious WI cakes at the Hanbur y gathering
Summer fun! - Lots of space to race at Hanbur y Hall!
My Little Pony racing - Jules and fur r y friends
Pr etty pots at Woller ton Old Hall
* Photographs Hanbur y Show cr edit R achel Maddox, Hanbur y Hall c
Meeting
Bar oness Floella Benjamin (and Humpty!) at the Diocese SLT Conf er ence Brownies explorin
anbury!
Happy to be at the Hanbur y gathering!
Hanbur y ’ s newest resident
est school fun
Show champion and pr oud of it!
Meeting the Re v - Richard Sandland at the School
Perfor ming outdoors - Hanbur y School childr en do Macbeth
Re-ordering in the church On safari with the school!
edit Shaun Fellows, Hanbur y gathering/Br ownies cr edit Lizzy Evans
All dr essed up for a w edding at Jinney Ring
g the Hanbur y countr yside
W hen T he Norbur y T heatr e Became Never land!
T he Saturday matinee show at Norbur y Theatre was the 2nd of 4 perf or mances of Peter Pan Jr. showcasing the amazing talents of the Starbuck T heatr e Youth Company. T he students on sta ge ranged from 7 year s old to 18 year s old and they were all amazing With no less than 53 students in the cast, the 4 perfor mances had a change of character s, so many of them had to lear n two lots of lines, songs or dances. That’s no mean feat, so hats of f to them!
T he Saturday matinee saw Annabelle K avanagh as the star of the show, taking us all into the magical fantasy world of Neverland as Peter Pan with the help of the Darling Children Wendy, John and Michael, played by Ella Cer rone, Tessy Hawkesford and Georgia McGillen respectively T he voices of these children were what blew me away and the way they commanded the stage with nothing but professionalism. Captain Hook, played by Har rison Pavlovs and his sidekick Smee, Finn Baker, brought the comedy factor, ag ain with g reat voices and confidence T he chor us of pirates, lost boys and brave girls were the icing on the cake with their choreog raphy and song.
As for Tinkerbell, some may say she stole the show with her light dancing around the stag e and in the audience
To pull off a show like this, she would say ‘all you need is faith, tr ust and a little bit of pixie dust’, but we all know
you need an amazing team on stage and behind the stag e Sarah Pavlovs who heads up Starbuck T heatre Company directed and choreog raphed the show with props and costumes designed and created by Natalie Barker and Monica Cox.
Starbuck T heatre Company is now heading into its 10th year, in September 2014 it opened its doors with just a few students and now it is bursting at the seams with over 53 talented individuals. To celebrate their bir thday they are putting on a concer t at T he Norbur y T heatre, Droitwich on October 19th at 7:30pm Past and present students will come tog ether to perfor m songs from all of their past perfor mances including Rent, Sister Act, Annie and so many more! Tickets are £10 each at www nor bur ytheatre co uk
Each year they stag e a full scale musical with their Youth Company, there are also g roup classes in acting, LAMDA lessons 1:1, 1:2 or g roups for students of all ag es and Summer Schools
If you are interested in joining Starbuck T heatre Company in any capacity please contact @ StarbuckT heatr e or starbuckthe atr ecompany@gmail com for more infor mation
Lizzy Evans
Jinney Ring News & Views
T he star t of Summer brought us some f leetingly good weather and a welcome incr ease in visitor s to T he Jinney Ring. However, since then we’ ve f ound our selves wondering whatever happened to the sunshine!?? Never theless, we have been busy with lots happening.
We’ve had plenty of celebrations including 80th and 90th Bir thday par ties, weddings and baby showers After noon Teas came thick and fast in June and there are more to ar rive in the coming weeks. T he star t of July has seen the introduction of our new Summer Menu for the Far mhouse Restaurant
Pop in and see the r esident ducks enjoying summer
New additions include Fish ‘N’ Chips and Cajun Spiced Caulif lower Steak (which makes a lovely veg an option). Overall, the menu now hosts more snack y and lighter options which are ser ved throughout the day
BCM’s Str eet Food is now back in full swing. Early T hursday evenings each week, there are different cuisines available out front Expect to see anything from Pizza Heaven to Masala Fish & Chips or Greek food However, please note that their Street Food T hursdays can be weather de pendent
News from the Craft Units & Ar tists: Andrew Clacher from The Ar t Studio is r unning classes/wor kshops throughout the next few months T hese include Life Drawing lessons, Landscape Painting, Introduction to Drawing & Watercolour and Children’s ‘Paint a Duck Day’
The Potter s continue to r un evening classes Monday to T hursday and
S a turday mor nings
Excitingly, we have a new craftsperson star ting with us on the 1st of August Robin Cavana gh, a ver y experienced hairdresser will be occupying the unit next door to the Gift Shop. A bonus to this is the fact that Robin will be open on Sundays - something that is now practically unheard of in the hairdressing trade!
Also, we do still have one unit available to rent.
Upcoming Dates:
Public After noon Teas; Sunday 11th August, Sunday 25th August, Sunday 8th September
Pudding Night - Friday 13th September
Kite Day - Sunday 6th October
See two dogs looking smar t at Jinney Ring in the centre pa ges!
Numbers QUIZ
1. Name the title of the famous book by the writer Georg e Orwell in 1948?
2 How many elements in the periodic table begin with the letter 'z'?
3. How many men did Jesus originally appoint to be his apostles?
4 Complete the title of the famous 1961 book by Jose ph Keller 'Catch '
5. How many different ball colours are to be found on a snooker table in total?
6 How many letters are there in the Greek alphabet?
7 How old was Marilyn Monroe when she died?
8 In what year did the first Moder n Olympic Games take place?
9. How many laps are completed in the 'Indianapolis 500' race?
10 How many apples would you have if you took fifteen out of a bar rel of 200?
See answer s on pa ge 26.
HANBURY FIRST
WHOLE SCHOOL SAFARI
Our annual end of ter m whole-school trip took us to Cotswold Wildlife Park, where we enjoyed a fun-packed day amongst a host of awesome animals!
We all took a tour around the park on the train, said hello to a new-bor n camel and spotted some animals we recognised… and lots that we hadn’t seen before!
T he day was a ter rific oppor tunity to enjoy a special experience with our friends. We are extremely g rateful for the ver y g enerous donation from the Hanbur y Parochial Charity; coach bookings have become increasingly expensive in recent years, so by funding the travel cost, they helped make the trip more affordable for ever yone.
From the smallest guinea pigs to the hug e rhino and ever ything inbetween, there was so much to enjoy on what was a beautiful, sunny day T he penguins’ pool and the pigs’ mudbath looked ver y tempting in the war m weather, but we all ke pt our cool and had a wonderful time!
THE WHOLE SCHOOL HAS HAD THE CHANCE TO TRY OUT WHAT FOR MOST OF US WERE 2 BRAND NEW SPORTS…
Coaches Steve and Tom from Bowls Buddies treated ever y class to a fun introduction to lawn bowls T hey taught us the basic skills needed to play and g ave us lots of fun g ames to help us improve in just a ver y shor t while. We lear ned what the spots on the bowls are for, how to hold it and the best way to make sure it g oes as far as we want in the direction we want!
Earlier this ter m, Team Rubicon tur ned our playg round into a skate park, giving us the oppor tunity to tr y out skateboarding and scooting!
We had so much fun tr ying out these two ver y different - but equally funactivities!
YEAR 4 HAVE BEEN ENJOYING
AN ACTION-PACKED FINALE TO THEIR TIME AT HANBURY SCHOOL… THE SCOTTISH PLAY… IN HANBURY (BY YEAR 4)
We perfor med our leavers’ play, Macbeth It was written by William Shakespeare over 400 years ag o! We loved lear ning about the play in class and were excited when we lear ned that we'd g et to perfor m it
Perfor ming in the open air
Our favourite par ts were when the characters were g etting killed with the swords, the witches and their funny voices, singing the rock songs, and wearing cool outfits We all enjoyed our par ts a lot, and we loved making the props for the play ourselves too
We perfor med our play outside so we could use the castle as our stag e, and we were luck y that it stayed dr y for our perfor mances T hank you to ever yone who came to watch us!
YEAR 4 RESIDENTIAL
Ahead of their move to middle schools, our Year 4 class had another oppor tunity to make some lasting memories at their residential trip to Malver n in July. Activities like low-rope courses, zip lines and a hike to the top of the Malver n Hills g ave ever yone the chance to do something that they’d never done before Making their own lunches and kee ping their rooms tidy shar pened their inde pendence skills too!
A hel ping hand outdoor challenges!
Going wild in the Cotsw olds!
Lear ning the skills of lawn bowls
WE HAVE SUCH A DIVERSE CURRICULUM AND LOVE TO FIND WAY S TO MAKE THE MOST
MULTICULTURAL ARTS WEEK
OF OUR LEARNING…
After lear ning about Naturalist, Charles Darwin, Year 2 welcomed a special visitor into their classroom Monty the tor toise helped them perfect their sketching skills, just like Darwin did when he met giant tor toises in the Galápag os Islands! Miss Ward’s pet seemed ver y happy to be the focus of the children’s attention for the mor ning!
Year 3 travelled around 2000 years back in time, visiting Lunt For t near Coventr y to find out how Romans used to live. After exploring the site and looking at lots of ar tefacts, they lear ned how to dress, march and battle just like a citizen or soldier would have done
Year 1 visited Hanbur y Hall as par t of their histor y topic studying how the local area has chang ed over time and how the Ver nons were a ver y impor tant family in Hanbur y back in the 18th centur y.
T hey looked around the g ardens and the house, exploring what life would have been like to the people living there, enjoying spotting fantastic paintings and murals T he children were interested to hear that there were no cameras to take photos at the time they were created!
T he children also imagined what life would be like with ser vants to do ever ything for you and what it was like to have g ardeners who would make sure the many g ardens were kept beautiful for us to admire
Par t of what makes our school so special, are the weeks when we focus on a par ticular par t of the cur riculum. Earlier this year we enjoyed a spectacular Science Week, followed by this ter m ’ s Multicultural Ar ts Week
We really enjoyed lear ning more about the diverse world we live in, within our community and beyond.
T he children explored focus countries and shared their lear ning with the school Miss Mubeen also led wonderful workshops which taught us all about her culture – she told us all about her religion, traditional dress as well as giving us the chance to sample some amazing food!
Rece ption looked at Spanish culture for multi-cultural ar ts week. T hey studied the Spanish ar tist Pablo Picasso, tried some authentic Spanish tapas and perfor med a f lamenco dance for the rest of the school!
Year 1 had a Greek food tasting session. T hey tried olives, f lat breads, feta cheese and tzatziki. T hey also designed their own Greek vases, created straw versions of the Par thenon and lear ned about the Greek Alphabet!
Year 2 took a vir tual trip to Mexico, lear ning about Cinco de Mayo and made tambourines like the ones used to celebrate this special day in the calendar T hey also made their own guacamole and created some Frida K ahlo-inspired ar twork.
Year 3 enjoyed a mor ning pizza making as they celebrated all things Italian T hey explored and recreated
ar t work in the style of Giuse ppe Arcimboldo and researched Italy as a countr y as a whole
Year 4 lear ned about the g eog raphy of Canada; the world’s 2nd larg est countr y It has 6 time zones and is bordered by 3 oceans! They created ar t in the style of Emily Car r, Canada's most famous ar tist, and cooked themselves some delicious poutine! To finish the week off, year 4 created musical tributes to the land of Canadasome children made raps, some did presentations and some did pop songs!
OUR SCHOOL WOULD NOT BE THE WONDERFUL PLACE IT IS WITHOUT OUR STRONG LINKS WITH
HANBURY
CHURCH AND THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER…
We were pleased to meet Reverend Rich and have been delighted to welcome him into school so many times this ter m We really enjoy it when he joins us for Worship, including the time he told us about Saint Kevin We lear ned that being kind sometimes needs us to show endurance if things don’t g o the way we think they might!
Mr McDonagh and Miss Bishop spent an inspiring day at the Diocese of Worcester’s Education Team Annual Senior Leaders’ Conference. Keynote Speaker, Baroness Floella Benjamin (and Humpty!) helped deliver an impor tant messag e about belonging and identity
T he Open the Book team have continued to treat us to some super bible stories this ter m, including T he Lost Shee p It made us think about how we are all special in God’s eyes and how we can help make others feel special too.
Year 1 visited Hanbur y Church after lear ning about how some places are sacred to people For many of us, this includes our beautiful church, which Year 1 loved exploring!
We work hard to give back to our local community in many different ways
Histor y trip at Hanbur y Hall
Pizza making - a taste of Italy
Lear ning to be a Litter War rior
After her visit in 2023, we welcomed back K aren Blanchard from Little Litter War riors, who brought our attention to how lots of plastic waste ends up in our rivers and seas We all did our bit to stop it g etting there by taking tur ns to litter pick around the local Hanbur y area.
HANBURY CHOIR
Our choir may be small, but our voices are big! A g roup of children joined the Droitwich Spa Community Choir at their annual Acor ns Hospice fundraising concer t, perfor ming a number of songs infront of a big audience! Mrs Ball was ver y proud of the children who g ave up their time to help others
More pictures in the colour centre
budding Journalists in our village?
Any creative people out there who enjoy writing simple articles and reporting on local issues? See your writing in print!
Please contact Lizzy Lizzyhanburyherald@outlook.com
FOREST SCHOOL PROJECT BEARS FRUIT...
T he seeds of a pr oject, planted several year s a go ar e bearing fr uit after the opening of Hanbur y CE Fir st School’s own For est School outdoor classroom.
As pupil numbers g rew, so did the demand for space to hold school events and activities For mer Headteacher, Andy Payne came up with the idea of extending the school g rounds to incorporate a larger school field and its own Forest School site; a project that cur rent Head, Aaron McDonagh has continued to champion
T he pair, along with colleagues who have played a major par t in the development and deliver y of the site, joined children from Rece ption to celebrate its opening earlier this ter m
Viv Findlay, for mer School Gover nor who completed the business side of securing and pre paring the land and Hanbur y School’s qualified Forest School Leaders, Eleanor Pincher and Fay Mol were also on hand to join in the celebrations
Children at Hanbur y School have always enjoyed making the most of its beautiful countr yside location, including dedicated Forest School sessions on the g rounds of the nearby Jinney Ring
T hey will now be able to benefit from even more outdoor lear ning in a wider rang e of subjects in a spectacular setting within the boundaries of the school g rounds
“Ever yone enjoys Forest School lessons,” said Mr McDonagh. “We offer weekly sessions to Rece ption class and twice-ter mly lessons to our other classes A nor mal lesson might include tree climbing, den building and for our older pupils, even lear ning how to safely light a fire.
“Our Early Years cohor t has a wonderful outdoor classroom already, but we wanted to do more as our countr yside setting is one of the
aspects that makes our school so special
“T his new site and our investment in staff training is g oing to mean we can increase provision. It will also give teachers an exciting resource to utilise when delivering lessons right across the cur riculum
“Under the exper t guidance of our qualified Forest School leaders, the wooded area is where our pupils can be curious, build resilience and develop an appreciation of nature as it chang es throughout the year However, it can just as easily be the perfect setting for a really inspirational maths lesson or stor y time.”
T he larg e, g rassed area adjacent to the wood will not only used for playtimes but will mean that the school will be able to host its own Spor ts Day for the first time in 5 years.
“We were ver y g rateful to RGS Dodderhill who have hosted our spor ts days since we outg rew our own field!” added Mr McDonagh “We’re looking forward to bringing it back on-site and using the field to expand our PE and spor ts club provision.”
T he development of the outdoor area has involved a hug e suppor t team Along with Staff and Gover nors, companies including T he Hotel Shop and Atkins Global have encourag ed employees to dedicate volunteer days to transfor m the site kee ping it as much of a natural space as possible
“T here are lots of people to thank. I’m delighted that so many of them could join us at its opening,” added Mr McDonagh
“Since Mr Payne first planted the seed of an idea, the project has taken an incredible amount time and energ y, but we hope that knowing how much the children at Hanbur y are g oing to benefit from it has made it all wor thwhile ”
OUT IN NATURE AT FOREST SCHOOL
Fun Times at Br ownies & R ainbows!
During 2024 the Hanbur y Brownies have had a busy time. The g roup has g rown with 3 new Brownies joining and a new Snowy Owl.
T hey have been out on walks through the villag e countr yside after lear ning about the Countr y Code, a walk through the woods up to St Mar y ’ s church, an evening of lear ning how to ring the bells up the church tower, a trip to the park, designing their own Brownie unifor ms and finished off this ter m with a par ty night!
If you know someone ag ed
between 7 & 10 that would like to join Brownies or someone ag ed between 5 & 7 that would like to join Rainbows please g et in touch with Arctic Owl, Beck y Winter, to discuss
From Se ptember the Hanbur y Rainbows meetings will be held at the villag e hall at the same times as Brownies
Let’s dance! It’s par ty time! Ringing those
Contact details: Beck y Winter 07882 699639 beck ywinter@yahoo.com
Monday 5pm - 6:30pm Ter m time only
See more photos in the colour centre. &
bells!
ROSEDENE AND THE CHARTIST MOVEMENT
Fr om our chief local histor y cor r espondent Andr ew Har ris
In the ear l y 1830s the pr essur e f or par liamentar y r ef or m was g r eat, and culminated in the passing of the 1832 Ref or m Act, otherwise known as the Gr eat Ref or m Act. Refor m was needed mainly because the large new industrial cities, such as Bir mingham and Manchester, had no dir ect par liamentar y r epr esentation other than by their county MP, wher eas all the old established bor oughs mostl y r etur ned two MPs. Many bor oughs had ver y small electorates, and were often ef fectivel y contr olled by a local land owning f amil y. It has to be remembered that in those days, and indeed until 1874, voting was not by secr et ballot, so it was easy to pressure individual voter s to give their vote to a par ticular candidate
The 1832 Act created a number of new constituencies in the new industrial towns, and, so as not to increase the total number of MPs, disenfranchised many of the smallest boroughs, and reduced the number of MPs retur ned by others from two to one Droitwich was one such, which after the 1832 Act still only had 285 registered voters, of which 253 voted in the 1835 election, and after 1832 it retur ned only one MP.
T he Act also increased the number of voters by reducing the proper ty qualification needed to be able to vote. In the counties it broadened the franchise's proper ty qualification to include small landowners, tenant far mers, and shopkee pers, and in the boroughs it created a unifor m franchise, giving the vote to all householders who paid a yearly rental of £10 or more, and some lodg ers
But you still had to be a proper ty owner or renter to be able to vote under the 1832 Act, which to many people did not g o far enough Fur ther more, there was much discontent among working people after the passing of the Poor Law Amend-
ment Act of 1834 which established the workhouse system and tried to abolish outdoor relief So a movement g rew up in the 1830s to push for fur ther refor m, and in 1838 a committee of radical MPs and working men published the People’s Char ter, thus giving the movement its name
The char ter had six main aims:
• A vote for ever y man over 21
• Voting by secret ballot
• No pr oper ty qualification f or MPs, to allow the constituencies to retur n the man of their choice
• Payment of MPs, enabling tradesmen, wor king men, or other per sons of modest means to enter par liament
• All constituencies should be of equal population
• Annual par liaments, which was thought to give a check on briber y and cor r uption
All these demands (exce pt, perhaps for tunately, the last) eventually came to be met, although it took a long time, the last being the payment of salaries to MPs which star ted in 1911 and universal male suffrag e in 1918.
In 1839 a petition in favour of the Char ter signed by 1.3m people was presented to the House of Commons, but MPs voted by larg e majority not to hear the petitioners Larg e popular meetings were held and there were
riots, par ticularly in Wales, and there was much unrest in the countr y One of the Char tist leaders was Fergus O’Connor (not to be confused with the Irish nationalist Daniel O’Connell) who was bor n in Ireland and in 1832 spoke strongly in favour of the Great Refor m Act. After its passag e he stood for, and was elected, to County Cork as a member of the Re peal Par ty. In 1800 Ireland had been joined to Great Britain with a single parliament, but nationalists campaigned for the Act of Union to be re pealed, hence the name of the par ty.
O’Connor then moved to England, and tried to be elected for two parliamentar y seats, but was unsuccessful in both But he became a ver y popular speaker in the Char tist cause, and in 1837 founded a radical newspaper, The Nor ther n Star, which he used to strongly suppor t the cause. After the failure of the 1839 petition suppor t for Char tism declined somewhat, but O’Connor espoused a new cause, which was allied to Char tism. His scheme was to purchase far ms and divide them into small plots of up to six acres and build a cottag e on each one. His idea was to transfer these to workers from nor ther n factories so they could star t a new life away from dir ty and polluted areas, and ear n a living as small holders. And as owners of proper ty, they would be able to vote in elections
O’Connor for med the Char tist Co-operative Land Company in 1845, and its name was later chang ed to the National Land Company (NLC). Once the NLC was established O’Connor made various purchases. T he first was at Heronsg ate in Her tfordshire, later sometimes called O’Connor ville, where he purchased 103 acres for £2,344 A ballot was held of the 1,487 eligible shareholders for the 36 plots which were between 2 and 4 acres, an averag e of 2.8 acres, and the successful applicants moved in in May 1847 T he next was at Redmarley d’Abitot, now just
south of the M50 motorway in Gloucestershire, where 170 acres was purchased and divided into 46 plots of an averag e size of 3 7 acres, and this was followed by 247 acres at Snigs End in Staunton, Gloucestershire, only about 3 miles from Redmarley d’Abitot T here were 82 plots of an averag e size of 3 acres. T he next was O’Conner’s larg est purchase of 300 acres at Minister Lovell in Oxfordshire, and finally the 280 acres at Dodford just west of Bromsg rove in Worcestershire was purchased in the winter of 1847/48 for £10,350
In the first four settlements the plots were allocated by drawing names at random from a list of all those who had bought shares in the NLC. But by the time Dodford was established this system had been deemed to be illeg al, and O’Connor had to ask for a de posit or premium to obtain possession Settlers were welcomed to their new plots in Dodford on 2 July 1849 T he settlement’s 44 plots had ver y basic amenities, with open wells and no water pumps The average size was 4 acres, so there must have been some unused or unallocated land
It seems that the cottag es on all the Char tist settlements had the same basic single storey plan: two bedrooms, a living room, dair y, store, back hall with well, plus an adjoining pig g er y, coal house and privy A few still sur vive in Dodford and at least one in Minster Lovell, but of course most have either been rebuilt or substantially altered. Rosedene in Dodford is thought to be the least altered, and from 1922 was occupied by the Crisp family until the last of the family, Bill, passed away in 1996 T he following year the National Tr ust acquired it and restored it, and it is now let as a ‘back to basics’ holiday cottag e and is also open occasionally to visitors - for details see the National Tr ust website
Unfor tunately the NLC was not successful, and an act to wind up the company was passed in 1851 Apar t from the fact that it had been declared an illeg al lotter y, O’Connor was not g ood at kee ping proper financial records, and he had been over-
optimistic about the success of the scheme Many of those who took up the plots had no ag ricultural experience, and found it impossible to make a living on their small 4 acre plots Although he had been a leading Char tist, the land scheme was ver y much O’Connor’s own, and many people thought he should have concentrated more on the Char tists’ political aims
After the company was wound up the land was sold by auction, and of course many of the plots were amalg amated and taken up by more experienced far mers. In fact Dodford was the only settlement that enjoyed some deg ree of long ter m success. Because it had access to the Bir mingham and Black Countr y markets it successfully sold market g arden products, par ticularly strawber ries, but also f lowers, peas, beans and shallots Orchards of pears and plums were planted An annual ‘Strawber r y Wake’ was held on the second Sunday of July until 1922, where visitors could eat as many as they liked for 6d Garlic was also sold to Lea & Per rins in Worcester. T he plot holders also continued with other trades to supplement their incomes, such as nail-making, making gunlocks and r unning a g rocers’ shop One of the plot holders, John Ward, a butcher from Bolton, ran a pub, now the Dodford Inn.
Later, however, market g ardening declined, as many of the cottag es were sold as summer retreats, and a better living could be had working in the local factories including Gar ringtons in Bromsg rove and Austins in Longbridg e
After the failure of the land scheme, O’Connor’s health declined - he may have been suffering the effects of syphilis In 1852 in the House of Commons O’Connor str uck three fellow MPs, one of them Sir Benjamin Hall, a vocal critic of the Land Plan Ar rested by the De puty Serg eant-atAr ms, O’Connor was sent by his sister to Dr T homas Har rington’s private Manor House Asylum in Chiswick, where he remained until 1854, when he was removed to his sister’s house He died on 30 August 1855 at 18 Alber t Ter race, Notting Hill and on 10 September was buried in Kensal Green cemeter y. No fewer than 40,000 people witnessed the funeral procession Most Char tists prefer red to remember O’Connor’s strengths rather than his shor tcomings.
As to parliamentar y refor m, prog ress during the remainder of the nineteenth centur y was steady but slow Attempts during the 1850s to introduce refor m bills were unsuccessful, and it was left to Tor y prime minister Benjamin Disraeli to steer the Second Great Refor m Act of 1867 through parliament after Gladstone had failed T he secret ballot came in 1874, two member constituencies were abolished, and g radually constituency boundaries were redrawn to create constituencies of equal populations It was not until after the first world war that elections became similar to those of today, and it was 1928 before women were able to vote on the basis as men
W ho gives a Hoot?
It has been r epor ted that we have some new r esidents her e in Hanbur y A few months a go RSPB volunteer s er ected bar n owl boxes in various locations and have r ecentl y been back to check them. One of the boxes is now home to a beautiful bar n owl who has also had 2 chicks. It’s sur prising the owls mana ged to produce any of fspring given that it’s been too wet to woo...
My love of, and interest in, owls was sparked by a shor t Radio 4 podcast about the characteristics of owls and the ways they are ideally adapted as predators Let me share a few selected facts of which you may not have been aware
Camouf la ge
Owls are some of the best camouf lag ed birds g oing and this helps them avoid detection by both predators and prey.
Hearing
T hey have relatively f lat faces sur rounded by a r uff of feathers which helps g ather sound T hey also have asymmetrical ears with one ear being slightly higher on one side of the head than the other T hese adaptions result in their being able to detect the sound of a mouse scuttling around from up to two miles away!
Neck
Probably the best known feature is their being able to swivel their head through an amazing 270 deg rees To be able to do this they have 14 neck ver tebrae ag ainst a human's 7. Meanwhile extra blood vessels in the neck maintain the blood supply to the brain which would otherwise be seriously compromised
Eyes
T hey have long, tube-like eyes and binocular vision which enables them to see 8 times fur ther than a human!
One of the owlets and Mum r eady to take flight fr om the nesting box
W hereas humans can roll their eyes, owls have to swivel their head to look in a different direction.
Owls tend to be noctur nal and to hunt at night when their superior night vision is a real advantag e What the reader may not appreciate is that that owls have three eyelids: one to blink; one to sleep and one which helps to protect their eyes when f lying through areas such as woodland foliag e
Feather s
W hen an owl pursues its prey it does so relatively silently, thanks to its soft feathers which make no r ustling noise
Its larg e wings enable it to f ly quickly (up to 40mph) or slowly, as well as to g enerate sufficient lift to facilitate car r ying larg e prey
Feet
Extra blood vessels in the feet help in regulating body temperature.
Finally....
Baby owls are called owlets and a g roup of owls (rather topically) is known as a parliament of owls.
Ed Richards
See lovel y owlet pictur es in the colour centre.
KIDS
Nineteen Eighty-Four
How to identify...
With a hear t-shaped f ace, beige back and wings and pur e white under par ts, the Bar n Owl is a distinctive and much-loved countr yside bird.
Widely distributed across the UK and the rest of the world, this bird suffered declines through the 20th centur y and is thought to have been impacted by org anochlorine pesticides such as DDT in the 1950s and 1960s Noctur nal birds like the Bar n Owl are
poorly monitored by the Breeding Bird Sur vey and, subject to this caveat, numbers may have increased between 1995-2008 Bar n Owls are a Schedule 1 and 9 species, meaning it's illeg al to intentionally or recklessly disturb them, and it's also illeg al to release them into the wild in the UK (Source: RSPB)
If you’d like to g et involved with this scheme – r un by the local RSPB - they can be contacted on their website at: https://g r oup.r spb.org.uk/worces ter/ T he boxes are constr ucted and installed by RSPB volunteers, in retur n for a sug g ested minimum donation of £50 per box.
A pretty g ood deal when you consider that buying one of these ready made would cost around £145 Par t of this amazing ser vice is that the volunteers come back to check the boxes to see if they’ve been inhabited, and if they have, they will also come back to ring any babies at an appropriate time
T his provides a unique chance to see the owlets close up as the handlers are licensed to hold the owls and show them to their landlords!
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