The Dever March 2022

The Dever

The Journal of the Dever Valley

First-Sunday-in-the-Month Fund Raising Walk.

Sunday 6th March 2022

Walk starts 10:30am, Popham Airfield Car Park, Coxford Down, Winchester. SO21 3BD SU529 440

A 4 mile walk over grass, along a farm track and a country lane.

On the Spoil Heaps above the tunnel we will hear an extract from Jane Chichester’s book where she recounts her childhood experiences of living at the Grange during the Second World War.

This walk is made possible through the kind agreement of the Steventon Estate.

Donations from this walk will be put towards our Micheldever Station 180(+2) Celebrations on Sunday 8th May 2022.

After our walk, Mike Pearson, Airfield Manager has offered to meet us in the Conference Room to introduce this delightful local recreational asset.

DOGS welcome ON LEADS

Info: suebell0906@gmail.com

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Suggested donation £5. Children free.

Valley Contacts

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

Ruth Guy 01962 760259

Websites

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 April issue to be received by the editor before 15th March please.

Articles printed in The Dever are accepted ‘as is’ and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editorial Team.

Subscriptions Enquiries & Distribution

Anby Dixon 07799 212586

Micheldever Station

Andy Adams

East of railway line 01962 774363

Ann Hawkins

West of railway line 01962 774956

Dever Advertiser

Sales: Amanda Forsey email:

01962 774115 mob. 07500 334393

View From The Vicarage

Well, there is no way that I could write the View from the Vicarage (or in my case, the View from the Curateage) for this March edition of The Dever without wishing you all a Happy St David’s Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus).

I am particularly fond of this time of year. There is light in the morning which is beginning to replace the darkness that we have lived with over the past few months. There are signs of life in the garden, with snowdrops proudly out and daffodils begin to show us their potential–replacing the, often barren, winter garden. And, there is the hope of good weather throughout the spring and summer seasons as we turn away from the frost and cold.

This cycle, this beautifully natural cycle which comes to us every year mirrors, the liturgical cycle that we follow in church. I was reminded recently (at Bishop Tim’s final service as Bishop of Winchester) in the sermon offered by Rev’d Prof Liz Stuart from Winchester University, that we are indeed a church who, every year, journeys between the light and darkness of and within our faith. She reminded all of us there and those online that having just recently celebrated the birth of the Christ-child in all its humility

and light, that we, all of us, begin to turn slowly towards Lent – a time for lament, reflection and grief. And on Good Friday when we, whilst witnessing together the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour, will see, feel and believe the darkness that covers the whole world.

For some of us, indeed for many of us, it might seem that the darkness has been hanging around a bit too long. Over these past two years of living in and through the global pandemic, where there has been much suffering, the light within the darkness might have seemed dimmed. Where the barrenness of isolation offered little sign of abating and where the hope of better things to come felt too far away for us to see or believe.

But in our world and within our faith is Jesus Christ, we, in and through the One who is faithful know that the darkness will not last and will be extinguished with an awesome light. That our lives and our faith are full of signs of new beginnings, of re-birth, of re-imagining. And, we live in hope, that what is to come, is better, more beautiful and more glorious than what has been.

Rev’d Dr Robert Rees Curate, Upper Dever Benefice

The Gardening Page

Caroline Knight has now moved away from Micheldever, She used to produce some monthly handy hints for gardeners. We would very much like someone, or indeed several people, to follow her example. Gardening is such an

important part of village life for many and hints and tips are always welcome. If you feel that you could take on this none too onerous task, please contact Peter O'Keefe at editor@thedever.org.

Caretaker

Following the retirement of our current caretaker, Micheldever CE Primary School (part of Dever Valley Federation) are looking for an enthusiastic, friendly, self-motivated person to join our staff team. This would suit someone who has a range of practical skills and is able to carry out small DIY jobs and possibly gardening jobs. The Caretaker will contribute to the day-to-day operational management and to ensuring the safety and security of the school site.

Hours of Work: 15 hours per week (split shift: ideally 7.00-8.30am & 4.30-6.00pm)

Please contact the school office for more information 01962 774213

A year's subscription, 12 monthly issues costs as little as £8. It would be helpful for us if you could pay by online banking. If you prefer this method of payment then please note our bank details:

The Dever Magazine

Sort code: 40-46-39 A/C 52117150

Thank you, and please remember to notify the deliverer for your area - see page 4 for details

Tony Patston, Treasurer

M I C H E L D E V E R L U N C H

Wednesday 2nd March

12.30pm at Northbrook Hall

Two course lunch for £4.50

If you need a lift or have not been before, please give me a call

Tricia Patston on 795028

Micheldever Parish Council Notice of Meeting

Wednesday 2nd March

East Stratton Hall

7.30 pm

There will be an opportunity for questions from the public at around 8 00 pm

www.micheldeverparish.org.uk

Parish Council Matters - Planning Applications, Meetings - Agendas, Dates & Minutes, Newsletters, Parish Assembly and more . COVID19 Information

The latest information for Micheldever Parish, including live links to local services. Visit www.micheldeverparish.org.uk/newsletters

Seventy Five Years On

One glorious sunny early May evening seventy five years ago I played in what was probably the last match of the old Sutton Scotney and District Football League on the Gratton. This was the presentation match between the winners Micheldever Village and runners up Kings Somborne in 1946/47. The local league had restarted after the war in advance of the Winchester and District and included Micheldever Station, Sutton Scotney and Stockbridge.

A fifteen year old boy among men, I played on the right wing and recall being marked by local legends 'Stumpy' Bailey of Somborne and Sam Savage of Stockbridge.

Mr Samways of the old Swan Inn presented the cup and medals and later too young to celebrate in the Swan, they brought the cup out for me to have a sip!

We also played the Andover league and met Stockbridge six times that season winning five in Cups and Leagues.

Those were the Days! Do any records exist?

Francis Hitchings

Micheldever Village F .C . 1946/47

The missing right back and left wing were probably servicemen from Worthy Down as was the Goal Keeper Duffy . Les, Charlie, Willie, Fred and Phil were returning service men all villagers . Ron and Reg worked on Northbrook Farm

Francis Hitchings Reg Hatcher

Charlie Bendall

Les Hatcher

Duffy Fred Whitear

Willie Soper Phil North

Ron Withers -

Micheldever CofE Primary School

It has been a busy but exciting start to the year for Micheldever C of E Primary School. In our worship, we have been focusing in on our new Federation vision statement which reads as:

“Like the river running through our valley, The Dever Valley Federation is a place of life. Everyone is welcome in our family where we grow, learn and achieve alongside one another. The gifts given to us by God support us in our journey; LOVE binds us together, TRUST keeps us together, FORGIVENESS transforms us and HOPE carries us forward through life.”

All the children in our Federation were set the challenge of trying to create a piece of artwork that represented this vision statement. Our school council children across the federation chose two from each school that they felt best represented the statement and over the course of two afternoons, those four children worked together to create one final piece of artwork which you can see below:

The children created the river which joins the two schools together and in the river

each child made a fingerprint fish to show, as one of them put it, “Each of us is unique and special, just like our fingerprints.” There are trees and owls which represent our classes in our schools, flags to represent all our different nationalities and our Christian values are held by a child from each school at each end. We are incredibly pleased and proud with the work created.

Along with this, children have been busy this term in a number of different ways. We have raised money for new books for our school by donating old books and DVDs, our Year 3/4 children have enjoyed a trip to Fishbourne Palace to enhance their learning about the Romans, our E-Cadets have led us on Safer Internet Day which we celebrated as a whole school and, at the start of March, our Year 1/2 class have visited London, Year 5/6 class have had an African workshop and we have celebrated World Book Day! Wow what a busy, exciting time it has been.

The Questor

The Wild Gospel ..…

….. Letter To Today’s Church

Last month, we looked at the very significant letters that Paul wrote to the churches in Rome and Corinth. But he wrote many more letters to other churches and also to individuals.

He wrote to the churches he had founded in the Roman province of Galatia to remind them of the Message of Jesus which is: that if we truly repent of our wrong doing, we can enter into a relationship with God which sets us free from what has gone before. And it is that freedom which is special to us as Christians.

He wrote to the church at Thessaloniki to encourage them in what was a very hostile environment for Christians.

The letters to the churches in Ephesus, Philippi and Colossae were all written when he was in prison in Rome. To the Ephesians he stressed the need for unity and reconciliation amongst them; to the Colossians he commended them for holding to the faith in the face of competing philosophies and to the Philippians he expressed his love and delight at what they are doing.

The common theme in the letters is Paul’s genuine concern for the people to whom they were addressed. He knew many of them personally and had invested a lot of time and energy to bring the Message of Jesus to them. Above all, he wanted them to stay faithful to Jesus in spite of the many challenges they faced.

We live in a much different world today; but it, too, has its challenges which can test Christian communities. There is still the temptation to morph into the

culture of our day so that it’s difficult to discern that Christians are different. And in place of the Greek and Roman gods, we have the philosophy that it’s ok to believe whatever you want to believe.

Today, Paul would probably have a website that we could all access; and Twitter or WhatsApp might be his primary communication channels.

Whatever his chosen medium, there can be no doubt that he would be keen to hear about how our churches are doing, to tell us how he feels about us and to encourage us in our journey of faith.

So what do you think he would say to our churches if he wrote a letter to us today?

He would certainly commend us for all the good things we are doing like….. But he might also tell us that:

• We need to build up our common life. He spoke of the church as the body of Christ, a body with many parts, each with its own important function. So we must respect, love and encourage each other.

• Sharing the Message of Jesus is more important than fretting over buildings and finances. In Paul’s day, there were no church buildings. People met in each others houses. The first church buildings didn’t appear until the 3rd century.

• We have to take the Message to the people rather than waiting for them to come to us. Wherever he went, Paul started speaking about Jesus to the Jews in the local synagogue. But, invariably, they didn’t want to know so he went out to the market place and spoke there to whoever would listen. It’s only

because he did that that the church became established and grew strongly.

• If the church is to complete the task that Jesus started, we must keep very close to him. So we must earnestly pray about the things we’re struggling with, then the Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom, energy and means to do them. One thing is for sure: he would end his letter with a blessing like the one he used in all his other letters:

January Questor

In ‘The Questor’ article of the January issue it was said that St Paul always stressed Jesus was not equal to God. In fact the opposite is true as it was Paul who wrote about “...Christ, who is God over all, blessed for ever” Romans 9:5. The article also said Jesus never claimed equality

“The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit”

This brings us to the end of our ‘Wild Gospel’ series which has taken us from the resurrection of Jesus to the death of St Paul – a mere 30 years. But in those three decades, the Message of Jesus was taken, in very difficult circumstances, to the whole of the Roman Empire and beyond–by ordinary men and women like us–empowered by the Holy Spirit.

with God. However it was Jesus who said, “I and the father are one.” John 10:30. That Jesus is truly God is central and vital to the Christian faith. It is referred to many times in the Bible. Kind regards,

David and Colleen Stainer

9.30 » 12.30

Saturday 16 th April

St Mary the Virgin Spring Clear Up

In order to get the Churchyard tidy for the summer please come along on Saturday 16th April 9.30-12.30 to help pick up fallen branches, get in an early mow and strim before it gets out of control.

So please come with friends (we need some more volunteers) and family (young ones too). Bring Rakes, Wheelbarrows, Secateurs etc. and we will find you a job.

Russell Smart

Parish Council News

Speed Indication Device

In the December newsletter residents were asked whether they would consider assisting in fundraising for a new speed indication device. The Northbrook Arms took up the challenge and, with support from residents, have raised a significant sum. In addition to this a very generous donation has been made by The Dever.

The Parish Council would like to express their very sincere thanks and congratulations to Adam and his team at the Northbrook Arms, to residents who have supported the fundraising effort and to all those involved with The Dever. This has been an amazing community effort and the Parish Council are delighted to be able to announce that two new devices will be ordered. These should be operational around the Parish within a couple of months, utilising posts which are already in place. In time, a moveable post will be purchased and sockets installed to create additional sites for the devices.

We have volunteers in Micheldever Station and East Stratton who are prepared to give their time to move the signs between locations (usually once every three weeks) but are still seeking two volunteers for Micheldever. Please contact Jocelyn, the Clerk, if you might be able to help.

Lord Rank Play Area

Following the receipt of the tenders for the play area, local company, Vita Play, have been selected to take this project forward and it is hoped that work will commence immediately after the Easter holidays. A generous donation to the play area has been made by The Dever and a grant applied for but additional funding is still being sought towards this project.

Thanks are again due to the team at The Dever for helping with this project. The chosen design will be posted on the website or a printed copy can be obtained from the Clerk.

Rights of Way Information Board

Following the sad report in January of the damage to the information board, the Parish Council are pleased to note that a local business, Rivermead Camping, have made a donation to cover the cost of repairs. Thank you to those at Rivermead Camping.

Great British Spring Clean 2022

Micheldever took part in the Great British Spring Clean before the pandemic and if there is sufficient support from residents it is hoped to hold events in both Micheldever and Micheldever Station this year. Please let Jocelyn, the Clerk, or Councillor Charlotte Cobb know if you would be interested in joining in. All safety equipment, sacks etc will be provided. Children are very welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.

Vacant Allotments

Last month it was noted that there are some vacant plots. Tenancies run until 30th September 2022 and cost £15 per annum (a 50% discount is given to pensioners).

If no residents express an interest in these plots, applications from nonresidents will be considered.

If you are interested in taking on an allotment please contact Jocelyn (as below) or Councillor Charlotte Cobb.

Dog Fouling

The Winter months have led to more reports of dog fouling on the recreational spaces in the Parish. This is particularly offensive and potentially dangerous in the areas where children play. Please clean up after your dog. Take a torch,

wear a flashlight, do your part to keep the community clean and safe.

Jocelyn, the Clerk can be contacted

via micheldeverpc@hotmail.co.uk or on 01794 368951 (office hours if possible please).

The Greening Campaign

The Greening Micheldever launch event on 1st February was a very successful get-together for our community. The Challenge cards were ready and collected by your neighbours who volunteered to distribute them throughout the parish. The next step is for everyone to show support for the Greening Campaign by placing their card in a window visible from the street. Cards are already appearing which is so exciting to see. Please display your challenge card as soon as possible and leave it in place ready to be counted on 19th March.

It is possible some homes were missed or the card was maybe lost or chewed by a pet. If for whatever reason you don't have a card please either contact myself for a replacement or pick one up from the school, your local church or village hall.

Peter O’Keefe Convenor, Greening Micheldever email:

peter.okeefe@micheldeverparish.org.uk

mobile: 07515 339279

For further information visit www.micheldeverparish.org.uk

Some displays have appeared by Parish Noticeboards and there will be more .

Micheldever Village Design Statement

Supplementary Planning Document (Local Plan Regulations 13 Consultation)

Public consultation will begin on a draft revised Micheldever Village Design Statement (VDS) for six weeks commencing on 14th February 2022. The VDS has been prepared by the Parish Council with input from the community and guidance from the City Council. The draft document includes a statement of the consultation undertaken so far.

Following the public consultation, the VDS will be finalised for formal consideration for adoption as a supplementary planning document by the City Council. The VDS will provide design guidance for development within Micheldever Parish. It will supplement the Winchester District Local Plan Parts 1 & 2, replacing the existing 2002 VDS.

The draft VDS can be viewed here (https:// www.winchester.gov.uk/assets/attach/31888/ Michelder-VDS-FINAL-for-consultation. pdf) or on the Parish Council website. Please take this opportunity to comment on the draft via the online consultation using the following link: https://winchester. citizenspace.com/policy-and-planning/ micheldever-village-design-statement/

The consultation will run from 14th February – midnight 28th March 2022. Any representations on the draft VDS must be received by Winchester City Council by the end of 28th March 2022. All comments will be taken into account as part of the preparation of the final

version of the revised VDS. If you wish to be notified when the VDS is adopted, please tick the relevant box on the consultation. Please note that we are unable to accept comments without a name and an email contact or address. Comments received will be published on our website, alongside the respondent’s name. However, email details, addresses and telephone numbers will not be made public.

If you are unable to view the draft VDS or access the consultation form online, or need any help with these, please contact Strategic Planning for assistance on 01962 848575.

Strategic Planning Team

Winchester City Council

Colebrook Street

Winchester, SO23 9LJ

Wonston Community Café

Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney

Third Wednesday of the month

9.30am - 12 noon

16th March - BOAZ

20th April - Winchester Talking Newspapers

18th May - Hart Wildlife

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!

Connecting With The Land:

Protecting our land for future generations

With the world going into lockdown in both 2020 and 2021 some of us noticed the sound of birdsong filled our normally busy streets, the garden became a place of pride and parks and nature brought moments of joy in what were difficult times.

Through this, many of us have a new found appreciation for nature and its importance for our health and wellbeing. There are lots of different ways you can get involved in helping to protect our earth from the effects of climate change.

Trees are an amazing natural protector of our climate, not only do they capture carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere they also:

• Prevent flooding

• Reduce city temperature

• Reduce pollution

• Keep soil nutrient-rich

This new year, why not plant a tree of your own? It could be for an anniversary or birthday. Getting everyone involved is the perfect way to spend some time with nature and appreciate the biodiversity on your doorstep. Every small step can help protect our planet from the effects of climate change.

There are many simple ways to keep your gardening as environmentally friendly as possible:

• Buy peatfree compost. Peatlands plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and stabilising the carbon cycle through their storage of carbon. Taking hundreds of years to form, they can be destroyed in a matter of days for our use. Alternatives to peat include coir (coconut fibre), wood fibre and other organic matter.

• Create a compost heap. If you have more space, creating your own compost heap is a great way to recycle food and other organic waste into a rich and healthy fertiliser for your soil. Repurpose something you already have, or find second-hand, rather than buying a brand-new compost bin. For anyone who does not have access to their own garden; there are plenty of ways to get involved in community groups across the UK. The Wildlife Trust operates local groups across the UK which work to protect and restore natural habitats for wildlife (including rewilding projects) and also, in many cases, work to raise awareness of the importance of curbing climate change.

Want to find out more? There are plenty of great online resources to help you get started:

Plantlife: The Wild Plant Conservation Charity

UK's Largest Woodland Conservation Charity–Woodland Trust

Social Farms & Gardens | (farmgarden.org.uk)

The Wildlife Trusts

Holy Dusters

St Mary the Virgin Week commencing Monday

28th Tricia and Charlotte

14th Christine and Jan

21st Wendy and Jill

St James

Flowers and Cleaning Penny Dixon and Alex McPherson

Sidesmen & Readers ~ St Mary the Virgin

March 6th

Micheldever Community Bookcase

Northbrook Hall - Opening times 2 - 3 pm

Friday afternoon only

Church Services for Dever Valley Benefice

March 6th First Sunday of Lent

9.30 am Morning Prayer St Margaret's - South Wonston

Mary Cleal

10.00 am Morning Prayer St Mary & St Michael - Stoke Charity

Campbell Dye

6.00 pm Evening Prayer St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev'd Rob Rees

March 13th First Sunday of Lent

9.30 pm Holy Communion St Margaret's - South Wonston

Rev'd Karen Kousseff

10.00 am Holy Communion St James - Hunton

Rev'd Neil Britton

11.00 am Family Service Holy Trinity - Wonston

Ruth Guy

6.00 pm Holy Communion All Saints - East Stratton

Rev'd Michael Griffiths / Rev'd Rob Rees

March 20th Third Sunday of Lent

9.30 pm Morning Praise St Margaret's - South Wonston

Peter Russell & James Gray

10.00 am Holy Baptisms St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev'd Rob Rees

11.00 am Morning Prayer Holy Trinity - Wonston

Roland Guy

March 27th Mothering Sunday - Fourth Sunday of Lent

9.30 am Morning Praise St Margaret's - South Wonston

Roger Keys

10.00 am Family Service with Holy Communion St Mary the Virgin - Micheldever

Rev’d Peter Haughton

10.00 am Family Service All Saints - East Stratton

Rev'd Rob Rees

10.00 am Family Service with Holy Communion St James - Woodmancote

Rev'd Neil Britton

10.00 am Family Service St Mary & St Michael - Stoke Charity

Ruth Guy

11.00 am Family Service Holy Trinity - Wonston

Peter Russell

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

April 3rd Fifth Sunday of Lent

9.30 am Morning Prayer

Janet Ryan

10.00 am Holy Communion

Rev'd Neil Britton

St Margaret's - South Wonston

St Mary & St Michael - Stoke Charity

11.00 am Morning Prayer Holy Trinity - Wonston

Peter Russell

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

A Prayer for Ukraine

God of peace and justice, we pray for the people of Ukraine today We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons . We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them .

We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions

Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them . We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace . Amen .

Archbishop Justin Welby

Archbishop Stephen Cottrell

Dever Society

Autumn Photography Competition 2021

On January 23rd The Dever Society were delighted to announce the category winners for their Autumn Photography Competition 2021.

Wildflowers and Berries category

The winner of the Wildflowers and Berries category is Victoria Thompson with “Berry Feast.”

“In October this rowan tree in West Stratton was laden with orange berries untouched by birds; a month later, as temperatures dropped and the berries started to fall, blackbirds swooped in to feast and within a couple of days the branches were bare.”

Victoria Thompson

Waterside category

The winner of the Waterside category is Sheila Williams with “Autumn Reflections at Stoke Charity Church.”

“I enjoy walking around the village of Stoke Charity and particularly love this view over the pond, which was previously watercress beds, overlooking the beautiful Norman church of St Mary and St Michael.”

Sheila Williams

Woods category

The winner of the Woods category is Rachel Parker with “Woodland Fungi.”

“I was exploring and photographing the Autumn colours in Blackwood Forest whilst taking the dogs for a walk.

I attempted to get the woodland in the background whilst the focus was on fungi.”

Rachel Parker

Photos were judged on composition and technical ability.

The competition received many high quality images and, as always, it was difficult to choose between them. Consequently there were award commendations

given to two additional entries.

“White on Red” by Steve Pullen.

“I spotted this white feather with raindrops whilst walking through the grounds of Mottisfont House after a very heavy rain shower.”

Steve Pullen

“King of the River by Brian Cooper.

“I was walking by the River Itchen near Winchester looking for wildlife when I spotted this little beauty.”

Brian Cooper

In the Garden – March

Spring is in sight and with the clocks going forward on 13 March there is that extra daylight time, thank goodness, to get everything done. It is a busy month but the riot of Spring colours will give plenty of encouragement.

The Weather

March, however, can produce changeable weather with sharp frosts on clear nights, so don’t put out tender plants yet. Gales, and indeed storms, are quite possible in March, as they were in February, but they do actually help to dry out the ground. There should also be increased hours of sunshine but cloud cover will be common. Average rainfall should be about 41mm (11/2ins). Snow is not unknown in March.

Around The Garden

Mulch bare soil. Weed and tidy the soil before mulching with organic matter – well rotted farmyard manure, garden compost, or chipped bark by example. Bare soil in borders will very quickly lose water in dry spells.

Plant containers with hardy plants. Many plants can be grown in containers. Look after your plants well, by watering, feeding and dead heading regularly. Using slow release fertilisers and ware retentive crystals now can save some work through the year.

Start mowing regularly. Grass will be growing steadily as the temperature increases and should be cut regularly to keep it in good condition. For the first few cuts set the blades high. Keep the box on in Spring to allow air, rain and fertiliser to penetrate the earth.

Repair damage to lawn edges. Edges may have been damaged over last Summer. To repair a broken edge, cut out the entire damaged portion of turf

and turn it around. Fill in any hollows with soil and sow grass seed onto this.

Get Bare-root plants in to the soil. There is just time to get those bare root plants into the soil. Bare-root hedging plants should also be put out now. It is likely that from the end of this month until the autumn all hedging plants that can be bought are likely to have been grown in containers. This can make purchasing later in the year expensive.

Move evergreen shrubs. This is a good month to relocate your shrubs. When moving shrubs take as large a root ball as possible, protect from cold winds and keep well watered.

Prune roses. Bush and shrub roses can be pruned now. It is best to prune climbers in the autumn and ramblers after they have flowered.

Renovate climbers. Honeysuckles, ivies, and winter jasmine can all be tidied up and rambling roses if they have to be cut back hard.

Plant and divide perennials. Hardy perennials will grow quickly if planted now. Feed, mulch and water them well. Lift and divide overgrown clumps of summer flowering herbaceous perennials. Stake those remaining.

Split primulas after flowering. Towards the end of the month split up polyanthus-type primulas as the flowers go over.

Sow hardy annuals. It is safe to start sowing hardy annuals now.

In The Veg Patch

Prepare seed beds. Getting the timing right can be tricky. The soil doesn’t want to be so wet that it stick to ones boots, nor so dry that it takes a lot of effort to break it up.

Start sowing outside regularly. Lettuce, endives, radish, salad onions, peas, broad

beans , spinach, cabbage, turnips, parsnips and beetroot can be sown now and thereafter in 10 day to one week intervals.

Plant early potatoes. Planting trenches should be about a spade’s depth and 60cms (2ft) apart.

Plant onion sets. The sets should be about 10 -15 cms (4-6ins) apart

Wonston Community Café

Our first café of the year raised a magnificent sum of £423 for the Countess of Brecknock Hospice. This wonderful figure came from sales of tea, coffee & cakes, customer donations and a generous donation of £95 from sales of her artwork by local supporter Kerry Evans. Having studied art foundation at St Martin's, Kerry came back to painting during lockdown, and made the move from acrylic to oil. Kerry recently lost a close friend who was looked after by the hospice, and was honoured to be part of the Wonston community café

in rows the same distance apart. Sow herbs. Hardy herbs can be sown outside now. These include, chervil, chives, dill, fennel, marjoram, coriander and parsley. A project?

How about taking on a project like planting a small meadow of wild flowers in a sunny spot?

and sell her paintings to raise funds for such a special place. If you would like to view the paintings that are still for sale, please email kerrysianevans@outlook. com. Prices range from £35–£110 framed,

and 25% of the sales price will be donated to the Countess of Brecknock Hospice.

The next Community Café will be at the Victoria Hall, Sutton Scotney, 9.30am–12 noon on Wednesday 16th March. This month the café will be supporting local charity BOAZ, a therapeutic work environment. Our adults with learning difficulties can learn new skills such as working on the land, looking after the animals, baking, making craft goods, and wood working in the workshop in our barn on Hill Farm, just outside of Winchester.

We are a cash only café, last orders 11.45am, lots of free parking. Donations to our monthly nominated charity are always welcome.

2022 dates/charities already confirmed are:

Wednesday 16th March BOAZ

Wednesday 20th April

Winchester Talking Newspapers

Wednesday 18th May Hart Wildlife

Janis Kinnell

Jackie’s County Corner for March

Many of you ask me why a road is being dug up, or when a diversion is due to end? The County Council is encouraging all road users to connect to one.network It is really useful. After signing up, you can activate layers, and by diving in at a greater magnification, you can see the roadworks and details of it. You can also request alerts: I now have alerts for my division daily- they arrive at 4am! You can define the boundary of interest. I recommend this for your journey to work? Three other matters for road users:

• The Highway code has changed. You can see more at www.gov.uk

• Don’t forget to check your driving licence: it may need renewing after the pandemic.

• The new proposal to introduce 20mph zones is a complete change of attitude from HCC towards 20mph speed limits. To work out how and if this proposal is to go ahead, a working party has been set up to look at the options, and review results of the Pilot schemes, including those in Winchester and Micheldever. Importantly, it includes seeking the support of the Police in its remit. The County Council has confirmed a booking scheme for their HWRCs for the foreseeable future. This was the result of a survey of users : 89% liked the scheme. I think they missed one important point- it didn’t include those who don’t use the tips! I have asked again for on-theday booking. I was reassured that it is an aspiration, but at the time of writing is not in place because of a software issue. We also asked for equity for cyclists-who can now book as road users, and argued for

better pedestrian access in Alresford. The Dever Society has published a useful statement to clarify information on housing numbers in the district. They were dismayed to see the ridiculously huge figure bandied about: this is the developer’s aspiration figure. Winchester needs to agree to the release of land or brownfield sites to provide space for around 2700 homes in the new Local Plan to 2038. You can see more about this on my website: search ‘scare stories’

Meanwhile, the County Council continues to upgrade the Minerals and Waste Plan. I am proposing that oil and gas extraction licences are not renewed in this County. One impact of the Climate emergency is the conscious public and industrial increase in recycling, and many recycling companies are seeking cheap land with large areas of yard space for waste management activities. These sites are often poorly situated on rural roads. The increasingly heavy lorries destroy the roads and make it dangerous for other road users. With the changing emphasis on pedestrian, horseriders and and cyclists, I have argued for a long time that this is unacceptable. This is a current concern for the Worthys, Stoke Charity and Sutton Scotney. I have been working with the officers to raise awareness of this problem in the road planings site at Three Maids Hill.

The entrance has now been moved away from a narrow road to connect directly with the main trunk network, with other protections for the environment. As I write, I am hopeful that the outcome of the Ecogen application will reflect this new hierarchy too: walkers, bikes and horses, cars, lorries.

Sale of land at auction underneath the adopted roads. This can be very worrying for residents. Alerted to the sale at auction of a road in Alresford, this is a useful reminder of what road adoption actually means.

The developer usually retains the land, but the County Council takes ownership of the ‘top two spits’ -two spades’ depth, and gives full rights of passage over it. Using the County solicitors, I could reassure the residents that auction of the land beneath will not change their rights of access. This seems to be a new trend. Please contact me if you are informed that your road is ‘up for auction’ so we can clarify the picture. Jackie.porter@hants.gov.uk tel/text 07973 696 085. Ansaphone 01962 791054 www.jackieporter.co.uk

CONNECTING WITH THE LAND

Plant a tree today for a brighter tomorrow

Simple acts can help in the ght against climate change, while also improving your wellbeing

Woodland trust has some great resources to help you understand the bene ts of tree planting: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

TheWildlife Trusts run a range of activities for community groups: www.wildlifetrusts.org

Community Wellbeing

Nature

The Queen’s Green Canopy

“Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”

The Queen’s Green Canopy is a unique tree planting initiative designed to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Her Majesty has launched a national tree planting initiative The Green Canopy, which aims to encourage individuals and community groups to Plant a Tree for the Jubilee. This is intended to create an environmental legacy in honour of the Monarch’s 70 years’ of service.

Participants will need to source their own tree and install it during the planting season October 2021 to March 2022. Trees can also be obtained from the retail arm of the Woodland Trust, which is also supplying 50,000 trees free of charge to UK schools (queensgreencanopy.org/get-involved/communities-and-groups/).

Whether one or 50 trees are planted you are encouraged to mark your participation by including your tree on the Queen’s Green Canopy map online (queensgreencanopy.org/qgcmap/) to create a digital record of tree planting across the country.

Commemorative plaques will be available later in the year for those who wish to mark the event (queensgreencanopy.org/commemorative-plaques/).

If you don’t have a suitable home for a tree you might think about donating a tree that will go towards creating green spaces in deprived urban areas and schools across the country (shop.queensgreencanopy.org/)

For more information on the Queen’s Green Canopy

Website: www.queensgreencanopy.org

Instagram: @queensgreencanopy

Twitter: @QGCanopy

Facebook: @queensgreencanopy

LinkedIn: @queensgreencanopy

From Our MP, Steve Brine

Constituents sometimes say to me, “I just wish politicians in London would get on with the job”, so I bring good news. The media may not report such but that, alas, is something we cannot control.

Since my last update for The Dever, I have spoken in Parliament about the new ten-year Cancer Plan. As a former Cancer Minister, I know huge strides have been made in cancer care recent years – indeed in the last fifteen years, one-year survival has increased by more than 10% and for patients diagnosed in 2015, their survival rate was 72% after one year.

Now we need to go further and make a reality of the ambition to see three-quarters of cancers are diagnosed at stage one or two. We know early diagnosis is cancer’s magic key so this is a must. You can see more on this at stevebrine.com/prioritynhs

Secondly, I have been doing a lot of work lately – which came together with a big Commons debate in children’s mental health week – around local CAMHS services and, in particular, for families who have a child with special educational needs.

I spoke in the debate of the despair many of my constituents feel at ongoing issues accessing children’s mental health services in Hampshire; reading out a series of personal, anonymised, stories sent to me by constituents.

While strong advances have been made by the Government – a new SEND plan is imminent and huge sums of money continue to be invested – I still regularly

hear from parents angry and desperate for help that is just not there. None of the personal stories I received ahead of this debate made easy reading but they all showed a sense of despair at where to turn next. Here too, early diagnosis is often what’s missing and as a result children are falling further down meaning they’re helped later and, as a result, the intervention they need is significantly more acute.

Too often families are waiting for a referral from CAMHS which is not forthcoming and, worse than that, they’re told not to ask how long the wait might be so they’re unable to plan accordingly. Covid has been a disaster for children and young people’s mental health so none of this is getting easier.

I want the new ‘My Planned Care’ website, launched last month to keep patients up-to-date on their wait for surgery as the NHS tackles the Covid backlog, to include information on CAMHS referrals which is the least that should happen if we want to properly realise parity of care between physical and mental health.

I plan to meet with the new Integrated Care System covering Hampshire & the IOW in the coming weeks given its’ new role holding services, including CAMHS, accountable across the NHS.

Steve speaking in the House in February

Finally, I have written a lot about Green Winchester and events leading to – and since – COP26 in Glasgow which I attended. Our focus now shifts to holding Ministers to their promises made and delivering our Net Zero Plan. Further to this, I will be holding a very special AskTheMinister event in Winchester on the evening of Thursday

April 7 with COP President Alok Sharma MP. More details and sign-up to receive GW updates at greenwinchester.com

More at stevebrine.com but instant updates at fb.com/SteveBrineMP

Steve Brine

MP for Winchester & Dever Valley

The Micheldever Summer Fete is in the diary for Saturday, 17th September.

The Fete Committee desperately needs new members.

Please consider coming along and seeing how you can get involved.

The inaugural meeting will be held on Wednesday, 8th March at Half Moon & Spread Eagle Pub at 8pm.

Please contact Louise on louisekeys7@gmail.com or telephone 01962 774326 for further details.

We can’t run a fete without you.

Micheldever & Stratton Pre School

Spring has almost Sprung

What an exciting February it has been, we have loved this time, especially as love was in the air and we spent some of our time talking about our loved ones and what makes them and us special. We have to say the children have all shown a great deal of care and love to one another. As a small setting we regard one another as family, so it is valuable to have the children so engaged in how we are all caring, kind, thoughtful, gentle and respectful of each other.

We have also celebrated Chinese New Year with the children and engaged in some Chinese crafts, going on a walk where the Chinese Emperor had left us some lucky red envelopes in the woods with some gold coins in, followed by trying some Chinese food. It was an exciting start to the year of the Tiger.

We have also been really lucky to welcome not only some new children to the family but also a new preschool family practitioner. Kerry has joined us, and we are so excited to have her with us. She is an experienced and very energetic member of the family. The children, families and staff have already given her an extremely

warm welcome. We know she will continue to provide the high standards level of care that all our staff provide every day. Next term we will be focusing on our topic of ‘Spring’. We will be going on lots of outdoor adventures to look at how Spring is springing into action within our community and we will also be looking at how things grow. This is important especially with all the new baby animals and creatures born at this exciting time. There will also be the opportunity for the children to explore Easter and perhaps an Easter Egg trail hunt, an Easter Egg challenge and of course exploring the reasons why we celebrate Easter

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 preschool leader Mrs. Nicola Mann–Rae at leader.micheldeverpreschool@gmail.com

Open Evening at The Warren Centre

Tuesday 22nd March at 7.00 p.m.

Come and see what is happening here.

Meet you neighbours and have a voice in your community.

Join our friendly team of volunteers at The Warren Centre, the centre of our village.

We’d love some help with these things: sending notice of meetings, helping with correspondence taking minutes, sending them out looking after flower beds, light pruning, leaf sweeping helping to organise village events spread the word with ads, social media etc.

We’ll be welcoming you with CAKE, coffee, wine and nibbles!

www.thewarrencentre.co.uk

info@thewarrencentre.co.uk

Reg. Charity no. 301887

City Councillors’ News

The National Highways project team have briefed us about the latest amended plans for the redevelopment of Junction 9 of the M3 at Winnall. Further changes have been made to those proposed last year following public consultation. Improvements to the walking and cycling routes around the junction and the access of the new junction towards Kings Worthy are welcome. A planning application will be submitted in the next few months involving further consultation. Construction is due to start in 2024 and should be completed within 2 years.

Patrick joined a large group of residents at the launch of the Greening Micheldever campaign. There was an enthusiastic reception for some of the many practical ideas to improve the local environment and reduce the pollution and waste that we all generate. Wonston Parish Council are keen to follow this initiative and hope to work with South Wonston Parish

Council to promote some of the excellent schemes that have started to appear across the Ward. Look out for the latest news on these campaigns in this newsletter or contact one of us for more details.

By the time that you read this newsletter, the City Council will have agreed its budget for the year ahead. Current proposals are largely cautious due to the continuing uncertainty that the pandemic has created for local authorities and for many businesses. With the significant support from Government, the City Council is likely to have a significant surplus compared to its budget, mainly due to much higher levels of revenue from car parking and over £1million of additional Government funding. Despite this good financial position, City Council Tax and many charges will rise by about 3% in April and some parking charges will rise later in the year.

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

South Wonston PC

Stephen

Cllr Stephen Godfrey

119 Downs Road

South Wonston

SO21 3EH

Tel: 01962 884477

sgodfrey@winchester.gov.uk

Wednesday 2nd March

Wednesday 9th March

Monday 14th March

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

Forthcoming Events 2022

April

3rd 10 .30pm Family Spring 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-15th10 .00am Play in a Week, Mary Poppins - Northbrook Hall

16th 9 30pm Spring Clear up - St Mary the Virgin church

25th 7 .00pm The Warren Centre AGM

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

5th - Local Elections

6th 8 .00pm Wine Circle - Northbrook 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

4th .tbc East Stratton Fête - East Stratton Green

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

17th .tbc Micheldever Summer Fête - Lord Rank Playing Field

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

March Diary

2nd 12 30pm Micheldever Village Lunch - Northbrook Hall

2nd 7.30pm Micheldever Parish Council - East Stratton Hall

2nd - 5th7.30pm MVG, Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters - Northbrook Hall

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

8th 8 00pm Fete Committee meeting - Half Moon & Spread Eagle Inn

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

18th 8 .00pm Wine Circle - Northbrook Hall

22nd 7.00pm The Warren Centre Open Evening

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

FRIDAYS 2.00 - 4.00 pm Community Library, Northbrook Hall

Showtime Friday 15th April 7pm

Northbrook Hall, Micheldever, SO21 3DF

15th February - Tom Daley riding through the village

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