The Hanbury Herald
Issue 93
SPRING 2025
We have had the most wonderful star t to the spring this year with plenty of sunshine at the star t of April, which in my case was ver y much needed However, the g ood old ‘April showers’ are soon to follow and by the time you are reading this we will have ste pped into May and I ’ m h o p i n g t h e r a i n h a s d i s s i p a t e d , although our g ardens and crops were probably ver y g rateful for the dampening
Whatever the weather, we must look for the positives!
T his Spring issue seems to be jam packed so g et your calendars at the ready as there are many things happening in and around Hanbur y that you can look
forward to over the coming months. Star ting in May we will be remembering the Hanbur y Fallen from WWII as it is the 80th anniversar y of VE (victor y in Europe) Day on the 8th May and we will be kicking off our ver y own Poppy Project (details on how to g et involved are inside) T he Feckenham Flower and Garden Festival is also happening in May
July sees the retur n of the Hanbur y Countr yside Show, which always promises to be a g reat family day out no matter what the weather brings, let’s just hope it is better weather than last year! And August is the 80th anniversar y of VJ (victor y in Japan) Day
T hroughout the year there are many
events held at our local outdoor museum, Avoncroft, who I’m sure would appreciate our suppor t – free entr y for children during the school holidays too! Andrew Har ris, our ver y own Historian, has delved into the archives to tell us h ow
Wo
relocated to Avoncroft back in the 1960’s l e a d i n g t o t h e s t a r t o f Avo n c r o f t Museum, as we now know it
Don’t forg et that the cricket season is well in swing now and Hanbur y Pavilion is a par t-time home to Astwood Bank Cricket Club so you can catch matches there most weekends throughout the summer Check out their website for
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, Julie O'Neill, Ed Richards and Ma ggie W heatley
Bumble bee on Car yopteris - photograph by Da vid Low e
N ow f o r s o m e s e r i o u s b u s i n e s s T h e
Hanbur y Herald Committee will be having a discussion soon about the future of T he Herald and we would love to hear from you, our parishioners, our readers!
What do you love about T he Herald? Is there something you would like to see more of ? Or less of ?
Please g et in touch by emailing me at lizzyhanbur yherald@outlook com Or use the QR code here to complete a shor t online sur vey.
Have you g ot that cuppa at the ready?
Lizzy
Contact the Editor
Should you wish to contact editor Lizzy Evans, please call her on 01527 822712 or email Lizzyhanbur yherald@outlook.com
Please remember - all e-mail attachments need t o b e i n Wo r d o r j p g f o r p h o t o g r a p h sotherwise they cannot be easily downloaded.
Deadline for Issue 94 (Copy & Pictures)
Thursday 10th July - 5.00pm
Deadline for Issues 95 & 96
Thursday 8th October - 5.00pm
Thursday 5th January - 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
May
8th VE Day
Hanbury War Memorial, 10.45 for 11am
9th Hanbury Parish Council meeting, The Pavilion, 7 30pm
14th AGM Hanbury Village Hall Management Committee, Committee Room 7 30pm
17th & 18th AGM Feckenham Flower & Garden Festival 11am-5pm
18th Traditional Afternoon Tea Jinney Ring
June
13th Friends Fest Hanbury First School, 5-7pm
30th Hanbury Parish Council meeting, The Pavilion, 7 30pm
July
5th Hanbury Countryside Show
August
2nd Hanbury Hall alfresco show: Pride and Prejudice
9th Hanbury Hall alfresco show: The Wind in the Willows
15th VJ Day
Hanbury War Memorial 10 45 for 11am
23rd Hanbury Hall alfresco show: HMS Pinafore
30th Hanbury Hall alfresco show: HMS Pinafore
More advanced dates...
November
9th Remembrance Sunday Hanbury Church Time TBC
29th Hanbury Xmas Fayre and light switch on Village Hall 3-6pm
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 - 12 00am contact: amberhoney@btinternet.com at the Pavilion
Womens Group - second Thursday in the month 7.30pm. Contact Jill Harper 07591 717325 email harper-j5@sky.com
Scan to donate
T he Future of Hanbur y Herald sur vey
Out & About in Hanbur y... Out & About
Thank You!
A HUGE Hanbur y Thank you!
It was re por ted that a ver y public-spirited resident under took a major litter pick on the Salt Way at the end of March. Many plastic bags of thoughtlessly discarded r ubbish were filled It’s amazing just how much “stuff ” ends up on our verg es and in our ditches thanks to ir responsible people. A hug e Hanbur y thank you to you Mr. Brice, your effor ts are much appreciated. T he bags were later collected by our excellent Parish Lengthsman, Chris Cooke, many thanks also to you Chris for all you do for the parish.
FECKENHAM FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May 2025, 11am to 5pm
T his triennial Festival is in its 40th year We hope to have approximately 25 g ardens open and there will be a themed Flower Festival in the Church. All proceeds to Feckenham Church and Churchyard maintenance fund T here will be stands for : local nurseries selling plants, and T he Bar n ’ s traditional and contemporar y g arden accessories. T here will be a BBQ at the Catholic Church and W I Teas in the Villag e Hall. T he two pubs and our award-winning Community Shop will also be open all day
Admission - £7 50 per person - children under 16 free. Ample parking at the Festival Car Park
Contact: organiser@feckenham-opengardens co uk www.feckenham-open- gardens.co.uk
See adver t for more details on pag e 7
HANBURY WOMENS INSTITUTE (WI)
After 109 year s IT IS NO MORE!!
It is with g reat sadness that we have decided to close Hanbur y WI for a variety of reasons which I will cover below
It was originally intended for women to g ain education and socialise whilst husbands were away at work. T his ser ved its pur pose when there were few oppor tunities for women. It was the only social life that some women had but with g reater oppor tunities now available and with national r ules and regulations over taking the real ethos in Hanbur y it is no long er fit for pur pose
T he foundations of the movement are to educate women, to facilitate socialisation and to suppor t national campaigns such as clean rivers, environmental issues, health inequalities, assisting pover ty and promoting health and g ood lifestyles as well as raising money for charities. Although we are not wearing sandwich boards in Westminster we achieve this in our own way by suppor ting villag e and neighbouring villag e events and this villag e is already g ood at g atherings, sharing ideas and g enerally having fundamentally g ood values and suppor ting each other
T he annual subs are £50 now and 50% of this is given to the Worcestershire Federation and National - we no long er suppor t this and are not really g aining anything from this contribution to the wider WI
A questionnaire was sent to all 28 cur rent members and all enjoyed the social side and some of the speakers that we employ, but felt that all of the above was tr ue. T he remainder of the proper ty of Hanbur y WI will be retur ned to T he Hive for archiving and some of the historic things will be displayed at the Villag e Hall with kind per mission of the Villag e Hall Manag ement Committee
MOVING FORWARD we will continue to meet as a womens g roup on the second T hursday of the month at 730pm but some of our activities will be opened up to the wider community. T his may tur n into a g roup that doesn’t meet that often or that meets in the day on occasions, but feel free to come along and see us Please do check that we are meeting that month if you intend to come along We still have an active book club that meets bimonthly and we do not have a name yet sug g estions welcome!!
Jill Har per 07591 717325 for infor mation or if you wish to join a whatsapp g roup, or email har per-j5@sk y.com
Part Time Job Opportunity
Hanbury Village Hall Management Committee are looking to recruit a new caretaker.
The role will involve managing bookings and invoices digitally for the hire of the hall,maintenance of the hall and its grounds, cleaning and organising repairs
The average hours will be 12 hours a week, this will may vary during the year There is a bungalow adjacent to the village hall which is available for rent to the successful candidate if required
For a copy of the Job Description and details of how to apply please contact: Michele Dunn on 07966 134655.
The closing date for applications is Friday 23 May, with interviews likely to start from w/c 9 June
Out & About in Hanbur y... Out & About
Hanbur y Villa ge Hall Mana gement Committee
AGM
T he meeting will be taking place on Wednesday 14 May at 7.30pm in the Committee Room at the Villa ge Hall
Please come along and hear about our activity over the last 12 months and our future plans.
All ar e welcome
Villa ge Hall Mana gement Committee:
Tim Har per Chair, Michele Dunn (Secretar y), Elaine Webster (Treasurer), Ang e Bur net (200 Club), Alyson Monks, Nick Nicklin and Neil Cook.
KIDS
How many Easter eggs can you find in this issue?
Spring villa ge quiz
On Saturday 15 March, we held our Spring villa ge quiz, there were 7 teams who all enjoyed having their knowledge tested by the fantastic quiz master Steve Webster. There was a raf f le with lots of g reat prizes, a bar and a yummy ploughman’s supper
After a nail-biting tie-break question the winning team was ‘Universally Challeng ed’
T hank you so much to all the committee for all their hard work, making the evening such a g reat success, special thanks to Elaine, Alyson and of course to Steve Webster.
In other news; the latest winners of the 200 Club March Draw were: 1st prize £50 Andrew Humphries, 2nd prize of £30 Julie Hobby and 3rd prize of £20 Nick Nicklin If you are interested in joining the 200 club, please email Ang e Bur net at petenang e@msn.com
T he cur rent HVH committee members are Tim Har per (Chair), Nick Nicklin, Elaine Webster, Alyson Monks, Ang e Bur net, Neil Cook and Michele Dunn, new members are ver y welcome.
For Villa ge Hall bookings please contact villa gehall@hanbur yparishcouncil.gov.uk or call Jamie on 07494 285590.
UPCOMING VE DAY and
VJ DAY events in Hanbur y...
VE DAY 80
On T hursday 8 May at 11 00 am (g ather at 10.45), the SW&H RBL team, including the Standard Bearer, will commemorate VE DAY 80 at the Hanbur y villag e memorial
If you would like to attend and lay a wreath on behalf of your local org anisation, complete with VE 80 badg e (victor y in Europe) please would you email John Garfield (copied in above) as soon as possible to be helpful. T he cost of each wreath is £30 which also suppor ts the RBL
Even if not wishing to buy a wreath, your presence would be g reatly appreciated, either with or without any appropriate f loral tribute which
you make wish to provide. Please encourag e members of your org anisations to attend to demonstrate our g ratitude to our local men and women for the sacrifices made for us all those years ag o
T he two minute silence will be obser ved and the simple ceremony will last less than 20 minutes A second ceremony will follow at Stoke Prior church memorial at Noon.
VJ DAY 80
On Friday 15 August, the larg ely unobser ved/forg otten) VJ Day(victor y in Japan and the real end of the war) also 80 years will be marked, also in a simple way.
Answer on page 19.
The galant winning quizz ers!
Out & About in Hanbur y... Out & About
Footpath Wardens’
Repor t March 2025
This has been the time of year before the g rowing season gets fully underway when we are able to catch up with some of the other tasks apar t from keeping the vegetation under control.
Recently we, in the Nor th Hanbur y team, have been spending time re placing signs T his is a remarkably time consuming occupation as we always remove the old faded or broken signs completely before hammering in new ones, and on some instances it requires much debate and consultations of maps to ensure accuracy Some paths now seem to follow strang e routes with tur ns and junctions in odd places Once upon a time these were at field boundaries whereas now they are just in a field. We cannot alter the course of these paths, no matter how illogical they sometimes appear to be We have found the Ordinance Sur vey Maps app on our phones most useful for this Worcester have ag ain come up tr umps and re placed the ditch crossing / bridg e on the route from near to Down in the Valley Cottag e to the bridle track between Holmes Lane and Forest Lane
T hey, once ag ain, responded rapidly to my request as the old crossing was, I felt, dang erous.
We found that the new g ates installed on the paths leading from Pumphouse Lane had not been fastened to the posts and consequently had become loose and in dang er of falling over We stabilised these with nylon ties as an urg ent re pair method, later screwing them into the posts, albeit in one case having to improvise with an old seatbelt bracket to make it possible!
T he South team have worked on two stiles, near to Hollowfields Far m, which were nearly impassable. T hey have re paired one and in the other case removed the broken posts to improve the access Apar t from that it has been the usual veg etation clearing Now it’s back to kee ping the veg etation down, Happy wandering.
Tony
Recipe
Curd cake with caramelised apples
In a nod to our Ukrainian friends, here is a recipe from that countr y.
Ing redients
200g unsalted butter
200g apples peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp brown sug ar
200g g olden caster sug ar
3 eg gs se parated
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g ricotta
120g semolina or polenta
Pinch of salt
Method
Melt 25g of butter in a fr ying pan –place the apples in and cook for 2-3 mins on each side until they star t to tur n g olden Sprinkle on the brown sug ar and let them caramelise for a few minutes Transfer to a bowl and let them cool.
Preheat oven to 200c/Fan 180/Gas mark 6
Grease 20cm tin and lay apple slices in the bottom
Cut the rest of the butter into small pieces and whisk in a bowl with 150g of caster sug ar until f luffy
Now add the yolks g radually, whisking well, and add the vanilla
and the cheese
Transfer to another bowl, fold in the semolina/polenta.
Whisk eg g whites until they star t frothing, then add the remaining caster sug ar and kee p whisking until you have soft peaks Fold a big spoon of this into the butter and cheese mixture and mix until it star ts loosening up - you can be quite vig orous! Add the rest of the eg g white and fold g ently
Pour mixture over the apples in the cake tin and bake for 30 mins or until it is a bit wobbly. It will set more fir mly as it cools Leave in the tin to rest and cool before ser ving
T his is taken from Olia Hercules' fantastic book 'Summer Kitchens' . 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
Down the Garden Path Spring
Well, I am confined to bar racks at t h e m o m e n t f o l l ow i n g a p r o s t a t e procedure. No strenuous activity for a few weeks. For tunately, the ear ly March weather has been good, and I have mana ged to do a fair bit of seed sowing and cutting back of dead
g r ow t h , c l e a r i n g u p a n d p r u n i n g
b e f o r e t h e o p e r a t i o n A l l t e n d e r seedlings have been put in the conser vator y that is vir tually frost free or c a n b e ke p t s o w i t h a n e l e c t r i c heater.
I am g oing to take the time to look back at a few successes and failures over the last few seasons and lessons lear nt
When it comes to veg etables one failure that sticks in my mind was celeriac All star ted well raising plants from seed and planted outside in spring. T hey g rew well and one or two looked larg e enough to lift for the table. To my dismay the e n t i r e s wo l l e n s t e m b a s e h a d b e e n consumed by slugs! Not one was edible I’m tr ying it ag ain this year but will be vigilant when it comes to slug control
Another veg gie let down has been leeks Nor mally I have g rown them for winter veg over many years carefully rotating them around the patch to help prevent white rot. Ag ain, g rown from seed and transplanted outside. Reaching maturity, I pulled one and found a mass of brown tunnelling inter nally caused by the lar vae of leek moth I’ve never had this in the g arden before and not sure of any control other than covering plants with i n s e c t p r o o f m e s h t h r o u g h o u t t h e g rowing season Quite a faff I’ll give them a miss this year and tr y ag ain next
I would nor mally have expected Swiss chard to be foolproof but the last couple of seasons beet leaf miner has become an issue. It is a f ly whose lar vae tunnel inside the leaves of beetroot, spinach beet, Swiss chard and other related plants creating larg e ir regular blotch shaped mines T his resulted in a r e d u c e d c r o p o f t h e l e ave s a n d succulent stems Covering with insect
mesh is a recognised control but I prefer to squash the little blighters at first sign Do not remove affected leaves to the compost heap where pupation could occur but bur n or dispose of in your brown g arden waste bin
Moving on to fr uit, I have just two apple trees. A cooker Howg ate Wonder and d e s s e r t D i s c ove r y. T h e H ow g a t e Wonder has produced bumper crops that have stored right up to the present time. T he fr uit needs checking carefully for any damag e before storag e to avoid rotting However, the Discover y crop was a disaster It is a ver y early maturing variety that does not kee p Best picked straight off the tree in August T he pink ting ed f lesh, when ripe is delicious T his late summer before the fr uit was fully r i p e i t s u f f e r e d f r o m b i r d s t r i ke. Mostly starlings were the culprits that descended in family g roups to peck at random fr uits all over the tree. If not s p o t t e d t h e s e wo u n d s we r e s o o n infected by brown rot Brown rot is a f u n g a l d i s e a s e o f a p p l e s, p e a r s, plums, cher ries some other fr uit and o r n a m e n t a l t r e e s, c a u s i n g a b r ow n spreading rot It is caused by the same fungi as blossom end wilt of the f lowers and fr uit spurs Infection can spread between touching fr uit. Affected fr uit either falls or remains hanging on the tree in a mummified state. In damp conditions buff-coloured pustules can be seen on the surface of the fr uit At f lowering time, the same fungi cause blossom wilt where blossoms and leaves on the fr uiting spurs tur n brown and shrivel Severity varies from year to year de pending on weather conditions at f lowering Always worse in damp conditions
To control and minimise car r y-over of the fungi remove and dispose of all the brown rotted fr uit promptly. To dispose of fr uit, you can bur y it 1ft below soil surface or put them in the councils brown, g reen waste bin Do not allow rotted fr uit to remain on the tree Any mummified fr uit needs removing in the same way If practical pr une out and
dispose of infected spurs and blossom
After the doom and gloom lets look at some successes. T he last few years I h ave g r ow n a f e w r ow s o f s p u d s varieties Kestrel and Charlotte both of which are second early varieties and therefore g et g oing a little later than first earlies T his gives me two advantag es T he new g rowth is less likely to g et caught by late frost and they kee p right t h r o u g h u n t i l C h r i
s T h e y b o t h maintain the slightly waxy texture on cooking without boiling into the water. Yields seem g ood too.
With salad crops, lettuce T himble from Fothergills seeds has proved a winner It is a compact cos type like little Gem but stands better and with excellent f lavour I h ave a l r e a d y m a d e t wo s ow i n g s indoors, the first of which are almost ready to transplant into a trough in the g r e e n h o u s e H o p e f u l l y t h e s e c o n d sowing can be planted outdoors. Radish, French Breakfast, sown direct into larg e pots in the g reenhouse along with salad onions, White Lisbon, are ag ain sown in larg e pots in the g reenhouse. I half fill the pots with second hand compost, topping up with fresh Once g er minated, if the weather g ets war m, they can be placed outside It’s so rewarding to stroll down the g arden, cut a lettuce and pull a few radishes and onions for lunch Tog ether with home g rown cucumber, a sweet pe pper and tomatoes what a treat! T here is quite an ar ray of veg etables on offer. I tend to stick to those that I know g row well in my plot and will be a success Beans in g eneral I have found to be rewarding One of the first crops to be star ted off in the g reenhouse are broad beans T he seeds are larg e, and I vitamin B1sow a single seed in a 3-inch pot or larg e module in late Febr uar y or
early March. To be planted out when soil conditions allow Variety T he Sutton is my choice because with a compact habit it needs little suppor t yet still produced a reliable crop For continuity I have made a s e c o n d s ow i n g i n m i d - M a r ch o f variety Bunyard’s Exhibition What a g r e a t n a m e f o r a va r i e t y T h i s w i l l probably need a little suppor t as it g rows taller. Last season I had a bumper crop and manag ed to freeze sur plus for the w i n t e r. B e a n s g e n e r a l l y a r e a g o o d source of vitamin B1, folate and fibre and the roots fix nitrog en from the atmosphere
Runners always do well, as long as, the g round is pre pared well before planting A traditional bean trench is always wor th t h e e f f o r t I h ave g r ow n S c a r l e t Emperor, Enor ma, and more moder n varieties Butler and Ar mstrong, all of which have done well and provided ample tender beans in season and stock for the freezer. Climbing beans also have the advantag e of being space efficient giving room for other crops
I have also done well with courg ettes Variety Defender is a compact and g ood f o r a c o n t a i n e r M i d n i g h t p r o d u c e s darker g reen fr uit For the veg plot I choose a yellow variety, such as Soleil or Ling ador. Attractive on the plate and easier to spot amongst the foliag e, to avoid g rowing a mar row! I often have a sur plus which are given to family and friends and made into courg ette and brie soup for the freezer
Tomatoes sown back in Januar y have been a g reat success Having experience g r ow i n g t h e m o n s e ve r a l nu r s e r i e s commercially in the days g one by has obviously helped. I always seem to star t off too many plants and have supplied family and friends with the sur plus. T he l a s t f e w y e a r s I h ave t r i e d s e ve r a l different varieties and now have settled o n f o u r f avo u r i t e s : C o n s u e l o - b e a r s midsized fr uit and g ood blight resistance Sweet Success-Cher r y sized fr uit Akron-regular size fr uit of outstanding quality and yield Oh Happy Day-is an A m e r i c a n va r i e t y c r o s s e d w i t h a Mar mande type. Fr uit is a little ir regular in shape and size but with excellent f lavour and superb blight resistance, so useful for planting outdoors. Last year I had a tremendous crop with few disease
issues. Much of the success I put down to g ood crop manag ement Such as l i q u i d f e e d i n g o n c e a we e k , g o o d ventilation, trimming and de-leafing and an overhead spray with water on hot days Lots of tomato soup has been m
frozen, plus a lot of satisfaction
Finally, in this edible section, I must include raspber ries. A few years ag o, I c
d suppor ting wires. T his was planted with early variety Prossen, mid-season Glen Ample and autumn fr uiting Autumn Bliss T he bed has been mulched with compost and had wood ash added regularly I have been able to pick fr uit from l
autumn Bliss!
When it comes to or namentals I look to
tr y and have something of interest yearround but inevitable it is the spring f
C
called Blue Spiraea It produces an abundance of f luffy blue f lowers in August and Se ptember. Bees and pollinators love them. I even manag ed to save some seed that sown overwinter has produced a few new plants. It will be interesting to see how they f lower this summer.
Enjoy the outdoors now thar spring has spr ung!
David Lowe
T h a n k
e David - lovely to see the bees out and about a gain!
Remembering Hanbur y’s f allen on the 80th anniver sar y of VE Day
‘Ar thur Hawker (RIP) Royal
E n g i n e e r s , t h o u g h t o f t h i s view whilst in Ital y WW2’
This above wording is a recent entr y in the church visitor’s book; we do not know if this was repor ted in a letter or i f A r t h u r e ve n t u a l l y r e t u r n e d t o admire the view once a gain, but there is a sense of comfor t conjured by the memor y which continues to deliver to so many people to this day.
Inscribed on the Hanbur y church war memorial are the names of four soldiers connected to Hanbur y, who died ser ving in World War Two. T his is in shar p contrast with the thir ty-two listed for the Great War. We know the names almost by hear t as they have been read out loud on Remembrance Sunday, prior to the twominute silence
OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS
C o r p o r a l Fr a n k TAY L O R , S e c o n d
Airbour ne Battalion, Oxford and Bucks
Light infantr y. Died on 24 March 1945 ag ed 31 years in Ger many His family h o m e wa s L o m b a r d s o n D o d d e r h i l l Common, Hanbur y
S
t L e o n a
d P E TFORD died 1 Januar y 1945 ag ed 23 years in Hayley Green Sanatorium and is buried in Hanbur y churchyard He lived at We s
H
n b u r y b e i n g employed by the Hanbur y Hall estate and later Hanbur y Wharf Brick Company.
P r iva t
T
F L E E TWOOD Eighth Battalion Worcestershire Regiment died on 2 April 1940 ag ed 22 years in a recover y hospital in Crewe. H i s f a m i l y c a m
o r
l y f r o m Nottinghamshire and in 1939 were living in 3 Burleigh Cottag es, Hanbur y
Sapper Ar thur Geroge WATSON of the Royal Engineers, died 20 August 1944 a g e d 3 7 y e a r s. H
a p u p i l a t Broughton Green School and a keen footballer! T here is no known g rave.
Local war time histor y enthusiast Geoff S u l l iva n ’ s r e s e a r ch d o c u m e n t s c a n b e found on per manent display in church, so please do g o along to find out more
Here, you will also find some additional infor mation about soldiers who retur ned tog ether with war time memories g athered over the last twenty years We war mly invite ever yone to add to this archive, whether reg arding Hanbur y residents or t h e r e
s c u r r e n t l y i n residence Let us know what your parents d i d t o s u p p o r t t h e wa r e f f o r t Photocopies of photog raphs and related items will also be welcomed for what will become a per manent display.
HALIFAX BOMBER CRASH
Visitors to church will also find the framed illustration of a Halifax Bomber t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e n a m e s o f s e ve n Canadian crew and one passeng er who died on 11 Febr uar y 1944 when an engine failed over Stoke Works and Hanbur y during a training exercise T he aircraft c i r c l e d a t l ow a l t i t u d e, r e n d e r i n g t h e use of parachutes pointless and a few
villag ers today can remember the spectacle of f locking to the bur ning wreckag e in a field between Forest Lane and the recreation g round
WARTIME CATASTROPHE AT THE OTHER HANBURY
y sign but not our sign
The Fauld explosion Hanbur y
Because another villag e shares our name, r a
s come through to Hanbur y church T his is how I know that in commemoration of VE80, the residents of Ashbour ne in Derbyshire will be exploring an extreme WW2 event which happened in Hanbur y,
The Hanbur y Chur ch Memorial
Hanbur
Bur ton on Trent, a villag e which I visited in May 2023
Beneath the ver y beautiful rolling landscape are disused Gypsum mines which during WW2 were utilised for storag e o f mu n i t i o n s. N ove m b e r t h e t we n t y seventh, saw a monumental underg round explosion of these bombs which resulted in people, animals and buildings on the far m above the store, literally being blown to bits without trace. T he landlord at the pub tells how sur viving cattle from the perimeter of the explosion were herded into a bar n for safe recover y, but were found to have died of shock by the following mor ning
HOW TO BE INVOLVED
BETWEEN NOW and 9 NOVEMBER (in time for Remembrance Sunday), record anecdotes and memories on the clip board at the church war memorial. Also leave any photocopies of photog raphs or related items Also, craft a ‘lightweight’ poppy to be attached to the branches around the memorial, light in weight and around 6 cm diameter. Open Daily from 9 am until at least 4 pm
SHORTLY BEFORE 8 MAY, make Laurie a happy man by decorating your ow n ‘ p a t ch ’ w i t h f l a g s a n d b u n t i n g Lauire will be f lying the villag e hall f lag as u s u a l a n d a d o r n i n g t h e b u i l d i n g a n d memorial g ardens for which we thank him.
THURSDAY 8 MAY at 10 45 for 11 00 AM attend the Stoke Works and Hanbur y RBL wreath laying ceremony and twominute silence at the villag e war memorial. A brief ceremony but a chance to catch up with locals
FRIDAY 15 AUGUST VJ DAY spare a thought for people who were caught up in the war in Japan and finally released from concentration camps to be free to retur n home.
SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER, REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY, come along to church to honour our dead and see the big reveal of ‘T he Poppy Project’ and contributions to the archive
Judith
Hanbur y walks but not our walks
Stoke Wor ks and Hanbur y Royal British Legion
Sadly, we lost our Chair man David H o s f o r d r
e n t l y, h e
e r ve d a s Chair man of our branch for around 10 year s having previously ser ved on the committee of the Wychbold branch David was a big man in all ways and a proud ex Royal Marine who many of you wo
Re
immaculately tur ned out in his Green Beret and ser vice Medals We held an event to remember David at Wychbold Spor ts and Social Club on Sunday the 13th of April, followed by refreshments including Sippers; David’s ter m for a beer or a dram)
We also attended the Easter Vintag e G
Social Club on Saturday 19th April. Other events happening soon: T he Commemoration of 80th anniversar y of VE day T hursday 8th of May 1045 at Hanbur y War Memorial then 11:45 at the Stoke Prior War Memorial in the church-
yard. C o m m em o ra ti o n o f th e 80th anniversar y of the end of WW2 VJ day Friday 15th of August will take place with the same timings We will be at Hanbur y Countr yside Show on Saturday 5th of July, please come and say hello and have a g o at our fundraising competition
As always, I have to appeal for people to g et involved and kee p the branch functioning - Legion membership is open to all and cur rently costs £20 per year Whether hands on or just kee ping branch membership at a viable level
YOU DONT NEED TO BE EX SERVICE YOU JUST NEED TO CARE!
Branch Contact Alan Pugh 07590 582752 or 208167@gmail.com
Gar y Gar tland
See the colour photo of the standard bearer s in honour of David in centre.
REV RICH'S PASTORAL PONDERINGS
Go, and Sin No Mor e…’
I ’ m n o t by n a t u r e a ‘ C o n s p i r a c y T h eo ri s t’ ; I ’ m j u s t p retty s u re th a t humankind is g ood at seeing one or two points of view, but possibly not much more than that T he problem arises then when, with a limited view, things are reg arded as ‘T he Tr uth’ or, in other ter ms, as ‘Gospel ’ T his also brings forward the idea of what’s called ‘absolutism’ when reading the Gospels; some par ts of our churches across the Anglican Communion reg ard the Bible as the iner rant word of God, either directly written by God or divinely inspired by God; whichever way it happens, some churches maintain that whatever it says in the Bible it really means, and your faith is either full or f lak y de pending whether you g o along with that or not
So far, so heavy!
I ’ ve b e e n r e a d i n g a b o o k r e c e n t l y entitled ‘To Cast the First Stone.’ In it, the theologians Jennifer Knust and Tommy Water man trace the histor y of
th e sto r y i n Jo h n 8: 1-11
Ta ke a moment now and g o and g et your Bible and have a quick read
I’d almost guarantee that when you read the stor y in your copy, of ‘T he Woman Taken in Adulter y ’ , it will have been printed ether in italics or it will have had (a bracket around it) T his means that the stor y is, in the words of theologians, ‘contested.’
If you look in a ver y early papyr us copy manuscript of John’s Gospel – the one known as P66, you know the one? – you’ll find that this stor y isn’t there And if you look at other ver y early bibles, like the Codex Synaticus, or the Codex Vaticanus, its not in those either. In fact, in any pre-5th centur y manuscript of John’s Gospel, our stor y doesn’t appear, in italics or in a bracket, or in any way at all T he earliest manuscript that has sur vived that contains this s t o r y i s t h e C o d e x B e z i , n ow i n Cambridg e, from the late 5th centur y. And in a Bible from South Italy from the 8th centur y, its tacked onto Luke’s Gospel, and not into John’s Gospel at all
So, what’s g oing on in our Bible? Does God need a decent proof-reader?
Its always seemed to me that this stor y, with the line ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone,’ as its moral centre, is absolutely typical of Jesus Yet such was the drive to authenticity, and the wish to g et back to the original manuscript – to g et as close to what its assumed that John actually wrote down, in other words, - then a judgment was at some point made that this stor y wasn’t divinely inspired, that it couldn’t be the Word of God And yet, as I say, in its mercy, its lack of judgment, its kindness and its ability to see another point of view, it feels like exactly what Jesus wo u l d d o. S o … w hy l e ave i t o u t ? Answers on a postcard to the Parish Office, please But this all just highlights why I’m uneasy about biblical iner rancy
And think back to your reading of the stor y, just now…what do you think Jesus wrote on the g round?
Questions, eh?
God bless
Richard
Da vid J Hosford RM
HANBURY FIRST
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
As par t of its commitment to providing the best possible lear ning environment for local children, an exciting new building project has begun at Hanbur y C E First School T he constr uction of new classrooms along with additional meeting and storag e space is well under way.
H e a d t e a ch e r, A a r o n M c D o n a g h i s
d e l i g h t e d t h a t t h e d e ve l o p m e n t i s prog ressing well:
“We are confident that the improvements will provide a moder n and inspiring lear ning environment for children from Hanbur y and the wider c o m mu n i t y t o f l o u r i s h , ” h e s a i d
“We’re looking forward to its completion in Se ptember, when we can add the final touches two busy classes of happy children!
“ E ve r y e f f o r t h a s b e e n m a d e
t o m i n i m i s e i m p a c t o n t h e d a i l y operations of the school, but it will be exciting for us all to watch how this new chapter in our school unfolds!”
SCIENCE WEEK CELEBRATIONS
Hanbur y C of E First school joined in the British Science Week celebrations, w h i ch s aw e g g s d r o p p e d , ke r n e l s popped, insects stick and bubbles f loat!
T he annual celebration of science, engineering, technolog y and maths is o r g a n i s e d by T h e B r i t i s h S c i e n c e
A s s o c i a t i o n a n d h a s b e c o m e a
f avo u r i t e, r e g u l a r e ve n t o n t h e Hanbur y School calendar.
Miss Bishop kicked proceedings off… taking our assembly outside and adding even more fizz to her bottle of pop!
Each class ended the week with a workshop from Atomic Alan T his demonstrations helped ever yone lear n more about the air around us and the science behind it.
It has been wonderful seeing the excitement and amazement throughout the school this week,” said Science Lead, Vick y Bishop “T he theme of chang e and adapt is an impor tant one as we lear n more about our environment and how we can live more sustainably
“Weeks like this always seem to reinforce the messag e that science is all around us - we’re thrilled to have provided experiences that the children will remember for a long time to come!”
KNOW YOURSELF, GROW YOURSELF
Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 focused on how g etting to know yourself helps to develop resilience, to g row and to develop
Daily activities including wellbeing wa l k s, yo g a s e s s i o n s a n d g r ow t h mindset exercises helped children at H a n b u r y S ch o o l u n d e r s t a n d h ow mental health is as impor tant as physical health
Year 2 helped create a space that will benefit theirs and countless others’ mental health, planting saplings and contributing to creating a woodland for the future
CHURCH-SCHOOL LINKS
Rev Rich visited Hanbur y School to retell the stor y of Jose ph. He shared the colours of the liturgical year to create his own coat of many colours, ending with a special prayer to breathe away unhelpful feelings like jealously and take in those that help us f lourish. T he Bible Stor ytellers called in to school to tell the stor y of Ruth who sacrificed so much for others and in retur n g ot help from those she met T h e ch i l d r e n t h o u g h t a b o u t h ow sometimes they need to make difficult decisions but have people to help along our way.
OUT AND ABOUT IN OUR LOCAL AREA…
mping for Joy at Gymnastics! mnasts from Years 1, 2 and 3 had a nderful time at a g ymnastics festiorg anised by All Active Academy d Bromsg rove Gymnastics Club in arch
Young leaders from Alvechurch ddle School g ave ever yone a ter rific oppor tunity to tr y lots of different activities, including bars, the beam and trampolines T hey were given top tips to improve their g ymnastics skills too!
Down on the Far m
A trip to visit Heidi at Buncroft Far m helped bring Rece ption Class' topic "Little Red Hen" to life last week! After feeding some of the animals, the children g ot to make their own butter and g round wheat from the far m ' s fields into f lour!
Dancefest Fun for K ey Sta ge 1
Children from Years 1 and 2 took to the stag e in March as they joined o t h e r s ch o o l s f r o m a r o u n d t h e B r o m s
Ar trix venue!
T he two classes had worked hard on during their weekly dance sessions this ter m, thanks to specialist dance teacher, Cassie from DanceFest
Year 1 perfor med a dance piece e n t i
, inspired by their histor y and g eog raphy focus from this ter m exploring the Polar regions Cassie worked with t h e ch i l d
h t h e dance, with the class adding finishing touches ready for the perfor mance.
Year 2’s dance was a re-telling of the Great Fire of London It told the stor y of 17th Centur y London and how the fire star ted T he children were builders, bakers, clothes maker and shoes shiners before tur ning into the destr uctive f lames that destroyed larg e par ts of London. T hey finished the stor y by extinguishing the final few f lames using water from the River T hames
Children have also been venturing fur ther afield… Year 4 had a bostin’ time at the Black Countr y Museum, Ye a r 1 e n j oy e d a f l y i n g v i s i t t o Slimbridg e Wetland Centre and the Young Voices Choir sang their way to the NEC to join schools from around the countr y in this year’s big g est (and loudest!) sing song!
S e e s o m e c o l o u r p i c s o f t h e i r activities in the centre pa ges!
Springtime in Hanbury
Let
begin
David’s daff
David’s hyacinth
playtime
at Hanbury Hall
Cantores Beati Choir raising funds for The Organ Restoration Hanbury School Children Singing at Young Voices
School trip to the Black Country Museum
Standard bearers and bugler in honour of David Hosford
All in a spin! - science week at Hanbury School
HANBURY COUNTRY SIDE SHOW 2025
The annual Hanbur y Countr yside
S h ow o n S A T U R DAY 5 t h Ju l y 2 0 2 5 , i s a m u c h - l ove d , o n e - d a y showcase of f ar ming, f ood and r ural life, celebrating the ver y best o f Wo r c e s t e r s h i r e a n d t h e s u rrounding countr yside.
With more than 700 exhibitors, 200 trade stands and around 300 competitions, activities and displays, it's a tr uly delightful summer outing for the
entire family! What's more - it's a dogfriendly show, and children under 12 come in for FREE! Visitors can enjoy livestock, horses, Main Arena Show Jum p i n g, G ra n d Pa ra d e o f C a ttl e, S h e e p & P i g s, 1 8 L o n d o n Inter national Horse Show qualifying competitions, Dog Show & Gun Dog d i s p l ay s, a H o r t i c u l t u r a l & H o m e Crafts Marquee, a Bandstand with live music, a Bar, Heavy Horses, historic
vehicles and classic cars, crafts, f lowers, local food and drink, a Talks T heatre with special guests, including D
G
s, countr y spor ts and pursuits, far rier y and shoe-making, action-packed arena d i s p l ay s
g oppor tunities T here really is something for ever yone!
NEW for 2025 - extended Shee p S h ea ri n g C o m p eti ti o n , street fo o d , and a Best of British Far ming display. Open from 9am to 6pm. FREE parking Memberships available Advance booking ticket discounts
Family day out in the countr yside Animals, arenas, food, f lowers, music, talks, shopping & more! Under 12s FREE.
Jinney Ring News & Views
Spring has spr ung and there has b e e n a wo n d e r f u l i n j e c t i o n o f exuberance at the Centre over the past couple of weeks We are now back to being open 7 days a week and the sunshine’s continued presence has saw our gardens swing back into action with plenty of hustle and bustle. We are looking forward to the brighter and war mer months ahead.
S a d l y t h o u g h , t h e c o u n t y h a s m ove d i n t o f u l l ‘ l o ck d ow n ’ f o r domesticated birds to avoid avian f lu, so our ducks are being restricted to cag ed/netted areas which is distressing for both them and us, we hope it will end soon
Febr uar y brought us Valentine’s D ay, w h e r e we r a n a Va l e n t i n e ’ s Weekend over Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a special After noon Tea a n d Va l e n t i n e ’ s B r e a k f a s t . O u r Antiques chap Geoff Whitefield held two jeweller y valuation days - these have steadily become a monthly staple here and are proving to be popular So, if you have any antique jeweller y
that you’re looking at selling or would simply like to discover the value, kee p a n e y e o u t o n o u r we b s i t e f o r upcoming dates In March, we were also the venue for Bromsg rove & Re d d i t ch S o r o p t i m i s t s ’ B r i l l i a n t Breakfast raising funds for women ’ s charities.
Before we knew it, late March was u
We e ke
We
After noon Tea on Saturday the 29th and Mother’s Day Lunches on the 30th. Not only were both events completely sold out, but our walk-ins were relentless too – many Mothers were treated that weekend! It’s safe to say that our kitchen and restaurant staff had the soles of their shoes wearing thin by the end of the weekend! T hank you to all of those who came along, it was a lovely weekend.
We have some Public After noon Teas coming up this month (including one for Easter Sunday) and another in May T hese dates can be found below but kee p an eye on our website for any new additions or to book in.
News from the Craft Units & Ar tists:
T here’s a fair bit to tell in the world of our craftspeople and ar tists First of all, Vivienne Rose who has been in our g aller y for years, now has her own unit! Her upcycled soft fur nishings spot can be found right next to our Gift Shop and is full of lovely bits –be sure to pop in the next time you visit We also have two new additions to our g aller y: Pattindales and K ate Francis Pattindales makes pressed and framed f lowers and K ate Francis is a m i l l i n e r, m a k i n g b e s p o ke h a t s t o match your outfit – both are ver y talented and have ver y nice pieces on display
A n d r e w C l a ch e r, o u r r e s i d e n t ar tist, is r unning a variety of por trait workshops and life drawing classes. T here are also other workshops being r un by other individuals here over the next few months Please see our website for more details
Upcoming Date:
Traditional After noon Tea: Sunday 18th May
HANBURY HALL
We’ re looking forward to another summer at Hanbur y Hall with lots of exciting pr ojects and events coming soon!
T his June we will be celebrating the life and works of Sir James T hor nhill
o n t h e 3 5 0 t h a n n ive r s a r y o f h i s bir th in a new exhibition, ‘Happy Bir thday Mr Thor nhill’. Come and wish Mr T hor nhill a happy bir thday as you lear n more about his spectacular wall and ceiling paintings - the ar t t h a t s ave d H a n b u r y H a l l f o r t h e nation Lear n about the man and how he produced these beautiful works, and the fascinating stories behind them. T here will be displays and new
inter pretation, as well as highlight talks on the paintings. T he exhibition opens to visitors on Saturday 7 June
O
g ramme is back ag ain this year with local yog a teacher Emma Blunston of Be You Be Yoga. Join Emma in the historic Orang er y on select Mondays and Thur sdays at 10am in June
Ju
g practice, or in an evening Yog a Nidra
c
B
essential.
Our big summer event, Summer of Play, will also retur n to Hanbur y Hall this year from Saturday 19 JulySunday 31 August. T he g ardens will be full of exciting g ames and activities for children of all ag es, including summer fete style g ames inspired by v
by
dancing, face painting and bracelet making.
Jo i n u s f
s c o e ve n i n g shows perfor med by award-winning Illyria T heatre ag ainst the backdrop of the beautiful g ardens. Illyria will present Pride & Prejudice on Saturday 2 August, The Wind in the Willows
Pinafore on Saturday 23 August, and The Mer r y Wives of Windsor on Saturday 30 August Tickets are
/ hanbur y-hall/events
See colour picture in our centre pa ges!
HERALD SPRING QUIZ
1. How many Easter eggs are sold each year in the UK?
2 W hat wild spring f lower can be known as pilewor t?
3. W hat might come in like a lion but go out like a lamb?
4. We’ ll soon star t to see bumblebees coming out of their nests. On avera ge how large are bumblebee colonies?
a. 400 b. 20000 c. 1,000
5. W hat are three major religious holidays during April?
6. Frogs will be coming back to our ponds soon. But how many frog species are there in the wor ld?
7. Per sephone was goddess of spring - but what else?
8. W hen was the daylight savings scheme fir st introduced?
9. W hat does it mean if the ash comes fir st?
10 Tr ue or False: it’s more likely to snow in Britain in March than in December
11. How long are sheep pregnant for?
12 W hat do crocuses g row from?
a rhizome b tuber s c bulbs
d. cor ms
13. W hat’s the avera ge rainfall in April in the UK?
14. W ho wrote the music for the Rite of Spring?
a Stravinsk y b Prokoviev
c Rachmaninof f d Tchaikovsk y
15. How many eggs does one chicken lay a day?
16. W hen rabbits jump, twist and kick in mid-air, is it called
a. a twizzle b. a bink y c. a loopy d a fandango
17. W ho wrote the song ‘Easter Parade’ in 1933?
18. How many marzipan balls are on a traditional Simnel cake?
19. W hat is the fir st day of spring in the Nor ther n Hemisphere this year?
20. In the Old English super stition what will happen to eggs and milk if you bring a snowdrop inside?
See answer s on pa ge 19
Thor nhill wall paintings at Hanbur y
A summer of play beckons at the Hall!
AVONCROFT MUSEUM OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Fr om our chief local histor y cor r espondent Andr ew Har ris
As I was per sonally involved in the for mation of this impor tant local museum, I thought it would be interesting to describe its for mation sixty year s a go. W hen I came down from univer sity in 1965 the f i r s t s t e p s h a d b e e n t a ke n t o save one of Bromsg rove’s oldest
s u r v iv i n g b u i l d i n g s , a t i m b e r framed hall and cross wing house
s i t u a t e d o n t h e e a s t s i d e o f Worcester Road at its junction with Station Street. The building was in a ver y poor state and per mission had been sought to demolish it, and, despite opposition, this was g ranted in 1962. This building, now known as the Merchant’s House from Bromsg rove, was dated by a coin found in the framework to the second half of the fifteenth centur y.
Leading the preser vation campaign was architect F W B Charles, better known as Freddie Charles, who had an architectural practise with his wife M a r y i n B r o m s g r ove a n d l a t e r i n Worcester Freddie had developed a long-ter m interest in timber framed buildings, in which Worcestershire, of course, is rich, and had worked on the r e s t o r a t i o n o f m a n y o f t h e m
T he early 1960s was a time when many historic buildings in towns and cities were being re placed by new developments, and Freddie felt strongly that more should be done to save them. In connection with this he g ave a series of talks on timber framed b u i l d i n g s i n 1 9 6 2 a t Avo n c r o f t Colleg e, and in June 1963 a shor t r e s i d e n t i a l c o u r s e wa s h e l d t h e r e. Freddie must have conceived the idea of re-erecting old buildings that could be saved some time before, as at t h e 1 9 6 3 c o n f e r e n c e h e a n d t h e par ticipants decided to re-erect the Bromsg rove House as par t of a ‘folk villag e ’ , modelled on similar villag es already existing in some European countries, and he and the par ticipants for med ‘T he Avoncroft Folk Villag e Association’
C o u n t y C
Cadbur y, the son of Georg e Cadbur y jun., who lived locally and was wellknown for establishing nature reser ves
Fircroft Tr ust, a charitable tr ust established by the Cadbur ys which owned Avoncroft Colleg e which at that time
a
courses by its warden, Alfred Greg g Freddie Charles and Christopher C
f
t wa
thought might be able to help in a number of ways. Leslie Har ris became the first chair man of the association, Alfred Greg g was secretar y, and I was an early member of the committee, l
secretar y when he retired. At the last moment the demolition contractors
for the Bromsg rove House had been re placed by contractors who were able to disassemble the timbers, and they were taken for storag e at Avoncroft. Although other possible sites for the villag e were explored, it was decided that Avoncroft would be best, and the next thing was to find a car penter able to re pair the timbers and rebuild the house O n e l a d y w h
wa s a c t ive a t Avoncroft and the Avoncroft Ar ts Society was Miss Gweneth Foster. She had a connection with a car penter, G u n o l t (
)
G r e i n e r, o r i g i n a l l y f r o m G e r m a n y, whom she thought might like to take
House Gunolt, whose politics were ‘prog ressive’, had been a refug ee from Nazi Ger many and went to live in a community called the Br uderhof in Liechtenstein where he met his wife Daphne. She was of English origin and in 1937 they travelled to England w h
mother in Suffolk, Gunolt ear ning a l
inter ned for a period during the war he later moved to Scotland working as a stockman before moving down to Bromsg rove in 1946, which was due to h
Always wishing to be inde pendent, he then had a variety of jobs mainly to do with re pairing old buildings, and in 1965 Miss Foster sug g ested that he might be a suitable person to work on the re pairs to the Bromsg rove House
S o h e c a m e t h e r e, s o m e f i n a n c i a l promises were made, and Leslie Har ris provided some of the oak timber for re pairs and loaned one of his workers from the br ushworks to help
So in 1965 work on the timbers g ot under way, and in 1966 it was decided t o r e n a m e t h e a s s o c i a t i o n T h e Avoncroft Museum of Buildings Ltd,
a l i m i t e d c o m p a n y w i t h ch a r i t a b l e status It was decided to move away from the idea of building a folksy villag e and to make it a museum of i n d iv i d u a l l y e r e c t e d b u i l d i n g s t h a t could not be saved on their original sites Freddie Charles’ original plans f o r t h e mu s e u m s h ow t h a t h e envisag ed it housing mainly timber framed buildings, but it fairly soon became clear that it would house an eclectic collection of buildings from all periods and of different types of constr uction
T h e B r o m s g r ove H o u s e wa s finished in 1967, and was officially opened in June by Sir Gordon Russell, the well-known fur niture designer and design supremo A medieval banquet, with guests dressed appropriately, was ser ved T he house was then opened to t h e p u b l i c, a n d I r e m e m b e r l a t e r sitting inside welcoming visitors, who paid 1s 6d (7½ pence).
Other possible projects soon came u p, a n d t h e mu s e u m c o m m i t t e e d e c i d e d t h a t i t wa s n e c e s s a r y t o appoint a full time director to advance and coordinate the museum ’ s development Accordingly Michael T homas, who lived in London and had worked for the Bank of England and had been i nvo l ve d i n c o n s e r va t i o n p r o j e c t s there, was appointed in early 1968 He came to live in Worcester with his late wife Jane and two young children, and his initial salar y was guaranteed but it wa s e m p h a s i s e d t h a t f u n d r a i s i n g would be an impor tant par t of his work.
Gunolt Greiner saw the re pair of the Bromsg rove House through to its c o m p l e t i o n , a n d a f t e r wa r d s t h e museum came to an ar rang ement with
Sarehole Mill, a restoration project in Bir mingham, to allow Gunolt to work there for a period on a fee paying basis Gunolt later did work at the new We a l d a n d D ow n l a n d M u s e u m i n S u s s e x a n d t h e D
e y G r e e n windmill at Avoncroft, but thereafter went his own way
T his is not the place to describe other early projects in detail. T hese included a nail shop from Bromsg rove a n d a ch a i n m a k i n g f a c t o r y f r o m Cradley Heath, and two ag ricultural buildings – a g ranar y from Temple Broughton in Hanbur y and a thatched t i m b e r f r a m
d c
ck b a r n f r o m Cholstrey near Leominster Both projects were manag ed by my brother Richard Har ris, who had trained for a time with Freddie Charles At the same time windmill enthusiast Michael Field took charg e of the reconstr uction of a w i n d m i l l f r o m D a n z e y G r e e n i n Warwickshire T he museum ’ s big g est early project was the re pair of the four teenth centur y Guesten Hall roof, originally from Worcester Prior y but t h e n o n H o l y Tr i n i t y C h u r ch i n Worcester It took some time to raise sufficient funds to build the intended Guesten Hall designed by architect M a l c o l m B o o t h o f A s s o c i a t e d
Architects, so the roof tr usses were first re paired and re-erected at g round level, but today the finished building
can be seen near the entrance, and is in frequent use for functions
Another impor tant early development was the creation of a new car park and picnic site. T he original entr y to the museum was through a g ate by the Bromsg rove House, but there was no proper car park, so the Fircroft Tr ustees ag reed to lease an area of l a n d b e t we e n t h e mu s e u m a n d Buntsford Hill Lane that could be made into an entr y with a car park on one side and picnic sites on the other T his proved ver y successful, and a new pre-fabricated building was provided by Leslie Har ris to ser ve as the entr y point and small shop
Michael T homas stayed as director until he retired in 1997, and today the d i r e c t o r i s Z o e W i l l e n s, w h o h a s steered the museum through the difficult period of the pandemic, and who has been ver y active in raising funds to c o n t i nu e t h e mu s e u m ’ s s u c c e s s f u l development
To find out what events are due at Avoncroft please visit https://avon croft.org.uk/whats-on
And remember, KIDS GO FREE during the school holidays!!
M E E T I N G D A T E S : Everyone is very welcome All at 7 30pm The meetings of the Parish Council will be held in the Pavilion The next meetings are as follows; 28th April 2025, 9th May and 30th June 2025.
Please note that all agendas, minutes and financial information is available on the Parish Council website hanburyparishcouncil.gov.uk
Activity over the past 3 months
l 5 planning applications of varying sizes have been examined and commented upon
l The Parish Council has opened the play area although some small areas of grass will be fenced off until the grass grows back successfully. The completion of the project which will include a new path, adult exercise equipment and new surfacing of the extension to the car park will be starting shortly
l The entrance to the Recreation Ground from the car park is to be renewed with the provision of a new hedge and the clearing out of the self-seeded trees and shrubs. This will create a more inviting entrance to the Recreation Ground, which will be more in keeping with the new playground
l The Parish Council is to purchase some new chairs for the pavilion.
l Parishioners and the Police attended a meeting to discuss the issue of poaching and lamping in the area, which is becoming an increasing concern
Your Councillors Contact Numbers:
Chairman of the Parish Council
Mark Bishop 01527 821636
Angie Burnett 07788 721707 Neil Cook 01527 821481
l A new contract between the Village Hall and the Parish Council is being drawn up to last for the forthcoming 25 years.
Parish maintenance
Our local parish LengthsmanChris Cooke does a fabulous job around the parish, keeping an eye on overgrown shrubbery and reporting fly-tipping daily. Please note that if you have trees or hedges on your property, 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.
Few 07976 693430
Terry 01527 821320
Raxter 01527 821425
Sproule 07973 445048
In the Spotlight Saving Lives Through Football
In 2011 a g roup of us were invited by Rev Isaac Mgego, Director of Berega Hospital in Tanzania, to visit. He wanted us to see the challenges of delivering medical care with ver y limited resources at Berega Hospital and at a r ural health centre in the remote villa ge of Tunguli. So, in 2012 we made the fir st of many self-funded visits.
We could never have anticipated the impact that this first trip would have on us all and the various healthcare projects that followed. But one project in par ticular sur prised us all - and might sur prise you, too! In 2024, when we retur ned for another of our monitoring visits we found ourselves hosting the final of a massive football tour nament watched by around 2000 people.
‘What has a football tour nament g ot to do with suppor ting healthcare in Tanzania?’ I hear you ask It was sug g ested by our par tner, ‘SAWA’ (Sanitation and Water Action), a Tanzanian NGO whose fantastic team worked with us on installing 11 rope pump wells in Tunguli villag e Tunguli is remote and there is no infrastr ucture, safe water is scarce, and help with disease prevention minimal. SAWA know from experience that football can be a vehicle for spreading messag es on disease prevention to young people and motivating them to act Although we were, I must admit, somewhat sce ptical ourselves. ‘We’ve done it elsewhere and it really works,’ they told us. T hey were so right!
And so it is that on a war m afternoon in October 2024, we sit on a platfor m on the edg e of ‘the pitch’for ‘pitch’ think rough, sloping field rather than Old Trafford! A vehicle drives slowly towards us bringing an official from the District office, the guest of honour, to join our g roup
Teams of finalists are war ming up around us, some in pink kit as, for the first time, women ‘ s teams are competing. In order to qualify, ever y team has to meet SAWA’s string ent requirements, either by improving hygiene at home or by helping with cleaning the villag e rope-pump wells, kee ping them animal-free. T he SAWA team visits players’ homes and the wells to check for compliance with the r ules, as any team who has not fulfilled its commitments is eliminated Teams are enthusiastic to take par t, so the drop-out rate is ver y low.
Playing football for a good cause
T he tour nament kicks off and the crowd of spectators g rows. Breaks in play are punctuated with loud speaker messag es about disease prevention strategies and the spectators are hearing these messag es through the universally loved languag e of a football match. As people travel from sur rounding villag es and hamlets, the number of spectators swells to about 2,000 It is not, of course, just about the messag es T here are trophies and prizes, and teams have trained hard to become the champions, so the atmosphere is electric Such is the balance of skill that three out of four matches g o to penaltiesthe crowd g oes wild! Prizes are distributed, teams celebrate and par tying is heard long into the night. How right SAWA are, and what power they har ness through this fantastic tour nament
Healthcare has been at the hear t of our work since 2012, and this event is just one par t of a much big g er picture You can read more about this and our other projects on our website www.missionmorogoro. org.uk
T hank you to ever yone for your suppor t of Mission Morog oro If you are able to make a donation, however small, it will be much appreciated and can be done through our website. Our work g oes on!
Tricia Mor timer Tr ustee Mission Morog oro www.missionmorogoro.org.uk
ANSWERS
1. 80 million
2. (Lesser)
Celandine
3. March
4. a. 400
5 Passover, Easter Sunday, Vaiasakli
6. 8,891
7. Queen of the underwor ld (vegetarian also acceptable)
8. 1916
9. “In for a soak” i.e. it will be a wet summer
10 Tr ue
11. 5 months
12 d. Cor ms
13 3 71mm
14. a. Stravinsk y 15. One
16. B. a Bink y 17. Ir ving Ber lin
18 11
19. 20 March
20. Curdles milk
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