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Speldhurst News

April 2020

Dear Readers, In these challenging times, we feel blessed to live in such a supportive village where we can pull together and look after each other, especially the most vulnerable among us. Initiatives have already been set up and I’m sure, as I write this letter, other innovative ideas will be developing to offer help to meet the needs of the sick, of children, teenagers, parents, the elderly and those working in key roles. We all have our very different concerns - if you need more help, please contact Polly Wood on 07909 993439. This is also the number to call if you can volunteer your help in some small way. We are now here as your voice, once a month, so please do use us! Send anything through that you would like us to include. This could be important notices but could also be letters of support, pictures that children have created, photographs that you have been able to take on country walks, images of your pets, creative writing, recipes that make us all feel better...the list goes on. This is especially important to support those who don’t use social media. We may not see each other so much but let’s keep a sense of what we are all up to. And finally, very best wishes for a loving and supportive Easter. Maria Turner, Abi Dawson And Sara Turner, Editorial Team, Speldhurst News Please remember that copy for the April issue should be sent by 10th May at the latest to: speldhurst.news@gmail.com. Word, Publisher or pdf files preferred.

The SPELDHURST NEWS endeavours to include articles in addition to village, church and chapel news. These are taken in good faith and without prejudice, therefore the committee will not be held responsible for the accuracy of the content, nor will it be held responsible for any work or treatment received from the advertisers. Readers should satisfy themselves of advertisers’ abilities before accepting a job quotation or undertaking a course of treatment. All articles & inclusions should be sent as a word document attachment. The editors reserve the right to amend submissions where they feel it is appropriate.

Welcome April

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Page(s) Letter from St. Mary’s 3

News, Announcements 4-7

Nature Watch 8

Garden Hints 9

Parish Council 10-11

Easter Movies to watch 12

Speldhurst Cookbook 13

Chapel Comment 14-15

Speldhurst School 16-17

Clubs & Organisations 18

Local Info 19

Advertising 20-28

CONTENTS

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A Letter from St Mary’s

April 2020

Dear Friends, Even though I am writing this in advance I am confident that the Coronavirus will still be in the news when you read this. My contribution is to unasham-edly pass on edited highlights of the Bishop of St Alban’s Golden Rules: Golden Rule One. Each one of us can think about how we can protect and support our neighbours. So much of the public rhetoric is sowing fear about the danger of other people. So, taking all the official precautions, offer help and reassurance to others – and don’t demonise anyone or any group. Golden Rule Two: Think about who may be suffering more than me. For those of us who are healthy there is much less to worry about but the elderly, the housebound and those with chronic health conditions may be very anx-ious. There’s nothing like a friendly voice to offer solace when someone is worried. A smile can bring cheer, even on the phone. If you visit, follow all the official precautions or don’t go. Golden Rule Three. Don’t give into panic and start hoarding food. There is plenty to go around, so practise the Christian discipline of sharing. Ask your neighbours what they need and do your best to help them get it. If you are self-isolating you will of course need some supplies. Golden Rule Four. Live today to the full. None of us ever know what the fu-ture holds. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus challenged his followers to live each day fully and not be afraid. Every time we are tempted to give in to fear we need to make a conscious choice to respond in trust and openness. Douglas PS I can be contacted at douglas.wren12@gmail.com or on 01892 862821 or at The Rectory, Southfields, Speldhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0PD

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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

What’s on in Speldhurst for the Under 5s

Sadly, postponed until further notice.

Jenny Fitzsimmons 01892 541200, jenny50fitz@gmail.com

No café in April. We intended to be at the pram race in May. Watch this space for future dates Lel and Claire

Speldhurst Bowls Club Our Bowls Club, situated next to the Recreation ground, is celebrating its Cen-tenary this year and we are looking for new members. We welcome new and experienced players of all ages. Free coaching is available on Tuesday evenings and new members can join for half price. Come along to our friendly club for a free trial. Our season usually starts from mid April until mid September. However, our season will obviously not now start in April but feel free to call to register your interest for the future. For more information please call Linda (Secretary) on 01892 512474. Linda Boyd Secretary

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After an article earlier in the year, 6 people signed up to take part in this 8-week programme, meeting together twice a week. The majority had scarcely run a step since their schooldays but by the end of the pro-gramme they all successfully managed to run 5k in a very respectable time! A huge well done to them all, for showing much commitment and enthusiasm! The group (pictured here) all encouraged each other and now plan to con-tinue running together each week. I am very willing to run further beginners’ groups in the village, so if we can get 6 or 7 new people together, we could start a programme as and when we can all get out and about and together again. It’s so much easier and more enjoyable to get fit as part of a group, all en-couraging each other and it’s FREE! So, you’ve nothing to lose by giving it a try! Anyone interested please contact Paul Eames on 07975 577630 or 863231

Congratulations Speldhurst Runners ! Beginners > 5k

5K successfully completed !

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Speldhurst Fete 2020

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I have taken the deci-sion to cancel this year’s Fete.

As you can imagine there are costs associated with the Fete. We cannot allow any further village funds to be allocated, when in all likelihood we will not be allowed to hold the Fete.

Please be assured that as soon as there is light at the end of the Covid 19 tunnel, the Fete Committee will immediately swing back into action. We will plan to bring you some sort of com-munity event to cheer us all up after our social distancing. So watch this space!

We hope you all stay as happy and healthy as you can and we look forward to seeing you all later in the year. Thank you for your support.

Kindest regards Lynsay Bischoff Fete Chair

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Good news regarding bees in Kent. Last year was the best for numbers of bees including Bumblebees for many years it has been announced. Looks like all the work put in creating wild flower meadows and gardeners doing their bit in planting single flowered plants is making a difference. Hopefully this will con-tinue in the coming year. Keeping up to date with ash die back, a forest of 3,000 ash trees has been plant-ed which have been grown from specimens that have shown to have a high tol-erance to the disease. It is hoped that the plantation will fight off the disease or at least will show which trees it will be best to use in future planting schemes. The Song Thrush is a favourite garden bird because of its song and because it loves to eat slugs and snails. The RSPB has revealed that numbers have dropped by over 70% in the last 40 years due to habitat loss of hedgerows and woodland and the over use of slug pellets and pesticides. Song Thrushes need to watch their backs when breaking open snail shells to get the tasty morsel inside be-cause sneaky Blackbirds have learnt to listen out for thrushes bashing the snails on a stone or brick surface and will steal the food for themselves. This behav-iour is known as kleptoparasitism and is well-known in a variety of other bird species. House Sparrows have done better in the last year but the real winner is the Goldfinch. Their numbers are up 47% in the last decade. This is due to the birds finding sunflower hearts in our garden feeders. Long-tailed Tits are also on the increase this time because of the much milder winters. The House Sparrow was third most numerous nesting bird in the UK with 3.5 million pairs, whereas the Wren is the top nester with an astonishing 11 million pairs and everyone's fa-vourite the Robin second with 7.35 million nesting pairs. Alan Ford

Nature Watch

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To try and garden by the book really would get us confused this year, as at the time of writing this, we are in the middle of a very warm period. This year, with all the rain, I really ought to be talking of growing rice, but I have never done this. This all makes it hard to write gardening notes at the correct time. People often quote the internet as an authority but all I can say is your own experiences count for so much. Vegetables Sowing of many vegetable seeds can carry on this month, if you sow little but often you avoid a glut of one thing but have crops to harvest over a longer period. I would leave runner beans until the latter end of the month so as to avoid any late frost. Again with these I like to sow a few at a time so that so that you can pick from late July until Sept/Oct. My first head gardener always said the time to hoe is when you have no weeds then you kill them as they germinate. Flowers Many annual flowers can now be sown in pots or modules so that you have good plants for planting later, you will possibly need a greenhouse or propagator for this but many do not like too much heat. Cuttings can be taken from dahlias, begonias etc. if you want to increase your stock. You can plant dahlia tubers so that they are through the ground as the frosts come to an end. Some of your hardy flowers like delphiniums can be divided once the new growth can be clearly seen. If hardy fuchsias were not cut down to ground level last month, you still have time. Some of your early daffodils will now be fading but please do not tie the foliage up in knots, it is there to absorb sunlight to help build up next years bulbs. The RHS have done many tests and say that if the foliage is left for 6 weeks after the flower dies the bulb s do not suffer but if you leave them longer it is better. Removing the dead flowers before seed starts to set does help with the production of new bulbs. Fruit As the soil warms up, the weeds will start to grow but if you clear those around your fruit bushes and canes and then give a good mulch of rotted compost or manure you will not only feed them and keep them moist but prevent more weeds germinating. I knew of folks who would put news paper under fruit bushes because most birds will walk under the bush to eat fruit and they do not like walking on paper Lawn Once mowing is under way, a feed of lawn fertiliser will give good colour and help the grass compete with moss and weed seed. If you do not mow too low you can avoid moss getting a start. If you are going to attack any moss you should kill it first with a moss killer because if you rake it whilst it is alive you spread it even further. Laurie Manser

Garden Hints

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The Best Easter Movies to Watch

Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit is one of the best Easter movies to watch with your family . It’s a fun take on the classic children’s book, Peter Rabbit, with great animation. The Greatest Story Ever Told This 1965 epic film follows the story of Jesus of Nazareth from the nativity through to his death. The Greatest Story Ever Told is directed by George Stevens It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown This Charles M. Schulz Peanuts special debuted on television in 1974, but it remains a watchable classic Easter Parade This romantic movie musical starts with Fred Astaire as a Broadway showman buying Easter presents and performing the number “Happy Easter.” Rise of the Guardians Based on a book by legendary children’s author, William Joyce, this animated adventure brings together the mythical guardians of Christmas, Easter and other childhood magic, including the Easter Bunny. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-rabbit If you love all of the rabbits that go along with Easter then this is one of the best Easter movies to watch. Jesus Christ Superstar This rockin’ 1970s musical brings bellbottoms and rock ballads to the iconic story of Jesus. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice teamed together to write the rock opera that debuted on Broadway Ben Hur This sword and sandal epic was part of the Hollywood trend for grand, sweeping, widescreen blockbusters that prevailed in the 1950s. It featured huge set pieces, thousands of extras and elaborate props and costumes. Chocolat This film follows the story of a woman and her six-year-old daughter who opens a chocolate shop at the beginning of Lent in a small French village.

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Three bean spring minestrone Enjoy this three bean minestrone soup as a healthy lunch or supper. Full of protein, it will keep you going through the day and contains 3 of your 5-a-day. You can vary the types of canned beans depending on what you have.

Method

Put the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the shallot,

fennel, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook until softened. Drain the

beans, reserving the starchy water from half of one can. Tip

these into the pan along with the stock, green beans and cheese

rind. Cook for 15 mins until the green beans are completely sof

tened. Stir in the peas, cook for a couple of mins more, then stir in

the lemon zest and grated cheese.

Ingredients

2tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

I shallot, chopped (can use any onions)

I fennel, chopped (optional)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

400 g can cannellini beans

400 g can borlotti beans ( other similar can be used)

100 g green beans, chopped - frozen, fresh or tinned

Rind of hard cheese, plus 30g grated

150g frozen peas

1 lemon, zested

Handful of basil - if have it!

Speldhurst Cookbook

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CHAPEL COMMENT A friend of mine sent me the following article, which I would like to share with you. God didn’t send me a Valentine. He sent His Son. He didn’t write, “I love you” on a beautiful card. He wrote it in all creation: the sky, the sun, the flowers. And He wrote it across history in His blood. God didn’t draw a heart that was pierced by an arrow, But His own body broken and His blood poured out For me. He didn’t say, “I love you Dear in spite of your faults”. He said, “I take your faults on myself, and in my body I crucified them all, so that I may love you Without faults, clothed in the righteousness of My Son.” If you feel lonely, heartbroken, rejected, despised or abused, God knows how you feel. Listen to His words about Jesus: “He has no stately form or majesty, that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and familiar with grief. And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely our griefs He himself bore and our sorrows He car-ried ….. but He was pierced through for our transgressions (lawbreaking). He was crushed for our iniquities (wickedness). The chastening (punishment) for our wellbeing fell upon Him, and by His scourging (torture) we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” (ISAIAH 53:2-6)

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This is the REAL LOVE that lasts forever. And on that note on behalf of the Chapel and myself may we wish you all a HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER. Ricky Fawcett On behalf of the Chapel Chapel Co-ordinators Bob Page 01732 355368 Bill Clarkson 01732 364628 Chapel Pastor Ricky Fawcett 01892 863217

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Speldhurst CEP School News

Lucy McDougall

World Book Day 2020 Last month, the whole school celebrated World Book Day with a day of fun activities including the annual “Drop, Stop and Read”. There was a huge variety of fantastic costumes on display - we had lots of characters from the Harry Potter books (including a very hairy Hagrid), as well as a plethora of animals including Paddington Bear, The Tiger Who Came To Tea and Fantastic Mr Fox. And, of course, no World Book Day is com-plete without a Captain Underpants! As always, everyone was hugely im-pressed with the time, thought and care that had gone into making the children look great. During assembly, the staff performed one of their favourite stories, ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Oliver Jeffers which the children thoroughly enjoyed. Mr Vale-Taylor definitely stole the show with his interpretation of ‘peach crayon’. The children then paraded in their costumes around the hall so we could all get a good look at what they were wearing and guess which book they were representing. Certificates were then given out to a child from each year group although it was very hard to choose just one winner from each class. At the end of the school day, the hall was busy with people swapping books. There were some fantastic books on offer– thank you to everyone who donated books and a big thank you to Jenny Cooper who organised the book swap. What a great way to finish off an amazing day!

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Age UK Lunch Jan Mann 863931 Allotments Mark Oddy 862746 Beavers Jo Smith 518706 Bowls Club Linda Boyd 512474 Bridge Club Heather Hughes 863367 Brownies Louise Scott 862972 Bumps and Babes Jenny Fitzsimmons 541200 Chapel Ricky Fawcett 863217 Cricket Club Nick Coffin 07867 803121 Cubs Karol Leeves 531104 Flower Show Alan Ford 863276 Football: Speldhurst Rangers Ollie Crees 07919467576 Footpaths Group Rupert Milner 863255 GP Surgery 863040 Guides Sybil Oddy 862746 Library Olive West 863234 Mothers’ Union Christine Baker 540793 Mothers & Toddlers Jenny Fitzsimmons 541200 Nursery School Elizabeth Pannell 864907 Parish Council: Chair Neil Barrington-Johnson 863959 Vice Chair Rupert Milner 863255 Parish Clerk Chris May 862927 Richard Ellery 864077 Dave Pate 278287 Joy Podbury 315549 Judy Price 863102 Alan Rowe 863404 Police Community Support Officer Sam Bolton Contact tbc. Primary School Stephanie Hayward 863044 Rainbows Lucy Wild 07910 304691 Recreation Ground Ed Wesson 07799 731247 Running Group Paul Eames 07975 577630 Speldhurst Association of Men Brian Tasker 862301

SPELDHURST VILLAGE CLUBS AND ORGANISATIONS

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Snooker Club Glen Fuller 862213 Speldhurst Art Exhibition Maria Turner 863394 Speldhurst News Editors Abi Dawson 860616 Maria Turner 863394 Sara Turner 863226 Advertising Eric Roughley 863222 St Mary’s Church Rector Douglas Wren 862821 Administrator Andrea Burgess 861187 Stoolball Yvonne Harmer 863519 Scouts Nick Burgess 863362 Shop & Post Office Jo-Anne Dekker 863158 Village Fete: Chair Lynsay Bischoff 864923 Village Hall Jenny Cooper 07786 948952 Village Website Miranda Hawkins 863601 Walking Group Brian Tasker 862301

Opening Hours & Local Info: Buses Timetables for bus #282 Speldhurst to Tun Wells at www.nu-venture.co.uk George & Dragon PH: Closed temporarily; please see www.speldhurst.com for more details GP: Mon - Fri 8am-6pm Dispensary: Mon - Fri 8.30am-1pm; 2.30-6pm (dispensary calls 8.30-11.30 only) Library (village hall): Monday 2-4.30pm Shop: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm; Sat 8-1; Sun 8-12 Post Office: Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm; Sat 9-12.30 (last post 5pm weekdays)

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Cover image: Maria Turner, sourced.