Haslemere Parish - Link Magazine - February/March 2021

Haslemere LINK THE PARISH MAGAZINE OF ST BARTHOLOMEW’S AND ST CHRISTOPHER’S

“My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”

Luke Ch 2, vs 30:32

February / March 2021 Suggested donation for a printed copy: £2 1

Parish Contacts Rector Rev Chris Bessant 658107 rector@haslemereparish.org Curate Rev Justin Manley-Cooper revjustin@haslemereparish.org

Assistant Youth Minister Vacancy Children & Families Worker Victoria Martin families@haslemereparish.org First Steps Mondays in St Christopher’s 0-5 Year Olds Sophie Bessant & Victoria Martin (email as above) LLM (Reader) Peter Sellars

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Church Warden Robert Fox 652055 Geoff Martin 641907 Deputy Wardens Howard Body 658762 Nick Beare 609630 PCC Secretary Cathy Moore 07593 814438 Treasurer Andrew Culshaw 658962 Stewardship Secretary Geoff Martin 641907 Outward Giving Dorothea Nattrass 653216 Director of Music & Organist Clive Osgood 07747 785 940 cliveosgood@hotmail.com

Parish Office The Link, Derby Road Haslemere GU27 1BS Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 9am-3pm office@haslemereparish.org www.haslemereparish.org 01428 644578

Pastoral Visitors Dorothea Nattrass 653216 Peter Sellars 641032 Pastoral Assistant Ruth Pattenden 653033 Ros Webb 648916 Bereavement Visitors Linda Donaldson 644473 Frances Gaiter 648843

Parish Administrator Bryony Atkinson

Homegroups: Vacant

Verger St Bartholomew’s Carol Skeates 642662 Link Bookings Carol Skeates 642662 skeatMalco@aol.com

Safeguarding Officer Cathy Moore 07593 814438 Mothers' Union Treasurer Sue Davis 661115 BRF Representative Sarah Mulliner 643504

Magazine Secretary Ann Lear 651570 office@haslemereparish.org Advertisements Manager: Geoff Martin 641907 Electoral Roll Officer Lynn Lemar 651435 Bell-ringers Paul Bagshaw 656129 Friends of the Parish Bernard Coe 651146 Flowers St Bartholomew’s Sarah Mulliner 643504 St Christopher’s Frances Reincke 607206 Church Care Group Roscelin Rees 651561 Churchyards Philip Hunt 644120 2

Facilities for the disabled Both churches and The Link at St Bartholomew’s have ramped access and space for wheelchairs. Toilets suitable for use by the disabled are available in The Link and at St Christopher’s.

Facilities for the hard of hearing Both churches and The Link have sound amplification and hearing loops.

Facilities for the visually impaired Both churches have good interior lighting and large print weekly notice sheets and service sheets.

Dear Friends As you pick up this Link parish magazine, the first of 2021, you hold in your hand a view into our community. There is much to be found in these pages for which I am grateful to all who contribute. I look forward to reading the new edition.

Despite everything, I wish you joy and peace wherever you may be. Although disrupted from normal for most of this last year, nevertheless we go from strength to strength in the love of Jesus Christ.

In no part of my ministry over the last 25 years have I ever believed that all I was doing was to try and maintain a diminishing church. Parish churches can grow and progress. I worked towards that in my previous parish and I do so here in Haslemere. Now, I write here at the risk of sounding all a bit puffed-up!

Humility has taught me that where God’s work prospers, it is always through faith and not organisations. Certainly we need to be well managed, of course, yet this is only to provide a framework for God's people to flourish.

I wrote in a publication a number of years ago that ‘the extent to which a church reflects its community is the extent to which it is successful.’ I admit that sounds like a lot of management speak, but within it is an important truth. We are a community of all ages as we are diverse in many ways. I don't think I've ever seen a parish which successfully accomplishes this ideal, at least, not in the modern era. How can any church reasonably expect to grow if it maintains a narrow focus on worship, ministry and its relationship with the local community? I'll answer that question for myself - quite simply, it won’t.

Despite the lockdowns and restrictions since I arrived in the parish, I've worked with many to establish and emphasise some important areas of ministry. I place a very high premium on the need for good pastoral ministry. Pastoral ministry, otherwise known as sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ, is at the centre of our calling, alongside worship and prayer. It is especially important in our 3

ministry towards the elderly and the infirm. We are blessed with a big and wonderful team, yet I shall not rest upon our laurels. There is much opportunity to grow and deepen in service to Christ in so many ways. I surely intend to encourage many more into such service.

In early December, a new team was established in the church. This is the Youth Support Team. The work of this group is to seek and support a new Youth Development Worker for the parish. As you read this somewhere in late January, the advertisement for the role ought to have been public for a few weeks. You will be able to find details on the parish website. Youth work is a very important part of the total diversity of our ministry, and how we reflect the spectrum of our community.

I have no idea who God might send! Do please join me in prayer over this most important work in God's Kingdom. I hope to be able to tell you more as we move towards springtime.

This time last year Victoria joined us as our Children and Families Worker. I'm sure you will agree that we see the hand of God in all she does. Our longerterm vision as a church is that we will have a fully joined-up ministry from newborns through to adulthood. Was that not always the work of the church?

Indeed so, and it shall be again!

Together we grow in faith as we serve God. There is no closer walk with God than to trust that He will fill you with his Holy Spirit and his gifts of grace as you open yourself to new possibilities in your own Christian lives of service.

Oh, how I want to extend God’s Kingdom in this place, and encourage you all to be a part of that great venture!

Rev Chris Bessant

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We invite you to pray for our nation In response to reaching the terrible milestone of 100,000 deaths from COVID19, the Archbishops invite all to call on God in Prayer. Starting on 1 February we invite you to set aside time every evening to pray, particularly at 6pm each day. More than ever, this is a time when we need to love each other. Prayer is an expression of love.

How can you get involved?

Use our free resources to pray for our nation every day at 6pm.

Visit our website: churchofengland.org/resources/prayer-nation

We remember before God those who have died and we pray that God's love will surround all who mourn them, now and always Gracious God, as we remember before you the thousands who have died, surround us and all who mourn with your strong compassion.

Be gentle with us in our grief, protect us from despair, and give us grace to persevere and face the future with hope in Jesus Christ our risen Lord.

Amen.

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Children’s Christmas Events 2020 A Families@4 Christmas craft special took place on Friday 6th Dec in the Link. At their tables families created some wonderful Christmas craft such as decorations, cards, crosses, Christmas tree art (to name but a few!) for those people who are housebound or in local nursing homes. It was lovely to see the Link buzzing with fun and laughter!

Afterwards we all moved into the Church to watch a nativity film and to hear about a little boy called Nelson who Families@4 will be sponsoring through the Compassion charity.

For the first time Christingle took place online on Zoom this Christmas on Sunday 20th Dec! We all had a lovely time making our Christingles together and learning about the meaning of Christingle whilst having fun singing, dancing and watching videos! It was great to see so many families join this online event and to be able to share Christingle with each other albeit in a different way.

Children and parents from the Parish took part in a Families Nativity Film this year which was ‘aired’ on Christmas Eve. Due to the restrictions each family group was given roles and scripts for their part of the nativity and asked to film their scenes at home! Chris and I then inserted our narration over the top to produce a fabulous nativity which I hope the whole Parish enjoyed!

Looking forward, we plan to hold Families@4 twice-monthly on the second and fourth Sunday of each month although throughout January this will likely be held on Zoom. For the time being First Steps will remain as an online Circle Time, although as soon as we are able to restart we will do so.

Victoria Martin, Children & Families Worker 6

Christmas at St Christopher’s

Photo Liz Cook There was considerable excitement at the thought of being able to hold a real live service at St Christopher’s on Christmas Day - even within Covid19 restrictions. This was after months of attending services at St Bartholomew’s where these could be streamed for those staying at home.

Justin presided, masked when necessary. The fact that this would also be the last service until the vaccination programme taking place at St Christopher’s is completed, possibly in April, made it even more special.

In the first few days of the Church being used for vaccines heavy winds blew down the canopy over the path and the Christmas tree, scattering baubles far and wide. A faithful team of parishioners collected them up and replaced them.

We believe - and hope - we may be able to attend Easter services there…. But in the meantime we’re very pleased to be of help during the pandemic.

A combination of thoughts from Liz Cook and Frankie Gaiter 7

A Picture for Lent: Stanley Spencer’s Christ in the Wilderness: Rising from Sleep in the Morning (1940) By nature, I am neither an early riser, nor do I find praying easy.

In this picture, Spencer tries to show Christ’s delight at finding intimacy with his father first thing in the morning.

We see intimacy and focus during his prayers, like a child delighting in the presence of the one with whom he is able to be completely himself. It is a relationship that sustains him every day. Mark (1.15) tells us that ‘while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed’.

Spencer painted Christ in an intensely focussed posture with eyes staring towards heaven. His hands reach upwards in a gesture which combines praise and longing, ready to receive something. People may see different things in this painting.

For some, he is like a missile ready for ‘blast off’ heavenwards, just as the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. Perhaps Christ’s posture reminds me of a radio -telescope collecting a signal from a distant star. Others may see Christ as similar to a flower opening. Spencer liked to see God’s delight in creation.

Prayer is portrayed as regular and natural since we humans were made for communion with God. A plant opens its petals to the sun at the start of a new day to receive energy, and follows the sun towards noon and sunset. When we pray, perhaps we receive the energy we need for living: there can be alignment between our wills and that of God. Most of us may have known such intimacy with God in a few rare and fleeting moments. The painting is ‘a remarkable picture of praise, 8

desire and union with God’, according to Stephen Cottrell (Archbishop of York).

I can thoroughly recommend his book “Christ in the Wilderness” (published by SPCK) if you wish to seek inspiration in five of Spencer’s paintings in the series.

Lent starts this year on 17th February. It would make a perfect text for selfstudy and contemplation with a target of one chapter per week. Amazon (among other retailers) may well have paperback or Kindle versions, if preferred.

Peter Sellars

Ash Wednesday and Lent for 2021 Lent this year begins on 17th February with Ash Wednesday. This year we are going to follow the Church of England’s lent theme: #LiveLent: God's Story, Our Story.

It is based on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2021, Living His Story by Hannah Steele.

This book encourages all Christians to think about their calling, how to share their faith and reflect on the difference Christ makes in our lives. Alongside the book there is a further book of daily reflections to cover each day until Easter.

These reflections can also be ordered separately, and, as before, we shall be purchasing a batch that can be collected from the Church Office.

The Church of England is also promising daily email reflections, an app for your smartphone, and audio versions of the material. Please also keep an eye out for details of an Evening Online Lent Course Gathering each Tuesday. Most likely this will be around 45-minutes via Zoom, reflecting upon what we are reading, praying and finding in our hearts.

For more details, please call Rector Chris or see the parish website.

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The Building of St Christopher’s (Part 3) The story of the building of the church continues with the raising of the major part of the money required to carry out the work after the laying of the foundation stone in November 1901, no simple task.

Alice Mary Hutchinson (a member of the Hutchinson family) wrote this as she watched the church rising in front of her eyes. (A very young member of the family read it at The Centenary Service in September2003).

St. Christopher’s Church, Sunday Morning, June 28th 1903.

‘St. Christopher’s’ across the hills the evening bells will ring, In copse and wood the nightingales ‘St. Christopher’s’ will sing, And like a far-off city in gleaming sunset skies, Church of bright dreams and visions, St. Christopher’s will rise.

St. Christopher’s with solid stones the builders quickly build, With buttercups the meadows round St. Christopher’s will gild, While in the strength of fairness and friendship’s golden glow, Church of the Profit Sharers, St. Christopher’s shall grow.

St. Christopher’s shall know the day that we may never see; Children of Faith the builders of St. Christopher’s must be, For as the dawn’s white glory wakens the sleeping land, Church of the radiant morning St. Christopher’s shall stand.

‘Great Christopher’ the voice of Christ is calling from the shore, In tones as clear as those who called the Carrier-Saint of yore, And so to cross the storms of life, with strength and peace to give, Church of the Christ-Child Bearer, St. Christopher’s shall live.

Alice Mary Hutchinson (1868-1908) The Haslemere Herald of August 1903 reported that ’Many gifts to the Church have already been made, including the Holy Table (designed by Spooner and executed by Arthur Romney Green of the Peasants’ Arts Society in the town), the Communion vessels (the gift of the first Rector Revd. Sanders Etheridge) the Lectern (made by Bainbridge Reynolds Europe’s premier metal worker but not installed until a year later), the pulpit (designed by Spooner), a Prayer Desk, a 10

Frontal for Festivals, the Retable and the Holy Cross. But others are wanted, viz, the organ, reredos and choir stalls. Mr. Spooner, the architect, is personally superintending the design of all the furniture and fittings down to the smallest, with the result that the church will show a harmony in its details which is not very common.’ He refers to Spooner as ‘an artist, a Christian and a Churchman who has built all these qualities into our Church’.

The Surrey Times on 12th September announced the gift of £100 from the Earl of Derby and further gifts of a Bell, a marble basin (for the interior of the font) and purple and white alms bags. St. Stephen’s, Portsea donated two beautiful leather-bound Service Books. Mrs. Minnie DibdenSpooner’s charming lead and silver statue of a young St. Christopher was placed in a niche to the left of the main door.

The new Bishop of Winchester paid his first official visit to Haslemere on September 29th 1903 to dedicate and consecrate the ‘handsome and noble building which now adorns the west end of the parish at the top of Clay Hill’. It was the first church to be consecrated in Haslemere for quite 500 years he said.

Consecration Day arrived although many of the furnishings were not yet finished: the choir stalls were temporary (the painted pine ones were given to a church in London in the 20s when Spooner’s carved oak stalls replaced them), Luther Hooper’s curtains were not yet ready (he was another member of the Peasant Arts Group), but the reredos, a fine piece of carved oak, a gift from the Haslemere Builders to the Church they had built was in place. The builders had ‘taken the contract at an extremely cheap price both in materials and workmanship (but) they had put no cheap work into it but had always given us the best in materials and workmanship’.

The clergy and wardens met the Bishop at the West Door and presented him with the Petition for Consecration signed by them and the members of the Building Committee representing the people of Haslemere. The Bishop went first to the Font, then the Lectern, the Pulpit and the Holy Table saying an appropriate prayer at each. The Deed of Consecration was then read and signed by him. There then followed a Morning Service and the Bishop gave a short 11

address. St. Christopher’s choir, strengthened by some of the Parish Church choir, led the music accompanied by Mr. Mozley’s orchestra and Mr. Whitcher at the harmonium.

(The organ was installed in 1905).

There then followed three more services - at 4.30pm, 6 pm and 8 pm. A telegram arrived from the Archbishop of Canterbury which read ‘My thoughts and prayers have been joined with yours today. May St. Christopher’s Church be a centre of worthiest service to God and to His children.’ (He had been the previous Bishop of Winchester and his wife had laid the Foundation Stone less than a year earlier).

The following day Revd. Sanders Etheridge presided at a service of Holy Communion using the very fine silver vessels he’d given to the church.

The Rector writes in his Report for 1903 given on January 19th 1904 ‘For the first time this year we speak of our Churches in the plural number. The chief event of the year has been the completion and consecration of St. Christopher’s. I should be indeed slow of heart if I did not feel very deep thankfulness to you all, and to God the Inspirer, for the eagerness and generosity with which you have responded to one appeal after another until the work was done and the bell of St. Christopher’s set ringing. To the Committee who stood together through some difficult times, not losing faith or courage, to those who stepped in from outside to give a hand when a hand was needed, to the architect and builders who gave more than they were paid to give, to everyone whose gift, be it large or small, is built into these walls, I would here express, not just my gratitude but my belief that they already have and enjoy the inward reward which comes to crown all unselfish work which we do together for God’s glory and the common good. Of that I must say no more.

The Church stands there, simple, good and beautiful.

Now a harder, a more blessed work remains. It is to gather in men and women, especially men, to worship together and to learn from their worship to live for Christ.’

Frankie Gaiter 12

Thank you Liz!

Photo Liz Cook Frances Reincke describes the occasion: Liz Hawkins recently retired from organising the flowers for St Christopher’s.

She will carry on arranging though – just not in an organisational role.

So back in November, I did a quick whip round and we raised funds to buy her an M&S voucher , flowers and an engraved crystal glass vase with the following engraving, the title of which is a quote from a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge:

“Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.”

Presented to Liz Hawkins In recognition and gratitude for over 40 years of Church flower arranging With love from all her friends at St Christopher’s Church, Haslemere I said a few words and quoted from a letter Mavis Edge had sent me about how amazing Liz has been over the years...and not just organising the flowers, but also her caretaking role at St C’s, the Sunday school, Church picnics, First Steps and so, so much more.

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was a great occasion – but so sad that we could only include a few of the so many who would have loved to have contributed and been there if life was more normal!

We promise to hold a party in her honour when we can.

Liz gave a lovely reply to say thank you.

Vase: Photo Frances Reincke Photo of flowers contributed

by Clive

The Presentation Party, photographed by Liz’s sister, Caroline 14

Clive, Liz and her sister, Caroline.

*** Then, on December 2nd, it was Clive’s turn to be serenaded and presented with what looks like a generous amount of liquid refreshment…!

Happy Birthday, Clive!

Clive responded later by email: ‘Thank you so much for your wonderful singing. It was a complete surprise and so much appreciated. I’m not quite sure who the old git is in the picture but he seems to be enjoying things………’

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Test Your Knowledge Jane Slevin 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Which English supermodel was born in Streatham in May 1970?

Which horse won the Epsom Derby in 1981?

Which rugby player won Celebrity MasterChef in 2011?

What is the maximum number of clubs a golfer is allowed to have in their bag?

Who is the Quaker who lived from 1780 - 1845, pictured in the lower left corner?

Which battle was the final conflict of the Jacobite uprising of 1745?

In which year was the Munich Air disaster, when a flight crashed carrying the Manchester United football team?

In Brideshead Revisited, what was Aloysius?

9. The Savoy Theatre was built to produce the works of which famous song writing partnership?

10. What is the connection between Volleyball, Squash and Badminton?

11. Which author wrote “Dead Heat”, “Dead Cert” and “Under Orders”?

12. Callisto, is the second largest moon of which planet?

13. In Swallows & Amazons what are the names of the Amazons?

14. Who served as the President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 2020?

15. Which was the last novel that Dickens wrote, first published in 1865.

16. In Heraldry, what name is given to the flag borne at the end of a lance?

17. The cathedral pictured in the lower right corner is in which city?

18. Who was The Scarlet Pimpernel in Baroness Orczy’s

Answers on page 27 16

Just a Thought…

Evelyn Hughes On February 27 the Lectionary invites us to commemorate George Herbert, priest and poet, who died in 1633. He is familiar to us through hymns such as ‘Teach me my God and King,/ in all things thee to see’, and ‘Let all the world in every corner sing,/ my God and King’. My favourite among his poems is ‘Love bade me welcome’ - ‘Love’ meaning ‘God’. The writer Mark Oakley says: ‘I have come to see him as the poet who most expresses our relationship with God as a friendship.’

One of the things I’m missing most in these restricting times is meeting with other members of a local U3A poetry group. There, we would take turns to introduce a poet with a brief biography and then read aloud some of his/her poems. In teasing out what had inspired a poem, we would often find a connection between the writer’s thoughts and our own. Often a poet expresses what we can’t find words for.

Some of our best poetry is to be found in the Bible. Those who think a poem must necessarily rhyme won’t find that style there. What we do find is imagery expressed in beautiful language in a structured and rhythmical way. I’m thinking of the Creation poem, the Song of Songs, and some passages in the Prophets. The Psalms give poetic expression to a whole range of thoughts and feelings which resonate with our own.

Sometimes I’ve found a moment of ‘heaven in ordinary’ - to borrow a phrase from George Herbert’s poem on Prayer. I’ve responded with a few words somewhat in the minimal style of the Japanese haiku. I was standing in the kitchen on a fine morning when I wrote this: ‘Outside, frost; bulbs strive To break its crust.

Inside, warmth; purple crocus Opens to the windowed sun.

Spring!’

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New Year Resolutions How many of us start off a new year with such grand ideas of what we are going to achieve or in some way change our lives for the better? New Year’s Resolutions! By the end of January those resolutions may be in tatters. One year I decided that not only would I open my Bible more frequently but actually read a bit every day. I needed help. Joining a home group helped but to know where to begin on daily readings was more difficult. There are many organisations which one can subscribe to which send daily notes of Bible Readings and the one I chose was the Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF).

The BRF started exactly 99 years ago in January 1922. Britain and, it felt like the World, was in a sorry state. Does that ring any bells? The First World War was over three years previously, the Spanish Flu had come and gone and the country did not feel like a land fit for heroes to live in as businesses were struggling and unemployment rising. At St Matthew’s Church, Brixton, the Rev Leslie Mannering and his staff were wondering how to feed the spiritual needs of the Parish. The Rev Mannering wrote an article in the Parish Magazine of Dec 1921 in which he identified three fundamentals of ‘our Faith’: Prayer, Bible Reading and Holy Communion. After much prayerful discussion, it was concluded that Prayer and Bible Reading could be addressed with a monthly leaflet in which would be written a selection of biblical passages with explanatory notes and ideas for relevant prayer topics. The first leaflet was produced in January 1922 under the title of The Fellowship of St Matthew and started with St Matthew’s Gospel. One hundred parishioners showed an interest in the first month. By the end of the year there were 200 members of the Fellowship and by the end of 1923 over 300. It then began to go ‘viral’. By March 1929 there was a demand for 20,000 copies. The Rev Leslie Mannering wrote the notes up to 1926 but thereafter new branches were formed and by 1929, a panel of writers. It was no longer the Fellowship of St Matthew but was renamed ‘The Bible Reading Fellowship’. Those monthly leaflets written by Leslie Mannering for his congregation have become four-monthly booklets.

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There have been ups and downs along the way but the BRF has adapted and now produces different types of booklets to suit different tastes. It has branched out into many other publications including those for children and books to follow at particular times of the Church’s year such as Advent and Lent.

I return to where I started, New Year Resolutions. If you need help to open that Bible, possibly gathering dust on your shelf, but the daily discipline to find the time is difficult, maybe consider subscribing to some daily Bible notes to give you that nudge.

If anyone is interested please contact Sarah Mulliner on 01428 643504 or email sarahmulliner@gmail.com for more information. *** And that’s not all that Sarah gets up to - one of the many ‘hats’ she wears is being in charge of flower arranging at St Bart’s. While setting up for Christmas she and her team were visited by a curious feathered friend who viewed them from various angles… some captured below. (If you can spot him/her!)

P H O T 0 S

S A R A H

B Y 19

M U L L I N E R

John Pocock (17th May 1932 to 25th December 2020) John and Avis Pocock came to Haslemere 43 years ago and John joined the choir - which he served ever since. He sang tenor, often singing solos and leading the responses. He was a gifted musician, playing the organ for choir practices and for services when the musical director was away. He was one of the longest serving members of the choir and served under five different rectors and four directors of music.

John and Avis were married in St Paul’s Cathedral, Calcutta, in 1958 (where he paid £10 for a red carpet). John was Manager for the Far East for Commercial Union Assurance (later to become Aviva). They spent many years in the Far East, including 18 years in Singapore and a final three years in New York. Wherever they went, John explored the local churches to find where he could help with the music and playing the organ not just Anglican, but other denominations as well.

In Haslemere he was responsible for the Churchyards, a member of the Surrey Organists, a Friend of Cathedral Music, a Member of the Prayerbook Society and a member of the Royal School of Church Music. Towards the end of his life, he continued to play the piano at the Hunter Centre for the other clients. The Teddy Bear’s Picnic was one of his favourites - and it was used as the playing-out music at his funeral.

Our picture is of John and Avis in 2005 Hamish Donaldson and John Sugden

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Churchyard Jottings

Philip Hunt

Remembering John Pocock Many people will by now have heard that John Pocock sadly passed away over Christmas. He had been in a nursing home in Liss for some while. I am mentioning this because I owe my current role, as Churchyards Representative, to John. He had held this position before me for over 20 years and I had the good fortune to benefit from his experience and wisdom during our hand-over period in October and November 2013. He was by then over 80 and had decided that it was time to hand over the reins. I live near to the Church but not quite as near as John whose garden, of course, shares a wall with the churchyard. We all can continue to enjoy his magnolia tree in the Spring.

I remember John arriving at my house clutching a bundle of binders and ledgers, containing records and copious correspondence relating to the three churchyards. He gave me a conducted tour of each one and then presented me with even more material – some of it unsorted! I was put to the test, so to speak, with a number of exercises in finding graves and the whole process seemed quite complex at first. John also provided some invaluable tips which, on more than one occasion, have saved abortive or unnecessary work. After our final session, I was invited into John’s study for a celebratory glass of wine. He was clearly celebrating, but I was wondering just what might lie ahead.

Seven years on, I can certainly say that life amongst the gravestones has been far more interesting than one could ever have imagined.

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Hello Readers, As many of you from St Bartholomew’s and St Christopher’s Churches are quite familiar with the work of the Hunter Centre here in Haslemere, which was of course named after a member of our congregation, Dr Anne Hunter, you might be interested in an update of the Centre’s activities over the past year and an overview of our hopes for achievement in the year that lies ahead of us.

The Hunter Centre, as many of you know, was established in 2017, after The Alzheimer’s Society withdrew their funding and support for the previous day care facility. Subsequently the Centre was very fortunate that a group of local residents gathered together, with the support of the Town Council, and set up the Hunter Centre as an independent organisation with charitable status.

Under the Chairmanship of Anne Downing a group of enthusiastic trustees, together with a team of experienced dedicated staff, have provided an excellent day care facility supporting the needs of those affected by dementia and their carers from the local area.

This past year has been challenginag following the National Lockdown in March, but the staff have continued to open the Centre whenever it felt safe to do so and with limited numbers of clients. Although legally it could be seen possible to remain open at the present time, it is felt, with the huge rise in cases of Covid 19, that it is best to remain closed for the moment and review the situation every two weeks. While not wanting to incur the unnecessary risks of cross infection, we are also anxious to provide support for our clients and their carers, so the staff have been in regular telephone contact with all clients and carers every week and support and advice has been constantly available. On- going Lockdown is a very difficult experience for those with dementia, as isolation and lack of stimulation can induce their downward progression, and their carers are in greater need of some relief and respite time.

Under normal circumstances the very experienced Day Care Centre staff would be offering support in a relaxed, friendly and secure environment, providing activities such as music therapy, word games, creative activities, reminiscence 22

therapy, social activities, and the opportunity to enjoy the delightful secure garden. Here carers can leave their loved ones quite safely for a few hours while they enjoy some much needed respite.

Future plans include offering support to those recently diagnosed with early dementia.

A 10-week course is planned for those in the earlier stages and this will be facilitated by Mary Jordan, who was previously a dementia navigator with the Alzheimer’s Society, and is now an independent trainer and advisor. She is also an author of many books on the subject, including ‘Coping with Mild Cognitive Impairment ‘.

Unfortunately, one of the long standing trustees and member of the board from the beginning, John Worlidge, resigned in July and sadly died in October. He will be very greatly missed for his wise counsel, but last November the centre welcomed three new trustees, Melissa King, local businesswoman, Belinda Pope, recently retired with business and IT skills, and Jane Stopford, a retired occupational therapist with an interest in the wellbeing of carers.

If you, or anyone you know is interested in finding out more about what the Hunter Centre has to offer do contact the manager@thehuntercentre.co.uk or visit the website www.thehuntercentre.co.uk

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Some of the activities offered at the Hunter Centre Jane Stopford 24

HASLEMERE (or thereabouts) Nightjars and Reminders of the Cold War We recently watched again one of BBC’s Countryfile programmes. It was about Witley and Wisley Commons and the nightjars, well-camouflaged birds which spend our winters in Africa and then return here to their place of birth for our summer and a place to breed - well, why not?

Matt Taylor was there on the heath with his campervan and there was a lot of the famed and elusive chirring of the male bird asserting his territorial claims, and their distinctive flight - wonderful - and all within earshot of the noisy M25.

The programme ended with a trailer for the following week’s edition when Ellie was shown descending a strange sort of conning tower leading to an underground complex which was not explained. A few of us knew though: it was an ROC (Royal Observer Corps) post and was one of more than 1650 built from the mid 1950s throughout the UK to a standard specification by the Air Ministry in the cold war period. The prototype was built at Farnham in 1956 to ascertain the practicality of underground posts. Their function was to enable the crew of three to establish the precise location of nuclear bursts and take readings of ionizing radiation as well as measuring personal radiation.

The reinforced concrete construction was substantial: roof and walls were up to a foot thick, and the whole 25ft long structure was topped by a 4ft thick earth mound. The only visible signs above ground were two ventilation pipes and a shuttered box to protect the instruments as well as the large steel hatch cover leading to the 13ft steel vertical ladder to the quarters.

ROC volunteers were the obvious choice to man the posts (a civilian organisation set up in the First World War to identify and track enemy aircraft and their presumed targets over the UK). The function was rather more technical in the 1950s but the location of the observation posts was similar to earlier years: they required a wide uninterrupted 360 degree view over the countryside. My photo shows a typical site. The underground structures were designed - perhaps ‘intended’ is a better word - to enable the crew to remain in 25

place for up to three weeks. Battery power was supplemented by a portable generator. Creature comforts were Spartan. The challenging entrance served for the water supply too, in 4½ gallon jerry cans. The provision of a chemical lavatory was an added complication. The GPO provided the only link to the outside world. A helpful sketch of the arrangement is shown on the website for Broadway Tower (photo) reproduced below.

By the early 1970s government policy was to reduce the number of ROC posts by at least half and I (then a young trainee Land Agent and Chartered Surveyor studying by correspondence course) was given the task of disposing of some of the sites in our geographical sector centred on Oxford. Generally the sites were held under the terms of long leases and reinstatement of the site was not a usual clause. It appeared to be an ‘interesting challenge’. Could we sell the underground structure back to the lessor, the landowner, I wondered? As there were a great many countrywide -1653 altogether - and positioned about eight miles apart, the number of different landowners involved was huge.

These observation posts were all sited on high ground so as to give line of sight to a nuclear blast. Today, most posts lie derelict and abandoned, but a small number have been purchased or leased and restored to show how they were used. They are usually opened as museums with guided tours by prior arrangement. The last ROC post (Broadway - below) was decommissioned by the MOD in 1991. Approximately half of the posts built have been demolished, either on ‘stand-down’ by the ROC or by private owners in subsequent years.

One post, in York, has been incorporated into a house and forms a handy cellar!

Only one former Group Control, HQ 20, has been restored and opened to the public: Shelley House at Acomb, also in York. It is run by English Heritage.

Others are Skelmorlie (Scotland, photo below), Veryan (Cornwall), and Cuckfield 26

(West Sussex). The last ROC post is another adjacent to Broadway Tower (Worcestershire), a spectacular folly built in 1796 by the 6th Earl of Coventry. The remarkable view covers 50 miles taking in 16 counties and was the one visited

by Ellie on Countryfile. Locally sites were built at the vantage points of the Hog’s Back and Caesar’s Camp north of Farnham.

Broadway Tower

Skelmorlie, Scotland

Robert Serman

Test Your Knowledge Answers: 1. Naomi Campbell, 2. Shergar, 3. Phil Vickery, 4. Fourteen, 5. Elizabeth Fry, 6. Battle of Culloden, 7. 1958, 8. A Teddy Bear, 9. Gilbert & Sullivan, 10. Only the server can score, 11. Dick Francis, 12. Jupiter, 13 Nancy & Peggy Blackett, 14. Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, 15. Our Mutual Friend. 16. Pennon, 17. Strasbourg, 18. Sir Percy Blakeney.

Margaret Ovington and Family

wish to thank kind friends for their messages of sympathy over John’s recent passing. They are a great comfort and very much appreciated .

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Lena Miller - an Appreciation (3rd August 1927 - 17th January 2021) Lena, known to so many of you, was the beloved wife of Len Miller who for years contributed and enjoyed life in the St Christopher's family.

Both they and their daughters, Helen and Brenda, married at the church. Lena and Len will now be re-united in the garden amongst so many of their friends.

Lena and Len both worked in Haslemere and met when he used to call into the Post Office where she had a riotous time working alongside her three friends - a friendship which lasted a lifetime. When they married they moved into Sunbeams and continued to work locally. Lena joined the team of girls at Haslemere Health Centre and on retirement joined the volunteers at Haslemere Museum. Family and people were most important to her, alongside her Christian beliefs. She was an active member of ‘The Young Wives’ and cherished the friendship of the group. She was also a member of Haslemere Flower Club and The Embroiderers’ Guild and learned to paint and play the piano in later years.

Sadly, they lost their first child, Nigel, soon after he was born in 1954 and Lena carried this loss with her for the rest of her life. After the death of Len in 2007 she moved to a bungalow at Peperham House. During the time she was at Peperham she lost her beloved youngest daughter Brenda in 2011. As a way of coping I am sure Lena's memory protected her and, with it failing, she started spending days at The Marjorie Gray Hall, now The Hunter Centre, and Hasleway, eventually moving into Chestnut View Care Home. Thanks yet again to wonderful friends, she was able to continue her church life at St Stephen’s and when this was no longer possible they visited her, as did many others when they popped to Tesco to do their shopping!

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Lena spent her last seven years at the care home with our Chestnut View family who we cannot thank enough for their love and dedication. I would like to share a few messages I have received from them; 'a very sweet woman and it was an honour to care for her'; 'she was an absolute gem and will, despite her tiny size, leave a huge hole, not just in Pastimes but in my heart'; 'it was an honour and a pleasure to look after her, I will always miss her'. We have been truly blessed that she had a relatively quick and peaceful passing in her own room on a beautiful, sunny Sunday.

With five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren remembering her wicked sense of humour she will be greatly missed, but will live on in the retelling of her jokes and funny encounters.

Helen Johnson Miller

Found… in Christmas Crackers 1. What do you call a fake noodle?

2. What do Santa’s little elves learn at school?

3. What did the cheese say to itself in the mirror?

4. Why didn’t anyone bid for Rudolph and Blitzen?

5. What do you call a cow with a twitch?

6. What do you call a chicken staring at a lettuce?

Answers on page 31

‘In Quotes’: “God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called” (from ‘Encounter with God’, referring to Moses’ many protestations, such as: ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’)

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In My Garden Philip Duly Spring is now just around the corner which will be welcomed this year for more than just longer days, warmer weather and the beauty of springtime gardens. If you are looking for something easy to grow that will impress visitors and provide many years of colour in the darkest days of January and February, this month's star plant is a rare gem.

Daphnes originate from the eastern Himalayas and are among the most rewarding hardy evergreen shrubs, although they also tend to be some of the most expensive to purchase and are quite slow-growing.

Their foliage is toxic however and they do not enjoy being disturbed once planted in the ground so it is wise to choose your site carefully.

My star plant is Daphne bholua Jacqueline Postill, which was propagated by Alan Postill at the Sir Harold Hillier Garden at Ampfield, near Romsey and who named the plant after his wife. It is not unusual for this month's star plant to begin to bloom in January and in a very mild winter, around Christmas. They are, however, one of the standout winter flowering shrubs, with intense fragrance of a heady clove-like scent and beautiful blossoms appearing in clusters. These take on a raspberry shade in bud, opening to purple, mauve, violet and lilac which stand out well against the shrub's evergreen foliage and with every flower in the balled clusters possessing a tiny yellow eye. This Daphne can grow much taller than other varieties, reaching a height of up to 13 feet after 10-15 years but can be pruned back to form a shapely and tidy shrub that will provide endless enjoyment whilst remaining completely free from any frost damage.

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I thought I’d approach Philip Duly, our gardening guru, with a question. He seems prepared to tackle such things so if you have a question, give him a try! Email us via the Church Office: office@haslemereparish.org (Ed.)

Gardeners’ Questions Q.: My cyclamen has been flowering enthusiastically indoors non stop since January last year. But it's getting very 'leggy' (/arm-y?) Not the neat plant it once was. What's going wrong? And how can I remedy it? AL A: I would suggest that the drooping flower stalks are either a reaction to the plant outgrowing its pot or possibly too much heat and/or drying out, although it appears to be situated in a conservatory which is usually a cool place. They will tolerate a lot of cutting back so you could think about removing the flower stalks, reducing any dead or yellowing leaves and starting afresh. You won't do any harm to it but you could also replant it outside and replace it with a smaller plant or replant into a larger pot to be kept inside. (PD) (To which I reply: the cyclamen is not in the conservatory but in the dining room, so it could be too much heat. Thank you, Philip. AL)

Found in Christmas Crackers - Answers 1. An impasta 2. The elf-abet 3. Halloumi 4. Because they were two deer 5. Beef jerky 6. Chicken sees-a-salad 31

Haslemere, My Home Chris and I are relative newcomers to Haslemere, having arrived a week before Christmas 2011. We had always wanted to move south from Harpenden in our retirement and with Chris’s parents having moved to Chichester about a year before our move, Haslemere seemed the ideal spot to put down our roots again.

Not only would we be close enough to see his parents and sister regularly, we were also attracted by the pretty town, the beautiful surrounding countryside with all its opportunities for walking, and being within easy reach of London for evening choir practices and concerts too.

Although we looked on our move with a little trepidation, to us it was an adventure since we knew nobody in Haslemere and had no idea how we would fit into an established community or even get to know people without the ‘school gate’ opportunities we had when our daughter was growing up. Also, we had regularly attended St Albans Abbey which had a vibrant congregation and wonderful cathedral music with its choir, organ recitals, and festivals etc.

We were determined to overcome these concerns.

It wasn’t long before we knew this had been the right move for us. Our initial intention had been to explore the local churches to find somewhere where we felt comfortable and welcomed. When we popped down to St Christopher’s about a month after our arrival, we concluded we needed to look no further!

The first people we met were Clive, Liz and Stella who greeted us with warmth and genuine interest. Other congregation members followed similarly over the following weeks. I don’t think any of them at the time realised what a huge impact they were having for our happiness at moving here.

The activities available to pursue in our community astounded us. We couldn’t possibly have found time to follow everything that took our fancy. How can one choose between the Haslemere Hall, the Museum, U3A courses, the Natural History Society, the Gardening Society, the Haslemere Festival and Fringe not to mention looking after and developing our own garden?

To top it all, we’ve made friends. We are so happy to be here!

Lynn Lemar 32

Mexican Tortilla Bake Linda Donaldson This all-in-one dish is so easy to make. Instead of lasagne you use ready-made tortillas. Utterly delicious!

Serves 6 For the mince:1 tbsp olive oil 2 large onions, chopped 500g (1lb 2oz) lean minced beef 1 fresh mild, red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional) 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed (optional) 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander 2 tbsp tomato puree 1-2 tbsp mango chutney 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped Salt and pepper

To assemble:3 large tortilla wraps 250g (9oz) full-fat mascarpone cheese 100g (4oz) mozzarella cheese, grated 100g (4oz) Cheddar cheese, grated

You will need a 1.5l (2½pt) wide-based, shallow ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3. Pour the oil into a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and fry for 3 minutes. Turn up the heat, tip in the minced beef and fry over a high heat, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until brown.

Add the chilli, red pepper, garlic and spices and fry for about 5 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. Stir in the tomato puree, mango chutney and tinned tomatoes and season well. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and transfer to the oven to simmer for about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and stir in half the coriander. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6.

Spread a third of the cooked minced beef mixture over the bottom of the ovenproof dish and lay one tortilla wrap on top. Spread a third of the mascarpone over the tortilla (you might find it easier to spread the mascarpone on each tortilla before adding to the dish) and sprinkle with a third each of the mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Repeat twice more so that you have three layers.

Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden and bubbling. Before serving, scatter over the remaining coriander.

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Link Magazine Circulation A strange year indeed! As we continue to analyse our circulation through the statistics provided by our online publisher, combined with the printed copies monitored and printed by our brilliant Parish Administrator, two things stand out.

Over time our number of online reads for back editions increases; we do wonder if it is the same people reading an edition twice, or newcomers checking out our history.

The readership is not consistent, with some editions being read far more than others.

Naturally we are eager to provide our readers with content that engages.

Please do send us feedback via the Parish Office that will help us to develop new themes or improve our existing content.

Totals

268

316

237

300

232

179

232

Jane Slevin 34

Candlemas The Presentation of Christ in the Temple In bygone centuries, Christians said their last farewells to the Christmas season on Candlemas, 2nd February. This is exactly 40 days after Christmas Day itself.

In New Testament times 40 days old was an important age for a baby boy: it was when they made their first ‘public appearance’. Mary, like all good Jewish mothers, went to the Temple with Jesus, her first male child - to ‘present Him to the Lord’. At the same time, she, as a new mother, was ‘purified’. Thus, we have the Festival of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.

So, where does the Candlemas bit come in? Jesus is described in the New Testament as the Light of the World, and early Christians developed the tradition of lighting many candles in celebration of this day. The Church also fell into the custom of blessing the year’s supply of candles for the church on this day - hence the name, Candlemas.

The story of how Candlemas began can be found in Luke 2:22-40. Simeon’s great declaration of faith and recognition of who Jesus was is of course found in the Nunc Dimittis, which is embedded in the Office of Evening Prayer in the West. But in medieval times, the Nunc Dimittis was mostly used just on this day, during the distribution of candles before the Eucharist. Only gradually did it win a place in the daily prayer life of the Church.

The Parish Pump

From the Registers Funerals: Carol Bristow – 21 December 2020 Vera Moorey – 18 December 2020 Angela Lucas – 7 January 2021 John Pocock – 20 January 2021 Trevor Ruane – 26 January 2021 35

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Needs volunteers to staff the office or drive clients to medical and dental appointments.

Mileage allowance paid.

Please call 01428 652505 www.careinhaslemere.org.uk

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FALLS PREVENTION CLASS Exercises to music, held at the Link on Tuesday afternoon.

For more details please contact Sophie Patrick on 07748 845931

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Bluebells Cancer Support Centre at Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary Burrows Lea, Hook Lane, Shere, GU5 9AL Bluebells is a friendly, sharing group for anyone affected by cancer.

We laugh a lot, cry a little, share experiences and support each other.

Do come along one Thursday to see for yourself!

We meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 11am— 1pm ending with a relaxation session.

We like to keep in touch and know how you are at other times too, so please feel free to contact Carolyn Low on 01483 203540 or email Carolyn.graeme@hotmail.co.uk

ROBERT MOODIE Master upholsterer Since 1973

If you would like to advertise with us please contact

Is your sofa or perhaps your favourite chair In need of a little loving care?

Don’t push it aside or take to the ‘tip’ Just give us a ring and we’ll mend it.

Geoff Martin on

Loose covers or fitted, or down to the frame We will restore it, elaborate or plain Fabrics and braids for us to enhance Our craftsmanship’s shown if given the chance.

01429 641907 or email:

Specialists in re-upholstery & loose covers

martin_g6@sky.com

The Old Milking Parlour, Mellow Farm Dockenfield.

01428 712886 hello@arfordupholstery.co.uk 39

DURING THE CURRENT LOCKDOWN, GATHERED SERVICES ARE SUSPENDED.

SERVICES CONTINUE ONLINE EVERY SUNDAY 10AM

PARISH EUCHARIST (Live-Streamed

haslemere Parish)

2ND & 4TH SUNDAYS 4PM

FAMILIES@4 VIA ZOOM (BOOK ON THE WEBSITE)

WEEKDAY SERVICES 7PM

WEDNESDAY SOCIAL VIA ZOOM (please see Sunday Notes sheet or weekly email for link)

9PM

THURSDAY COMPLINE VIA ZOOM (Every other week - please see website for latest info)

17 FEBRUARY - ASH WEDNESDAY EVENING SERVICE Live streamed, please see website or Sunday Notes sheet for further details

For full information on all services please see Church at Home on the website: www.haslemereparish.org/stay-at-home/ 40