MeridenMag Summer 2022

Meriden Mag SUMMER 2022

Picture courtesy of and copyright www.birminghamaerialphotos.co.uk

Do you want to know what's going on in your village?

Take a look inside! There are also more photos, an exciting short story plus all the usual articles.

Summer Events

Join us on Sunday 5th June between 12pm - 6pm for a fun packed charity day in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee at Meriden Sports Park!

A day designed for the whole family to enjoy with a variety of different stalls, entertainment, fresh food and live music with proceeds being donated to the Meriden United Charities. What's not to love! Hosted

by Meriden Parish Council and Precious Events with our village at its heart!

Maxstoke Castle Maxstoke Castle Open Day Open Day B46 2RD B46 2RD

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Sunday 19 Sunday 19th June June2022 2022

Jubilee Quiz at The Queen’s Head

1st Meriden Scouts

Thursday 2nd June 8.00pm £2 per head Come along on your own or as part of a team.

Everyone welcome.

Proceeds to a local charity, yet to be decided.

Come and test your knowledge on a Quiz with a Royal Theme. *Quiz Master Rick Wise* * Raffle*

Balsall and District Horticultural Society (BDHS) Are you interested in Gardening?

BDHS Are holding their annual Members show at St Peter's Church Hall, Balsall Common on Saturday 23rd July 22. You are invited to come and have a look at the lovely display of Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables, Cakes, preserves, photography and art work between 2 and 4pm.

Entry is free, there will be tea and cakes available.

A plant stall and raffle.

Or why not join us? We have speaker evenings, trips to inspiring gardens and social evenings in member's gardens.

Plant sales and competitions

Saturday 18th June 11.00am until 3.00pm At the Scout Hut Main Road CV7 7NG

*BBQ* Refreshments* *Tombola* Games and other stalls* If you would like a stall, please email Sara Lawrence s.lawrence1965@btinternet.com

Film shows at Meriden Village Hall Saturday 21st May Saturday 18th June 7.30pm

throughout the year.

For more information contact Helen Jones 07870327524 helen@manorfarmknowle.co.uk .

Warwickshire Watercolourists’ Art Exhibition Bank Holiday 27th-29th August 2022 Berkswell Reading Rooms Meriden Road Berkswell CV7 7BE 10.00am -5.00pm daily

Free Entrance Over 200 items of unique art work on display, most for sale, together with a wide range of prints and notelets.

This year’s special raffle prize – an original Trevor Boult painting, kindly donated, with proceeds to the British Heart Foundation Refreshments available; proceeds to charity.

Ample free parking & disabled access Additional free parking available at ‘The Bear’ if needed For further information please email WarwickshireWatercolourists@gmail.com

The 2021/22 season is drawing to a close with eyes on final league matches and looking ahead to summer tournament season.

Under 10 Navy The team are continuing to develop both individually and as a team and the results are reflecting this. The enjoyment, effort, and continuing improvements at training and on match days has been a joy to watch. We are passionate about playing the game the right way and we are ensuring that the players can learn how to play the game properly. The team is in its first season and is improving each week.

The team in action against Kenilworth Wardens

Under 10 Whites Since the last update Meriden Lions U10 Whites have continued really well and have had a good run of results that saw us progress well in the cup and have some great performances along the way.

We continue to enjoy playing football the right way and focus on pass and move and pressing the opposition. The team are developing so well and all players have improved hugely this season.

We went on tour over the first back holiday weekend in May to Minehead and played teams from the local area and also Wales. We had a great time and remained unbeaten winning 3 and drawing 2. It was lovely for the team to experience playing different teams and styles of play.

We have now finished the season and next season will see us move to 9 a side as well as bigger goals and pitches so our focus will be on getting the team ready for the next chapter in their football development.

Under 10 Whites, half time team talk

Little Lions.

Little Lions continues to be going from strength to strength with more Lions coming along each week. The next step for some of the Little Lions will be to start playing in a team and we are hoping that we can get enough volunteers to make this happen. Please get in touch if you are interested in helping at the club. Coach Andy, leading the Little Lions has fantastic feedback from children and parents alike on the fun and engaging sessions providing a perfect first introduction to football.

Under 13s Our under 13 Lions have finished their league campaign now.

Their first season at 11-a-side on full size pitches and goals has been a steep learning curve. As the season has progressed, coaches Bryn and Andy have introduced new faces to the squad, adding numbers to help the existing players. The team has shown a togetherness and resilience against some tough opponents this season. They have shown their technical ability on many occasions this season, continuing to play out from the back and looking to get the ball on the floor and play some good football.

As we reach the summer break, the team is still on the lookout for a couple of players to complement their squad for the new season. Please get in touch if you know of any budding footballers that would be interested in joining the team. Please contact Bryn 07867486720

Under 15s Our under 15 Lions have now completed their league season, finishing with a record of 9 wins, 3 draws and 8 defeats across their 20 games and securing 5th place in the table. They were particularly proud of a hard fought 1-0 away win at high flying Coundon Cockerels in the final game of their season. The team have had a season full of progress, both as individuals and as a team. They have entertained us with some excellent performances and some thrilling matches along the way.

See right for The U15 D league at the end of April.

Establish New Teams and Grow Meriden Lions We are keen to establish additional teams at various age groups and would love a girls’ team. We would encourage anyone who has an interest in coaching a team or just helping out to get in touch. All the support, guidance and advice will be given and we are a friendly bunch and want to ensure the club can grow.

For any further information on Meriden Lions or to discuss sponsorship opportunities please get in touch with Bryn Williams Chairman at Meridenlionsfc@outlook.com

SUPPORT IN SOURCING GOOD QUALITY CARE AT THE RIGHT TIME. IS THERE REALLY SUCH A SERVICE OUT THERE?

Yes there is, and it’s local to you too.

Senior Care Support Services offer an empathetic and tailored approach to your individual needs, holding your hand throughout the whole process.

I am Geraldine Davies, a local senior care specialist, with many years’ experience working with older, frail adults. My knowledge of local care homes and domiciliary care agencies can be invaluable when finding the right care home, or domiciliary care in the home, for you or a loved one.

Just having somebody there who understands how the care system can work for you or a family member, can be invaluable, whilst also cutting the amount of hours you spend speaking with the wrong people.

Why not have an initial, confidential chat to see whether I can be of help to you, and take a look at my website for further information. www.seniorcaresupport.co.uk. information. www.seniorcaresupport.co.uk.

Call meDavies on 01564 743067 Tel. Geraldine on: 01564 743067 or email or email at: info@seniorcaresupport.co.uk info@seniorcaresupport.co.uk

Meriden Surgery

01676 522252

School House, 200 Main Road, Meriden, CV7 7NG Dr M Bhandal Dr A Carlile Dr T Nadeem Dr R Horsley (Partners) Associates GP; Dr A Omokanye, Dr D Manickam, and Dr Hudders

www.balsallcommongrouppractice.co.uk Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30am to 6pm Wednesday 8.30am to 12.00 For details on how to obtain medical help when the surgery is closed, please phone

01676 935000

Practice Changes We are pleased to announce a change within our senior management team with regards to roles and responsibilities.

Joanne Hope, who has had very many years as Practice Manager, has reduced her hours and stepped sideways into a purely business/finance manager role, whereas Kaylee Swift (who has much relevant experience and was already heavily involved in the running of the practice) is now the Practice Manager.

This means that for the staff and the public Kaylee Swift will now be the person to contact if needed.

We know that you will join us in supporting them both and wishing them well in their new roles.

The changes took place on 1st April 2022.

Message from Joanne Hope I started working at the Balsall Common Group Practice on 6th September 1999, joining the partnership of Dr Chris Kirkham, Mike Matthews, Peter Lea and Anne Vallet, working from the 2-storey house in Meeting House Lane and the Meriden Surgery.

The time has flown, and now 22 years later we have a much larger team working from the Meriden Surgery and the Balsall Common Health Centre. In May we celebrate 10 years in the Health Centre. Over the 22 years we have increased the number of services available to patients, bringing care closer to the patient’s home. We have also faced a number of challenges with the ever-changing face of General Practice and the recent pandemic which saw Balsall Common Health Centre delivering over 45,000 COVID vaccinations for patients from Balsall Common, Meriden, Dorridge, Arden and Hampton surgeries.

I would like to thank colleagues and patients who have supported me during my time as Practice Manager. It has been my pleasure to lead the extraordinary team at the Group Practice and I am very pleased to be able to remain with the practice in my new role.

I have worked with Kaylee for over 2 years in her role as Deputy Practice Manager and am confident that she will take the Practice forward to meet the future challenges of General Practice. I wish her every success in her new role.

Good Bye Unfortunately, the Practice has had to say goodbye to one of our Salaried GP’s, Dr Hayes-Lawrence. We wish her the very best in her future roles.

Welcome Back The Practice would like to welcome back Dr Omokanye from her maternity leave. Dr Omokanye will be in Practice Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday mornings.

COVID UPDATE Face to face appointments have been limited across all of the NHS services to protect patients and keep them safe from the risks of infection.

General Practices are open and we are here for you when you need us.

To keep you and everyone safe appointments are being triaged, this helps us to give you the correct type of appointment that you need whether that is for patients to be seen in person, a telephone consultation, video consultation or advice from your local Pharmacy.

If you need to be seen face to face you will be.

We are continuing to follow all National Guidelines that are provided for all GP Practices across the UK along with the everchanging COVID 19 regulations.

We are continuing with our existing face covering policy. This is to continue to protect our Staff and visitors that are attending the Practice. We are also requesting Patients bring their own face coverings to the appointments.

Allare upcontinuing to date Practice Information can be found on our Website www.balsallcommongrouppractice.co.uk We to follow all COVIDGuidelines VACCINATIONS National that are high number of calls to the practice with regard to COVID vaccinations. This is preventing patients getting We are receiving provided for all GPaPractices across through to uswith withthe clinical issues. In view of this we are unable to take questions regarding COVID vaccinations over the phone. the UK along ever-changing PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE PRACTICE BY PHONE WITH ANY QUERIES PLEASE EMAIL COVID 19 regulations. nhsbsolccg.balsall.covid@nhs.net We are continuing with our existing - putting the subject heading COVID VACCINATION face covering policy, this is to SPRING BOOSTER CAMPAIGN - STARTING 21 3 2022 continue to protect our Staff and This booster shouldthe be given around 6 months after the last vaccine dose to: visitors that aredose attending ● adultsAll aged yearsPractice and over Practice. up75 to date ● residentscan in abe care home Information found onfor ourolder adults, and ● individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed website www.balsallcommonsurgery.co.uk We will be contacting patients to arrange appointments

Saturday 21st May 2022 – “Dream Horse” (12A) This is a feel-good British film based on the true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely racehorse bred by a small town barmaid, Jan Vokes. She convinces her neighbours to chip in their meagre earnings to help raise Dream and compete with the racing elite. Their investment pays off as Dream rises through the ranks and becomes a beacon of hope for this struggling Welsh community.

Saturday 18th June 2022 – “Belfast” (12A) We are delighted to have obtained the early screening rights for this Oscar-winning film. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast” is an acclaimed work straight from his own experience. This is the poignant portrayal of Buddy (Jude Hill) a nine-year-old boy growing up amidst the social tumult of the late Sixties in Northern Ireland. He lives with his stable, loving family in a largely Protestant district with Catholic families in the minority. However, one day, caught up in the mayhem of ”The Troubles” his family must make the decision to remain, or leave the place that they have always called home. Through it all, his passionate parents (Catriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan) and his quickwitted Grandparents (Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds) keep the joy alive through laughter, music and the magic of Cinema. Branagh’s intensely personal story is a reminder that no matter how far you go, you never forget where you came from.

Tickets (£6.00) may be reserved and purchased in advance from Chris Copper by :Telephone - 01676 522645 Message - 07721 342127 or Email - chriscopper42@me.com There will be no screenings in July or August but they will resume in September.

See the Autumn Meriden Mag for details.

Large selection of summer bedding and hanging basket plants.

Baskets refilled or supplied as new

No photo copies accepted

We were delighted to be asked to sing at Party in the Park on Sunday 5th June. Hope to see you there!

Tickets are now on sale at £8 each for our summer concert “Stars of Stage and Screen” on Sunday 12th June, 2.30 and 7.30pm at the Manor Hotel. Our chosen charity for this season is Headway supporting people with head injuries In the 12 years that we have been in existence, we have donated over £39,000 to various charities and local good causes., and are very proud to have recently given £500 to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for Ukraine.

If you enjoy singing and would like to join us, you would be made very welcome. We rehearse at Meriden Village Hall between 7.00 and 9.00pm on most Friday evenings. We sing a varied selection of popular songs and songs from musicals and film scores. There are no auditions and you do not have to read music,

For more information or concert tickets please call Valerie Martin 01676 522963 Anna Bird 07792 525999

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Sadly, I have to start by mentioning two friends of the club who have passed away. Lord Plumb better known as Henry to us all suffered a stroke and died on 14th April only five weeks after he came and gave another very enjoyable talk about his time in politics. The following day brought more sad news of Ellen Watkins who died suddenly on 15th April. Ellen was the wife of one of our honorary members, David, who is a long serving Rotarian and a founder member of our mother club Coleshill. Our condolences go to both families.

We have had a few meetings on Zoom to discuss setting up a new Interact club in Kingshurst for 12-to 18-year-olds. This is ongoing and we intend to have further discussions when we have more details on venue etc….

We held a well-attended social evening on 29th March and had excellent service from Sue Holdsworth and her staff at the Hare and Hounds; a most enjoyable evening.

We had a presentation at a club Zoom meeting showing us an insight into Medical Detection Dogs presented by one of their volunteers Baijon Cubbins. This was fascinating and showed how clever dogs are. Jenny Charman spoke about “Brave little Soldiers” at a club meeting held at the Manor Hotel.

Jenny has a nephew who is affected by this Infant Dementia.

The presentation was heart wrenching hearing about this dreadful condition. The club made donations to both these charities.

The postponed membership recruitment evening will now take place in October. We were grateful for Gert stepping into the breach and giving a fascinating talk about his old company NCR. The HQ at Dayton, Ohio and its staff were instrumental in breaking the 4-rotor system Enigma Code Machine used by the German Navy in World War 2.

The whole club decided to support the Rotary Ukraine Appeal and we raised an impressive amount in aid of the refugees.

Anyone who would like to join with us to listen to any of our speakers on Zoom would be most welcome. Full details of our programme can be found on the club website www.meridenrotary.org.uk where there is a link to request a Zoom invitation or to learn more about our club and Rotary.

Balsall Common Country Market Market is held every Saturday from 10am-12 noon 1st Saturday of the month in the British Legion.

Other Saturdays in the Jubilee Centre.

We have lovely home baking, preserves, plants, seasonal vegetables, crafts and home-made cards.

Café is now OPEN! Hampers can be ordered and delivered countrywide

Contact 01676 523007

Thursday 21st April was the second anniversary of the death of Donald Keeble and a memorial service was held at St Peters Church in Balsall Common. Donald was a founder member and a wonderful supporter of our club being President in 1985/86 and holding the position of Treasurer for many years.

Honorary secretary, Jane, has been talking to Solihull Council’s Managed Growth Department about their Reading Well Books scheme which offers to provide books for school libraries. She was able to obtain the donation of a good number of books and we were able to visit Meriden C of E Primary School to present them to add to their library. (See picture on colour pages) Events coming up are a visit to the Houses of Parliament in mid-May and the annual Rotary Charity Golf Day on Monday 23rd May. This an important fundraising event for the club and so our usual meeting on 24th May has been moved back a day to fully support the event at Maxstoke Park Golf Club.

Club Assembly is arranged for Tuesday 31st May where the incoming President and Committee Chair members put forward their proposals for the forthcoming Rotary year which starts at the beginning of July. This will be attended by Assistant District Governor, Jonathan Wilding. The Club’s Incoming President, Philip Hughes will keep you updated with news and events for 2022-2023.

Sunday 5th June brings a Platinum Jubilee Celebration organised by Karin and Malcolm Leonard in aid of the “Brave little Soldiers” charity. The final event in this year’s Rotary club calendar is President’s Evening to be held at The Manor Hotel on Tuesday 14th June.

Charles Perry President

MERIDEN AGUAFLAME UK

Boiler servicing and repairs Boiler replacements New radiators and valves All plumbing work carried out g Fully qualified in Natural gas and LPG

Under floor heating New Bathrooms

01676 523192 home 07970 119142 mobile email: aguaflameuk@gmail.com Terry Griffiths

Obituary: Obituary:Linda LindaWilliams.

Williams.14 14ththOctober October1947 1947––15 15thth December December 2021

It’s It’simportant importantto torecord recordthe thecontributions contributionsto to our our community community of those thosewho whohave havepassed passedon, on,even eventhough thoughwe we don’t don’t always always know many details of any individual’s life.

Linda Williams many details of any individual’s life. Linda Williams did did aa lot of work for forour ourParish ParishChurch Churchof ofSt. St.Laurence Laurencein in aadifficult difficult period, period, contributing contributingaagreat greatdeal dealto tothe theeffort effortwhich which saved saved the the church church from possible possibleclosure closureaafew fewyears yearsago. ago.

Linda Lindamay maybe bebest bestremembered rememberedby byMeriden Meriden residents residents as as a lady with aavery verysharp sharpsense senseof ofhumour. humour.She Shewas wasgood good at at seeing seeing the the funny side sideofofthings thingsand andaafit fitof ofthe thegiggles giggleswas wasnot not unknown. unknown. Even Even when her husband husband John John Linda with her discussing serious things and difficult work, she always sought discussing serious things and difficult work, she always sought the positive positiveand andmore morecheerful cheerfulangles anglesin inany anysituation. situation.

Linda had 33 children. children. The The Lindacame cametotothe thevillage villageininthe theearly early1970s 1970s married married to to Ian Ian Toone, with whom she had eldest, Barnett with with whom whom eldest,Marie, Marie,sadly sadlydied diedinin2000.

2000.She Sheand and Ian Ian divorced divorced and and she later married Ted Barnett she survived her, her, as as she she shelived liveduntil untilhis hisdeath deathinin2011.

2011.In In2014, 2014,Linda Linda married married John John Williams, who has survived died diedininDecember Decemberlast lastyear. year.

Linda great deal deal of of Lindawas wasaaChurchwarden Churchwardenof ofour ourParish Parishfrom from 2005, 2005, for for 88 years, until 2013. She took a great responsibility in the church at that time, through the period when the church roof and then the responsibility in the church at that time, through the period and then the church part of of aa long long churchtower towerwere wererestored restoredand andrefurbished, refurbished, and and following following that, through the first part ‘interregnum’, Treasurer for for the the church church ‘interregnum’,when whenthe thechurch churchhad hadno noappointed appointed minister. minister. She was also the Treasurer for much of that time.

In interregnum, extra responsibilities fall on the two Churchwardens leading to for much of that time. In interregnum, extra responsibilities Churchwardens leading to some her giving giving so so much much someintricate intricateand andchallenging challengingduties. duties.We Weowe owe considerable considerable gratitude to Linda, in her time even ifif aa little little timeand andeffort effortto toan animportant importantcornerstone cornerstone of of our our village village life. I am sure we all join, even belatedly, their friends friends and and belatedly,ininoffering offeringour ourthanks thanksto toLinda, Linda, and and our our love love and and sympathy to John and their neighbours, her friends at the church, and the families of which Linda was such an important part. neighbours, her friends at the church, and the families important part.

Photo of the Church roof restoration work. From left to right :- Linda Williams, one of the contractors, Rev. Michael Dawkins, the minister at the time and Marian Theobald, who was a Churchwarden at that time, as well as the church organist for many years.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Brooks Adams Meriden CE Primary School is looking for a Lunchtime Supervisor to join the team at our happy, caring school and help to ensure our children make excellent progress. We can offer an atmosphere of life-long learning, a supportive and developmental team and the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of our fantastic children, in our unique environment and setting.

Responsibilities include: • Supervising children • Dealing with minor first aid issues • Managing behaviour in line with school policy • Providing a range of activities both inside and outside • Maintaining a positive atmosphere Days of work: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 11:50am – 1:20 pm. Please contact the office for more details and an application pack. CVs are not accepted. office@meriden.solihull.sch.uk 01676 522488 Meriden CE Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and expects all staff to share the commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, which will be carried out before appointment to any job at the school is confirmed. This will include details of convictions cautions and reprimands, as well as ‘spent’ and ‘unspent’ convictions.

HURLEY MOTORCYCLES MOTORCYCLE MOT TESTING 01827 872489 East House Farm Hurley Lane Hurley Warwickshire CV9 2GY BALSALL COMMON U3A Thursday 9th June – “The Work of Spencer’s Retreat” Thursday 7th July – “To see the Beginning of Time” A talk by Andrew Lound.

Thursday 4th August – “Life and Expeditions of Sir Ernest Shackleton”. A talk by Hugh Sharp.

All meetings are held in St. Peter’s Hall, Holly Lane, Balsall Common at 2pm.

There is no charge and prospective members are always welcome to attend. Please also look at our web site to see all our interest groups and what they are doing – there’s something for everyone.

www.balsallcommonu3a.org

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QUEEN’S HEAD A friendly, traditional, local pub in historical middle England.

We offer a full range of traditional ales, beers and lagers as well as wines, spirits and soft drinks.

Pub lunches are served Mondays to Saturdays from 12noon till 2.30pm.

Look out for our great value daily specials, from only £5.

Join us in celebrating The Queen's Jubilee Thurs - Jubilee Quiz Night with EAT2nd IN, June TAKEAWAY or DELIVERED our popular QuizNOON Master TILL - Rick2:30 Wise. 8pm 12:00 start. Entry is £2 per person

Call - 01676 522256

Sat 4th June – Sing-Along with our lovely compere - David McGrath from 6pm to 9pm

Thursdays 12:30 till 3pm @ the Sports Pavilion.

Bring along whatever craft you do, sit and chat with others, share hints and tips and enjoy a cuppa.

If you have any questions please contact Debbie Barber on 07455 829340 or email d.barber69@btinternet.com

Used Stamps Wanted A charity called Medical Missionary News would be very grateful to receive the used stamps off your envelopes. Please leave at least 1” all around when cutting them. Please hand them in at Lloyds Chemist on the Green. The money raised will be used to buy medical supplies for wartorn countries overseas. Thank You.

Meriden Blinds Call now for an appointment to see our latest stunning range of samples for Verticals, Romans, Rollers, Metal, Wood Venetians, and Perfect fit.

CALL US ON: 01676 523642 For a friendly, free, no obligation quote.

AMS Pest Control Services ‘Experts in Protected’ Wasp Nest Treatment £60 Rodent Control Insect Infestation Treatment Discreet unmarked vans Same day service available

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Indi Sangha Window Cleaning and Jet Washing Services All prices quoted include measuring, fitting, and VAT. If you know the measurements, I am happy to give you a quote by email. Please send your details to:

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All Together Café 2 Friday of the Month Meriden Sports Pavilion Any time between 2pm and 4pm nd

10th June 8th July 12th August Drop in for tea, coffee, cake and chat.

Meet your neighbours.

Various board games.

We always have a splendid time.

Do join us soon – call 01676 522666 if you would like transport.

unit

1st Meriden Scout Group and Explorer Unit - News from the Green Hut 1st Meriden Cubs, started this term with a trip to the lambing shed, kind permission of Charlie, Adam and Tom Beaty. The lambing was in full flow and we were lucky to see three ewes lambing much to the amazement of the cubs.

No fainting just lots of wow’s, gasps and uurrggghh when a little lamb popped out of its mum. Their faces were a picture once they got over the shock of seeing such an event, followed by a bombardment of questions. Charlie took them in her stride and was quite taken back with their enthusiasm! A big thank you, it was an amazing evening.

We welcomed Roman, Josh, Benj, Max and Joel into Cubs and made them swim under the Cubs across the river into Cubs. This involved the Cubs lying on their backs, legs in the air to make a tunnel, whilst each Beaver was pulled by a rope to the ‘other’ side. We also invested Dan into the adult leadership team, fortunately he didn’t have to do the same ceremony!

Sara Lawrence, came to visit us over two weeks and the Cubs completed their Money Skill Activity Badge. This is a new Badge the Association have introduced, teaching us how read bank statements, warning us of fraud and what the fraudsters get up to, different currencies and exchange rates. Wages was an interesting topic, what some professions earn (roughly) some thought the PM earned £1.2m! and nurses earned more than Drs….

We learned about income and expenditure, along with budgeting. Apparently cake is an essential in the eyes of a 9yrs old!

We also completed some personal nail art; this seemed a good idea at the planning meeting but having 19 hammers hammering in an echoey hall wasn’t the best idea I had this year! They did look good though.

Lots of new activities planned for the section this summer, hiking, kayaking, archery and camping along with all the crafty things we do.

Lynda and the Leadership team.

Join the adventure.

If you are interested in becoming a leader at Meriden Please Email: 1stmeridenscouts@gmail.com – Lynda Spratt

Meriden Scouts Like the Beavers and the Cubs, the Scouts started our Spring term off by visiting the Meriden Dairy Farm to see the lambing. Charlie and the team gave the Scouts an experience I don’t think they’ll ever forget; it was a truly great night.

Over the following weeks we’ve done some map work, fire lighting, cooking, pitching tents and playing with different types of stoves, all preparing for forthcoming camps. The Scouts have really risen to the challenge allowing us to be able to push on with some great challenging programmes in the coming months.

The older Scouts joined the Explorers for a trip to North Wales to put some of their mapping skills into practice and experience the thrill of walking in the mountains. We even had a sprinkling of snow to add to the fun.

If you think Scouting’s for you get in touch or pop along on a Tuesday evening and give it a try. If Bear does why don’t you. Mark Jones.

Meriden Scouts Fundraising We are devoting this year to raising funds for The Scout Hut. After being built by parents back in the 70s The Hut has begun to creak at the seams due to the ever-growing amount of eager young people wanting to join The Scouting Movement.

This year our main fundraising focus is to raise sufficient funds to extend The Scout Hut. This will involve adding on an additional room and making the roof space safe for additional storage. More detail to this will follow in the coming months.

We are looking to hold events throughout the year, which means families can come together as well as the rest of the village. Our first event was held on 13th March - A Beetle Drive. Who would have thought the roll of a dice to make a beetle would be so competitive? - A fantastic Sunday afternoon and thank you to all who attended and helped raise £281 that afternoon.

Please see the events page for the details of our Family Fun Day on 18th June Beavers: Boys and girls aged 6 - 8 Monday evening 6.30-7.30 Cubs Scouts: Boys and Girls aged 8 - 10.5 Thursday evening Scouts: Boys and Girls aged 10.5 – 14 Tuesday evening 7.00- 9.00.pm Explorer Scouts: Male and Female aged 14 - 18 Monday evening 7.45- 9.45 Please email 1stmeridenscouts@gmail.com for more information

CHARITY FUNDRAISING NEWS On 12th March, Spencers Retreat Care Farm, based in Berkswell, hosted an open day and cake sale In aid of Ukrainian families fleeing from the war. It was a fantastic day, warm and sunny, and the community came out to support the event. We raised £930, which became £2325 when gift aid and government matching were added.

Thank you to Jenny from Tutor & Exam for sponsoring the event, Marilyn & Team for baking amazing cakes and serving the drinks, Eastern Green farm for the eggs and Tesco for donating hot and cold drinks. Also, not forgetting all our amazing volunteers at the Spencers Retreat for setting up & helping on the day and Adrian and Steve from Armec for creating a temporary wood chip carpark. The community came together, it was an amazing day and we all stood together in solidarity with Ukraine.

Sadie Spencer, 4, who lives in the village and attends Meriden Primary School, has had her hair cut to raise money for the Little Princess Trust. This charity provides wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer or other illnesses. Sadie donated a whopping 12 inches of hair and so far has also raised a total of £945 in sponsorship! If you would like to support this lovely young lady, you can donate here…. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sadiespencerlocksofl ove

Before

This is what Spencers Retreat is all about - our community and helping when we can. We are always looking for volunteers. We are now open to the public, schools, colleges, care homes, charity groups and local groups. If you are looking for venue for a children’s party, family get together, team meeting or team building, we have the ideal place.

Also, when using us, you are helping to keep our charity care farm going. Please get in touch enquiries@spencersretreat.com and ask for Kate.

Check out our Website www.thelangdaletrust.com

Millison’s Wood Masterchef Marvel!

Well done to Pookie Tredell who lives in Millison’s Wood. She was accepted onto this year’s Masterchef competition, shown on BBC 1 over the last few weeks.

From the very beginning, Pookie did brilliantly. Her imaginative dishes and cooking skills were amazing and she steadily cooked her way through round after round, even cooking in Gordon Ramsey’s 3 Michelin starred restaurant. No mean feat, I’m sure you’ll agree!

The donation

After

Meriden Residents Supporting Ukraine We all have witnessed reports from the war in Ukraine and have been moved by its terrible consequences for the people of that country. Many of you will have made your own donations to the Disaster Emergency Committee and to other charities trying to offer relief to those affected. Some Meriden folk have organised local fundraising activities that have helped to raise money that is so desperately needed by Ukraine.

Ukrainian support ribbons (pictured) - Well done to Tina Gallagher for creating and assembling these ribbons, which have been sold at various local places, so people can wear them and show support for Ukraine. So far, Tina and a few helpers have raised over £500 for the DEC appeal. If you would like one of these ribbons they are still available at The Queen’s Head.

Quiz night at The Queens Head - Many thanks go to Rick Wise, our very own Quiz-wizard, his glamorous assistant Pat, Caroline, Stuart and all the QH team who, early in May, held a mammoth quiz night in support of this appeal. With quiz entry fees, donations, sale of ribbons and a raffle they raised an amazing £820.

Thanks to everyone who supported this event so generously.

She made it all the way to the final three. Despite not putting a foot wrong in the final, she was just pipped to the trophy. However, we can all be extremely proud of her achievement and we wish her all the best in whatever she decides to do next.

Some local residents have also registered offers to house Ukrainian refugees and, if successful, will look forward to greeting them in the coming months. We are confident that Meriden village will offer them a warm welcome.

Editor’s note. We weren’t allowed to use the Masterchef logo or include a photo of Pookie in her chef’s ‘whites’ without formal approval and that wasn’t received in time.

Please note, the next quiz night at The Queens Head will be on Thursday 2nd June as part of the Jubilee Weekend Celebrations.

ROBERT KIPLING (BOB)

On behalf of the residents of Meriden, the Parish Council would like to thank Bob Kipling for the 30 years of public service as a Parish Councillor.

His knowledge of the history of Meriden and the environment will be sorely missed.

Thank you, Bob, – enjoy your Monday evenings!

SPORTS PARK AND CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA Further groundworks have been completed to extend the soft surface beneath the roundabout, improve accessibility including relaying paving to enable level surface and extend the pathway from gate entrance to the new Swirl roundabout for wheelchair users and those less ambulant.

YOUR LOCAL PARISH COUNCIL NEEDS YOU!

May we remind people that NO dogs are allowed in the park or play area.

Toxocariasis is an infection caused by roundworm parasites and is found in dog, cat, and foxes’ faeces. It can also cause blindness. Dogs can also carry E. coli and hepatitis. Adults and children use the park to play in the play area and to play sport, so we want to protect them.

We need more volunteers!

ELECTIONS MAY 2023 MAKE A CHANGE BECOME A PARISH COUNCILLOR To find out more contact Barbara Bland SPEEDWATCH

Our first session post-Covid was in April when the team of volunteers and West Midlands Police recorded 60 drivers speeding in an hour. They will all get a letter or a personal visit by the police.

Barbara Bland

Should you wish to contact the Parish Council, please contact the Clerk to have a private chat to address local community issues or visit our website where you can access a wealth of information.

Clerk: Barbara Bland, 55 James Dawson Drive, Millisons Wood, Coventry, CV5 9QJ T: 01676 522474 M: 07767 162423 E: clerk@meridenparishcouncil.org.uk

UPDATES

PLATINUM JUBILEE

THANK YOU The Parish Council would like to thank members of the public for continuing to bring to our attention local issues such as potholes, rubbish on roads, HS2 lorries, HGVs. Please continue to do so as we are continuing to talk to the responsible officers at SMBC, quarry operators and HS2 to get the work done and to ensure HGVs adhere to the appropriate routing agreements in place.

WARM HUB …. Is going well. Anyone is welcome to pop in for a cuppa and a chat every Tuesday 10.30 to 12.30 in the Pavilion at the Sports Park. Any resident is welcome ….and we have biscuits!

NATIONAL CYCLISTS’ MEMORIAL The specialist cleaning and restoration of the Memorial on The Green was made possible by the donation from Cycling UK. COMMUNITY LITTER PICKING

MERIDEN COMMUNITY LITTER PICKING We want to encourage more people to join our volunteer litter picking team. Several community sessions have been done and LOTS of rubbish collected.

The next dates are: May 28th, June 25th, and July 30th.

Meet @ 11am in the Sports Park.

Refreshments @noon!

STONE BENCH UPDATE

Meriden’s stone seat on The Green was sadly demolished by a car.

It is slowly being reconstructed back to the original by a specialist master stonemason.

From Left to Right: Cllr R Weaver BEM (Chair), Cllr J Hughes (Vice-Chair), Cllr M Eggar, Cllr M Nunn

From Left to Right: Cllr M Woollard, Cllr J Barber, Cllr A Eburne, Cllr C Smith

ANNUAL REPORT 2021-2022 2021 and the start of 2022 have certainly been a challenge for many people including the Parish Council. With government guidelines changing frequently, the PC has been able to continue its business and meet via Zoom and more recently in person, with the public being protected and joining the meeting virtually or by phone.

Most of our meetings have been live streamed onto Facebook so others unable to attend could access them. At this point, the PC could not have been so effective without the Clerk’s support so big thanks to Barbara Bland for coping with yet another difficult but successful year.

As a PC, we have achieved many things that were in the Business Plan. Of note, we achieved a majority YES vote for the NDP that went to referendum in May 2021. This is now a formal planning document.

We have had two casual vacancies this year and both have been filled through advertising widely in the community. We welcome Cllr Carmen Smith and more recently Cllr Malcom Eggar to the team. We wish to thank Bob Kipling who has resigned from office. He has given 30 years of service to the community of Meriden. His knowledge of the history of Meriden and of the countryside in and around Meriden have been invaluable. He will be a very hard act to follow.

The PC would also like to thank Packington Estate, NRS, A&A and HD Ricketts for their sponsorship of Meriden’s Christmas Lights. Another big thank you is to Emma West-Eggar who has given her time freely to run defibrillator and first aid courses – we now have another 30 people trained. A fantastic community response to undertake the training.

Another brilliant response and a big thank you is to the litter picking volunteers who join the community group under the auspices “I love Solihull” or who litter pick whilst out walking. So much rubbish has been collected this year! Other community groups – Speedwatch and Streetwatch are now operational again following COVID restrictions being lifted. We hope more people will sign up to these initiatives.

A big congratulations to Doreen Agutter Meriden’s historian for her well-deserved MBE. Her contributions to our NDP and the Meriden Mag ensure Meriden’s history will never be forgotten.

It was very sad when we heard that Alan Lole had passed away. His contributions to maintaining The Tree of Thought and raising thousands of pounds for Marie Curie Hospice and Macmillan Cancer support since 2005 have provided support in difficult times for many people. The Parish Council will continue to support The Tree of Thought.

The PC successfully secured a grant from the War Memorials Trust and restoration and maintenance work has been completed on the Memorial in Berkswell Rd. Another pre-application for a structural survey has been submitted for further works to stabilise the wood structure.

The 100th Anniversary of the National Cyclists Memorial Service was held on 5th Sep 2021 supported by the PC. The “Ride with a Veteran” RBLI Cycle Ride on 17th July 2021 – supported by the PC who welcomed over 50 riders into Meriden to lay wreaths at the Cyclists Memorial, attended by our MP. Cycling UK funding was secured for maintenance and cleaning of the National Cyclists’ Memorial and this work starts this week.

The PC and the Sports Park Directors listened to local community requests for improved accessibility. A thank you to residents/visitors for their patience as an extended pathway has been added together with an inclusive Swirl roundabout for the enjoyment of disabled and non-disabled children. The funding for this was secured via a successful Lottery Community funding bid.

The transfer of the Sports Park from SMBC to the Parish Council seems to stall frequently and remains a work in progress.

However, the Allotments have now been transferred at last from Taylor Wimpey to the Parish Council.

The Parish Council proactively works with quarry partners to alleviate/reduce nuisance of HGVs through the Parish. It does seem like a full-time job at times for us! Fillongley Road Bridge replacement, Eastern Green developments, the new A45 road layout, HS2, new motorways services, all significantly impact Meriden. The Parish Council continues to mitigate and engage with all contractors and SMBC to minimise impact in a rural community.

We continue to liaise with SMBC Highways for traffic calming measures and residents‘ suggestions to us in the last 12 months have helped develop the wider plan to include disabled parking bays, parking restrictions and the reduction to 20mph through the village centre. The new cycle lanes will continue to be a contentious issue and we are monitoring the situation.

Meriden’s new Warm Hub on Tuesdays 10.30 to 12.30 in the Pavilion is proving to be successful - where anyone can drop in for a chat and a cuppa following the social isolation we have all felt during lockdowns.

Meriden’s Helpline coordinated by the PC and run by volunteers has received approx. 900 calls in the last 2 years. We will continue it and would welcome any new volunteers to help keep it going. A HUGE thank you to those volunteers who answer the calls and shop, collect prescriptions and be a listening ear. As someone who used this service told me – “it’s not just a helpline it’s been a lifeline”.

Cllr Rosie Weaver BEM

Dates for hoisting the Flag on Meriden Green 2nd June – Coronation Day 2nd June – Official Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday 3rd-5th June – Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations 21st June – Birthday of the Duke of Cambridge 25th June – Armed Forces Day 17th July – Birthday of the Duchess of Cornwall 15th August – Birthday of the Princess Royal

HAPPINESS IS……

Reading a really good book then finding it’s a series

Are you part of a local sporting, recreational or leisure Association/Community group that needs a small financial grant to help?

If so the Meriden Sports and Recreation Trust may be able to assist by providing a small grant.

They’re designed to support non-commercial groups and their members with financial assistance in order to develop their sporting, recreational and leisure projects for the benefit of those living in or close to Meriden.

Applications may be made that support a wide range of leisure and health-based activities, across all age groups and sections of the community, that promote exercise, well-being and leisure.

We have helped local groups such as The Firebird Singers, Centre of England Arts, The Scout Group and Cameo to name a few. For more info, please visit our website www.meridensrt.org.uk

Some information and advice for local groups from Solihull’s Community Development Worker I’m Liz, I’m the SMBC Community Development Worker for Meriden, Balsall Common, Hampton in Arden, Catherine De Barnes, Barston and surrounding areas.

I can support community groups/ organisations and individuals who either provide, or would like to provide, groups, activities and events which are open to the community. This includes celebration events or one-off activities, such as a community picnic or fayre. Group activities could include stay and play sessions, youth clubs, lunch clubs, community coffee mornings, hall/room hire etc.

Here are some examples of the assistance we can provide: - Discussing any ideas individuals/groups have for community projects, activities and events and helping you to take the next steps.

- Checking out grant funding opportunities on your behalf to help towards the costs of delivering a community project or event.

- Connecting you to relevant local community groups to build relationships which are mutually beneficial.

- Linking you up to the specialist support services of Solihull CAVA who are contracted to support the voluntary sector in Solihull. For example, volunteer recruitment and management, organisational structures and governance.

-

Including organisations activities on a new interactive map which informs local residents about their local neighbourhood - My Solihull Map. Informing you of training opportunities and workshops e.g., Children’s or Adults safeguarding, community first aid Raising awareness with local groups if you have a hall or meeting room available for hire.

If you are interested in being more involved in your community or would like to share any local knowledge or ideas, I would love to hear from you My contact details are: Tel – 07493 864 801 Email: ehopkins@solihull.gov.uk Find me on Facebook as ‘Community Worker for Bickenhill & Meriden’

Cricket Fixtures Meriden Team Fixtures at Meriden Sports Park Coventry ‘20 Overs’ League - Tuesdays at 6pm 21/06/2022 28/06/2022 05/07/2022 12/07/2022

Coventry Blues Armhelm Punjab Tigers Mk 20 -20

X20 Bus Service Change Johnsons ‘Excelbus’ Bus Services are being taken over by Diamond Bus Ltd. Johnsons will focus on building their coach business for holidays, day trips, private coach hire and school services. The deal is expected to be concluded on 29th May. At the time of going to print, we couldn’t find any information about timetable changes. Diamond have said that the new timetables will be published on their website ‘shortly’.

Meriden Sports Park is also the Home ground for Earlswood 5ths and Coleshill 3rds in the Division 9 South Central League. Matches are played on Saturdays at 1pm. Opponents include teams from Berkswell, Dorridge and Coventry.

Thank you to the Voters of Meriden and Millisons Wood.

I am Sheila Cooper and have lived in Berkswell for almost 30 years on a smallholding where I have a small flock of rare breed Castlemilk Moorit Sheep.

After some persuasion, I agreed to stand in the Local Elections 2022 as the Meriden Ward Candidate for the Solihull Green Party. During my years of campaigning in Solihull, mainly on planning matters and HS2, I met many sitting Green Party Councillors and always found them to be honest, trustworthy and prepared to work hard on behalf of all Solihull residents. I have also had the pleasure of working with a dedicated local GREEN TEAM whose help and support has been second to none. We have already discussed our commitment to continue to campaign and help residents where we can.

It is disappointing not to have been elected but it has been a privilege to meet many Meriden and Millison’s Wood residents during the election process. I will continue to fight as an Independent Green Party Campaigner, on the issues and concerns of Meriden residents in the future. I have already promised to help local residents on a couple of potentially serious issues and am happy to hear from residents who fail to secure help from the new or existing Ward Councillors or our MP Saqib Bhatti.

I have sat on the Local Access Forum for Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire from its inception almost 20 years ago, which gives me access to professional help and advice. I also work closely with the Countryside Charity, CPRE Warwickshire.

If I can be of any help whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact me: Telephone: 01676 535242 Email: sheila.ann.cooper41@gmail.com

‘A Precious Book’ – A short Story by Enid Hinton of Balsall Common Writers Lilian flexed her arthritic fingers and sighed. She stared out of her cottage window, watching the steadily falling rain. What a bleak outlook, even the birds had taken shelter and were no longer enjoying the sunflower seeds on her bird-table. Only 4pm but it was already gloomy and starting to get dark. ‘I hate November’ Lilian murmured to herself half-heartedly. This was definitely not one of her better days. Three score years and ten plus how many more years? Was it seven or nine? She couldn’t remember exactly, but what can you expect at her age? She must be realistic. As she busied herself lighting the gas to make a cup of tea, she asked herself again and again, what was life all about anyway? What’s the purpose? This question had bothered Lilian for as long as she could remember. This was why she kept her precious secret book!

Even as a young girl, Lilian had felt the need to keep a diary and put photographs in an orderly manner in a leather bound Album, all correctly labelled of course! She kept neat and tidy Scrapbooks of pictures she liked, Sayings, Poems and even Newspaper articles. She had to have an orderly life. Had to have some proof of her existence, some reason for ‘being’. Everything had to be documented to make some sense of it all. And she had certainly done that during her long life.

Lilian had enjoyed an adventurous life full of interesting experiences. Even now she always made sure she kept herself trim and as fit as possible and prided herself on being “well turned out”. Being tall and slim, she had cut an imposing figure in her younger days. She hadn’t “hit the headlines” in any good or bad way, had not been the recipient of any MBEs or Oscars and she considered herself “average”. She had married aged twenty, as many girls did back then, but sadly was widowed just five years later. With no close dependent family, Lilian set out to make the most of her life, armed of course with her precious journal!

The “Official Secrets Act” prevented Lilian from telling even her closest family and friends about her work at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, the centre for British code breakers which housed the Government Code and Cypher School during World War 11. She joined 10,000 codebreakers, WRENS and WAAFS working on the cross-indexing system which went on around the clock in a three shift system and in different huts. Messages were read from the Secret Service, Navy, Air Force, German army and even Hitler himself, thousands of messages, but all was secretly recorded in her closely guarded precious book. Lilian truly believed her signature on the Official Secrets Act to be binding for her lifetime. Time enough for all to be revealed very much later.

Following the end of the war, Lilian worked as a Covert Communications Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency under an assumed name and spent a significant part of her professional career living and working overseas as part of an elite team. A frequently terrifying, even amusing, but never boring life. Again she had to hide the truth from others including family members, friends and close acquaintances, a commitment she agreed to accept.

Now, comfortable in the knowledge that her Precious Book would soon reveal her life’s work, making her very existence worthwhile, Lilian sighed deeply as she lay in her comfortable bed watching the rain running down the windows. She thought to herself how tired she was. A good life almost over. How she wished she would be around to see her autobiography revealed. She turned to glance at her precious book and her mouth curved into a slight smile as she imagined how everyone would enjoy the story of her life. She drifted into a peaceful contented sleep from which she never awoke.

Two weeks after Lilian's death, her friends and family slowly filed out of the side door of the crematorium.

Lilian’s only nephew John and cousin Violet stood quietly chatting in the courtyard and looking down at the funeral flowers. There were tributes from Lilian’s many friends, most of whom were unknown to them.

‘That really was a lovely send off, John’ Violet commented. ‘Thanks. I didn’t see a lot of Lilian over the years, but I did like her. She seemed an intelligent lady, a no-nonsense sort of person who didn’t suffer fools gladly.

I’m surprised she didn’t achieve more with her life. A shame really.’

‘Yes that’s true. Do you remember that book she always carried around with her? She guarded it like gold. I wonder whatever happened to that?’ ‘Oh that. I found it on her bedside table. As it was obviously so precious to her, I put it inside her coffin right next to her for her final journey. I thought she would appreciate that.’

‘Oh! That’s a really lovely thought John. The book certainly looked very well used. What was it all about?’

John raised his eyebrows questioningly ‘Haven’t a clue. I didn’t read it!’

They both jumped and glanced upwards as a loud crack of thunder reverberated across the sky!

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Contact numbers Sue 01676 522540 Carol 01676 522888 Summer Greetings from Sue, Carol and the Meriden Committee!

With February finally bringing an end to the last Covid restrictions we have had a successful and busy couple of months fundraising for Cancer Research.

In March a hardy bunch of 23 volunteers joined the Meriden Team to take up the “Walk all over Cancer” challenge.

Hopefully many of you saw the advertising campaign throughout the village. The challenge was to commit to walk at least 10,000 steps every day throughout the month of March and persuade as many people as possible to sponsor the event. Not only have many of the team reported feeling better through taking regular exercise, but also, through the generous support of their friends, neighbours and families the Meriden Team has currently raised just over £7,800 (plus £1,428 gift aid) for CRUK. That is an amazing amount of money and we would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who joined the team or sponsored a team member, we are so very grateful. If you would like to view the team members you can find them by going to fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/meriden-committeewalk-all-over-cancer. Also in March, we finally managed to hold our first ‘party night’ since Christmas 2019! Our popular “fish and chip supper” at the Heart of England Social Club was a great opportunity for friends to gather together, have a chat, a few tipples and a turn on the dance floor whilst being entertained by musical maestro Keith Slater. It was a great success and raised just over £740, thanks to everyone who attended and supported us.

In April our volunteers were to be found at Tesco’s Cannon Park at the annual ‘Tesco turns Pink’ event, promoting and fundraising for the “Race for Life” challenges that will be taking place at various venues in the Midlands over the summer. Buckets in hand and smiles on our faces, we managed to collect over £720. If you fancy taking part in any of the challenges, search Cancer Research “race for life 2022” for details.

The next big celebration that we are all looking forward to is The Jubilee Weekend at the beginning of June. CRUK will be supporting the event at the Meriden Sports Park on Sunday 5th and we look forward to seeing lots of people there.

Our fundraising will be continuing with various events including our traditional visit to Tutbury Castle, our annual ‘In the Pink & Blue’ evening and an autumn quiz at the Queens Head but, as always, keep an eye out for advertising posters and on social media – you never know what will pop up next!

Finally, as many of us are beginning to get out a bit more, we take this opportunity to wish you an enjoyable summer, enjoy the benefits of regular outdoor exercise (as our “walk all over cancer” volunteers have found) and hope for a sunny summer with friends and family. As always, if you would like to become involved in any of our activities then Sue or Carol would love to hear from you.

CAMEO – Come and Meet Each Other In March, we had lunch at the Lake at Barston, a lovely setting with good food.

In April, we were entertained by Simply Purple, a choir from Balsall Common. Nothing lifts the spirit More than a choir.

In May, we had the Jubilee celebrations for our wonderful Queen. Memories of Coronation Day exchanged, what we wore, what we ate. Our childhoods relived. Trestle tables in the road full of food. No traffic to worry about. A long time ago, but fondly remembered.

Marie Curie Hospice Garden - We learnt about the making of this garden at our Feb meeting. On June 26th, the garden will be open from 10am – 4pm to all who wish to see it. There is a restaurant for refreshments and lunches. Please go and give your support to the wonderful people who continue to make the garden so special. The address is: Marie Curie Hospice, Marsh Lane, Solihull B91 2PQ. It’s quite easy to find.

Summer Meetings are planned as follows: June 24th - A day out to Middleton Hall near Tamworth.

Cost is £17 and includes coach travel (lift available), entrance fee with a guided tour of the Hall and garden, also tea/coffee on arrival.

July 22nd – Our annual Strawberry and Cream Tea afternoon where we voice our favourite poems, sayings etc. Always enjoyed by everyone.

August 26th – We hope to all meet at the Queens Head for lunch. It was much enjoyed the last time we did this.

In April, we were very sad to hear of the death of Ellen Watkins. In 2001, Ellen was one of the founding members of CAMEO, a group for older members of the community to meet together, coming to know the love of God through fellowship and caring, with meetings for fun and friendship available to everyone. We hope that this will continue for many years with new ambassadors of joyfulness for all in their later years.

We meet at the Village Hall On the 4th Friday of each month at 2 – 4 pm please contact Joan Tel: 01676 523507 for more information. Everyone is very welcome.

YOUR LOCAL ARCHERY CLUB IN MERIDEN www.meriden-archery.org.uk A RECORD BREAKING START For quite a few archers, the outdoor season started with some glorious weather in April, and as a bonus on home ground too! Meriden was proud to host a field full of archers in one of the first outdoor shoots of the season.

Our ground is well known to be a great field to shoot and many archers have achieved national records and higher in our tournaments over the years. This one was no different - visiting U16 Barebow Archer Ollie Hicks took away six... (that’s right SIX!) records, three European, and three National - huge congratulations to Ollie! He’s certainly one to watch. Our own archers will be touring the country over the summer months and we look forward to following their progress, which we’ll update you on next time. As always, if you want to know more, pop along to see us or visit our website https://www.meriden-archery.org.uk/ Or why not have a look at https://startarchery.co.uk/ which has lots of information about how to get started in archery.

#teammeriden from a National 2-day competition

Meriden Flower Club Meetings are held at Meriden Village Hall 7.30-9.00pm on the third Monday of each month except for the Xmas meeting. Doors open at 6.30pm and entry fees are paid on the door. Guests are always welcome.

For more information, please email

meridenflowerclub@hotmail.com

Meriden Floral Society

Jubilee Afternoon Tea Saturday 25th June 2022 2.0 – 4.0pm Meriden Village Hall £15 per person Includes *Afternoon Tea* *Flower Demonstration with a difference* * Raffle* Sales Table*

Come and enjoy a lovely afternoon Contact Gail – 07845 791345 Our March meeting welcomed demonstrator Louisa Rigden with her demonstration "Spring Delights". Louisa produced some wonderful displays and the lucky raffle winners were able to take home some beautiful spring flowers.

We are still settling into our new location on Maxstoke Lane, after HS2 forced us to relocate.

We are keen to recruit some new members.

Our big event this summer is a Scale Radio Controlled Helicopter Day on Sunday 3rd July from 10am.

For information on joining the Club or advice on getting started in the hobby, please contact us via our website www.hoeaflyers.club - we’re always happy to help

Terry Dingley

Meriden Women’s Institute 1918 – 2022

Aerial photography – Many thanks to Terry for the great local aerial photos in this Mag especially the front cover

Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month 7:30pm at Meriden Village Hall, Main Road CV7 7NG Our Games mornings have stopped but will resume in the Autumn – see the Autumn Mag for details

The WI has been part of the Meriden Community since 1918. As part of the WI, you will forge friendships, learn new skills and make a difference in your community by joining the largest women’s organisation in the U.K. Whatever your reason for joining, we offer all kinds of opportunities: a chance to meet people, catch up with friends, learn valuable life skills or help your community through WI campaigns.

Did you know that the Queen has been a member of the WI for 80 years? Coming up in our Royal Platinum Jubilee year, in addition to the events shown below, we have: - Talks from a local author, an historian, an expert on wills and lasting powers of attorney, and the Mayor of Solihull.

Dates for your diary:5th June - WI Tombola stall at the Platinum

Jubilee Event at Meriden Sports Park 6th June - A Royal Tea Party 4th July – Monthly meeting 1st August - Monthly meeting

We will be updating our Meriden WI Facebook page, so please keep an eye out for the notifications and news of other events and activities that we will be hosting over the coming months. For more information, please contact us via email meridenwi@hotmail.com or call Samm Bain on 07739 972046 or Della Mannix on 07920 014909

Walking for Wellbeing – Coventry & Warwickshire … tries to offer weekly local walks on a varied, rolling programme, all year round, in the mornings, afternoons, evenings and even at night. We walk on weekdays and at the weekend. We are keen to know what you’d like – Short easy walks? Something more challenging? A mum’s group? A supported mental health group? We will create or tailor walks to suit your needs. If you are interested, just email us at walkingwellbeingcw.outlook.com or find us on Facebook.

With thanks to Charlie Beaty For these lovely pages Spring is hands down my favourite time of year. The fields are full of new life, with lambs and calves springing around, the hedgerows are full and bustling and the farm is at its most lively.

The crops that we plant are growing tall, with just a few months left until they’ll be ready to harvest.

Turning the sheep and cattle out into the fields is the best job EVER. We bring the cows inside for the winter months, to protect and look after our grass. The cows wouldn’t mind too much if we left them outside for the winter, with their thick coats to protect them. But their big hooves would soon turn our fields into a mud bath over the wet winter months, which would completely ruin our grass – then what would we feed them?!

We first use a tractor and mower to cut the grass.

The tractors are busy again and it’ll soon be time to start mowing grass to create silage and hay. In the early summer months, when it’s warm, the grass grows at a much faster rate than the cows and sheep can eat it, so rather than it going to waste, we mow it and gather it into bales. We then store these bales of grass, ready to feed to the cows and sheep over the winter when the grass stops growing. Hay is when it’s completely dried out, silage is when there is some moisture left and we wrap it in black plastic to stop it going mouldy. This saves us from having to buy expensive feed for the animals over winter, and it saves the extra grass from going to waste!

The hay bales don’t need wrapping, as the grass has been completely dried out before being gathered into a bale.

Silage bales still have some moisture left in them, so they’re wrapped up otherwise they go all mouldy – yuck!

Bumble bees enjoying the wildflowers!

Whilst producing food is a very important part of farming, looking after the environment is a very important part too. One of the things we do is plant wildflower plots across the farm, to provide a food source and habitat for wildlife on the farm. The plots contain a mixture of plants and flowers, such as phacelia, mustard and vetch, providing food for many different species. They’re full to bursting with insects, small mammals, and small birds. When you walk near to the plots you can hear the humming of all the insects!

Answers on page 46

Summer tubs and baskets Now is the time to plant summer containers and baskets, choose the containers you want to use and clean them, If using a container with a large drainage hole, place a few stones or broken terracotta (crocks) over it to stop the water and compost washing out.

For other containers there is no need to add stones at the bottom.

Seed or potting compost is used for growing plants in containers – a wide range of commercially produced composts are available. Choose a multipurpose peat free compost and you can add water retaining granules to prevent the container drying out quickly.

Fill the container with compost, leaving room to arrange the plants on the surface. Now is the time to decide what you will plant and where you will place the containers.

There is a vast choice of plants to choose from. If you start early enough you can buy plugs and pot them up and leave in sheltered place or greenhouse to grow. However plants are readily available in nurseries and shops at this time of year.

Suitable plants to grow are geraniums. They are either trailing or upright, and come in a range of bright colours, marigolds, fuchsias, surfinias, begonias, antirrhinums just to name a few. You can choose a colour scheme of a variety of plants or even fill the container with all the same plants. Do not over fill the container, allow room for the plants to grow.

Remove the plants from their pots and tease out the roots gently and work more compost around the root balls.

Ensure that the top of the root ball is level with the surface of the compost Firm the compost around the plants, water well to settle any air pockets and top up with compost if necessary.

Make sure there is a gap of about 2.5cm (1in) between soil level and the top of the container. This will ensure there's room for the water to soak in.

Once planted up place the container where you want it to stay and water carefully.

You will need to water regularly especially in hot weather and feed fortnightly.

Dead head regularly to ensure constant flowering.

Hanging baskets dry out very quickly. Before you put the compost in the basket place a flower pot saucer at the bottom to prevent the water running out. Add the water retaining granules to the compost, water every day. Use trailing plants at the sides to hide the basket.

Thanks to Margaret Argyle for this beautiful page.

Raspberry Tiramisu

After the gardening a refreshing lemonade 3 unwaxed lemons 75 g granulated sugar 750 ml water Chop the lemons and place in a food processor with the sugar until you have a fairly fine pulp. Place in a jug and add the water. Chill overnight in the fridge.

Serve with ice cubes lemon slices and sprigs of mint.

50g caster sugar 2eggs separated 200g raspberries 200g mascarpone cheese 200g sponge fingers 250ml strong cold coffee Cream together sugar and egg yolks.

Add the mascarpone and then beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture.

Place raspberries in the bottom of a shallow dish.

Prepare the sponge fingers by dipping them quickly in the coffee and then arrange a layer above the raspberries.

Spread a layer of the mascarpone over the sponge fingers Repeat this again ending with the mascarpone.

Leave in fridge. For 4 to5 hours.

When serving sprinkle over some cocoa powder and decorate with raspberries

WALKING PAGE Easy 3.5-mile walk – including part of A Coventry Way starting from the Queens Head Pub. (1) With your back to the QH, go R, down to the kissing gate just before you reach the Main Road. (2) Go through the gate, over a footbridge and follow the path along field edges uphill to the Fillongley Rd. (3) Turn L and walk to the top of Leys Lane (4). Go half way down Leys Lane, then take the footpath on the R (Digby Place) (5) emerging onto The Croft. Go down the road to a T junction, then turn L to reach the Main Rd. (6) Turn R up to the roundabout in the village centre (7), then L along Hampton Lane for 150m and take the footpath on the L beside No 1/Cobblers Corner. (8) Follow this as far as you can go, with a grassy bank ahead of you. Turn L and walk to a concrete road (10), then turn R down it to just before the MWH gates. Go through a kissing gate on the left (11) and walk diagonally R to a gate, heading towards a clump of trees. Go through the gate and uphill round to the L of the trees up to a gate. Go through the gate and keep straight ahead until you reach a stile on the L (12). Go over it and walk ahead, with the fence on your R, to reach the Berkswell Rd. (13) Cross over and go through the kissing gate. Walk diagonally L to the field corner, through another kissing gate and R uphill for a very short distance, then L. Follow the line of the hedge with it on your L, heading towards the Church (see photo). You emerge on Church Lane and turn R.(14) Just after the Church, take the footpath on the L and follow it down to the road and back to the QH.

3

Editor’s Note:It is proving quite difficult to find different walks at the moment. I have lots of walking books to draw from, but so many of the walks are impacted

by HS2 or the Fillongley Bridge replacement work. I have to test out the walk before I include it.

If you can offer us a walk to feature here, that would be greatly appreciated. Email chrisbannister56@aol.com

Looking over to the Church (at 14) from the Footpath after (13)

4 7 8 5

6 9

1 10

2

11

13 12

14

Trees of Meriden and Millisons Wood The Yew Tree The yew is probably the most long-lived tree in northern Europe where it is native, making it a symboll of death and doom, but it also provides food and shelter for wildlife. Around Meriden there are a number of examples, including common yew around the grounds and perimeter of Meriden Hall, an old Irish Yew at the bus stop opposite the village hall and an even older one in the church yard. in the church yard.

Yew opposite Meriden Hall

Ancient yews have hollow, buttressed, or multiple trunks, and fallen boughs, making them a maze of wood beneath the dense foliage; there is rarely any wood as old as the entire tree, and the boughs themselves have often become hollow with age like the trunk. Counting the growth rings is therefore not possible, making determining their potential age with much accuracy impossible too. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is one of the oldest trees in the UK with estimates ranging from 2000 to as much as 5000 years of age. I find even the lower of those estimates mind boggling! A couple of characteristics enable them to survive so long. Old trees split under their own weight but, unlike other trees species, yews don’t succumb to infection entering through the fracture. Yew has a remarkable ability to produce new growth even in old age. Shoots will develop from cut surfaces and from epicormic buds which lie dormant under the bark whilst suppressed by hormones from active shoots above. Even when dying, new trees can root where branches touch the ground, probably giving rise to an ancient association with immortality but also seen as an omen of doom. Christianity absorbed and adapted these old beliefs; yews are often found in church yards (including our own) and for many centuries it was the custom for yew to be

carried on Palm Sunday and funeral processions would take a specific route according to the layout of yew trees.

Yew needles are more robust than conventional leaves and take more energy to produce, but they are not shed in winter and last longer. Male and female yew flowers grow on separate trees, relying on the wind for pollination.

Yew Needles Male Flowers Female Flowers/Cones Fruit / Aril Dormouse Common yew fruit differs from other conifers; the seed cones have a fleshy scale surrounding the single, poisonous seed, which develops into a soft, sweet, bright red berry-like structure called an aril. The arils mature 6 to 9 months after pollination, and are eaten by thrushes, waxwings and other birds and small mammals such as squirrel and dormice, which then disperse the seeds undamaged in their droppings. Like many coniferous trees, yews are a favourite hangout for the dark brownish caterpillars of the satin beauty moth, which dine on its needles and the goldcrest and firecrest, the UK’s smallest birds, which look for insects amongst the needles. The dense foliage offers protection and nesting opportunities for birds but its deep shade allows few wild flowers to grow beneath it.

Yew wood is unusually flexible, making it perfect for making things requiring springiness such as bows; historically this is its most significant use and gave it its Latin name taxus which means bow. Neolithic longbows of yew have been found in the peat in Somerset and the Scottish borders. Yew wood was such a precious commodity that at one time its export was banned and whole plantations were created to grow wood for bows. Henry VIII’s ship the Mary Rose carried long bows 6.5 feet long; I wonder how Meriden Archery Club would get on with those! Yew wood was also used for dagger handles and spears; the world’s oldest known wooden implement is a yew spear believed to be around 420,000 years old, discovered in Essex in 1911. During the Middle Ages yew wood was also used to make musical instruments and furniture. These days yew is not considered a commercial crop because of its slow growth rate, although it still has its uses: poisonous alkaloids are extracted from yew foliage to Goldcrest Satin Beauty Moth produce anti-cancer drugs.

If you’re interested in our trees, local wildlife and conservation in general, it would be great to hear from you. Collaborators very welcome! Or visit the Facebook page Meriden and Millisons Wood Trees. Dates for conservation work parties in Millisons Wood are also notified there.

Sarah Sharland meridentreewardens@gmail.com

Meriden and Millisons Wood Trees

The Orme School of Dancing Meriden Branch Methodist Church Hall

Tel: 02476 467331 www.ormecoventrydance.co.uk

n Classes in Ballet, Tap, Modern Jazz, Gymnastic, Contemporary Dance and Musical Theatre.

Aged 2 ½ years upwards

email:ormedance@gmail.com

Principals - Jennifer and Samantha Faulkner F.I.D.T.A BA.Hons

Barkers Butts RFC Pickford Grange Lane Coventry CV5 9AR

Contact David Morris. 07557343639 Our facilities are 1st class and all our coaches are RFU Qualified and CRB checked

We also have 4 Adult sides 1st XV to Vets

There is now a new and exciting women's team coached by an experienced group of players led by Emma Sly

Fellowship Teaching Degree Dip A.B.R.S.M

Please get in touch if you'd like your child to get involved with our fun and creative sessions on a Monday evening at Meriden Methodist Church Hall.

We are accepting new children now at your local Meriden Branch. Have a look at all we do at www.ormecoventrydance.co.uk

Come e along g to o A warm m welcome e with h Candy y att Meriden n Village e Halll

Zumba Thursday evenings 6.00pm £5.00 per session

11 Mini & Junior age groups from 6-16 years Girls teams U/11 U/15 U/18 Under 18 Colts Side

Contact Emma on 07557521495

T’ai Chi T’ai Chi

Pilates Thursday evenings 7.00pm £5.00 per session

Enjoy both sessions for £8.00 ZUMBA Zumba is a fun Latin inspired dance/exercise class suitable for all levels

PILATES style conditioning A slower paced class for all over body conditioning to improve muscle tone, strength, balance and flexibility

Please ring 07828 709650

For more information

and andand Relaxation Meditation Meditation and Relaxation Come and discover how the beautiful flowing movements Come and discover how of this ancient artflowing can improve the beautiful your well-being. movements of this ancient Relax andimprove enjoy simple calming art can your wellrelaxation and meditation being. Relax and enjoy simple calming relaxation techniques and meditation techniques.

Mondays9.30-10.30am 9.30-10.30am Mondays MeridenVillage VillageHall Hall Meriden CallJacqui Jacquionon Call 07703345210 345210 07703 The perfect start The perfect starttotoyour yourday……….. day ……….

Bablake House Our respite care can be just what you need

Bablake House, Birmingham Road, Millison’s Wood Meriden CV5 9AZ

Tel :01676 523689

ww.bablakehouse.co.uk

Minister Rev. Jane Braund Tel: 01676 533737 Please phone to arrange marriages, baptisms and funerals Services: Sunday 10:30am.

In Meriden

Greetings from the Methodist Church Over the years, the Methodist Church and St Laurence have worked together on a variety of events for the village. At Christmas we host Carols on the Green; on Remembrance Sunday we host an Act of Remembrance together; we conduct a Bereavement Service for all who have lost loved ones on the nearest Sunday to 1 November; and at Easter and Christmas we hold joint services.

We have now decided that we will work more closely together and so, from June, we will be holding regular joint services. This means that on the second Sunday of each month there will be a joint service at the Methodist Church, and on the fourth Sunday of each month there will be a joint service at St Laurence.

We have a joint Prayer Meeting on the second Saturday of each month, open to any who would like to come as we meet to pray God’s blessing on the village of Meriden. If there is anything that you would like us to pray for at that time, or you wish to have a chat about anything, then please do let us know and either phone me on 01676 533 737 or slip an envelope under the church door.

Finally, we also host All Together Café at the Sports Pavilion on the second Friday of each month beginning at 2 pm. It would be lovely to see you then if you are able to pop in.

If you would like to join us at any of these services or events, then please just come along. If you would like further details then please be in touch.

Jane Sunday services at Meriden Methodist Church: First Sunday of each month – 4 pm Café Service at MMC (a more informal time together) Second Sunday of each month – 10.30 joint service with St L held at MMC Third Sunday of each month – 10.30 at MMC Fourth Sunday of each month – 10.30 at St L (no service at MMC) Fifth Sunday when it occurs – 10.30 at MMC

Meriden United Charities Could you use a little help?

One of those weeks?

Short of ideas?

Wrods out coming wrong?

Then come and join us. We are a friendly and supportive group of local writers who meet once a month in Balsall Common to discuss each other’s writing.

Contact us on info.bcwriters@gmail.com or call 07970 886910 We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Charities have existed in Meriden for hundreds of years. Originally set up to help the poor of the Parish with the cost of fuel, food and education, funds are still generated today by the investments of the original benefactors and the occasional donation.

The days of the elderly and impoverished needing coal and education being viewed as outside the means of many may be a thing of the past, but there are still folk in need of the very basics of life. The funds aren’t huge, but we can help in small ways where people are in need.

Examples of assistance we’ve given are, helping with transport, education, trips and clothing, as well as sending a little gift to those in difficulty following illness or bereavement.

If you are a resident within the Parish of Meriden and you, or someone you know, are in need of a little help, please get in touch. We may not always be able to help within the remit of the Charity, but we can certainly help a good many folks. If you’d like to know more, you can meet us at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations on June 5th.

Contact us on meridenunitedcharities@gmail.com

M.J. Mowing martin@mjmowing.co.uk

Grass Cutting Hedge Cutting Pruning Strimming Weed Control – Pesticide Licensed Leaves Cleared No Job Too Small Competitive Prices

Call Martin for a Free Quote 07922 241 181 Larch Tree Osteopathic Practice We offer a gentle and effective method of pain p relief, suitable for adults and children. Can help many conditions, including joint pain, arthritis, sciatica and sports injuries .

Liam Halton B.Sc. (Hons) Ost, 49 Larch Tree Ave. Tile Hill, COVENTRY CV4 9FT

www.larchtreeost.co.uk

DOGGY Y DAY Y CARE E

TEL: 024 7647 0019

Days, weekends or longer.

In our home – stress free, non-kennel environment.

Only limited numbers of friendly dogs at any one time. Highly experienced show exhibitor/trainer and dog breeder.

Excellent affordable rates.

Berkswell & District History Group

TEL: 01676 522466 (Meriden)

Meetings are held in the Village Hall, Station Rd., Balsall Common. Please arrive by 2 p.m. for a 2:15 start. Entry is £5 for non-members and free to members.

Wednesday 15th June – Editing the Black Country Bugle. How it started; the characters and stories. A presentation by John Butterworth Wednesday 17th August – The History of Silk from its Origins in China to the British Silk Industry. A presentation by Clive Garner

Why not join the History Group? Membership is only £15 per annum and you can join at any meeting.

Have you looked at our web site? www.berkswell-history.org Our programme for the rest of 2022 is available there.

We look forward to seeing you!

QUALITY CLASSES IN BALSALL COMMON and BERKSWELL!!!

We are moving in June.

We still offer a varietyy o off cclasses llaasssseess tto o ssu suit uiitt m men en en and women of every age and all abilities.

Our experienced and expert instructor cares about each client.

Class numbers are limited for your comfort and safety.

To see the current timetable and new venues, please visit the website www.positivefitnessuk.co.uk

Classes include : Pilates at every level, Stretch and Relaxation, Dancefit and Senior Fitness

NEW LOW IMPACT RETRO DANCEFIT CLASS (just like Jane Fonda in the 80s!)

Starts Monday 6th June at 6pm YOU’LL GET A VERY WARM WELCOME. FOR ANY QUERIES, PLEASE EMAIL POSITIVEFITNESSUK01@GMAIL.COM Or call Sally on 07778 124034 Hope to see you soon.

Servicing Repairs Tyres Exhausts Suspensions Brakes

Call C all u uss for for a quotation for your motoring needs

01676 521010 Brand new premises Off Marsh Lane Near Lincoln Farm Truck Stop, B92 0LS Call for directions

ST. LAURENCE CHURCH NEWS Priest in Charge: Church Wardens:

Vacant Jonathan Douglas 01676 522455 Carol Clarke 07500 700679 churchwarden.meriden@gmail.com Church Website: https://stlaurencemeriden.wordpress.com Find us on Facebook: St Laurence Church Meriden

Summer Service Details Date 5th Jun 12th Jun

19th Jun 26thJun 3rd Jul 10th Jul 17thJul 24th Jul

31st Jul 7th Aug 14th Aug 21st Aug 28th Aug

Service Holy Communion* Joint Service at Meriden Methodist Church Holy Communion* Joint Service at St. Laurence Holy Communion* Joint Service at St. Laurence Holy Communion* Joint Service at Meriden Methodist Church Morning Prayer Holy Communion* Joint Service at St. Laurence Holy Communion* Joint Service at Meriden Methodist Church

All services are at 10:30 am * Holy Communion services are subject to availability of a minister.

Please check the web site.

For any enquiries about Baptisms and Weddings, or pastoral needs, please contact the church warden: Carol Clarke 07500 700679 churchwarden.meriden @gmail.com

I recently heard someone say, “I thought the Church was closed, because there’s no vicar.” – Well, there hasn’t been a vicar at Meriden for 18 months, but the Church has been open (when the pandemic allowed), and active, and busy. The regular group at the Church are a happy band of caring, helping, welcoming, and ultimately loving people who want to help you, dear reader (!), to find Jesus as the guiding light in your life.

The changes in British or English society in the last 30 years have been fast and huge, and many churches, particularly rural churches, have found themselves in some difficulty. We’re no exception here, but while we really are quite a small group, maybe we can have comfort in knowing well the divine inspiration for our work and being confident in our message.

Maybe (I hope) we have quality rather than quantity, but we’ll be offering new ways for you to find faith soon.

Another big step in the life of this Church will be the appointment of a new minister for Meriden. That will still be a part-time post, but it is still a big step forward. Because the Church is part of a huge national organisation, we go through various long-winded and esoteric steps during this process, and Covid-19 hasn’t helped, but we should be in a position to advertise the new post within a few weeks now.

This is the first ‘NON-COVID’ summer for 3 years. I hope it is a time you can really enjoy. In spite of the economy and all the building work going on around here, just get out and be uplifted by the glorious green Warwickshire countryside (it’s Warwickshire really!). God’s beautiful creation – your home.

Jonathan Douglas

TEAM WORK

The Needles by Julie Hyde 1. Lightly draw cliffs, horizon and a hint of the foreground.

2. Sky. Mix separate puddles of:• Ultramarine Blue • Cerulean Blue Wet all the sky and into the sea with a mop brush so it is glossy wet. Working quickly with a medium size brush, add the colours in patches, leaving some white bits. If its starts to dry then STOP 3. Sea. Dry the paper and then re dampen the sea area so it is damp but not soaking wet. Add horizontal bands of:• Ultramarine Blue • Cerulean Blue • Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson (blue/purple) • Cerulean Blue + Cadmium Yellow (blue/green) • Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (strong blue/grey) 4. Path. Wet the path area and add patches of:• Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (weak grey) • Burnt Umber (weak) 5. Cliffs. Dampen small areas of the cliffs at a time and with a small brush add patches of:• Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (weak grey) • Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (strong dark grey) • Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow (blue/green) When you have finished the sides of the cliffs, then to the lighthouse add a touch of:• Cadmium Red For the grass on top use:• Cadmium Yellow + Ultramarine Blue (yellow/green) • Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow (blue/green) Letting the two colours merge a little.

7. Foreground. Wet the path and add a little weak:• Burnt Umber (weak) For the grass and background shrubs in the foreground, on dry paper use:• Cadmium Yellow + Ultramarine Blue (yellow/green) • Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow (dark blue/green Keeping the darker green towards the bottom of the shrubs.

Moving onto the heather, use:• Alizarin Crimson • Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue (pinkie/purple) • Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow (blue/green) Painting a few clumps at a time, add spots of water to each clump of flowers. Then add the colours, keep the pinks and purples to the top and the green to the bottom.

LEAVE SOME WHITE BITS. 8. Shadows. Add some shadows on to the path below the heather with:• Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber (blue/grey) Julie is running regular weekly classes in watercolour painting on Zoom, for more information email Julie on jph300@hotmail.com. There is also an Art Club running on a Thursday 11:00-1:00, £5 - in the Scout Hut in Meriden, pop in and see what that is all about or phone 01676 523357.

Ava and Ben, Head Girl and Boy at Meriden Primary School, with the new books kindly presented to the School by Meriden Rotary Club Have you seen all the decorated Post boxes there are locally at present? This one is at the bottom of Fillongley Road Many Congratulations to The Barn At Berryfields “As an independent, family-run business, we were thrilled to receive the Innovation & Excellence Award 2021 for 'Farm Shop of The Year'. The award reviewed a variety of farm shops across the U.K. who demonstrated a concerted effort in home-grown and hand-reared produce.

The judging panel were very impressed with The Barn's focus on self-sufficiency showcasing its home-grown and hand-reared produce. From an artisan bakery handmaking freshly baked bread, pastries and desserts to a butchery displaying home-reared and local meat and poultry to a fruit, veg & salad section with home-grown produce from our on-site 2-acre kitchen garden as the seasons allow. We're constantly striving towards becoming more self-sufficient by growing our herds of Berryfields Suffolk Red pigs and Berryfields Hereford cattle, and producing more handmade produce, so it was great to be recognised for all the hard work our farming, bakery and butchery teams have put in across the last 75 years. Along with our ‘Outstanding in Hospitality & Retail Winner ‘award, 2021 was a great year for the Team, so we look forward to another prosperous year in 2022!

Millison’ss Wood

"Photo was provided and copyrighted by www.birminghamaerialphotos.co.uk.

Please contact them if you'd like an aerial photo or roof scan of your home."

Some of the entries in last year’s Balsall and District Horticultural Society Annual show. This year’s event is on Saturday 23rd July at St Peters Church Hall 2.00pm Why not go along and see for yourself?

Meriden Libraryy News

The Sleep of Reason

By Mark Rowley and David Derbyshire

Please note, all information is accurate at the time of writing in April 2022.

Opening Hours Monday 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm Tuesday 10am – 12:30pm Thursday 10am – 12:30pm Summer Reading Challenge 2022 The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read six library books during the long summer holiday.

This year’s theme is ‘Gadgeteers' and it’ll spark children's curiosity about the world around them, inspiring them to see the science and innovation behind everyday objects and showing that reading and science are for everyone.

The Summer Reading Challenge 2022, Gadgeteers, is activating at Meriden Library on Monday 11th July, with fun activities and rewards for reading throughout the summer.

Free for All We don’t charge overdue fines for any library members – it’s still important to bring books back on time though! We have free reservations from any Solihull Library too.

If you aren’t already a member of the library, it’s easy to join.

All you need is proof of your name and address, like a driving licence or an official letter. You get access to all our books, including CD audiobooks and large print, eBooks, eMagazines and eAudiobooks for free. Members also get 2 hours free computer access.

Home Library Service If you can’t get to the library yourself, our Home Library Service can help. When you get in touch, a member of the team will contact you by phone to assess your individual needs and circumstances. They will explain how the service works and answer any questions you may have. They will also find out what sort of books you enjoy – this will help staff to choose items for you. We’ll then arrange a time to visit. If this is something you think that you or someone you know may benefit from, do call the Home Library Service team on 0121 704 6947 or email libraryarts@solihull.gov.uk and we will take it from there.

Commonwealth Games drop-in session at Meriden Library Tuesday 14th June 11.00 - 12noon Members of SMBC Louise and Kate will be at the sessions to answer any questions and listen to concerns and ideas the community may have. It’s time to Get Set for the Games!

With the Commonwealth Games coming to the region this summer, it’s the perfect time to start planning so you don’t miss out on the opportunities they will bring. Whether You’re a resident or business owner, these Get Set for the Games sessions will provide the most up-to-date information so you can prepare for the busy and exciting summer ahead. Come and meet Louise, the Council’s Programme Manager for the Commonwealth Games, and Kate, who is leading the organisation of The Queen’s Baton Relay in the borough.

This is the first novel from Sir Mark Rowley. He was knighted after retiring for his ‘exceptional contribution to national security, providing reassuring national leadership through the attacks of 2017’. During his 31-year career, he was Chief Constable of Surrey, Assistant Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police and finally, Head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing. David Derbyshire is an award winning national newspaper journalist and has written features for all our national newspapers.

The story opens with an attack by an extremist ‘far white’ group on a group of Asian family and friends at an amusement park. A number of people were left dead and/or injured. The investigation is led by newly appointed Detective Superintendent Sophie Gabriel, reporting to Assistant Commissioner Steven Tennant. The atrocity has been claimed by the National Resistance Force (NRF) in turn vilifying the Jews, Muslims, blacks, and gays.

The authorities have information that another attack is planned very soon but no details are yet known. The security organisation has to analyse what information it has. There are a lot of procedural details, police meetings and applicable senior politicians are very much involved. The next big problem is a likely response from the Islamic side.

It would be wrong to go into the plot in any more detail in a review, just to say that there are further attacks and one is given a very detailed clear picture of everything happening within all the organisations, the hunter and the hunted.

The conclusion is genuinely exciting and all the time you feel that procedural matters between all parties, particularly police and politicians are very believable.

Peter Moss

Readers’ Circle Meetings Wed Jun – A Seafaring Story There are no meetings in July and August.

For further information and the venue, please call Peter Moss on 01676 523590 6th

Keep up to date with news from Meriden Library by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meridenlib and visiting our website at www.solihull.gov.uk/Libraries

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It has been two years since the last school musical and so it is very exciting to get back into the swing of productions with the great classic show, Bugsy Malone. Despite the last few months of absences and breaks in the rehearsal schedules due to Covid-19, at last ‘break a leg’ time arrived for three great performances.

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Sounding great and looking good, our cast were excellent and truly entertaining and audiences were engaged and responsive. Our actors looked spectacular in their costumes and the story was told with rhythm and pace, backed up by assured vocals from everyone and a superb band who were also well dressed for the occasion.

Individual performances were all of a very high standard and a couple of stand-out moments came from Carys as Blousey singing a beautiful version of Ordinary Fool and Bronwyn as Tallulah singing My Name is Tullalah which was performed perfectly in character. Also of note is a lovely and wistful rendition of Tomorrow sung by Joseph as Fizzy which certainly brought the house down.

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Another parent emailed and wrote: “Congratulations to all who took part. It really was a triumph!”

Well Done to All Mr Taylor said: “We’d like to thank everyone who has taken part, especially the students. The support of staff and parents/carers has been phenomenal too and it’s all helped to create a lovely opportunity for our young people. An audience member sent congratulations ‘for creating cracking entertainment for the audience.’ We’re happy to oblige!’

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Andrew Burrow was elected to serve for the Meriden ward of Solihull Borough Council on 5th May. Below, he gives his first thoughts on the challenges facing both him and the varied communities of Meriden parish.

In 1989, I was in Communist Eastern Germany to discuss using German lift engineers to help build huge office developments in London because western Europe was in the middle of a construction boom. Despite massive efforts, we simply could not train enough people quickly enough. On trying to return to West Berlin, I was stopped at Checkpoint Charlie, guns were pointed at me and I was told I could not leave East Berlin. Well, I did get out to tell the tale. We helped build Broadgate and Canary Wharf with lift engineers from around the world including Communist Hungary, East Germany and Yugoslavia, as well as less challenging places such as USA and Singapore. We also developed a UK lift engineer training centre that was state of the art and doubled our efficiency.

On being elected as a Borough Councillor for the Meriden Ward, I feel some of that same trepidation. “What have I got myself into?” Hopefully, I will find a way to be a successful councillor and deliver for the residents of Meriden Parish. I plan to get directly involved in quarry issues (dust, lorries etc), where I hope that my previous health and safety experience might help plot an improved course. I believe that collective working, often involving great detail, is what delivers results and I will seek to add to the work that my fellow ward councillors (Diane Howell and Tony Dicicco) and the Parish Council have been doing.

Hopefully, two projects will bring benefits to Meriden village and Eaves Green in particular. The completion of the Fillongley Road bridge project, with appropriate “clear up” on the diversion through Eaves Green, will remove an issue that has caused many problems for residents. Secondly, within the next 12 months, hopefully the average speed cameras will be installed on Main Road and the Fillongley Road. Average speed cameras are pretty complex projects because of turn offs and speed limits of both 20 and 30 mph. The funds are allocated and the design work commissioned. Such schemes typically are successful in reducing speed and noise and do not allow motorists to simply slow down as they pass a camera. I also know that some residents doubt the wisdom of the “bumps” bolted to the road to deter drivers from driving in cycle lanes. My understanding is that these are “trials”, using equipment approved by national cycling organisations. I will ensure that the trials are properly reviewed and are indeed “trials”, not permanent, irrespective of outcome.

Andrew.

Word Search Solution

If we’d known Grandchildren could be such fun, we would have had them first!

HS2 NEWS: - HS2’s works near Meriden - High Speed Two (HS2) is the new high-speed railway for Britain. Early works for HS2 are carried out by a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and J Murphy & Sons known as LM, and main works are carried out by a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and VINCI known as BBV. Over the next few months, BBV will be constructing the first of three bridges to allow the new railway to pass underneath the A45. This structure is on the north side of the A45 and will support the East Way slip road. It is our aim to have the abutments and the beams in place by Nov 2022 for this structure. Construction of HS2 will require large amounts of earthworks in the form of cuttings, embankments, and tunnels. On the approach to the A45 the railway will be in a cutting. Cuttings are used as part of railway construction to reduce noise, reduce visual impact and to keep the track level. It is our intention to reuse as much of the excavated material as possible in the form of embankments and bunds on other parts of the route. The transportation of this material will be mostly limited to an internal haul road that is currently being built from the A45 and over Meriden Road towards the Aston Martin roundabout that will link with our existing haul road going towards Balsall Common. The haul road lets us take lorries off the existing road network on to our site, reducing the number of large vehicles using local roads.

If you would like to receive updates from HS2 please sign up for email notifications at engagement.hs2.org.uk/joinmailing-list. You will be asked to confirm your email address as part of the process.

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to email updates please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk Meriden doesn't have residents directly impacted by the HS2 clearance and construction works, but you can't go far without encountering heavy trucks, forests of cones, and a desolate moonscape..

It might be educational to look at what was said in the original HS2 proposal, released to the public 12 years ago, and reflect on the extension of the line from Crewe to Manchester (now grinding through Parliament), and the abandonment of the other leg of the "Y", to Leeds.

"On our provisional timetable, HS2 could open in late 2025". ". . capital costs of between £15.8 and £17.4 billion, including risk and optimism bias, but excluding rolling stock" "over half of the passengers on HS2 services would otherwise have travelled by classic rail. A further 16% would come from mode shift, split equally between air and car trips. The remaining 27% would be new trips, with more people travelling more often due to the faster journeys offered by high speed rail. Of the daily journeys 30% are made by business passengers and the balance by mainly leisure passengers." "transport user benefits worth £29bn, as well as additional revenues worth £15bn. This is driven almost entirely by time savings – which also reflect benefits from relief of crowding."

"We have sought to design HS2 to minimise its effect on people and the natural environment."

Doubtless, someone in Whitehall has the current project plan on their laptop. It will be a bit different from the Environmental Statement released at the end of 2013, which showed most of the major works in this area completed three years ago. It's not surprising everyone feels the works have been going on forever. Other highway contractors can be encouraged to "get a move on" by a system able to impose Lane Rental charges, but sadly not HS2. The endless closures of lanes, roads and footpaths cost the contractors nothing, and even if they did, the cost would be passed on to us, the taxpayer.

At this stage of the game, it's fruitless repeating what has been said many times before. It's now a matter of public administration rather than politics. Local councillors and MPs can only make representations to the relevant ministers and departments, which is hard because all the cards are in the hands of HS2 Ltd and its contractors. If in fact they're incapable of working all the various sites at the same time, then they should do us a favour and tackle them in sequence, returning the dormant areas to "normal", till required.

Sooner or later, the review processes in Parliament and the Treasury will catch up with the project, but while we're waiting, we need to keep feeding factual information to councillors and our MP, in the hope that criticisms get addressed, and change initiated. Sooner rather than later. Any better ideas? Let's be realistic: lots of us will never live to see a train run, and if we do, we just need to hope it's as wheelchair -friendly as it's meant to be! By then, it will be a different world in terms of technology, energy production and use, employment, and society. The politicians responsible for HS2 will be long gone. The people for whom one should really feel sorry are those who've lived their whole lives in the HS2 era. They're the ones who'll pick up the tab: not just the cost of what was done, but the cost of what wasn't done because of the 239 365 focus on 07904 HS2. Richard Lloyd – Chairman H of E High Speed Railway Action Group

Corley Bowling Club Church Lane, Corley, CV7 8AZ. Is looking for new members of any age, gender and ability.

Bowling is one of the few sports where members of the opposite sex actually play on equal terms. We bowl in gents’ leagues and ladies’ leagues with mixed games at weekends.

We bowl against 12yr olds and 90yr olds. Expand your social life and get some nice easy exercise.

We roll up on Tuesday evenings at 5pm. All are welcome. We provide free coaching and will even lend you a set of bowls.

Call Graham 01676 540112 or Trevor 07790 606173 DREAMING OF SUMMER? BALMY AFTERNOONS OR EVENINGS OUT IN THE FRESH AIR!

WHY NOT GIVE LAWN GREEN BOWLING A TRY? Located at the Old Coventrians Rugby Club off the A45/TILE HILL LANE JUNCTION, CV4 9DE. We seek new members; friends, couples or singles. We have around 60 lady and men members over a wide age range and you are assured a warm welcome. Annual membership costs less than 10% of some golf clubs.

MEMBERSHIP FOR THOSE NEW TO BOWLING IS FREE FOR THE FIRST YEAR Play as often or as little as you wish with no pressure.

Enjoy free coaching from qualified coaches, a large free carpark and free “roll ups” on an excellent bowling surface. All members receive a key to allow them to come and go as they please.

We have a full social programme, even during the winter. E.g. bowls holidays, trips to Xmas markets, quiz nights, games nights etc etc etc – being a member of our Bowls Club is more than just bowls!

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Price depends on car size but starts from £7 for wash and leather dry, or £14 for inside and out, including full vacuum, windows and dashboard.

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Servicing Diagnostics Repairs All work undertaken No job too small Modern Vehicles to Classics Fully mobile

Call Alex on 07542 733152 Quote ‘Meriden Mag’ for 10% labour discount

Please be aware that the entrance from Shepherds Lane is closed. This means that motorists from Meriden need to drive to the Stonebridge Island and U-turn back towards Meriden to access us from the A45.

LOCKSMITH Lee Clements & Sons 01676 578278 Full Mobile Locksmith Service

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PUZZLE PAGE – No. 12 SPIRAL

CRYPTOGRAM Every letter in the text has been substituted for another letter of the alphabet.

Can you work out the quote by Simon Cowell? One letter has been given to get you started.

SHORT CODE

We hope that you enjoy doing these puzzles. If you want the answers, email me chrisbannister56@aol.com If you’d like to offer any puzzles for inclusion in future issues, just send them to me. Thanks.

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Telephone Paul on 07889 789110 or 01676 521661 When I was young I was scared of the dark. Now, when I see my electricity bill, I am scared of the lights!

BREATHE EASY COVENTRY We are now returning to meetings 2nd Friday of every month until October 2.00-4.00pm at the Central Hall, Methodist Church, Warwick Lane Coventry CV1 2HA All chairs are well spaced and we ask you to still wear a mask please Phone Janet (Chair) on 024 7646 0081 to see if we can be of any help. “Keep well”

Spend quality time this Father’s Day Sunday 19th June Savour the simple things - food, drink and loved ones book now at

Message from Saqib Bhatti MP I am delighted to see the return of some warmer weather and lighter nights, signalling that summer is finally here!

I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on some local issues whilst also informing you of what is currently happening in parliament.

I was very pleased to see the planning application from HS2 to use the Kenilworth Road and Kelsey Lane as a major lorry route was rejected by the Council. I would like to thank the local councillors for their support and Andrew Burrow for organising the petition. The people across the Meriden Constituency deserve much better than they are being offered and I am committed to making sure the residents are heard by HS2.

In my last article, I wrote about the Government’s efforts to crack down on fly-tipping. I am pleased to share with you new measures that will aid the prevention and prosecution of this offence. For example, the Government is planning to introduce mandatory digital waste tracking, which will enable regulators to better detect illegal activity and tackle waste crime, leading to more offenders being caught and prosecuted for this crime. Solihull Council have recently successfully prosecuted two men for fly-tipping offences in Elvers Green Lane. The defendants were fined a total fine of £2,023 each, setting a great example to offenders that their crimes will not go unpunished. I look forward to working with the government to work on harsher punishments for offenders.

More locally, I hope to organise another Keep Meriden Tidy initiative in Meriden over the summer. Please keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter pages and my website, saqibbhatti.org.uk, for more information about when this will be taking place. I am proud to represent the Meriden Constituency and want to help many local residents in their efforts to keep the area clean and tidy.

Finally, I wanted to finish by expressing my gratitude to the British people for their generosity regarding the Homes for Ukraine scheme. I also want to pay tribute to Solihull Council who have been working tirelessly to communicate with sponsors and help them to get their homes ready for the arrival of Ukrainian families. I have received many emails from constituents praising the work of the Council. At a time when hundreds of thousands of innocent Ukrainians are being forced to flee their homes, I take heart in the outpouring of support and generosity from Britons up and down the nation so again, I pay tribute to you all.

Please note my office remains open as usual and we are conducting surgery appointments, so do not hesitate to book a slot. My contact details are below: saqib.bhatti@parliament.uk 0207 219 3423

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Lavender Hall Lane Berkswell CV7 7BN 01676 530 299 / 07949 119 436 Cafe open to the public from 8.30am – 1.30pm 7 days a week Serving hot and cold food Specialising in an all-day Breakfast

We look forward to serving you all again in our Covid safe environment Welcome Back !

Gates open at 7.30am close at dusk

The Village Diary - How lucky we are to have so much going on DATE Every Monday 1st Monday of the month Every Monday Every Monday Every Monday 3rd Mondays Every Tuesday Every Tuesday Every Tuesday Every Wed (in term time) Every Thursday Every Thursday Every Thursday Every Thursday 4th Fridays 2nd Fridays Every Friday Every Sunday Every Sunday st

21 May

EVENT

VENUE

TIME

CONTACT

Tai Chi

Village Hall

9:30-10:30am

Jacqui Fisher 07703 345210

W.I.

Village Hall

7:30pm

Samm Bain 07739 972046, Della Mannix 07920 014909

Scout Hut

6:30-7:30pm

Eleanor Willis 07762 823050

Scout Hut

7:45-9:45pm

Mark Jones 07801 773352

7:15-8pm

02476 467331

7:30-9:30pm 10:30am12:30pm

meridenflowerclub@ hotmail.com

7-9pm

Mark Jones 07801 773352

7pm

www.meridenrotary.org.uk

Beaver Scouts (boys and girls aged 6-8) Explorer Scouts (male and female 14-18) Beginner Adult Tap Classes Flower Club Chattybus (warm mobile hub) Scouts (boys and girls aged 10.5-14) Rotary Club Meeting Playgroup

Methodist Church Hall Village Hall Sports Pavilion Scout Hut Manor Hotel or Zoom Methodist Church Hall

01789 777986

9:30-11:30am

Art Group

Scout Hut

11am-1pm

Julie Hyde 523357

Craft and Chat

Sports Pavilion

12:30-3pm

Debbie Barber 07455 829340

Zumba & Pilates

Village Hall

6pm & 7pm

Candy 07828 709650

Scout Hut

6:30-8pm

Lynda Spratt 07790 348726

Village Hall

2-4pm

Joan Russell 523507

All Together Café

Sports Pavilion

2-4pm

522666

Firebird Singers

Village Hall

7-9pm

Val Martin 522963

10:30am

Rev. Jane Braund 533737

10:30am

Jonathan Douglas 522455

Cub Scouts (boys and girls aged 8-10.5) CAMEO

Church Service Church Service

Methodist Church St. Laurence Church

Big Picture Show

Village Hall

7.30pm

Chris Copper 522645

nd

Jubilee Quiz night

Queens Head

8pm

Caroline 522256

th

Jubilee Sing-along

Queens Head

6pm-9pm

Caroline 522256

th

Jubilee Event

Sports Park

12noon – 6pm

th

Readers' Circle

call Peter for venue and time

th

Open Gardens

Packington Hall

2-5pm

th

Firebird Singers Concert

Manor Hotel

2:30 pm and 7:30 pm

Commonwealth Games Drop-In Session

Meriden Library

11am-12noon

th

Big Picture Show

Village Hall

7.30pm

Chris Copper 522645

th

Family Fun Day

11 am – 3pm

Sara Lawrence s.lawrence1965@btinternet.com

Village Hall

2pm

Gail 07845 791345

Meriden School

5-7pm

Village Green

afternoon

2 June 4 June 5 June 6 June 12 June 12 June th

14 June 18 June 18 June th

25 June st

1 July th

26 July

Flower Club afternoon tea School Summer Fair Commonwealth Games Baton Relay

Peter Moss 523590

Anna 07792 525999 or Val 522963

Out and About this Summer

Compton Verney.

Something for everyone to enjoy. 120 acres of stunning parkland and lake surround an award-winning art gallery, with a family friendly café and gift shop.

The world's largest collection of Historic British cars Open daily 10am-5pm Banbury Rd, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ

Wander through the historic ‘Capability’ Brown landscape, marvel at the world-class art exhibitions or have fun in the outdoor adventure playground. All ages are welcome

9 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon.

Open Tues to Sun & Bank Hols 10.00am –5pm

At the Heart of England Conference and Events Centre, Meriden Rd., Fillongley CV7 8DX. Last Thurs of the month from 5pm. Free entry.

B95 6DE 01564 627280 Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve – CV3 3GW. Take one of the short nature trails. See the scenic pools, reedbeds, grassland and woodland. Nine birdwatching hides, where you can often spot the resident wildlife including kingfishers, otters, bank voles and badgers.

Parking, restaurant, toilets.

Free entry for Wildlife Trust members.

Adults - £3.50. Children (under 4s free) - £2.00.

Family (2 adults up to 3 children) - £9.00 Summer opening hours: Mon – Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm Sat, Sun & Bank Holidays 10am - 4.30pm

Mon to Fri 9am - 4pm Sat & Sun 9am - 5pm Bank Holidays – extended hours Kitchen closes 1 hour before closing

Several walks from just 30 mins to 2 hours 30 mins

'The View' is a farm diversification project set in a unique location at Hill Farm Marina amongst the fields of a working beef and sheep farm in Wootton Wawen, overlooking the South Stratford canal and only a short walk to England's longest aqueduct - the Edstone Aqueduct. Far reaching views over Warwickshire and Worcestershire towards Bredon Hill in the Vale of Evesham and the Malverns beyond. A great place to eat, drink and enjoy the countryside whether you are walking, cycling or boating.

Gold Medal Gymnasts

At the end of March, our KS1 gymnastics team took part in a gymnastics festival where they had to complete a floor and bench routine. They were fantastic! They knew their routine and landed their jumps and rolls beautifully. They very much enjoyed the competition and afterwards we had a go at trampolining and apparatus! We had a brilliant time and we achieved first place and a gold medal each!

Congratulations to Ismae, Eddie, Sophie, Aron, Ava, Abigail, Grace, Bella, Althea and Hugo who were awarded first place! We are so proud of you.

Netball Festival Meriden's netball team competed in the netball festival at Lode Heath. All children showed determination, teamwork and respect during the event but most of all they had fun! The children played so well and received a bronze medal for their super performance!

We are very proud of our team: Charlotte, Lola, Ava, Lizzy, and Alice in Y6, Casey and Evie in Y5. Well done girls!

NHS Thank You – Competition Winners!

We are so proud of Orson in Y3 and Teddy in Y1.

The boys entered a ‘Thank You NHS competition’ to write poems and stories with the chance of them being published in a book called Thank You NHS. Each book sold helps the NHS Charities Together, a charity that supports doctors and nurses with their mental health. Although the judging was extremely difficult with loads of great entries Teddy and Orson's were chosen and they have had their work published in the book! If you would like to purchase a copy to help this very worthy course you can do so via this link— https://www.booksaboutwho.com/?about=Thank%20 you%20NHS

Experience Easter at St Laurence Church In April, the children from Years 2, 3 and 4 took part in a special event called Experience Easter at St Laurence Church, Meriden. This event, organised by the church and the school, was a hands-on way for the children to gain a deeper understanding of the Easter story.

We are so grateful to everyone who has supported the Fundraising Team this year, whether it is with time, suggestions, financial contributions or moral support! We could not raise the money we do without you, so really do appreciate all your effort!

Since Christmas, we raised £703.70 from our Valentine disco and £388.67 for Mothers’ Day gifts; we’ve purchased and installed new playground signs and chalkboards, chosen by School Council. They look fab! We are now working towards improving our Trim Trail with new apparatus and flooring, and also developing the front paddock.

We are thrilled to be in a new fundraising partnership with Strawberry Bank, who have donated £442 from their Easter Quiz. Watch out for more on this!

Coming up we have:May20th - ‘Break the Rules’ day (20th May) May 27th - Sports day refreshments w/c 13th June - Fathers’ Day gifts and 9th June - ‘Bags to School’

London Sightseeing Trip

Last but not least, our amazing Summer Fair is back! Come and join us on Friday 1st July 5-7pm for fun- packed fundraising!

Year 3 had a fantastic day visiting the sights of London in April. We began our day visiting the British Museum and exploring all of the amazing Egyptian artefacts that we have been learning about as part of our Ancient Egypt topic. We even saw the Rosetta Stone and lots of mummified bodies. Then, we headed to St James’ Park and were amazed to see Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, whose architects we have been researching in Art. Finally, we headed down to Westminster Pier and went on a boat tour along the Thames. We got to see so many iconic sights, including; the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Shard and the Thames Barrier. It was a brilliant day that we will never forget!

Meriden Mag is online. Just visit www.ISSUU.com . In the search box, enter MeridenMag (no space) and you’ll see what we’ve published.

Meriden Post Office Opening Hours Monday to Friday 10.30- 3.00 Saturday 9.30- 12 noon

STOP PRESS! - The Commonwealth Games baton relay will pass through Meriden on 26th July in the afternoon. See it on Hampton Lane, Main Road or Berkswell Road.

Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays Sue Harper 01676 522230

Deadline for the Autumn 2022 issue is 1st Aug with delivery around 1st Sept Val Martin (co-editor and treasurer) 01676 522963 val.simon@btinternet.com Meriden Primary School Chris Bannister (co-editor and Meriden Library advertising) 07789 903021 Meriden Surgery chrisbannister56@aol.com Lloyds Chemist Distribution Paul Green, Meriden Methodist Church Mavis & Ken Edwards Meriden Village Hall bookings Member of Parliament Sue Riley & Steve Chance Parish Council Proof reader Sue Fuller Advertising costs £22 per 1/4 Methodist Hall bookings page and £11 per 1/8 page.

Solihull M B C Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the coeditors. We are unable to print anonymous letters but will withhold name and address on request.

Solihull District Councillors

Meriden Scout Group Rural Police Sector

Whitsun Bank holidays 2022 Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Mrs L. Anderton

Rev. Jane Braund Valerie Martin Saqib Bhatti Barbara Bland Alan Gabbitas Diane Howell Tony Dicicco Andrew Burrow Gerry Russell

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