Parish News July/August 2020

TURNERS HILL PARISH NEWS JULY-AUGUST 2020 PUBLISHED BY ST LEONARD’S CHURCH Edition Number 398

LOCKDOWN STARTS TO EASE It certainly isn’t the summer season we’re used to – no Village Fete, no Fun Dog Show, no WHS Summer Show and no village cricket. Nevertheless, lockdown is cautiously easing, with much stalled activity now slowly grinding to a start.

Churches can re-open where possible in line with strict health and safety restrictions currently being assessed and planned. So, too, can pubs and shops.

The Bay Tree florist and Head Turners hair salon are getting back to business (not quite as usual) to join our ‘essential’ shops and services which never closed, in serving the community.

The Red Lion is implementing a range of health and safety procedures for re-opening the pub on July 4, but because of understandable business reasons, The Crown remains closed for the time being.

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is our traditional annual Parish News summer break.

Let’s see what September brings us…..

•Left: Landlord Graham Martyn ready for the Red Lion re-opening. ********************

INSIDE THIS EDITION……

Necessary requirements for church re-opening are explained by Canon David Tickner in FROM THE VICARAGE, while our PARISH COUNCIL reports on the WSCC project to make history by recording West Sussex’s responses to the pandemic with help from the public. On a brighter note, we record the rise to front-page fame of popular village motor craftsman, ANDREW MACLEAN. Our centre-spread interview features last month’s backpage essayist and international high-flyer, HAZEL COURTENEY; and this month’s SUSSEX NOTEBOOK steps out to our footpaths and byways.

Sadly, we include the OBITUARY of former resident MARGARET ‘PEGGY’ MUNRO who died last month. All this and more inside….

WE’LL SEE YOU AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER – STAY SAFE & KEEP WELL

FROM THE VICARAGE Church Road, Turners Hill, RH10 4PB ST LEONARD’S RE-OPENED – WITH SAFETY CONDITIONS I am writing this on June 11, just after receiving advice that we can open the church for private prayer from June 13. However, before St Leonard’s becomes unlocked it must conform to the same sort of set up and management now applying to shops and other public venues.

Quite correctly, the Government and Church of England have issued a lot of administrative paperwork which needs to be worked through and necessary actions/alterations put in place.

It is likely that advice and regulations laid down will be modified as they are tested in practice.

There are already issues which require clarification - such as the provision of soap and hot water because churches like St Leonard's don't have these kind of facilities.

Coronavirus can live on surfaces for up to 72 hours and it is expected that churches will have to be cleaned and sanitised regularly throughout the day. It is also expected that churches will be appropriately supervised. Special consideration must be given to those considered to be vulnerable, such as people over 70 or with some medical conditions. Since there are no paid staff at St Leonard's, this requirement will depend on volunteers.

We are already going through the paperwork and waiting for advice where needed.

At the same time, outline plans for what needs to be done to the building are being worked out. After that, materials will have to be ordered before we can carry out modifications. It is already clear that some necessary materials are in short supply and costly.

In due time the necessary work will be carried out and we will seek volunteers for cleaning and supervising duties. If all goes well we should have these tasks completed in about two weeks.

CHURCH FUNERAL SERVICES Lockdown rules about church funerals and burials have stipulated that they must be outside, with attendance restricted to the spouse/ partner, the children and parents of the deceased. The rules are changing and now, providing the church has been properly set up and cleaned before and after, funeral services may be inside with attendance restricted to the household and close family OR close friends of the deceased, but not both. Again special consideration must be given to the vulnerable such as those over 70 or with some medical conditions.

Social distancing must be observed at all times and care taken not to spread infected droplets through actions like singing. Inside buildings we are encouraged to wear face coverings which, while not preventing wearers from getting the virus, do restrict the risk of passing it on. Undertakers and clergy are obviously permitted to attend, but not others like vergers, organists or sound system operators.

Continued on next page……

From The Vicarage continued……

CHURCHYARD SPACE FOR CARE AND PRAYER Meanwhile we are thinking of other ways to support private prayer before we can fully open the church. Throughout the lock-down there have been many people in the churchyard sitting on the benches against the southern wall of the church looking out over the churchyard and across the fields and valleys of Sussex to the South Downs.

It is something I often do myself and I find it a very powerful stimulus to my own prayers. Like most village churchyards, ours is normally maintained by volunteers, but this has not been possible during lockdown.

Technically each grave-space is the responsibility of the Heirs-at-Law and we are grateful to the not insignificant number who look after their relative’s grave - and even more grateful to those who extend similar care to adjacent graves.

I was talking to a lady not long ago who has relatives in the churchyard. Living alone, lockdown has been difficult for her. She has found it helpful being close to her relatives and in her words 'doing a bit of gardening'. I was reminded of the scene in the film 'Goodnight Mr Tom' when he is shown tending his wife's grave in that typical rural village churchyard. If you have ideas of your own for what you would find helpful please let us know.

Keep safe.

O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things Both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, And to give us those things which be profitable for us; Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

_____________________________________________________________________

ST LEONARD’S CONTACT DETAILS Vicar: Canon David Tickner Churchwarden: Dominic Hawken Treasurer: Denise Bauldry PCC Secretary: Jackie Scott Friends: Barbara Podbury

01342 715278 07831 440819 01342 604825 01293 883314 01342 714899

stleonardth@gmail.com dominic@del.co.uk dlbauldry@gmail.com jackiscott@aol.com barbarapodbury@gmail.com

Bells: Jo Barnes Hall: Tina Shea

jopbarnes@btinternet.com 01342 715322/07900 266738

Web: www.thparish.co.uk

_____________________________________________________________________

TURNERS HILL PARISH COUNCIL THE ARK, MOUNT LANE, TURNERS HILL, WEST SUSSEX, RH10 4RA

TEL: 01342 712226 E-mail: office@turnershillparishcouncil.gov.uk Web: www.turnershillparishcouncil.gov.uk

The Parish Council Office is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 09.00 and 12.30, but a message can be left at anytime or an e-mail sent to the above e-mail address.

During the current pandemic, Council meetings are still being held on the first Tuesday of each month starting at 19.30 with 15 minutes for public participation, but they are being held on-line. You are very welcome to join us for part or all of any meeting - please e-mail the Clerk with your question on any item on the agenda and she will let you have password and log-in. The agenda will not be displayed in advance on the village notice board, but will be on the Council website (details above). Our next meeting is on July 7.

MAKING HISTORY - COUNTY COUNCIL SEEKS YOUR HELP A time capsule capturing West Sussex’s response to the coronavirus outbreak is being put together into a COVID-19 Community Archive to show future generations.

The project will see West Sussex Record Office, The Novium Museum in Chichester and Screen Archive South East join forces to bring the archive together.

This multi-faceted collection will be accessible for future generations to show the county’s reaction, resilience and recovery during these extraordinary times.

Residents are invited to share their lockdown diaries, posters, poems, artwork, objects or videos to become part of history. Organisations and community groups are asked to share their experiences, feelings and activities and it is hoped that key workers and services will also add their stories to the archive.

Each of the partners will be responsible for collecting different materials which will form part of their collection and will be used together for future displays and exhibitions.

The responsibilities for the collection will be divided up as follows: • West Sussex Record Office (run by West Sussex County Council) will be collecting all archives and digital content.

•The Novium Museum (operated by Chichester District Council) will be responsible for the collection of artwork and objects, including 3D items from across Chichester District.

•Screen Archive South East (part of the University of Brighton) will be taking in and preserving all films (as digital files) from across West Sussex.

Records can be made on paper, digitally, or by phone and can be done as an individual, part of a family project within the same household, a creative outlet or simply as a daily record.

If an individual has a particular item that has kept them going through lockdown, then The Novium Museum’s social history collection would like to hear from them, as a selection of these objects will be collected and preserved for future generations. More information can be found at www.thenovium.org/communityarchive.

Residents are also asked to help in collecting other material that they might come across such as:  Leaflets, flyers or posters from councils and other organisations about the pandemic;  Material from local businesses relating to closures or changes to how they operate;  Advice from local organisations about hygiene, social distancing and self-isolation;  Information about community efforts to help vulnerable and isolated persons; and  Information from local schools regarding closures, home-schooling and re-opening.

If people want to share any of their materials with the partnership, please get in contact with the relevant team who can provide further details:  West Sussex Record Office – record.office@westsussex.gov.uk  The Novium Museum - thenovium@chichester.gov.uk  Screen Archive South East - screenarchive@brighton.ac.uk If people wish to share films with the Screen Archive, please go to: https://screenarchive.brighton.ac.uk/news/chronicling-covid/ for upload instructions.

To find out more, visit https://westsussexrecordofficeblog.com/2020/03/31/history-in-the-making-helpto-play-your-part-and-add-your-story-to-the-west-sussex-archives/#more-3756

HEDGE CUTTING The ideal time of year to trim hedges is during autumn and winter months, which allows nesting birds and their young to remain undisturbed during the spring and early summer.

BONFIRES During this time when the Government are instructing us all to stay home where we can, we are asking that residents consider their neighbours and refrain from having bonfires. Vulnerable people may be getting their only bit of fresh air through an open window and COVID-19 increases the susceptibility of people to smoke due to respiratory illness.

STREET LIGHTS Please continue to report any problems to the Clerk giving the exact location of the street light, for example: ‘opposite Taranas, Selsfield Road.’

DIAL 105 TO REPORT POWER CUTS Should you experience a power cut please call 105 for UK Power Networks, the company who maintains the electricity cables in our area. If you need extra support during a power cut they recommend that you add your details to their Priority Services Register. This does not mean you will get power back any quicker, but they can offer additional support and help. Call them free on 0800 316 3105 or sign up on-line at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority

PENSIONABLE AGE BUS PASSES / SENIOR RAILCARD REMINDER Contact the Parish Clerk regarding issue and renewal of reduced-rate Senior Railcards and Bus Passes. Advice and guidance will be provided on current procedures. Call or e-mail as shown above.

The Ark IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES THE ARK REMAINS CLOSED TO ALL SPORTS AND SOCIAL EVENTS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Other independent services may continue, but clients are advised to check in advance: Osteopath treatments - call Jo Barber on 01342 712266 Comfort Foot Care Clinics – call Victoria Vaughn on 07593 630863 Although the Outreach Post Office service in the Deck Room (every Tuesday and Friday 10.00–12.00) is continuing, the situation is being reviewed on a daily basis and the Parish Council website will give the most up-to-date information.

VILLAGE NEWS RED LION GETS SET TO QUENCH VILLAGE THIRST

E

John Roberts

verything was set for pubs to re-open on July 4 as we went to press, but government go-ahead came with restrictions and conditions. Nothing was set in stone. That meant there were complex, commonsense conditions for us and our village pubs too.

Graham Martyn at the Red Lion was pushing ahead with plans to re-open, whilst Phil Shoubridge at The Crown said he would stay shut until he had a clear green light to viably open the whole pub.

“We’re planning to open on the fourth, both in the garden and inside,” said Graham, “following the guidelines with one-way systems and distancing. People outside buying beer will go in one door and carry it out of the other; and people using the toilets will go in one front door and out the back one.”

Sanitizers will be everywhere and in the meantime Graham has been busily breaking off his lockdown period to organise tents in case of rain and even supervising pub floor re-laying.

Graham said he would probably not be serving food for some time.

•Graham preparing to start pulling pints again.

……BUT CROWN DOORS REMAIN CLOSED FOR NOW Meanwhile, Phil at The Crown has been busy too.

He reports: “Everything has been decorated during lockdown and we’re ready to open as soon as I have clear guidelines that I can open properly and have a viable business.”

Unlike Graham, Phil has had no cushioning from Government small-business pay-outs because, ironically, his business rates are too high!

Also The Crown is a much more food-based pub with visitors from miles around so he had decided that what with the uncertainty of the weather for serving outside he was in no rush to re-open yet.

Let’s hope we’ll all see both establishments open properly before too long.

Cheers!

•Left: The Crown waits for clear green light.

ARTS SOCIETY TURNERS HILL

Nigel Emery, Chairman

Although we are unable to meet at present we continue to look forward to opening the doors at The Ark when it is safe to do so. We have updated our website to give residents more information about what we do.

On the website you will find our most recent monthly newsletter, pictures of past speakers, including Turners Hill resident David Battie, events, visits and members enjoying what we do.

Our September 2020-June 2021 programme, necessarily subject to change, is also available on the website which can be found at https://theartssociety.org/turners-hill There is a fantastic range of talks on offer, why not take a look? If you want any further information contact me at nigel.emery@gmail.com

GREENPLAN HOUSING – SPECIAL OFFER FOR VILLAGE RESIDENTS A special offer on new village homes at its Sopers Gardens estate is extended to Turners Hill residents by developer Greenplan. Villagers are offered first choice on properties - with stamp duty paid - before the development is officially released to the open market. The exclusive offer ends on July 24.

See Greenplan’s advertisement elsewhere in this edition.

ST CATHERINES PLANT STALL

Thelma and Martyn Mason

We continue to have the table of plants on our drive at Les Roses, Withypitts. So far we have made £250 for St. Catherine's.

Plants currently available include some of the lesser known ones: Amaranthus and Phlomis, alpine Alchemilla, which has a lovely silver edged leaf, as well as some Fuchsias (the common variety), some Geraniums and two trays of tomato plants, including some heritage varieties.

Plants cost 50p for small- and £1 for medium- size pots.

Thank you to all who have already supported and bought plants.

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING MID-SUMMER EVENT

Barbara Podbury

The 'Virtual' Mid-Summer Solstice Event raised more than £500 for St Catherine's Hospice.

Many thanks go to everyone in the village able to support. Next year hopefully we will be able to get back to an actual running/walking event with music and picnic afterwards, but meanwhile stay safe and keep enjoying the beautiful countryside around Turners Hill.

WORTH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Martyn Mason, Chairman

Sadly for the Society it has not been a good start to the year with our Spring Show and Table Top Sale, Plant Sale and Summer Show already cancelled.

Hopefully the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic will greatly improve and we can look forward, with anticipation, to our planned annual coach visit to RHS Garden Wisley on Sunday September 20.

Further information regarding this visit will appear in the September edition of the Parish News.

Otherwise, we hope sincerely that you are all in good health and please stay safe and keep distancing.

SEA SUNDAY SAILS IN

John Roberts

Doubtless you will have seen and heard on the news of cruise ship crews trapped on board in port since lock-down, unpaid and unable to go anywhere. The Mission to Seafarers deals with cases like that year round, trying to bring supplies and home comforts to exploited sailors worldwide.

This year the annual Sea Sunday collection day is July 12. Once again JR will be about the village accosting innocent passers-by with his battered tin.

Please give any loose change you can spare - and notes are even better! Bless you.

LOCKDOWN EASING - GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE Government has set out its plan to return life to as near normal as possible, for as many people as possible, as quickly and fairly as possible in order, it states, to safeguard livelihoods, but in a way that is safe and continues to protect our NHS. Official guidance has been published on staying safe outside home and on social distancing rules. A special page on the www.gov.uk website sets out key FAQs to help prepare for these changes. Go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/

OBITUARY Margaret ‘Peggy’ Munro – ‘loved living in Turners Hill’ Her connections with Turners Hill go back to 1945 and it was five years later that Margaret and husband Fred ‘Bubbles’ Munro settled down to raise a family and thrive in the village for the next 48 years. Margaret will be remembered fondly by many old friends and neighbours.

Daughter Sue McFadden pays tribute…

M

um was known as Peggy Munro by most people. She was working at Miswells House back in 1945 when she met Frederick ‘Bubbles’ Munro, who was on leave from the RAF, at the Red Lion, Turners Hill.

Bubbles left the RAF 1946 and joined Prudential Assurance, becoming the local insurance man for Turners Hill and surrounding area until he retired in 1981.

Peggy and Bubbles married in 1947. They first lived at Blindley Heath and then Crawley Down before acquiring their own home at Turners Hill’s Medway in 1950, along with six-month-old son Bob. Two years later their daughter Sue was born.

Peggy and Bubbles loved living in Medway bringing up their children in the lovely countryside and enjoyed a contented, loving family life.

When the children were old enough, Peggy went to work locally to fit in with school times, then further afield into East Grinstead to become a laboratory assistant.

Sadly Bubbles passed away in 1988 just two weeks before Peggy was due to retire. This was a difficult and painful time for her, but she kept going and treasured the company of their beloved Labrador Cindy.

Peggy eventually went back to work part-time in the pet shop at Crawley Down.

The years went by until in 1998, when after living in the family home at Medway for 48 years, she moved to Ashford in Kent to live with Sue. A whole new chapter in her life opened. She was actively involved with the lives of her grand- and greatgrandchildren, both indoors and outdoors. She enjoyed taking walks in the countryside and on nearby beaches with Sue and all the dogs.

Peggy still found time in her 70s to carry out voluntary work at William Harvey Hospital and the local NSPCC charity shop.

Mobility became an issue in later years, but Peggy remained content to stay indoors reading and watching her television.

She was an amazing loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother and will be sadly missed by all the family.

- Sue McFadden

Margaret ‘Peggy’ Munro was born on June 28, 1928. She died on June 2, 2020.

Her funeral took place at Charing Crematorium on June 23. ____________________

HAPPY SCAMPER ANDREW MACLEAN MAKES THE FRONT PAGE Village motor entrepreneur Andrew MacLean, famed for his self-built Scamp vehicles, has not only hit the front page of July’s specialist magazine Complete KIT CAR, but is also the focus of a six-page feature inside the publication.

Unsurprisingly, Andrew and his many local friends have been delighted at his new-found celebrity status.

“I was totally over the moon to discover that I was on the front cover of a magazine,” said Andrew.

“Despite being featured many times in all sorts of motoring magazines and publications, I've never actually achieved front-page coverage before - plus six pages inside, albeit one of them just grubby old me in my Rowfant Garage boilersuit,” he said Andrew added: “There’s more interesting stuff to follow for the August edition of the Magazine, as I have written some stories from my travels around the world with the Scamps, including the Caribbean and Nigeria when the Nigeria Airways Boeing 737 hit a lamp post on taxiing to take-off from Kano.

“It was also the exact same week that Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited Lagos on their Royal Tour of West Africa in the Royal Yacht Britannia. I got mugged on my first night there. Nevertheless, we sold some Scamps and got paid before we left. All expenses were covered by the government.”

•Front page, bottom left

•The big picture - Andrew and one of his Scamps featured inside the magazine

ANOTHER BUSY FIRE STATION MONTH

Watch Manager Lee Aggett

Another busy month for the Turners Hill crew, with yet another house fire. This time it was a blaze in the Furnace Green area of Crawley. One appliance from Turners Hill and two from Crawley attended the incident. Despite initial crews arriving in a matter of minutes and committing Firefighters to wear breathing apparatus, there was a considerable amount of fire damage to the bedroom where the fire originated; and smoke damage to the rest of the property. The fire was caused by a games console that had been left on the bed and overheated.

A call from the ambulance service saw crews assist in the extraction of an elderly lady who had fallen in the lower level of her garden, suffering serious head, hip and arm injuries. Crews were informed that the lady was possibly suffering from COVID-19. Although crews took every precaution to protect themselves while rescuing the casualty, this lead to the Fire & Rescue Service implementing its full response procedure, which meant all our fire kit had to be sealed and taken away for cleaning and the station and appliance undergoing a full deep clean. Fortunately for everyone, crews were informed three days later that the casualty had not been infected.

Gas leaking in a block of flats saw crews from Turners Hill and Crawley called out. Police believed the occupier was still in the property and was possibly unconscious. Our Turners Hill appliance was first to attend and with Police, evacuated the building. A decision was made to make forced entry into the flat to locate the occupier who was still unaccounted for. Fortunately no one was home, but the gas hob had been left on. Crews isolated the supply and ventilated the property before everyone could return to their homes.

ASSISTING THE ELDERLY Otherwise, during this pandemic crews have been assisting the elderly and vulnerable by delivering medical supplies.

NEW APPLIANCE TESTED FOR SIZE West Sussex Fire and Rescue have invested in six new Volvo appliances and Turners Hill received a visit from one of them. This was for future planning to ensure that when our current appliance is due to be replaced the new, slightly larger vehicle would fit in the appliance bay.

______________________________ ACTION FRAUD PANDEMIC SCAM ADVICE Action Fraud National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre warns that criminals are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to try and get their hands on people’s money and personal information. To date, Action Fraud has received reports from 2,378 victims of Coronavirus-related scams, with the total losses reaching more than £7 million.

It recommends some simple steps that will protect members of the public from the most common Coronavirus-related scams: 1 - Watch out for scam messages Your bank, or other official organisations, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text. If you receive an email you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk 2 - Shopping online If you're making a purchase from a company or person you don't know and trust, carry out some research.

First, for example, by checking to see if others have used the site and what their experience was. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one. Other payment providers may not provide the same protection.

3 - Unsolicited calls and browser pop-ups offering tech support Never install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as a result of a cold call. Remember, legitimate organisations would never contact you out of the blue to ask for financial details such as your PIN or full banking password.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040

A Sussex Notebook

by Michael Horan

Something that the ancients called divine

R

euben was leaning on his farmyard gate. A walker came along the lane and asked where it led to. Reuben looked down the lane for a few moments then said he didn’t know. Pointing in the other direction, the man asked where that went. Reuben turned and looked up the lane, pondered, and said he didn’t know that either. ‘Well, where does that go?’ the walker asked, indicating a side turning in the lane. Once more, Reuben gave it some thought then slowly shook his head. ‘You don’t know very much, do you,’ said the man.

‘Ar, well, that’s as may be,’ came Reuben’s reply, ‘but then I ain’t lost.’

I have often heard people say that they would like to walk more, but didn’t know where to walk. Sometimes they’ve said they don’t walk because they didn’t want to get lost. Yet it seems that more people are walking, and are walking more. Perhaps one positive outcome from the coronavirus crisis has been this opportunity to spend time in the open air, going for enjoyable walks in the countryside. While the instruction was to exercise near our homes, we were fortunate to be able to use local public footpaths, with access to the surrounding fields and woods.

Now, as we are free to move further afield, one question may be, where to? Well, whether you want short walks or longer ones, Sussex has more than enough paths to choose from. West Sussex alone has 2,500 miles of public rights of way, and there are a further 2,000 miles in East Sussex. These readily accessible routes are clearly and reliably marked on the beautifully designed maps published by Ordnance Survey (obtainable online from Amazon), enabling you to plan outings with confidence. And for much of the time you will find signposts along the way - usually with yellow arrows for footpaths and blue for bridleways.

Best of the maps are the ‘Explorer’ series, with distinctive orange covers. Their large scale of two-and-a-half inches to the mile means that they include a wealth of useful detail.

Field boundaries are defined, for example, so you can see whether a footpath runs along the edge of a field or crosses at an angle. Many other symbols show parking places, woods, streams, footbridges, ponds, farms, churches, overhead power lines, and so on, making navigation simple. Explorer map number 135 covers our locality, stretching from Copthorne across to Tunbridge Wells, down to Heathfield and over to Burgess Hill. Adjoining maps

cover the remainder of Sussex.

Three kinds of right of way are shown: dotted green lines indicate public footpaths, for walkers only (cycling is not permitted); broken green lines show public bridle ways, for walking, horse riding and cycling; and green crosses indicate byways (few if any in this area), for all users, including motorised vehicles.

Especially attractive and extensive walking country, with distant views, is right on our doorstep – Ashdown Forest, one of England’s best-kept secrets. Although there are plenty of trees, it is not a forest in the sense of a densely wooded area, and nearly two thirds of its 6,500 acres are open heathland. You are free to walk anywhere, provided you don’t climb fences.

So, take a map for a walk and go exploring – and, in Richard Jefferies’ words ....

Let us be always out of doors among trees and grass, and rain and wind and sun ...

Let us get out of these indoor narrow modern days, into the sunlight and the pure wind. A something that the ancients called divine can be found and felt there still.

______________________________

JOHN ROBERTS INTERVIEWS……

Many were impressed by last month’s back-page paean of praise for Turners Hill from local aviation expert Hazel Courteney. We were too. And so John Roberts met Hazel to find out more about her life. It has certainly been lived to the full, from starting out cleaning beaches at Southend to working on safety design for major aircraft and helicopters to travelling the world in her current job - and being knocked flat first time they met by her future husband….

A

ll right then. Let’s cut straight to the chase and the curious form of courtship between Hazel Courteney and hubby-to-be Barry. They met at Sherbourne Karate Club when Hazel was working for Westland Helicopers at Yeovil.

“Men didn’t fight women in matches, but they did in practise and Barry really walloped me,” said Hazel. “The very first words he ever spoke to me were: ‘Where’s all that blood come from?’ ” That was back in 1985 and despite their distinctly unromantic start they became an item and eventually, on New Year’s Eve 17 years later Barry proposed at the Cowdray Arms.

Chuckled Hazel: “He’d been trying all night to get me drunk first!”

Hazel said yes anyway and the following year in 2003 they married and held their reception at Amberley Castle followed more earthily by an evening bash back at the Cowdray.

They were living then at Maidenbower in Crawley and moved to Turners Hill ten years ago: “I was working at Southampton then and poor Barry had to do nearly all the moving on his own” They came to roost on the corner of the drive down to Rashes Farm where they have fields on the left-hand side and keep bees and have planted fruit trees.

Such a rural idyll is far removed from Hazel’s upbringing. She was born and grew up at Southend. After a ‘free and easy’ junior school the shock awaited of being sent to a convent school strictly run by nuns.

“I was always in trouble arguing and joking. One report said: ‘Hazel allows her sense of humour to run away with her.’ I hated the place and left at 16.”

This being Southend she found a job in a stick-ofrock factory: “I was a rock wrapper.”

Also she went back to college to take A-Levels and three years later in 1979 headed off to University in Birmingham, spending summer vacations back at Southend taking work cleaning the beaches. “ It was a full-time job, seven days a week, and surprisingly well paid. We cleaned two miles of beach everyday and in the evenings I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

“We had all the Mods and Rockers thing then. I had a bike and the leather jackets and joined the Bank Holiday seaside excitements, but really there wasn’t very much rioting. I was very protective of my beach though. Just after I’d cleaned it a whole lot of Mods were about to drive their scooters all over it, but I turfed them off.”

That done, it was time for more overseas excitement. After graduating in 1982, Hazel took a gap six months in America: “I was coaching poor kids in a summer camp, near Detroit. It was the first time I’d seen tornadoes. After that I toured around a big square of America and Canada by Greyhound bus. You saw a lot and it was the cheapest way. “

…… HIGH-FLYING HAZEL Then it was time to settle down to a career and Hazel came home and back to college for a Masters in Engineering and took a job with Westland Helicopters at Yeovil in Somerset.

It was very different at Westland where Hazel was put to work on helicopter design and as part of research was often flown out to North Sea oil rigs and remembers: “It could be quite a long trip, three hours out and three back. There were a couple of hairy moments with in-flight failures over the sea, but we had back-up systems. However, one helicopter I’d flown in crashed two weeks later with metal fatigue and 44 people were killed.”

After a decade with Westland, Hazel had two years at British Aerospace in a team of 15 working on cockpit design for the Euro Fighter. She recalls with some awe that “ it climbs 63,000 feet in a minute” and involved their team in researching the function and logic of where and what the controls should be.

By 1994 Hazel was at Gatwick working for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Aircraft Certification –when, after an aircraft is designed, it has to be approved before being mass produced. Among other planes, she was on the certification team for the Airbus 380 and Fairchild Dornier in Germany.

Nine years later Hazel was Head of Research and Analysis on “anything to do with aviation whatever, from new pilot vision tests to how helicopters float on water” and had also taken a PhD at London University in Aviation & Design to become ‘Dr’ Courteney.

Next she pitched up at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) headquarters in Southampton as head of safety. “It was a lovely place to work,” she says. “They are so far ahead of everything. I was pretty fit down there too, doing a lot of aerobics after work. I was quite skinny. Barry didn’t fancy living down there, though, so I got a job back at Gatwick working with, but nor for, the CAA and travelled all over. I was able to visit Montreal, the centre of world aviation administration. I began to see my own country differently, how much influence and leverage Britain has in the world.”

Four years ago Hazel took the plunge and decided to work for herself as an aviation consultant. She said “After 35 years in the business you have plenty of contacts. People come to you offering work.” Now as a result she is back travelling the world, often setting up state safety systems for various countries.

•Hazel with her team in Qatar Continued on next page……

John Roberts Interview continued……..

Hazel has toiled in the Far East, Middle East, Africa and Central Asia including most of the ’Stans’ like for example Tjitistan - no, I hadn’t either!

“I had to drink a lot of vodka and dance every night.They just loved it when I stopped having wine and drank vodka with them. I’m quite good at behaving myself though, although there was one night in Belerus where I probably drank too much.”

By contrast she never drinks in Arab countries: “Many Middle East places are very conservative. Some are not used to a woman in their office.

“I make sure I wear trousers with a long tunic and sleeves and. I don’t drink out there.”

By contrast one of Hazel’s dreamier trips was being asked to work for a week in the Maldives and before lock-down, was busy in Zambia. It’s all go!

Still, Hazel insists: “I pine for Barry when I’m away and after sterile tracts of desert it’s so lovely here to see green fields and trees.”

For a while she was viewing them from above for fun at weekends. She gained a pilot’s licence in 2005 and only gave it up four years ago, flying in a Piper Cherokee Warrior out of Shoreham.

She said: “I’d sometimes take up friends for a spin. Only trips to Lydd or the Isle of Wight.”

Lockdown put a pause on work trips and left time for Hazel and Barry to concentrate on their own green fields and trees and busy themselves with their bees: “We had 175lbs of honey in our best year, but in the winter we lost a couple of hives. We don’t know what happened. The bees had just gone.”

Also keeping them busy are their two massive hounds Zeus, a Swiss Mountain Dog and Juno, an American Bulldog. They’ve been known to appear, to some alarm, in the Red Lion, but like Hazel’s, and most other people’s jobs, all that has been on hold.

This year even both their 60th birthdays fell during lockdown. Which is a pity because, as Hazel says: “I like the pubs, I like the people and I like Turners Hill.”

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WORTH ABBEY SERVICES & EVENTS REMAIN CANCELLED. NO PUBLIC MASS OR CONCERTS WILL TAKE PLACE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. We look forward to opening the Church at Worth as soon as we can put all the necessary arrangements in place to guarantee everyone’s safety.

However, there are some necessarily strict conditions which we must meet in order to protect any visitors who may come.

SEE WEBSITE* FOR SPECIAL ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS Contact points: Parish Priest – Fr Paul Fleetwood 07764 260216 Parish Secretary – parish@worth.org.uk *Web – www.worthabbeyparish.co.uk

TURNERS HILL FREE CHURCH POLITICS AND RELIGION by Giancarlo Elia Light to the Nations Ministry*

Y

ears ago I watched a film of which I remember nothing except the last line: ‘God uses good men, bad men use God.’ I took it as a warning that we need to pursue godly lives, so that we are used by God, while at the same time we should never drag God into our own political programmes or any other worldly pursuit that has nothing to do with the advancing Kingdom.

All along history the name of God has been used in many political mottos, from ‘Deus vult’ of the Crusaders, to ‘Gott mit uns’ of the Nazis, and ‘In God we trust’ of the USA, for example. Constantine the Great became a master in using religion for political purposes, although he did not live as a Christian and was baptised only on his death bed.

Some contemporary politicians like to be seen with a Bible in their hands, although probably they never read it. At the time of Jesus religion and politics were so intertwined that it was almost impossible to disentangle them.

The people of Israel saw themselves as a theocracy centred on the Temple, from which all religious, social and judicial streams flowed. Herod the Great understood that quite well and tried to diminish the political importance of the Temple by raising its religious status. At the same time, by reducing the political importance of the priestly class, Herod allowed the political vacuum to be filled by the influence of religious sages, who thus became his allies and supporters. The confrontation with Jesus was unavoidable and the political clash peaked with an astute trap set by the Pharisee: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

The answer of Jesus is an absolutely unrivalled masterpiece of political philosophy paired with perfect theology: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”.

If I am allowed to apply the words of Jesus to the present political atmosphere, I can only say that God does not want to be dragged into politics. There is nothing in any human endeavour that does not fall under the authority of God, or escapes His intervention, politics included.

Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 teach us about it. However, while Jesus took very radical social positions, at the same time He avoided being involved in partisanship at all costs.

The corollary of “do not drag religion into politics for the sake of worldly endeavours", is clear: win politics over to religion for the sake of the Kingdom.

God does not want to be used by politicians, but He wants politicians to learn from Him how to do politics in a godly way. The answer of Jesus is much more than a principle of separation of church and state. It is an order of priorities that everyone, politicians more than others, should consider carefully when taking a stance on any issue.

*An itinerant ministry serving the entire body of Christ. For information contact giancarlo@lttnm.org ********************** THE CHURCH REMAINS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, BUT IS MEETING ONLINE AND WELCOMES ALL VISITORS. VISIT WEBSITE http://thfchurch.org/

RAY FOSTER Garden & Forest Machinery Sales and Service  Quality Garden & Forest Machinery at Competitive Prices  Garden Tools  Safety Clothing and Boots  Oils and Sundries`  Apache Quad Bikes  Berg Karts (Pedal)  Bocarts (Petrol)  Repairs Please visit us at: Burleigh Quarry, East Street, Turners Hill 01342 714774

Aching joints or muscles?

Osteopath Jo Barber may be able to help you.

Jo helps people of all ages with a wide range of ailments to reduce pain, increase mobility and get a better night’s sleep.

AXA PPP and BUPA recognised.

Tel 01342 712266 The Ark, Mount Lane, Turners Hill, RH10 4RA

If you would like to place an advertisement in the Turners Hill Parish News, which reaches more than 900 homes, please contact: Martyn Mason at martynmmason@aol.com

Linage Advert

Milborrow & Son Chimney Sweeps. Stove Installs, Liners, Blockages and Problems Solved. 01342 717900. Email flueologist@btinternet.com wwwmilborrowchimmeysweeps.co.uk

Dorte Hass IRONING 4 U Ironing, Laundry, Dry Cleaning & Alterations We also clean your Duvets, Bedspreads, Pillows & other Household items Service washes and wash & finish available We sell Luxury Clothes Rails, Suit Covers, Dress Covers, Lint-removers & refills, Clothes Brushes Photocopying and Fax Service Also available

OPENING HOURS Tuesday 7.30am - 6pm, Wednesday,Thursday & Friday Friday 9am – 5pm Closed for Lunch 1pm -2pm Closed Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays & Bank Holidays

Parmeria Place, Lion Lane, Turners Hill TEL/FAX01342 717788

The Red Lion

Lion Lane, Turners Hill RH10 4NU 01342 715416 Graham and Lorna welcome you to the Red Lion

www.redlionturnershill.com Free WI FI

Harvey’s Ales, Home Cooked Food served Six Days a Week Lunches Only Kitchen Closed Thursdays (Pub open as normal)

If you would like to place an advertisement in the Turners Hill Parish News, which reaches more than 900 homes, please contact: Martyn Mason at martynmmason@aol.com

PARISH NEWS NEXT EDITION Copy deadline for the SEPTEMBER Parish News edition will be MONDAY AUGUST 17 Editorial contributions, including letters for publication, should be sent to: editor.parishnews@thparish.co.uk Advertising enquiries should go to: advertising.parishnews@thparish.co.uk Post: Turners Hill Parish News, The Vicarage, St Leonard’s Church, Turners Hill RH10 4PB PARISH NEWS ONLINE: The Parish News is also available on line.

Go to www.thparish.co.uk and click on ‘Parish News’ at ‘QUICK LINKS.’ ______________________ CLUBS & ORGANISATIONS Under continuing circumstances of curtailed social activities and gatherings, the listing of Village Clubs & Organisations remains omitted from current editions.

For information/advice about likely future arrangements, please contact organisers. ______________________________

AND FINALLY……

SPEEDWATCH TEAM GETS BACK TO ROAD SAFETY ACTION Community Speedwatch team members, led by coordinator Jonathan Pratt, are getting ready to resume road-side traffic calming activity in the village under new operational procedures laid down by Sussex Police.

Having been out of action because of lockdown restrictions, existing members were invited last month to take part in virtual online re-training session required under revised requirements.

One of Jonathan’s key priorities is to recruit more Speedwatch volunters within the community to help keep village roads as safe as possible by encouraging drivers to respect speed limits and keep sensibly to them. .

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SEE INSIDE BACK PAGE FOR SEPTEMBER EDITION DETAILS