Sunday 4th December 2022
The Lord Rank Playing Field Car Park , Duke Street, Micheldever. SO21 3DF starting at 10.30am returning approx 1.00pm
Where, not 2 miles from Lord Rank Playing Field, can you find Juniper and Butchers Broom growing in a semi-natural environment? Join us on this Christmas Walk and you will discover just where.
2½ miles there, 2½ miles back.
Easy walking, mainly along off-road rights-of-way and forest rides. Wet underfoot if it has rained but should be no rivers, floods, or stiles to negotiate.
We visit the site of 40 species of native British trees forming a Commemorative Planting in 1992.
Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. DOGS WELCOME
Info contact: suebell0906@gmail.com
return route passes the local hostelry. ETA 1.00pm. I shall of Seasonal Cheer. Those to dine MUST BOOK IN ADVANCE.
Half Moon & Spread Eagle 01962 774339 Winchester Road, Micheldever. SO21 3DG www.halfmoonandspreadeagle.co.uk
Donations purely voluntary and used locally as agreed during the walk. Children free.
St
St
Editor:
Peter O’Keefe
07515 339279
1 Canada Cottages, Overton Road, Micheldever Station, SO21 3AN.
Email: editor@thedever.org
Printing: James Dixon and team
Annual Subscription January to December for 12 issues: £8.00; £15.00 by post.
Articles for January issue to be received by the editor before 10 th December please.
Articles printed in The Dever are accepted ‘as is’ and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editorial Team.
Roger Forsey
Did you know that this is peak Christmas present buying week. Millions and millions of pounds will be spent in the next seven days on Christmas gifts.
Some people are brilliant at choosing just the right gift for you. Exactly what you want! They really know you and find you the perfect thing. Some others though, however kind they are, never seem to get it quite right and as you tear the wrapping paper off, there’s always a slight heart-sink!
However spot-on or not Christmas presents are though, they’re mostly from people who love us. They’re saying, ‘You’re special to me; life would be very different without you. I love you’.
God was saying, ‘I love you’ when he gave us an incredible Christmas gift 2000 years ago. It was his Son, Jesus, who in the end was willing to die in our place in order to take away the blocks that prevent us from really knowing God as our loving Father.
Once we ask for God’s forgiveness, he becomes real to us, and we gradually develop a settled heart, a sense of being helped in all areas of life and a huge peace about the long-term future. It’s extraordinary the difference it makes to life.
The tragedy is when God’s personal gift to each of us just gets ignored.
Imagine if this year all your Christmas presents were left under the tree unopened, collecting dust. Then piled up in a corner of the room and forgotten. It’d be tragic. But that’s a picture of what happens year after year as people don’t accept what the Bible calls, ‘God’s indescribable gift.’
If you haven’t yet discovered the difference living life closely with God makes, could this be the year you decide to see what’s inside the wrapping paper of the gift he’s offering?
Just Google, ‘How do you become a Christian?’ Or Google ‘Bible Gateway’ and read Mark’s description of Jesus’ life. You might find it comes to you in a completely fresh way.
At university years ago, I asked God to come into my life. It made a massive difference to me and gradually over the years, God’s closeness has transformed many areas of my life and brought great satisfaction and contentment despite the normal battles all of us face as human beings.
So there you go... the message of Christianity is that God’s incredible gift is there for the opening. Don’t leave it under the tree this year.
Ruth GuyWoodmancote held its All Souls Service on 30th October. It is a solemn service but a beautiful one, lit mainly by candlelight. For the recently bereaved it gives a chance for reflection and to feel (hopefully) not alone in their grief. I really hope this Service brings some comfort for those who attend, if only briefly.
Rev. Rob Rees took the Service and reminded us that as far back as the beginnings of time people felt and experienced grief. Grief is written about at the very beginning of the Bible and the first reading taught us that eventually we will be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy “ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls”. 1 Peter 1 v9 Christmas is fast approaching and as usual we will be having the Carol Service on Friday 16th December at 7pm. It will be followed by cheese and wine at Rownest Meadow, generously hosted by Mary Wallis and Nick Greenwood. All are very welcome to attend. Our Christmas Day Service, which will be taken by Rev. Rob Rees, is at 9.30am. We would love you to join us on Christmas morning. Finally, I also happened to attend the Benefice Service on 30th October where Andy Trenier, Canon Precentor at the Cathedral, was preaching. He shared an old Alcoholics’ Anonymous poem with us and I thought I’d share it with you:
I was regretting the past And fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
“My name is I Am.” He paused. I waited. He continued, When you live in the past With its mistakes and regrets, It is hard. I am not there, My name is not I WAS”.
When you live in the future
With its problems and fears, It is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WILL BE.
When you live in this moment, It is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM.
Poem by Helen Mallicoat
Wishing you all a very happy festive season. Jane.
This will be a full face to face meeting of the Parish Council and residents will be welcome to attend . There will be an opportunity for questions from the public at around 8 .00pm
www.micheldeverparish.org.uk
Parish Council Matters–Planning Applications, Meetings–Agendas, Dates & Minutes, Newsletters, Parish Assembly and more
A brief update from the parish Rights of Way volunteers.
We’ve had a fairly quiet year for big clearance jobs around the parish, but some great work has been done on tree clearances after storms, on footpath and local bridge mapping, on new steps for the railway embankment path and on promotion of the local map boards (and restoration of one!). Big thanks to all volunteers who’ve helped out this year.
We bid farewell to Co-Chair, James Alpe as he moves on from Micheldever, for pastures new. All good wishes, James.
We’re pleased to report that Nigel Pratt, an existing RoWVer and dab hand
with a chainsaw (!) has kindly agreed to pick up the role of Co-Chair, with Lynsey Sweeney, from this month.
Nigel’s email is: mgnige@yahoo.co.uk
Lynsey’s is: lynseysweeney17@gmail.com or call 07791 489 710
Please feel free to contact either of us directly with any rights of way issues.
Nigel and I will be in touch with all RoWVers soon, with updates on a few projects and a look ahead to work for 2023.
Happy New Year all, and (in the spirit of Strictly Come Dancing...)–Keeeeeep Walking!
Lynsey Sweeney
We had a constant stream of visitors, both new and regulars, at the café on 19th October – so many that we had to utilise the pub car park! This month we had visits from perhaps our oldest and youngest guests, 99½ year old Iola pictured with Ayla, the 2½ week old granddaughter of Iola’s yoga instructor Marion Symes! We also had three generations from the same family enjoying cake and coffee in the hall. Sadly, the weather was not good enough this time for outdoor seating. Thanks to this great attendance, and some very generous donations, the October community café raised £500 for Blood Cancer UK. This is a fantastic sum that will make an enormous difference to the charity. We will be open again at the Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney, on Wednesday 14th December 9.30am – 12 noon (last orders 11.45am) – please note this is a change of date for December only. This month the café will be raising funds for Myeloma UK. Your donation helps us make sure no-one has to face myeloma alone. We give patients and their families all the information,
help and support they need, exactly when they need it. We’re also one of the leading funders of myeloma research in the UK, and we have an ongoing commitment to investing in ground-breaking research. Regular donations are a vital source of income and help us build a better future for everyone affected by myeloma.
Please do come along to support the community café, which is staffed entirely by volunteers. All the cakes are homemade, we have real coffee and plenty of free parking!
Janis Kinnell
All expectations were passed when the 4th November table-top sale in Northbrook Hall Micheldever raised in excess of £1,300 for St Mary’s Church. As early as 8am, the hall was a hive of activity as volunteers set up the various stalls. Tables were piled high with children’s toys, books, cakes, bric-abrac, Christmas gifts and tombola prizes. At 9am the doors were open and business began. The café did a roaring trade and there was very little rest for the team of volunteers busily supplying coffee and delicious-looking homemade cakes, donated by generous cooks in the village. The event had been planned for some weeks beforehand and many people had donated items for sale and raffle. But the event was about much more than just making money, successful as that was. Seeing so
many people attending and enjoying the morning, both helpers and visitors, was another reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a wonderful community. There are too many people to thank individually but special mention should be made of the organisers: Ben Bell, Maurelle D’Agostino and Olly Bramley, and also, Sue Knight Jones, for cooking an incredible number of cakes. Thank you also to all who donated so generously and to those who came along to support the event.
The Dever Valley Local History Society presented a lecture by The Maritime Archeology Trust Project Officer, Jasmine Noble-Shelley to explore the stories of some of the shipwrecks of the Solent. Approximately 7,500 years ago the estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, with waters merging from the Rivers Meon, Hamble, Itchen and Test. Eventually the land sinks and the estuary of the Solent was established. The Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge between The Needles on the island and Old Harry Rocks on the mainland was eroded. Today the Solent is a major maritime route and an important area for fishing.
In 1973 The Protected Wrecks Act was introduced making it a crime to tamper with or remove parts of a sunken vessel or its contents. The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archeology was founded in 1991, recently celebrating 30 years of protecting wrecks. 106 sites have been identified, many are war grave sites, also protected. In 2017 The Trust took over management of the Shipwreck Centre and Maritime Museum.
Invincible is the first of six ships to bear that name. The French ship carried a crew of 700 and 74 guns arranged over two decks, and was used as an escort vessel. On 14th May 1747 it was captured at the 1st Battle of Cape Finisterre, waged
during the War of the Austrian Succession. An attack by 14 British ships was led by Admiral George Anson against a French 30 ship convoy commanded by Admiral de la Jonquiere. The French were attempting to protect their merchant ships by using warships sailing with them. The British captured 4 ships of the line, 2 frigates and 7 merchantmen in a five hour battle in the Atlantic off Cape Finisterre in north-west Spain. Despite being a modern ship of superior design with an iron hearth and copper sheathing for longevity, L’Invincible, though it had fought valiantly, was captured by the British as a war prize, recommissioned as Invincible and then put into the Royal Navy. The ship became a model for 74 gun vessels for over 50 years. 16 such ships were present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
On February 19th 1758 Admiral Boscawen’s fleet set sail from Portsmouth bound for Nova Scotia on a second attempt to take the French fort of Louisbourg. Invincible should have taken part but never left the Solent. She sank in a severe storm, becoming firmly wedged in sand. At a court martial captain and crew were exonerated from all blame. In 1979 the ship was found by fishermen and divers began an experimental search. Over years sands shift as tides change and Invincible was damaged by another wreck, there were no plans to raise it. Many items were found including eating utensils, and tankards, elements of rigging, rope and gunpowder. During the
1980s and 90s an excavation was led by John Bridgeman and in 2022 finds were displayed in the Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Ms Noble-Shelley continued with stories of the discoveries of the warship Hazardous c 1698, 54 guns, again a vessel captured from the French Navy discovered in 1977; and the Flower of Ugie, a British ship carrying coal to Cathegena in Spain which sank Monday 27th December 1832 and was discovered in 2003 by a fisherman. The history of these vessels gives a vivid picture of the maritime powers and activities during a period of immense commercialisation and colonisation from Britain and Europe.
Hendrika
Cathy Wallis has heroically managed to get a Christmas card shop going once again. This time it is all under the auspices of “Cards for Good Causes”. Please support by buying your Christmas cards here or even better if you can respond to Cathy’s request for support, please contact her directly email cathyjwallis@gmail.com
A lease was secured and the shop opened on Thursday 10th November in the Brooks Centre, Lower Parking. Please pass this message on. Cathy is doing everything she can to get the word out but would be HUGELY grateful if you could cascade this to people that you know, so that they don’t have to ask Tourist Information where the shop is.
Please note, this information is accurate at the time of writing.
In early October, the Local Authority launched the Keep Warm Keep Well web pages: www.hants.gov.uk/costofliving
These pages bring together a variety of help and information, such as advice for keeping homes warm and coping with debt, details about meals on wheels and school meals, as well as advice for maintaining physical and mental wellbeing during challenging times. Below is an overview of the web page content with signposting details.
Our library network offers warm and welcoming spaces for anyone needing a place to spend some time, connect with others, or to work or study. Libraries provide a safe and inclusive community space, free to use without judgement. Libraries are promoting usual events and activities and are working with communities, volunteers and partners to meet potential demand. Throughout October libraries are hosting a cost-of-living event in each district of Hampshire bringing together a range of partners to support customers in need. Further details are being communicated locally by individual libraries. Libraries are also providing some targeted support with the distribution of Warm Bags and Food Vouchers through the Household Support Fund and will be introducing Chat About sessions across their network in November.
A press release was recently issued with further information about warm and welcome spaces.
Families struggling with the cost of essentials–such as food and fuel–are encouraged to visit the connect4communities website. This is where they will find details about the support on offer. Families are also invited to check their eligibility for free school meals.
Keeping homes warm is essential because it helps protect health and wellbeing. Residents can get advice for keeping homes at optimum temperatures from the County Council commissioned Hitting the Cold Spots helpline. Anyone struggling to pay bills is urged to speak with their supplier first and, if they still need support, to contact their local Citizens Advice. Further details about the help that is available can be found on the Government’s website.
At this time, more Hampshire residents are likely to be experiencing debt and money worries. Those who are struggling to cope can find a wealth of advice and guidance from Connect to Support Hampshire as well as Citizens Advice. Some people might also be eligible for a Council Tax reduction. For anyone receiving treatment following a mental health crisis who is also in debt, the ‘Breathing Space’ scheme can offer a reprieve from financial burdens.
There are several tools available to help residents look after themselves during difficult times. The NHS has some top tips for keeping well over winter, and both Connect to Support Hampshire and our
Mental Wellbeing Hampshire website, link to sources of support, specialist help and money advice. People eligible for their COVID-19 autumn booster and flu jab are being encouraged to take these up as soon as they are invited.
Grants For Community Organisations
Hampshire County Council offers a range of grants to community organisations working with local residents to support their physical and mental wellbeing. These grants may provide assistance in
Alex MacPherson organised a wonderful evening at the end of September to raise funds for St James’ Woodmancote. We started with canapés and fizz –always a good beginning to any talk!
Anne Chambers is the third generation of women gardeners in her family. She and Johnny, her husband, treated us to a very interesting and entertaining talk about their home and garden, Kiftsgate.
I had heard of Kiftsgate but knew little about it. Kiftsgate is sited in the Cotswolds, and has as a neighbour, Hidcote Manor, also a famous garden. It was started in the 1920s by Anne’s grandmother, then her mother in the 1950s before Anne and her husband, took over in the 1980s. The garden celebrates these three generations of women gardeners.
It is not a vast garden but one of beauty in all seasons. It is delightful and gentle in palate as one can imagine women designing. It seems both traditional and modern with a very beautiful water feature with very little planting and stainless steel features. The famous Kiftsgate rose is wonderful
supporting those organisations working with people who are most at risk from the impact of the current crisis.
In particular, the Leader’s Community Grant Fund now contains provision for community organisations, Parish and Town Councils to apply for small grants of up to £5,000 to support communities, for example by setting up a Warm Space. Further information is available on the dedicated web pages.
in the summer and we were told it is the biggest rose in the country – certainly not for small gardens! The herbaceous border looked stunning in the images shown and somehow one could imagine the planting on a smaller scale in one’s own garden.
Anne and Johnny work so hard with very little help (I believe they have just two full time gardeners). Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious and hearing about all they do made me feel exhausted! The garden is open from Easter to the end of September and after this talk I can’t wait to see it.
It is a credit to Anne’s mother and grandmother and now Anne and her husband to have created and to now run such a successful business.
Thank you Alex for introducing us to Anne and Johnny who were a real double act in giving such a wonderful talk, and St James has benefitted from about £800 in ticket sales which is fantastic.
Mary WallisDespite the incessant rain and the general reduction of actual cash that people have in their purses/wallets, the local community of Micheldever, Micheldever Station and Woodmancote raised a marvellous £1826 for the Royal British Legion. The Remembrance Service in St Mary’s raised
a further £267. On behalf of the Royal British Legion, I would like to express appreciation to both those who gave so generously and those who braved the elements to make the collection possible. Thank you
Charles HoldenHere’s a recipe for an easy Keralan Prawn Curry - credit to Rukmini Iyer. Ingredients
220g cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved
1 green pepper, finely sliced
1 onion, roughly sliced
2cm fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
few curry leaves
1 tsp sea salt, plus extra if needed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
400g tin coconut milk
350g raw king prawns
100g spinach, roughly chopped
1 lime, juice only
Fresh coriander, chopped
I red chilli, finely chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Put the tomatoes on the vines, green pepper, onion, ginger, garlic, spices, curry leaves, salt and oil into a roasting tin and mix well to coat everything evenly. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, but remove the tin from the oven if things start to char before 20 minutes is up. Pick out the vines, squash the tomatoes, add the coconut milk, prawns and spinach and return to the oven for 9–10 minutes, or until the prawns are pink and just cooked through. (Note: put in the whole tin of coconut milk if you like quite a runny curry. If you prefer it thicker put in only half of the tin)
Taste and season the curry with the lime juice and more salt if needed. Scatter over the coriander and chilli and serve with the rice alongside.
after an inspection in November Rajeev
Serves 8–10
Ingredients
8 Brioche buns
50g butter
2 tbs Marmalade
3 eggs
350m full fat milk
225ml double cream
40g butter
85g caster sugar
1 orange
1-tsp vanilla extract
1-tbs demerara sugar
Preparation
1.Grease baking dish (2.5 litre dish) well
2.Halve the buns spread with butter and marmalade
3.Zest complete orange
4.Melt 40g butter
Instructions
1.Whisk eggs lightly them add milk, cream, melted butter, caster sugar, most of orange zest and vanilla extract. Whisk all together until fully mixed
2.Cut the Brioche buns in 3 and place is greased bowl
3.Pour over egg mixture and leave to stand for about 5 minutes allowing it to soak into the bread.
4.Sprinkle the rest of orange zest and demerara sugar over the top and place in the oven for 25 minutes until the custard is set and the top is browned.
December 4th 2nd Sunday of Advent
10.00 am Cafe Church St Mary the Virgin–Micheldever
Rev’d Rob Rees
10.00 am Morning Prayer St Margaret’s–South Wonston
Roger Keys
10.00 am Holy Communion St James–Hunton
Rev’d Neil Britton
11.00 am Morning Prayer Holy Trinity–Wonston
Roland Guy
December 10th
2.30 pm Holy Baptisms St James–Hunton
Rev’d Cliff McClelland
December 11th 3rd Sunday of Advent
10.00 am Holy Communion St Margaret's–South Wonston
Rev’d Neil Britton
11.00 am Christingle Service Holy Trinity–Wonston
Campbell Dye
December 16th
7.00 pm Carol Service St James–Woodmancote
Rev’d Rob Rees
December 17th
4.30 pm Carol Service Holy Trinity–Wonston
Rev’d Rob Rees
December 18th 4th Sunday of Advent
3.00 pm Carol Service St Margaret’s–South Wonston
Lay Led
5.00 pm Carol Service All Saints–East Stratton
Rev’d Rob Rees
6.00 pm Carol Service St Mary & St Michael–Stoke Charity
Roland Guy
6.30 pm Carol Service St Mary the Virgin–Micheldever
Rev’d Rob Rees
December 22nd
4.00 pm Nativity Service St James–Hunton
Campbell Dye
December 24th Christmas Eve
3.00 pm Crib Service St Mary the Virgin–Micheldever
Rev’d Rob Rees
5.00 pm Christingle Service St Margaret’s–South Wonston
Rev’d Rob Rees
11.15 pm Midnight Mass All Saints–East Stratton
Rev’d Rob Rees
December 25th Christmas Day
9.30 am Festal Eucharist St James–Woodmancote
Rev’d Rob Rees
10.00 am Family Service with Communion St Mary the Virgin–Micheldever
Rev’d Canon Gary Philbrick
10.00 am Family Service with Communion St Margaret’s–South Wonston
Rev’d Jen Holder
10.00 am Family Service with Communion
The Ven Richard Brand
St Mary & St Michael–Stoke Charity
10.30 am Festal Eucharist All Saints–East Stratton
Rev’d Rob Rees
11.00 am Holy Communion Holy Trinity–Wonston
The Ven Richard Brand
January 1st First Sunday of Christmas
9.30 pm Benefice Service with Communion
Rev’d Rob Rees
All Saints–East Stratton
For further information, please contact the Parish Coordinator, email: coordinator upperdever@hotmail com
All Saints East Stratton SO21 3XA
ruffling.upstarts.disposing
Holy Trinity Wonston SO21 3LS grub.dove.unpacked
St James Hunton SO21 3PX lingering.dwistract.improve
St James Woodmancote SO21 3BL scatters.helper.rating
St Margaret's South Wonston SO21 3EW diver.guises.tarred
St Mary the Virgin Micheldever SO21 3DA sprays.serenade.gripes
St Mary and St Michael Stoke Charity SO21 3PG evaded.avoid.lyricist
Pantomime
by Chris EganDirected by Vicky Rodd
Northbrook Hall
26-29 January 2023
Tickets ON SALE NOW - www.ticketsource.co.uk/mvg
There has been some thought on using the Lord Rank Playing Field for an event to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. The inside of the pavilion will obviously be used but is very dirty and needs a big spring clean.
If you would like to join the cleaning group, please let me know and I will contact you with suggested dates in the new year. Thank you.
Look forward to hearing from you. Olly.
01962 774516
orb@bramleys.org
Friday afternoon only
Christmas Café
Wednesday 14th December
9.30 am - 12 noon
Homemade cakes & warm mince pies
Hot chocolate & real coffee
Lots more yummy Christmas goodies
We shall also be selling locally made Christmas table decorations, all funds raised will go to Myeloma UK
Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney
I wish you the best of times this Christmas period. The year seems to pass so quickly: when you read my next County Corner the days will be getting longer again!
The ONS has now published more granular and fascinating data from the 2021 census. Go to the Office for National Statistics website ons.gov.uk to see the latest publications dated from 2nd November 2022. This is a powerful set of data looking at age, living arrangements, household size, health and education/deprivation etc. It is fascinating to compare your area with another. This is an example, by age: www.ons.gov.uk /peoplepopulationandcommunity/ populationandmigration/ populationestimates/articles/ demographyandmigrationdatacontent/ 2022-11-02
Local authorities at all levels are making plans for the future. Budgets being set out and Draft Plans are being consulted upon, and we’d like to know what you think of the new policies as well as the proposed sites.
The South Downs National Park has called for new sites for its refreshed Local Plan. Some parishes, like Micheldever are renewing their Parish Design statements, and Alresford is creating a Neighbourhood Plan.
Winchester is currently consulting on our Draft local plan, called Your Place, Your Plan until the 14th December and the County Council has its Draft Minerals
& Waste plan out for consultation until the 31st January. Both of these are weighty and expensive books to produce! So, they are being published online for everyone on the www.hants.gov.uk and www.winchester.gov.uk websites- (search draft reg 18 plan for each) and paper copies are available in the libraries. There are details of their contents on my website. Both draft plans include important policies on which the success or failure of future planning permissions will depend as well as proposed sites. Please do have your say. Both can be tackled in ‘bite size chunks.’
Last month I spoke about the future financing of HCC. The situation was recently described by the Director of Corporate Operations as ‘dire’. As a result of the pressure on finances, there is a rearrangement in the number of Directorships at HCC: with one for Adults, one for Children which are statutory services providing personal services such as education and social care, and one for Universal Services which includes transport, roads and countryside services. All these under the overarching theme of Hampshire 2050, planning for the future, as the County Council seeks to reduce climate change and accommodate a growing population which is getting older year by year. We thought Covid 19 would
bring a baby boom, but it appears not!
You will be aware of the spate of accidents at the Cart and Horses junction: one in late October proved fatal for a local resident. Tragedies like this bring high emotions and I have spoken with our MP as well as parish councils, residents and county officers about the demand for change here. This junction is in many ways the pivot of the Itchen Valley division and the junction is used by many of us, and many agree the design is confusing which can lead to driver error or an horrific accident. A deputation for a safer design is being
made to the County on the 29th November. I put regular updates with more detail and reflections about this on my website or you can of course contact me directly.
On a happier note: Hillier Arboretum is opening for a ‘light up’ experience from 24 Nov to 31 Dec 2022 4.30-8pm (except Christmas Day). It promises to be a great evening out; please book via their website. Contact me on jackie.porter@hants.gov.uk
07973696085
www.jackieporter.co.uk
Cllr Jackie Porter
St Mary the Virgin Week beginning Monday; 28th Georgie and Alex
12th Wendy and Jill 19th Maurelle and Andrea
St JamesFlowers and Cleaning Christmas clean and all decorating the church
We hope that you have found this free edition of The Dever useful and interesting enough to consider taking a subscription. Twelve monthly issues over a year for only £8! Annual subscriptions are due in January and can now be paid by BACS to The Dever Magazine, Sort Code: 40-46-39, A/C 52117150
You can see back issues online at www .issuu .com/thedever or by scanning the QR code here
Proposals for changes to the Local Plan remain open for public comment until 14th December. There are some significant changes in the policies that we would encourage you to consider commenting on. These include requirements to build more efficient homes with more sustainable travel arrangements, improved arrangements for delivering affordable homes and continued focus on town centres for retail development. Many of the measures will make building new homes more expensive, so may discourage building of the homes that are needed rather than enabling them. The draft Local Plan requires new homes to be built on brownfield land wherever possible, which we welcome, but most of the land allocated for new housing is on rural sites that has not been developed previously, such as in South Wonston. We are also greatly concerned by the on-going threat that Winchester will be required to
provide land for many thousands of homes that are needed by areas in South Hampshire that cannot accommodate them. The current version of the plan could make it easier for land around Micheldever Station to be allocated to meet this need. We are pressing for the Local Plan to be tightened up to make this unwelcome prospect less likely. Your comments – which can be made through the City Council website – will influence the content of the new Local Plan. The Hampshire Cultural Trust have launched a new visitor attraction in the upstairs of the Brooks Centre. 878AD provides a mixture of interactive performance, video projection and immersive technology to bring Anglo-Saxon Winchester to life. It will provide many hours of fun for all the family, but you may want to book your visit on the 878ad.co.uk website to avoid the queues.
You can contact your City Councillors at any time or you can catch us at any of the Parish Council meetings. Their next meetings are on:
Micheldever PC
Wonston PC
Wednesday 7th December
Wednesday 14th December
South Wonston PC Monday 12th December
Stephen
Cllr Stephen Godfrey
119 Downs Road
South Wonston
SO21 3EH
Tel: 01962 884477
sgodfrey@winchester.gov.uk
East Stratton Village Hall.
Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney.
South Wonston Pavilion.
All meetings start at 7.30pm.
Caroline
Cllr Caroline Horrill
Wheatlands
Woodman Lane
Sparsholt
SO21 3SH
Tel: 01962 776844
chorrill@winchester.gov.uk
Patrick
Cllr Patrick Cunningham
The Corner House
North Drive
Littleton
SO22 6QA
Tel: 07866 367897
pcunningham@winchester.gov.uk
We have had such an interesting term back and what a term it has been. We have sadly said our goodbyes to Moira our beloved Deputy. Moira has been a part of the preschool family for five years and made such an impression on the children, their families, the staff (both past and present) and the committee too. She has retired from us to look after her family; we are going to miss her incredibly.
We are also saying goodbye to Kerry, we wish her well on her journey in her new role as a domestic operative.
We have also been so lucky to have Milly join the preschool family. Milly impressed the children and the committee with her enthusiasm and her passion for working with the children. Milly brings a wide range of experience and enjoys supporting the children’s development through play.
We are now running a waiting list for some days, so if you would like to join the family, please do get in touch.
We are looking to run a Stay & Play Coffee morning for parents with other children within the community. It will be once a month on a Friday morning. However, we need to gauge how many families would be interested. If this is something you would like to come along to please can you register
your interest with Mrs Nicola Mann-Rae at leader.micheldeverpreschool@gmail.com
If you feel that you would like to be a part of our preschool family and join us on our Hygge journey, we do have some availability at the moment and would love to welcome you all. So if you would like or know someone who is looking for a small family feel run community preschool, please do get in touch. Please contact myself Mrs. Nicola Mann–Rae at leader.micheldeverpreschool@gmail.com
Check out our website:
www.micheldeverandstrattonpreschool.co.uk Facebook:
Micheldever & Stratton Pre-school | Facebook
Constituents know of my passion for, and focus on, health matters so it is great to report I have recently become the new chairman of an influential Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee.
I gained the support of MPs across the House (Labour, SNP and Liberal Democrat colleagues signed my nomination) and took up my role in early November taking over from Jeremy Hunt who has, of course, become Chancellor. The committee has the power to question ministers and conduct inquiries into health issues – sitting on a crossparty basis which is its great strength.
The ability of the health and social care sectors to continue to deliver for patients is a key priority for my committee, particularly how to deal with the backlog caused by the pandemic and the need to recruit a workforce that’s capable of meeting future demand. Further pressures look unavoidable given the current economic climate and the Chief Executive of the NHS has set that out starkly in recent weeks.
Despite spending vast sums on health, we fail to reap the rewards in better outcomes. We need to understand why and to press the government about getting better value for our money while delivering on the ‘day job’ around access to GP’s and dentists in particular.
On mental health, we’ve a real challenge as demand far outstrips supply and I know the Government could do so much more on
prevention to help tackle deeply concerning issues around health inequalities. Prevention and cancer will be my focus in the role.
I welcome the opportunity as Chair to examine new solutions to support the NHS to enable it to continue providing the services that we all depend upon and I look forward to working with Ministers and MPs across the House on what is our clear national priority. This is a national role but it will complement well my work on #priorityNHS in the constituency and the response from local health leaders has been hugely supportive already. You can read more at www.stevebrine.com/prioritynhs
Secondly, and sticking with health, I spoke last month in an important debate in Parliament on access to fertility treatment for couples who are struggling to conceive naturally calling for a “step-change” in IVF treatment offered on the NHS.
NICE guidance state that if you are unable to have children without medical help, women under 40 should be able to access three full cycles of NHS IVF. Yet the vast majority of the 1 in 6 couples
diagnosed with fertility problems cannot access that (sometimes they get one chance only) because of local NHS decisions.
We need, in my opinion, to level up access and we need the NHS across the board to recognise that fertility is a medical issue. Three strikes and you’re out, let alone where it’s less than that, is actually rather cruel so I want to test how far Ministers are prepared to change the system. This is a subject I will be returning to in one (or more) forms during this Parliament. You can watch the debate at www.stevebrine.com/westminster
Finally, my Winter constituency newspaper is out now and being delivered to homes
across these villages. It is packed full of news and reports on my work in Westminster, full details of the cost of living help we have made available so far and huge amounts of my activity in Winchester on our behalf. As always, and as for 14+ years, it is a wholly positive publication. Compare and contrast as they say. You can download a copy at www.stevebrine.com/publications Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and peaceful New Year.
Steve Brine MPWorking hard for Winchester & Dever Valley
As winter starts to bite, cover tender plants to protect them from frost damage. Most pests will be inactive in cold spells, but it’s still worth checking for snails etc. in sheltered places, such as empty pots in the cold frame or greenhouse. Enjoy the dark evenings by choosing next season’s seeds. Why not try something new this year?
Soil
Protect bare soil during the winter months. Use autumn leaves as a mulch (cover) during winter weather. If necessary, cover with fleece to prevent wind blowing everything away. Don’t stop weeding. Hoe off/pull out any annual weeds, and dig out perennial ones that are revealed. Compost green foliage, but not seedheads nor perennial weed roots. Keep off wet soil in all parts of the garden to avoid compacting and damaging the structure. If you absolutely have to walk on it in the wet, stand on a plank to spread your weight. This is especially important for clay soil. Continue to collect fallen autumn leaves to make leafmould. Pile them in large bin bags or heaps, keeping them damp.
Composting
Add enough dry waste to balance the large amounts of wet waste coming out of the kitchen just now. Scrumpled up Christmas card envelopes and bits of cardboard are very useful to provide the carbon element needed. Aerate your compost heap by turning it Worm bins kept outside need to be well-insulated to help the worms survive winter conditions. Reduce feeding in cold weather, as the worms will not consume very much at this time.
Vegetables
Garlic can be planted until March. Prepare a ‘compost trench’ using the old
stems from Brussels sprouts, kale and other tough brassicas once cropping finishes. The trench should be about a spade’s depth, and positioned where runner beans, or other peas and beans will grow next year. Lay the stems along the bottom of the trench, and then roughly chop them up with a sharp spade. Other uncooked vegetable scraps can also be added. As the veg waste reaches the top of the trench, cover over with soil. Make comfrey leafmould. Cut 2/3rds of the plant’s leaves (leaving the remainder to die down and feed back into the comfrey plant) and fill a container (such as a dustbin) in alternating layers of leafmould and chopped comfrey leaves. This will take up to 18 months to rot down, but it is an excellent medium for seed planting.
Start planning your crop rotation for next season’s vegetable plot. If you already have a rotation plan, just make a note of where next year’s crops will go. If this is your first year, make a list of all the vegetables you would like to grow, then check out our guide to planning your planting January seed sowing–try some early sowings in trays. Germination temperatures of around 13°C are adequate, so you need a bright, cool windowsill. Try lettuce, summer cabbage and cauliflowers, plus round varieties of carrots, spinach, salad onions and turnips. If you have a heated greenhouse you can sow greenhouse tomatoes as early as January.
Tree ties, check the condition of all stakes, supports, ties and rabbit guards for trees. Look for wind rocking or constriction. If this has happened, replace stakes and renew ties.
Continue to plant new trees and bushes supplied as ‘bare rootstock’. Always use a new, clean spot, not the where the same plants
have just been growing, to avoid ‘specific replant disease’. If there is no alternative, backfill the hole with fresh soil mixed with manure, garden-made compost or mycorrhizal fungi. Cut out dead, dying or infected disease branches from apple and pear trees. Do not be tempted to prune the stone fruits (apricots, cherries, plums etc) until May when risk of silver leaf infection is past. Clear competitive growth (weeds and grass) from around fruit trees, especially newly planted and young trees.
Herbs
Remove fallen autumn leaves that are covering low-growing herbs such as thyme. This will prevent the plants being smothered and possibly killed by a blanket of wet foliage.
Look for bay tree leaf edges thickened and curled over. The sucker nymphs live there under a white woolly wax. Remove all affected leaves and clear away any leaf litter at the base of trees where adults will over-winter. Don’t throw leaves in the compost heap, put all material into the green waste bin.
Flowers
Winter pansies can be affected by Downy mildew and leaf spots. Deadhead regularly and remove diseased leaves on sight.
Plan next year’s garden now. Try to have something in flower year-round, which is essential for the wildlife that plays such an important role in keeping your organic garden healthy.
Keeping the growing area healthy
Spider nests are everywhere at the moment, filled with eggs ready to hatch next May. The baby spiders appear just as their prey does, and hungry spiders will consume vast quantities of insects, so nurture these predators-to-be.
Entice hungry birds into your area with fat balls and other bird feeding stations.
They will repay you by eating up a lot of insect pests that lurk out of our sight and reach, under buds and on stems. Birds are especially helpful in cleaning up overwintering aphids in fruit trees and bushes.
When picking holly and ivy for Christmas decorations, spare a thought for the Holly Blue butterfly, (Britain’s only butterfly which is blue on both sides). It relies on both plants for survival–the caterpillars feed on ivy flowers, and the females lay eggs on holly buds. By December it’s larvae will have crawled in amongst the fallen dead holly leaves, waiting for spring before hatching Greenhouse
Remove dead/dying foliage regularly from over-wintering plants to prevent mildews and moulds taking hold.
Whitefly will often colonise over-wintering potted-up fuchsia plants. Use insecticidal soap to keep things under control; it’s too cold now to use the biological control. If plants are badly infested, carry them outside very carefully in order not to disturb the whitefly. Once outside shake vigorously to dislodge the insects and quickly replace back inside the greenhouse and shut the door.
Ponds
Ponds are best left alone at this time of year as frogs and other creatures are hibernating, and should not be disturbed.
Gently skim off dead leaves and duckweed. Even in winter invasive plants can multiply.
Houseplants
Reduce watering now as plants aren’t growing much, and leaves don’t lose moisture in cool conditions. Keep plants just moist.
No need to feed plants between now and March.
Mist the underside of leaves to keep humidity high. This deters red spider mite.
In 1803, America bought Louisiana from Napoleon, doubling the size of the country overnight. What was in those 900,000 square miles? Who settled it? And how has the behaviour of those trailblazing misfits come to define the “cowboy attitude” of mainstream America through two centuries and the storming of the Capitol in January 2021? “It takes one to know one” as they say. Your lecturer was born in Iowa, in the heart of the Louisiana Purchase. Please leave your guns at the door.
All welcome: £10 at the door in aid of St Mary’s to include a glass of wine and cheese
January
28th
East
4th 10 30am First Sunday in the Month Fund Raising Walk – Lord Rank Playing Field
7th 7.30pm Micheldever Parish Council
East Stratton Hall
10th 7.30pm Dever Singers Christmas Concert
St . Margaret’s church, South Wonston
11th 6 .00pm Dever Singers Christmas Concert – St . Mary the Virgin church
14th 12 30pm Micheldever Village Christmas Lunch – Northbrook Hall
Wednesday morning 9.30 – 10.30 Lord Rank Car Park (please note: times may vary slightly)
SUNDAYS Church Services Details on centre pages
TUESDAYS 8.00–9.00 pm Circuit Training by Toppe from T Fit Training, Micheldever School Hall. contact Jane 07919 018877
WEDNESDAYS 9.30–10.30 am Mobile Post Office, Lord Rank Car Park, Micheldever 9.00–10.00 am Body Control Pilates–Micheldever Village Hall. contact Fredricka Brooks, 07979 254895
THURSDAYS 8.00–10.00 pm Dever Singers Rehearsal–Micheldever or South Wonston churches . contact, ruthironton@gmail.com
FRIDAYS 2.00–4.00 pm Community Library, Northbrook Hall
A varied programme of festive music
Saturday 10th December 2022 at 7.30pm
St. Margaret’s church, South Wonston &
Sunday 11th December 2022 at 6.00pm
St. Mary the Virgin Church, Micheldever
No Entry Charge
Retiring collection for Church funds
