The Dever February 2022

Dever

Fund Raising Walk.

Sunday 6th February 2022

“

Proposed Micheldever Wetland

WCC Planning Application 21/03255/FUL

Walk starts 10:30am from Map Board at Lord Rank

Playing field Car Park, Micheldever. SU518391. If you wish only to attend the Wetland presentation at (approx. 11.15 - 11.45) please walk there because there is nowhere to park at the entrance to the Wetland site which is off the bottom of Church St.

Duncan Faires, WCC project manager, will meet us on site and give details of the Wetland proposal. If this plan is agreed, it is anticipated that the Wetland will provide greater diversity of habitat to be monitored by the WCC Ecology team. We hope that Rick Smith, ecologist in charge of the project, will be able to inform us what improvements to expect.

Today’s walk is 1.5 miles in total.

We walk north from the Car Park, across the playing field and up the track to cross over the Coffin Walk and down into the Dever Valley. This time of year it is certain to be wet. Water proof footwear strongly recommended. From north of the village we will have a good view of the low -lying land and site of the disused watercress beds before reaching the Wetland. Donations from this walk will be made to the Hampshire & IoW Wildlife Trust

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Suggested donation £5. Children free.

Afterwards we visit the local pub. You MUST book if you want LUNCH

www.halfmoonandspreadeagle.co.uk

Winchester Road, Micheldever. SO21 3DG. Grid Ref: SU517388

Dever Valley Contacts

Curate Rev'd Robert Rees 07590 909811

Benefice Cordinator Clare Fancourt coordinator.upperdever@hotmail.com

Church Wardens

St. Mary the Virgin Micheldever

Jan Mason 01962 774362

Juliet Pattinson 01962 774399

Holy Trinity Wonston

Sarah Hobhouse 01962 760003

St Margaret's South Wonston

Melinda Samms 01962 761036

Roger Keys 01962 881718

St Mary & St Michael Stoke Charity

All Saints’ East Stratton

Hilling 01962 795134 Ed Beckwith 01962 774918 St James’ Hunton

St Mary the Virgin www.stmarysmicheldever.co.uk

Holy Trinity www.wonstonchurch.co.uk

The Dever

Editor:

Peter O’Keefe

07515 339279

1 Canada Cottages, Overton Road, Micheldever Station, SO21 3AN.

Email: editor@thedever.org

Printing:

Richard Vellacott and team

Micheldever

Annual Subscription January to December for 12 issues: £8.00; £15.00 by post. Articles for March issue to be received by the editor before 15th February please.

Tony

Patston 01962

Subscriptions Enquiries & Distribution

Anby Dixon 07799 212586

Micheldever Station

Andy Adams

East of railway line 01962 774363

Ann Hawkins

Sales: Amanda Forsey email:

East Stratton Olly Bramley 01962

774516

deveradvertiser@hotmail.com

Editor: Roger Forsey 4 The Dever - February 2022

Books, Bottles and Boots

February is that time of year where our most recent past comes back to haunt us. You won’t be alone if there is at least one New Year Resolution you have already broken just as easily as the seal on your Friday evening bottle of wine. Maybe that bottle was the end of your “Dryanuary”. Maybe that book you promised to read remains pristine on the shelf. Maybe those new walking boots have not yet been properly broken in. We all make ourselves promises. We all break them. The freshness and promise of January gives way to the banal reality of February. We are back to working too hard, rushing about with children, following our routines of caring or worrying about things we can’t control. New Year Resolutions have become less and less important to me over the years and not just because my only success was repeatedly failing to do what I promised I would. It’s more that, as I’ve investigated the Christian faith more deeply, I’ve realised more and more that every day is a new opportunity to make a change – it doesn’t need to be tied to a

specific time of the year. The message of Jesus is that it’s never too late to call out to God. None of us is ever a hopeless case and none of the things which burden us is too insignificant for God. We believe that God really wants us to turn towards him and get to know him through his son, Jesus. February brings a new start for us in our village churches as Rev John Rennie formally retires. We will be without a vicar for some time while a replacement is found. Be patient with your churchwardens and PCCs as they take on the extra duties. The churches are still there for weddings and baptisms and, if needed, funerals. We are also still meeting, still praying, still worshipping. If you are “churchy” please keep coming - give us your support and don’t be afraid to offer to help. If you are not someone who is currently involved, why not come and join us at one of our services? You will be made very welcome. Now... where’s my gym kit?

Campbell Dye Churchwarden Stoke

Charity with Hunton

News from Woodmancote & Popham

Woodmancott was blessed with dry weather for our Plough Service in January, which was good as we gathered together outside to bless the Tractor and Plough, Farmers and Fields.

The first reading from Genesis was read beautifully by Libby and Allie Crosswell. The second reading was all about anxiety, all too real in the world we live in today.

“But seek first his Kingdom and his

about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.” Matthew 6 Verse 33–34.

I wish I personally could take this last verse onboard, as it’s very easy to let worry get away with you and not have faith that everything will work out in the end.

It was a bitter-sweet service as it was Reverend John's last service at Woodmancott. We will miss John and Sheelagh greatly. We presented John with a gift from St. James’ congregation and then we all enjoyed tea and cake.

Once again though, St. James’ Church is now in Interregnum, which has become all too familiar unfortunately.

righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry

Our service in February is Morning Prayer on 27th at 10 am, all very welcome. Jane.

For Sale

please contact Pat Matthews for both items 01962 795058

Homebase 2 ring camping stove plus five canisters of gas. £30.00.

Battery operated Worx 40v lawn mower, as new. £50.00

Paul and Caroline Knight

Paul and Caroline are leaving the Dever Team in February 2022 as they move away from the village after 36 years.

Caroline has been a powerful voice and influencer in the team over much of this period. She edited the magazine for a number of years, has recently been a sub-editor and has been a regular contributor, with her garden notes for example. She has also more recently been a proof reader, a member of the printing team and a distributor. She really could not have been more involved and her contribution and advice will be sorely missed.

Thank you Caroline for your significant contribution to The Dever Team. Your advice and help over many years has been invaluable.

Paul has also has been involved and managed the accounts of the Dever operation for in excess of 10 years and has been a steadfast supporter in so many ways. Thank you Paul for your help and support.

They have both been great team players and they will be greatly missed. We wish them every happiness in their new home.

RDV

St Marys Table Top Sale

First let me extend a warm and sincere thank you to all my wonderful helpers; everyone did a sterling job. We had a great day and despite everything we still managed to raise over £500 for St Marys. Plus we also have a

Llandro Figurine still for sale which was donated by a very kind villager. If anyone would like to offer the valuation price of said figurine, don't be shy!!! Contact me and maybe we can do business.

PM

The Dever Singers Are Back!

The Dever Singers have been entertaining the people of the Dever valley since 1984. We perform a wide repertoire of music, varying from classical and religious choral works to showtunes and other popular songs. Rehearsals run from September round to June and we usually give two pairs of performances a year, at South Wonston and Micheldever churches but can also sing at some weddings, funerals and charity fund-raising events on request.

Ben Cooper has been our new musical director since 2018 supported by our longerserving assistant director, Karen Middleton.

In March 2020 when the COVID pandemic lockdown stopped choirs singing together, we were only a couple of weeks away from performing our Easter concert. We eventually restarted rehearsals in October 2021 and supported a number of local carol services at Christmas but are now determined to restage the previously planned Easter event with our performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion on Palm Sunday, 6pm 10th April 2021 at St. Mary’s church in Micheldever.

Please come along and support us. There will be no entry charge but donations are welcome towards the two churches who generously host our rehearsals and concerts: St Mary’s, Micheldever and St. Margaret’s, South Wonston. The purpose of our choir is to encourage people who enjoy singing to practise together and improve their musical and vocal skills in a friendly atmosphere; to bring enjoyment to the community and help others achieve their charitable aims. We are always keen to welcome new members, in particular men as, like many other choirs, we could always do with more Tenor voices. We are a community choir with no auditions. Some of us can read music, others do not but we make a pretty good sound! You will be given a warm welcome if you would like to consider joining us and exploring how enjoyable – and good for you – singing can be. Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 8.00 pm until 10.00 pm at either St. Mary’s Church, Micheldever or St. Margaret’s church at South Wonston school. For more information, please contact Ruth Ironton, 01962 774817, 07784967464, E-mail: ruthironton@gmail.com

The Questor

The Wild Gospel ..…

….. Letters

By the time Paul was executed around AD64, The Message of Jesus had reached the whole of the Roman Empire and beyond. This was no easy environment in which to be a Christian. Moral and ethical standards of the day were quite at odds with those which the Christian church promoted. So it’s not hard to imagine the difficulty the fledgling Christian communities had in making the step into a completely new life.

Many of the communities had been brought into being by Paul during his long missionary journeys. And, as he travelled, he got messages from various sources which gave him an insight into how they were faring. Some of the messages were pleasing and some were upsetting. So you can understand Paul’s desire to get in touch with them to encourage those who were doing well and to get the others back on track.

He couldn’t phone them or hop in a car or on a plane. So he wrote letters. Imagine him as he travelled hundreds of miles, thinking what he would like to say to them. And then, in the evening, writing his thoughts down or dictating them to a scribe.

We have the text of some of those letters in the New Testament in the Bible. Most of them are quite long – far more than could have been written by Paul or dictated to a scribe in one go. So it may be that the ones in the Bible are compilations of many shorter letters – or that Paul saved everything up and sent it in one go.

We read these letters as though they’re pieces of scripture – as they are. But they’re more than that. They’re Paul’s own words and it might help us if we close our eyes and imagine him saying those words to us in our

own communities. Just like when we get a letter from a person we know well–we can imagine them saying the words on the paper.

At the end of his third journey, it was Paul’s intention, after going to Jerusalem, to go to Spain and to call in at Rome on the way. That would have been his first visit. So he wrote the Letter to the Romans to prepare the ground for his visit. It’s a long and quite theological letter and it’s only possible to pick out a couple of key points here.

First of all he says that “Religion can’t save you”. By that he means that obeying a bunch of laws and being circumcised, as was the case for the Jews, isn’t the point. None of us can become perfect by our own efforts so we can’t possibly make the grade. What really matters is that we enter into a loving relationship with God, earnestly ask for forgiveness and have the slate wiped clean – clean to the point where there is no record of our past mistakes. That was the Message that Jesus brought to the world.

The second point follows from this. It is that we shouldn’t become so well adjusted to the culture of our time that we fit into it without thinking. It’s important that we make every effort to be a good citizen and we should cultivate good relationships with those around us. But the way we live and relate to other people must reflect the relationship we have with God.

Paul had invested a lot of time and effort in establishing and nurturing the church in Corinth. So it was upsetting for him to hear that they had gone off the rails. As a result we have two Letters to the Corinthians. If the letter to the Romans was, to a degree, of an intellectual nature, the letters to

the Corinthians are full of emotion.

Corinth was a very challenging place to live as a Christian. The city was known for its hard drinking and sexual promiscuity. This had its impact on the fledgling church and soon factions developed and morals degenerated. The first letter therefore is a kind of pastoral letter in which Paul expresses his affection for them but, in a firm and clear way, takes them by the hand and goes over the old ground again, reminding them about God’s saving love and how that should be reflected in love for one another. The high point is his love poem in chapter 13.

The criticism in the first letter annoyed the Corinthians so they wrote back in

strong terms questioning his motives and his authority. That really upset Paul and so he wrote a second time to defend himself. He reminds them of how much he had suffered in order to bring the Message of Jesus to people like them and how much love he had shown to them when he was with them. He almost wonders whether he should have sent the first letter at all.

There’s nothing new under the sun is there! We still criticise our clergy and religious leaders, causing them hurt and a feeling of rejection – when we should be doing all we can to support them.

Next month – More Letters

God's Word for Every Day

If you feel Read

Upset

Weak

John 14

Psalm 18:1-29

Lonely Psalm 23

Sinned Psalm 51

Worried

Anxious

Unhappy

In Danger

Depressed

Lack of Faith

Need Courage

Need Direction

Matthew 8:18-31

Philippians 4:4-9

Colossians 3:12-17

Psalm 91

Psalm 27

Exodus 14

Joshua 1

Psalm 73:21-26

Parish Platinum Jubilee Celebrations .

The parish is keen to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. An informal group has met and has decided that the 4 main villages should each be allocated a day over the Jubilee weekend to organise their own celebrations.

This will hopefully enable all parishioners to join in as many of the events as they wish. Each village has formed a small committee to take their ideas forward.

If you would like to be involved or have any suggestions, please contact the following:

Opening times 2 - 3 pm Friday afternoon only

Has anyone got any paperback books that they have read and no longer want?

If so please give me a call on 795058 and I will come and pick them up . Alternatively you can bring them to Northbrook Hall on any Friday afternoon between 2 - 4 pm .

While you are there, why not have a browse for some new reading matter? Unfortunately I can not take any hardback books; I just don't have the room for them Many thanks, Pat

Covid19 precautions will be in place – only one person admitted at a time.

The Greening Campaign

You may notice unusual things appearing or happening around the Parish Council Notice Boards. What is it? Is it vandalism? Should we be afraid? Please, can somebody explain what is going on?

The Launch Event

All will be explained at the Greening Micheldever Launch Event on Tuesday 1st Feb. 6-8pm at Northbrook Hall, Micheldever.

You and your community are going to be tackling climate change, saving money, and having a little fun along the way. All it takes is a few small changes to what we do, something simple you would hardly notice. But, when a community works together, the individual changes we make creates a big difference. We can make a difference and it will save you money too!

The Challenge Cards

Everyone in the Parish area should receive a challenge card (both sides are illustrated here). It lists the eight challenges chosen by the village at the Public Meeting in December. It also shows how each challenge saves energy. The less energy you use the more you save.

The Challenges are:

• Turn off lights when leaving room

• Turn off all standbys

• Wash laundry at 30°c

• Line dry clothes in the summer

• Turn thermostat down by 1°c

• Install a low-flow showerhead

• Reduce each shower time by 1 minute

• Halve your food waste by making a meal plan and using up leftovers

You can pick up a card at the launch event but you should receive one through your letter box, don't get it mixed up with the junk mail!

If by chance you don't get one by Saturday 12th February a few cards will be left at the churches, St Mary the Virgin in Micheldever, All Saints in East Stratton and St James in Woodmancote. Failing that please contact Peter O'Keefe with any questions you

may have about Greening Micheldever. Thank You!

Micheldever parish is leading the way to solving climate change and having a great time doing it. Thank you to everyone who is supporting this initiative.

Peter O’Keefe

Convenor, Greening Micheldever

email:

peter.okeefe@micheldeverparish.org.uk mobile: 07515 339279

For further information visit www.micheldeverparish.org.uk

Church Services for Dever Valley Benefice

February 6th Fifth Sunday of Epiphany

9.30 am Morning Prayer St Margaret's - South Wonston

John Walsh

10.00 am Holy Communion St Mary & St Michael - Stoke Charity

Rev'd Neil Britton

11.00 am Morning Prayer Holy Trinity - Wonston

Roland Guy

6.00 pm Evening Prayer St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev'd Rob Rees

February 13th Sixth Sunday of Epiphany

9.30 pm Holy Communion St Margaret's - South Wonston

Rev'd Dave Mapes

10.00 am Family Service with Baptism All Saints - East Stratton

Rev'd Rob Rees

10.00 am Morning Prayer St James - Hunton

Campbell Dye

February 20th Seventh Sunday of Epiphany

9.30 am Family Service St Margaret's - South Wonston

Ruth Guy, Iain Henderson

10.00 am Holy Communion St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev'd Neil Britton

11.00 am Morning Prayer Holy Trinity - Wonston

Peter Russell

February 27th Last Sunday before Lent

9.30 am Morning Praise St Margaret's - South Wonston

Melinda Samms

10.00 am Family Service with Baptism St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev'd Rob Rees

10.00 am Morning Prayer St James - Woodmancote

Roland Guy

11.00 am Holy Communion Holy Trinity - Wonston

Rev'd Neil Britton

6.00 pm Evening Prayer St Mary & St Michael - Stoke Charity

Campbell Dye, James Gray

For further information, please contact the Parish Coordinator, email: coordinator.upperdever@hotmail.com

March 6th

First Sunday of Lent

9.30 am Morning Prayer St Margaret's - South Wonston

Mary Cleal

10.00 am Holy Communion St Mary & St Michael - Stoke Charity

Campbell Dye

6.00 pm Evening Prayer St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev'd Rob Rees

Dever Valley Church Locations

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

Sidesmen & Readers ~ St Mary the Virgin

February 6th

6.00 pm Sides-duty David Evans

Readers Ali Vaisierre Isaiah 6.1-8[9-13] Richard Vellacott 1 Corinthians 15.1-11

February 20th

10.00 am Sides-duty Jan Mason & Jan Hallam

Readers Helen Symes Genesis 45.3-11,15

TBC 1 Corinthians 15.35-38, 42-50

February 27th

10.00 am Sides-duty Louise Keys & Juliet Pattinson

Readers TBC

Insulation: Keeping the Warmth at Home

Winter is here bringing frosty mornings, biting winds, long nights.

We all love the changing of the seasons - and many of us never lose the childhood thrill of a snowy day. But as winter sets in many of us may be feeling that our homes aren't quite as warm as we would like them to be, or that we're suddenly spending a lot more on heating.

If this is you, then it's time to have a think about insulating your home. Home insulation involves adding a layer of material in the loft or roof, under the floor or on or in the walls to keep the heat in–like putting on a coat on a cold day. If you want to make your house warmer and cut bills, insulation should be at the top of your list.

And if you end up using less gas, oil or electricity to heat your home, you don’t only save money but you cut you carbon emissions. Collectively making our homes more energy efficient is one of the best things we can do to combat runaway climate change.

Let's take walls first. If your home was built in the past 30 years, the walls are probably already well insulated. But older homes were built with much less insulation. If your home dates from around 1930-1980, it probably has cavity walls - that is, two brick 'skins' with a gap between them. Over the years, many such homes have had their cavity walls filled with insulating material - often polystyrene beads or expanding foam. This can save up to £200 a year on heating bills, so is well worth the £500 or so that it costs to install. And there are grants available for this in some cases. Homes that are older - pre - 1930s - often

have solid walls. There's no gap that can be filled. But they can still be insulated by attaching a layer of material either on the outside of the house or the inside - we call this 'external' or 'internal' solid wall insulation. This can be quite a complicated job, though, and not all homes are suitable. Follow the links at the foot of this article for more information.

Homes also lose a lot of heat through the roof, so insulation is important here, too. Again, if your home is new or if the loft has been converted into a living space, there won't be much you can do to improve it in this regard. But if your home has a traditional loft, then it's time to check how much insulation there is. The recommended depth is now 270mm (10 inches) so if you have less than this or none at all you should definitely consider a top-up–you could save up to £400 a year. The insulation comes in big rolls, and while it's a job that a competent DIY-er could manage, there are also installers who specialise in this work. As with cavity wall insulation, there might be grants for this depending on where you live and your personal circumstances.

And finally there's floor insulation. This is only something to think about for ground floors or floors above an unheated space like a garage. And since less heat is lost through the floor than through the walls or roof (because heat rises, as we all know!) the savings here

are much less - around £40 a year. Want to find out more? Check out the Energy Saving Trust's pages on reducing home heat loss at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-

Micheldever & Stratton Pre School

The New Year has arrived

What an exciting Christmas time it has been! We were so busy with all things Christmassy that we can’t begin to wonder where the time has gone. The children, families and staff have been so excited by our recent activities, that we cannot wait to share them all with you. We have been fortunate to have visits last term from our local Police Officer, a children’s nurse, our dental health team and our local MP who donated our Christmas tree.

Among our exciting things for last term was our trip to the Christmas Market in Winchester. The children were so excited with one of our little ones commenting that ‘this was the best pre-school trip ever’. We were fortunate to be able to travel up by train, being so easily located over the road to the train station. The station is very useful for our children and parents to access our preschool and continue their journey via train onto work. Our longer opening hours of 8.30am - 4.30pm also allow us to provide a great service to the local working community, as working parents ourselves, we understand how valuable it is knowing that you can leave your child with our highly caring, friendly, qualified and skilled staff whilst you work.

at-home/reducing-home-heat-loss. The Centre for Sustainable Energy's home energy advice pages are also a useful source of information: www.cse.org.uk/advice.

Next term we will be focusing on our topic of ‘Our World’. We will be going on a short train ride visit to the Eastrop Park to look at what surrounds us and exploring our senses whilst outdoors. We have also been starting to look at the changes in our weather and how the cold spell has brought some ice and frozen animals in icebergs to pre-school. We have been exploring what tools we can use to rescue them. We will also be exploring our own immediate world such as our homes, pre-school and how we can identify the smaller details around us that we so often miss. We will then use these to recreate our own collage of what we have been learning. It is sure to be lots of fun and useful too. We do have some availability at the moment 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 our pre-school leader Mrs. Nicola Mann-Rae at leader.micheldeverpreschool@gmail.com

Wonston Community Café

We had a splendid turn out in December given the doom laden messages from the media and donated £330 to Wessex Heartbeat. Thanks must go to all the (masked) volunteers and in particular to Celia, for making the most beautiful table decorations–all of which were sold.

It is great to see what a success the community cafe is in its new venue. Thanks must also go to our loyal regulars who support the café every month with their generous donations. We sold all our cakes in December – although some mince pies were on offer in January!

The next Community Café will be open at the Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney, 9.30am–12 noon on Wednesday 16th February. This month the café will be raising funds for Clic Sargent, which is now known as Young Lives vs Cancer. The charity provides support for young people with cancer and their families.

2022 dates/charities already confirmed are:

Wednesday 16th February

Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly Clic Sargent)

Wednesday 16th March BOAZ

Wednesday 20th April

Winchester Talking Newspapers

Please do come along to support the Wonston Community Café, which is staffed entirely by volunteers. All the cakes are homemade, we have real coffee and plenty of free parking! The café is cash only and we welcome all donations to the nominated charity.

Janis Kinnell

Holy Dusters

St Mary the Virgin

Week commencing Monday

January 31st Georgina and Alex

February 14th Anita and Liz

February 21st Olive and Eleanor

St James

Flowers and Cleaning

Lisa Crosswell and Linda Albin

Citizens Advice Winchester District

Q: I keep seeing on the news that my bills could be going up soon. It’s making me really worried, especially as I spent more on Christmas than I should. How can I get my spending habits back on track in 2022?

A lot of people will be asking themselves this question right now. The good news is there are lots of things you can do to be more in control of your money and better prepared for the future. Firstly, find out exactly what money you have coming in and going out each month. Be realistic about what you need for essentials like food and travel. Then you can set yourself a budget that you can stick to–take a look at the budgeting tool on the Citizens Advice website to help you do this.

If any of your bills do go up in the coming year, you can go back to our budgeting tool anytime to create a new plan and stay in control. Our website tips on how to reduce your regular living costs may be helpful if you find you have more money going out than coming in at any point. You should also make sure you’re getting all the income you’re entitled to. Use the income checker on the Citizens Advice website to see if you could be getting more support, such as benefits or government grants. You can also use this to make sure you’re being paid the right wage.

If you’ve been using credit cards, your overdraft, or store cards for your spending, it’s understandable if these debts are causing you worry. It’s important to prioritise paying your rent or mortgage, plus energy bills and Council Tax first though. Not paying these has the most serious consequences. On the Citizens Advice website, we have advice about which bills you need to prioritise and the support available for paying these and other bills.

Once you have planned how to pay your priority bills, the budgeting tool can help you plan how to repay credit cards, overdraft charges and store cards.

If you need more specific support or don’t feel able to manage your situation alone, you can call Citizens Advice Winchester District on 0808 278 7861. You’re not on your own.

Citizens Advice Winchester District is a local, independent, registered charity and a member of the national Citizens Advice network of England and Wales Citizens Advice Winchester District is a highly regarded advice agency providing free, confidential and highquality advice to local people on their rights and responsibilities . Much of our advice is delivered by trained local volunteers

In 2020/21 Citizens Advice Winchester District helped over 7,000 people with 17,910 advice issues and generated more than £1 3million in income gain for them

Lesley Rose, Advice Services Manager for Citizens Advice Winchester District gives advice on how to manage the imminent rise in energy costs

Wonston Community Café

Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney

Third Wednesday of the month

9.30am - 12 noon

16th February - Clic Sargeant

16th March - BOAZ

20th April - Winchester Talking Newspapers

Cash only café

All donations welcome

The café is staffed entirely by volunteers

Cakes are all homemade We serve real coffee

Plenty of free parking!

From Our MP, Steve Brine

First up this month, as 2022 continues to have a very familiar feel to 2021, Covid-19 … Readers will know, I have been pressing Ministers and local NHS leaders since the launch of the “Get Boosted Now” campaign to bring some walk-in vaccination capacity to Winchester. This is to supplement, not replace, the good work our local GP surgeries and pharmacies are doing to get us fully vaccinated and it is needed because it’s really important that we have a multi-channel offer for my constituents in places which are easy to access.

The pop-ups, at Badger Farm and the Park & Ride South site near junction 11, reported brisk jabbing early on which is very good to see. We do largely now have a pandemic of the unvaccinated but must remember not everyone in this category is vaccine hesitant or refusers. There are still a number of people who cannot have their next vaccination because of a recent infection and there are, of course, those who are unable to take the vaccine in its current form because of a health condition.

I have rightly pressed the Prime Minister in Parliament for a long term plan to truly learn to live with Covid – which sets out how we will avoid a damaging panic when the next variant comes along – but am clear that must include how we will support the unvaccinated to do the right thing for themselves and the common good. In my experience, as a former Public

Health Minister, people with poor health outcomes often have complex challenges and are excluded from good health in many ways so it’s not unsurprising the Covid vaccine is the latest evidence of that. We need to understand a little more and condemn a lot less because compulsion will only work against us in the end. You can watch back all my contributions in Parliament at stevebrine.com/news.

Secondly, I continue to engage with your councillors–including Cllr Patrick Cunningham – and my colleagues at the Ministry of Defence around the future of Sir John Moore Barracks and play my part in the strategic group planning its future use. With the news, revealed in a letter to me from the Minister late last year, its disposal is now delayed until 2026 we have time to consider even more carefully what it will be transformed into and to make sure our plan for a 25 hectare space nature reserve at Flowerdown becomes a reality. My strong preference remains for a mixed use site with high quality new employment space part of the solution. Winchester City Council need to show some real ambition here.

Finally, I have written a lot about Green Winchester and events leading to – and

Steve speaking with BBC South Today outside one of our pop-up vaccination clinics

since – COP26 in Glasgow. Our focus now shifts to holding Ministers to their promises made and delivering our Net Zero Plan published in the Autumn. Further to this, which will be of great interest to those of you taking part in the Greening Micheldever initiative – I will be holding a very special AskTheMinister event in Winchester early on this year with COP President Alok Sharma MP. Look out for

details of that and sign-up to receive my GW updates at www.greenwinchester.com

Much more on my work, in Westminster and Winchester, at stevebrine.com but instant updates (including when I speak in the House of Commons) by liking my page at fb.com/SteveBrineMP

Brine

Steve

MP for Winchester & Dever Valley

City Councillors’ News

The public consultation on the latest proposals to come out of the Winchester Movement Strategy continues now until 11th February 2022. The Strategy is intended to reduce congestion, support the local economy and improve the environment of Winchester. The Councils are asking for your views on 10 possible projects that include a new Park and Ride car park to the North of the city, changes to the one-way system, prioritising bus traffic along Andover Road and improvements to cycle routes across the city. You can submit your views at: https://www.hants.gov.uk/ transport/transportschemes/winchestermovement-strategy .

The government has announced a new grant support scheme for businesses impacted by the Omicron variant. Businesses in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sectors, that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed business rates-paying premises, will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises. Apply by 28th February 2022 – www.winchester.gov.uk/business/ business-rates/important-informationon-business-rates .

Just before Christmas, several residents reported horse and trap racing along the A33 near Micheldever Station. The police response was prompt and effective, with the road cleared for safe use by normal traffic. If you see unsafe or illegal use of the roads like this, contact the police by 999 or 101 and also let one of us and the parish council know.

Following contact by several residents, the City Council have corrected an error in the SHELAA sites being considered as candidates for development allocation in the new Local Plan. Area SW06 at the Eastern end of South Wonston was included in error as a possible amendment to the settlement boundary. This land has now been removed from the list of SHELAA sites.

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–Wednesday 2nd February, East Stratton Village Hall.

Wonston PC – Wednesday 9th February at Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney.

South Wonston PC – Monday 14th February at South Wonston Pavilion. All meetings start at 7.30pm.

Stephen

119 Downs Road

South Wonston

SO21 3EH

Tel: 01962 884477

sgodfrey@winchester.gov.uk

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

Cllr Stephen Godfrey

Caroline

Cllr Caroline Horrill

Forthcoming Events 2022

March

2nd 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

2nd 7 30pm Micheldever Parish Council - East Stratton Hall

2nd - 5th 7 .30pm MVG, Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters - Northbrook Hall

6th 10 30pm First Sunday in the Month Fund Raising Walk

16th 9 .30am Wonston Community Café - Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney

April

3rd 10 .30pm First Sunday in the Month Fund Raising Walk

6th 12 30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

6th 7 .30pm Micheldever Parish Council - The Warren Centre

10th 6 30pm Dever Singers perform Stainer's Crucifixion - St Mary the Virgin church

11th Play in a Week, Mary Poppins - Northbrook Hall

27th 7 .30pm Micheldever Parish Council, Parish Assembly - East Stratton Hall

May

1st 10 .30pm First Sunday in the Month Fund Raising Walk

4th 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

4th 7 .30pm Micheldever Parish Council, AGM - East Stratton Hall

8th 11 .30am Micheldever Station Celebration 180+2 - The Warren Centre

15th-21st Christian Aid Week

June

1st 7 .30pm Micheldever Parish Council - Northbrook Hall

2nd-5th Queen's Platinum Jubilee 8th 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

July

3rd 8 .00am Ellis Journey Breakfast at The Dove Inn

6th 12 30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

6th 7 .30pm Micheldever Parish Council - The Warren Centre

September

7th 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

October

5th 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

November 2nd 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

December 14th 12 .30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

February Diary

1st 6 .00pm Greening Micheldever Launch Event - Northbrook Hall

2nd 12 30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

2nd 7 .30pm Micheldever Parish Council - East Stratton Hall

6th 10 30pm First Sunday in the Month Fund Raising Walk - Lord Rank car park

16th 9 .30am Wonston Community Café - Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney

Please Remember to Check That Events Are Taking Place Before Venturing Out

Hall Booking

East Stratton Hall 01962 774517, Northbrook Hall 07731 952705, The Warren Centre visit www .thewarrencentre .co .uk/hire

Mobile Post Office

Wednesday morning 9.30 – 10.30 Lord Rank Car Park

(please note: times may vary slightly)

Regular Dates and Times – Weekly

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

FRIDAYS 2.00 - 4.00 pm

Dever Singers Rehearsal - Micheldever or South Wonston churches . contact, ruthironton@gmail.com

Community Library, Northbrook Hall

Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters

THE PLAY adapted for the stage by STEPHEN BRIGGS

Micheldever Variety Group proudly presents 2nd 3rd 4th 5th March 7.30pm Northbrook Hall, Micheldever Tickets £10.00 available from www.ticketsource/mvg