June 2008

KARATE KIDS!
Congratulations to five children who gained their karate Red Belts in April. Shown here with their coach, Mike Saunders, are  (left to right) Kieran Donaldson, Olivia Coleman, Sophia Rees, Kaine Ward and Dan Allum-Gruselle.
There is currently space for two more children in the group - for more details contact Gina Allum on 01923 262185.

ST PAUL’S CHURCH  SON ET LUMIÈRE APPEAL
At the Annual Parochial Church Council meeting on 27 April, we were delighted to report the fund raising project of the last 6 months had been most successful, thanks to the generosity of past and present Local Friends of Chipperfield. There will be two further organ fund raising events held in June, namely: a silver plate collection organised by the Chipperfield Choral Society on Saturday 21 June at St. Paul’s Church, and a concert of popular classical music by The Chipperfield Quartet, on Friday 27 June at the Village Hall. These two events, which we greatly appreciate, will finalise our appeal.
As readers may know the new lighting was installed in December 2007 and the organ refurbishment/enhancement work is being undertaken now (May–August 2008).  Internal redecoration work at St Paul’s Church is scheduled to take place in 2008/09. The Appeal gave donors the option to choose which works they wished to support, including the Mission Project in Rwanda. We are pleased to report that this, too, proved a great success - raising £14,600. In total £145,000 will have been raised and we thank all concerned for their great effort. The aim is that once the church works have been completed, we will be able to hold Organ Recitals and other musical concerts on a regular basis. Many thanks to all who have contributed.
Richard A. Edwards and Phil Waine 

MUSIC THIS MONTH
Two concerts will be held in the village this month and the proceeds of both are in aid of St. Paul’s Church organ restoration fund.
The first, Chipperfield Choral Society’s summer concert, is at 7.45pm on Saturday 21 June at St. Paul’s Church. The programme will include John Rutter’s Psalmfest and In Windsor Forest by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Two young professional soloists, soprano Vanessa Bowers and tenor Peter Meinardi, will be singing with the choir.
Tickets cost £10 (£5 for children) and include a copy of the programme and may be booked by phoning 01494 874507.
The second concert will take place in the Village Hall on Friday 27 June at 7.30pm when The Chipperfield Quartet presents a Candlelight Concert of popular classical music, ideal for a summer evening. The quartet, led by Laura Rose (cello), will be playing selections from Vivaldi, Mozart, Pachelbel and Vaughan Williams. Tickets cost £10 and may be obtained from 01923 267483.

Peter and Brenda
Berners-Price invite you
to join them for their
OPEN GARDEN DAY on SATURDAY JULY 5
in aid of IAIN RENNIE
HOSPICE AT HOME
Come and visit 6 acres of interesting and varied gardens that have been developed over the past 25 years.  Sandwiches, tea/coffee, soft drinks and home-made cake stall, gardening advice, plants for sale and music from the jazz and blues band ‘Toad’ will all add to the pleasure of your visit in aid of this wonderful Chilterns-based charity.
White Gates, Commonwood, opposite Cart and Horses pub, 12.00 – 5.00 pm,
entry £5 or £3 concession, children under 12 free.

LOST PROPERTY
Key ring with a green heart-shaped fob, 2 silver keys and a brass Chubb key on it was found in the church car park. Please phone 01923 269480 to claim.

CHIPPERFIELD CORINTHIANS UNDER 10’s
Well what a season. It seems like years ago when the campaign was started at home against Tring Tornadoes. Tring were lucky to get 0 as we scored 7!, the U10's were off! The following cup defeat against Rickmansworth was a minor blip, it was the league we wanted. Errors cost us 2 points in the next game against bogey team Little Gaddesden, we had to settle for a 2-2 draw. The following 4-3 home win against fellow challengers Leverstock Green was the start of a magnificent run of 8 wins in a row that saw Maccabi beaten 2-1 away from home with a late late winner . Harpenden away brought a 6-1 win, and the double over Tring was achieved with a 3-1 win. The next home game was the 'derby' against Bovingdon. A lot had been said about how we seriously needed to win this one. No one should have worried as Bovingdon were sent packing with a 6-0 thumping! We then played home and away to St Albans, and although we looked a bit cocky in the home game which we won 5-3, the away game led to an emphatic 8-1 win. Needless to say words were exchanged between myself and the players after the 5-3 win. Sun Postal were the next victims of a thrashing 6-1 at home on a mud heap of a pitch, same for both teams of course, we were just simply unstoppable.  The game against Little Gaddesden produced a poor performance and the first defeat of the season by 2-1. Worse was to follow as we crumbled 3-0 at Bovingdon, we were simply outgunned although their goal led a charmed life. The knives were out, panic set in, could we get back to winning ways? The pack were catching us! Again words were spoken, changes made, training became rather important. The following 4-1 defeat at Woodhall in the league cup was perhaps not as surprising as the way the team played. Wholesale changes in the team were made for this game, yet it looked like we had lost the knack of stringing two passes together. The defeat didn't matter, the performance did, and it was very bad. The next league game was a 'must win', Hemel Town were no mugs and we were severely tested in a tense 2-1 win, but the losing streak was over. Sun Postal then gave us the points, they had remembered how we had dumped them earlier in the season. Next up were Harpenden and a 5-0 win put us right back on track, although it was a bit of a canter, top form was not reached. The next game at then top Leverstock Green would in our eyes almost be the title decider. Leverstock were a tough team who had themselves been on a good run, to play them on their tiny home pitch was going to be a real battle. And so it proved, an evening kick off with raucous parents on both sides provided great entertainment and no end of high drama and tension. The only thing it didn't produce was a goal. How we didn't win it I am not sure, we had six good chances to their none, but they held out. I sensed that we had broken them after this game, I saw the winning post ahead. I had reminded the boys that to win the league they had to win the last six games, two games in and we had a win and a draw. Now with four games left total focus was needed. Four cup finals beckoned. We went to Hemel Celtic and after a tense game we were comfortable 2-0 winners. With other results going our way we knew that a maximum of 4 points were needed from the last three games. On the Saturday we played Hemel Celtic again, we won 3-1, and although we were not at our best, we were 1 point from the championship. The best was yet to come. Maccabi were the visitors on the Sunday afternoon, they wanted to finish 2nd, in fact if they had beaten us and won their last two games and we had lost ours they could've been champions. Fortunately our boys were having none of it and produced an incredible performance of strength, skill and desire. The Mums and Dads roared, the boys responded, and Maccabi were left with a 4-0 defeat. Maccabi are a good footballing side, but we simply demolished them. So there it was and with one game to go against Hemel Town, the championship delivered on a plate. The boys ran a lap of honour, Melanie sprayed them with bucks fizz, the boys danced, dived and screamed with delight. They deserved it totally, I am so proud of them, they worked their socks off. Well done Danny, Cameron, Ben, Sam, Christian, Evan, Ben, Justin, Tom, Henry, David, James, Oliver and Tom. Special thanks on behalf of the team go to our wonderful new sponsors Jeff, Jaquie and 'Alfie' and to Alex our assistant coach, to Chris our Ref and to all the parents and supporters and of course 'Melanie Manager'. Well done everybody. Barry Coleman
 
A final word from 'Melanie Manager': I would just like to echo the thank you's mentioned, and add a thank you from myself and the team to our Coach Barry! WELL DONE U10's, YOU'VE DONE US PROUD!

W.I. NEWS
Afternoon WI.
Our talk this month about the Amersham Martyrs had left us in a sober mood. But our spirits were lifted at the Herts Federation of Womens Institutes Bi-annual Meeting in St Albans, where our Institute was presented with a certificate celebrating our founding 75 years ago in December 1933. Mrs Mimi Nicholls, our longest serving member of 55 years, went up to collect the certificate. A proud moment for all of us. JK
Evening WI.
With the aid of illustrations, and in an amusing and interesting manner, Vic Bottrill addressed Chipperfield Evening WI on the subject of Body Language. He explained how body language, mannerisms and habits can reveal one's nature.

SPRING SALE
The Spring Sale was held at St. Paul's on April 19. The cold, wet April morning failed to dampen spirits and a good time was had by all. Many thanks to all who helped with the sale and to those good folk who braved the weather to come and support us. The refurbishment  of the Organ Fund benefited from the wonderful total of £2050!

BOOK SALE
I shall be organising a book sale at the end of the summer to raise funds towards the cost of refurbishing The Small Hall (Chipperfield Youth Club premises). The sale will take place at the beginning of September, so please keep your holiday paperbacks bought over the summer months and sort out any others you no longer want to keep. Details of the sale will appear in  Chipperfield News.
Liz Holliday                        

VILLAGE PEOPLE
Congratulations to June Nightingirl of Didsbury Cottages who will be celebrating her 90th birthday on 6th June.

1st CHIPPERFIELD BROWNIES
We have welcomed two new Brownies since January.  The girls have enjoyed a fun-packed term with lots of activities, including a disability awareness evening, a Thinking Day celebration and an entertainment night for the leaders!
Also, I am extremely pleased to say that our Bring and Buy Sale for Marie Curie Nurses was a great success.  We raised an amazing £267.60!  My sincere thanks go to everyone who was involved.  Well done!
My Pack is full at the moment but if you would like to put your daughter’s name on the waiting list (the starting age is 7 – it’s never too early!), please contact Sian Roberts on 01923 263967 or 07982 610775.
There are a number of children on waiting lists for Rainbows (5-7), Brownies (7-10) and Guides (10-14) who, due to insufficient leaders, are unable to join.  If you would like a really rewarding experience and feel that you can offer some help, please contact Jean Banks 01923 400370.  Thank you.
Sian Roberts

BOWLS CLUB
Chipperfield Short Mat Bowls Club held their annual dinner at Little Hay Golf Club on Friday 2 May. An excellent meal was served and members and guests enjoyed a pleasant evening in convivial surroundings.  Ron Ray, the President, expressed the club's thanks to David Piper who had organised the Pairs Competition for many years but has now retired. He then presented the trophies to the winners, Terry Timberlake and John Wood, and to the runners-ups, Mike King-Jones and Brian Harvey. The John Prestwich trophy for the most improved player was presented to Maureen Hamberger.
The next season starts on Friday 3 October and the club will then meet every Tuesday and Friday in the Village Hall at 7pm. For more details contact our Secretary,  Jill Taylor, on 01442 832654 - or just turn up on a Tuesday or Friday evening when you will be made most welcome.
Graham Breen

CAN YOU KNIT?
If any ladies (or gentlemen) would be interested in knitting squares to make blankets for charitable  causes, please contact Kathy Archer on 01923 260528. I have a small supply of double knitting wool and a few pairs of number 10 needles.

OLD TIMERS
There is a correction to be made to the names under the photograph of ‘Old Timers’ at The Windmill in the April Chipperfield News. The first person in the front row is in fact Henry Channer, Lew Channer’s father, who lived at Anchor Cottage.

CHIPPERFIELD SCHOOL OF DANCING
Dancing classes are held in the Parish Room and at Blackwells in Chipperfield on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday for children, starting from two and a half years.
We are working towards examinations with the British Arts and next summer all pupils will take part in another School production of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. Previously we have raised good money for charity and we plan to do the same again. For more information call Jean Banks 01923 400370 or Clare Gurney 0208 428 9906.

MOBILE POLICE OFFICE
A Mobile Police Office will be in the Church Car Park on The Common on Tuesday  3 June from 11am-1.30pm.
Come and visit the office and meet our Police Community Support Officer, David Alexander.

FATHER DESMOND CANTWELL
Father Desmond Cantwell S.D.S, parish priest of Our Lady Mother of the Saviour, Chipperfield, passed away on April 18th in Hemel Hempstead Hospital. He was 68 years old.
There are those who would say Desmond Cantwell was born to be a priest, for indeed he and two of his four brothers were 'born priests', each serving their parish communities with strong faith, unwavering commitment and great love.
Father Des, as he was always known, came to to Chipperfield as resident priest-in-charge of the newly created Pastoral area/parish  in 1978. The parish, spread across some 50 square mile of Hertfordshire takes in Chipperfield itself, Kings Langley, Bovingdon, Sarratt, Flaunden and Felden, Until 1989, when the church at Chipperfield was finally completed, Fr. Des travelled the villages, saying Masses at the generous invitation of  the churches established in each place. 
Coming from a devout Irish Catholic family, Des was imbued both with great faith, and with a fine sense of humour. It was not difficult to remember his wise words from the altar steps, linked as they often were to some comic incident in his life or to Irish proverbial wisdom itself.
Unlike Fr. Des, who stayed to minister in England, his two brothers Terry and Michael were sent by the Salvatorian Order to neighbouring parishes in Tanzania. Support from Chipperfield for these third world communities was ever the first priority. Fr. Des saw to it that money was provided at time of famine to feed children, the sick and the elderly. Most recently his fund raising campaign  following a visit to the Ocean Road Cancer Institute for Children in Dar-es-Salaam, saw over £20,000 being raised to alleviate the terrible suffering caused by lack of equipment and drugs. If nothing else stands for his memory as a caring man this will.
Fr. Des' parishioners share the loss of  a great man, holy priest, trustworthy friend and wise counsellor. Our sympathies in particular go to his surviving family, brothers, Terry, Paddy and Kevin and sister Madge, and to all who mourn  his loss at this sad time.  David Peacock

Bad news travels fast" and the village grape-vine is most efficient, but some of the congregation arriving for Sunday Mass were shaken to read the announcement of Fr. Desmond's death posted on the Church door. We have lost a wonderful priest and a good friend!
So many wished to show their love and respect for Fr. Des, that both Masses were packed to overflowing. The owners of the field opposite the Church had kindly offered its use as an overflow car park. On the evening of Monday 28 April, the body was received into the Church to stand before the altar during the night. Mass was said. The funeral Mass was held on Tuesday 29 April at 11 o'clock. More than 20 priests were on the altar because Fr. Des was a member of the Salvatorian order as well as our priest. Fr. Malachy spoke of Fr. Desmond's life and work both within and beyond Chipperfield, and then the time arrived for the coffin to be taken from the Church which he had built. It was a very moving moment. According to Fr. Desmond's wishes, he was buried with his brother Salvatorians at Clamp Hill, Harrow Weald. All present were invited to take refreshments at Blackwells. The letters of condolence and the presence at the funeral of Ministers and members of our fellow churches has been deeply appreciated.
The congregation of Our Lady Mother of the Saviour were so fortunate to have Fr. Des for 30 years. Fortunate too that Fr. Terry should be here to be with his brother and to serve our church in this very sorrowful time.
Janet Keates

BAPTIST CHURCH
It is with sadness I write this months copy for Chipperfield News. Father Des had been ill much of the time I have been in Chipperfield and to my great regret and shame I never found the time to meet him. It was a show of unity that as many as possible of the local clergy were present at his Funeral on Tuesday  29 April. It was an occasion of thanksgiving and it was also very evident that he was much loved and had done so much for so many.
We Christians come in all shapes and sizes but there is a common bond between us. Why we do one thing this way and another differently must seem strange to some. But what holds us together is the one in which we hope and believe in. Jesus did not give us the definitive structure for church, his words on the matter were "I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples". Unity comes at a price, yes! there is a cost involved. Jesus also told us that "This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends."  This means laying all that you are down, so that we put others before us. Now that is expensive but if we believe that God is with us and has our best interests at heart, it is a price worth paying.
From what has been said of Father Des he served those God had placed in his care with faithfulness, love and by laying himself down for others. My prayers and thoughts and those of Chipperfield Baptist Church are with his family, friends and the congregation he ministered to. In God he trusted and God is forever faithful.
Love Jason, The Man in the Manse

BAPTIST CHURCH NEWS
We were saddened to hear of Father Des' death on April 18 and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the Catholic congregation who will greatly miss him, their brother, priest and friend.
April was a busy month for our church, with the lunch and Beetle Family Night which was so much fun we will be having another in the near future. 50 people enjoyed the (very noisy) evening and it was a great time of getting to know each other as we moved around the tables. Some fantastic refreshments were served during the evening before it was "eyes down" again to finish the game.
A Quiz Night is being held on June 21st so do come and join us for another fun evening (see advert on page 8 in this issue).
Look out for publicity about other events we are hoping to have in the near future. Come and listen to the Chiltern West Gallery Quire on June 14th at 2.30pm after the lunch. It will last for 30 minutes and is part of a ‘church crawl’. They are visiting Great Missenden, Chenies, Chipperfield and Berkhamsted. You will be most welcome to join us for the lunch beforehand if you contact Brenda on 01923 269574 to book your place.

ST PAUL’S AND HOLY CROSS
It was almost entirely blocked …. It had been like that for months; slowly getting worse …. and finally, something had to be done! Whoever had plumbed in the wash hand basin in our bathroom, seemed to have done so in a way that made it almost impossible to get at the U-bend! After considerable difficulty I managed to take it to pieces … and the gunge!... I doubt if it had ever been cleaned out in the nearly thirty years since the house was built! Now, after a not pleasant cleaning process the water flows freely.
It really set me thinking … about the blockages in my life which accumulate little by little, which slowly but definitely work against the wholeness of the person God intends me to be … and about my reluctance to face up to them, as somehow things still seem to just about work ….
Now I seek to read a small portion of the Bible each day (not with work in mind, but for me) asking God to inform my mind, and move my will, so I might live day by day better in step with Him. Recently I have been reading about David, and all that he faced in the days before he became king of Israel. I have seen how sometimes he acted wisely and graciously as he looked Godwards … how on other occasions his injudicious intentions were challenged, and met with wise response … and others when one unwise choice led to another and another ….
Whilst one of these later sequence of events was unfolding, I read the words "But David found strength in the Lord his God"  - that meant he really faced up to the things that had bit by bit built up (like blocked drains!) - and he disciplined himself to tackle it with God, whom he knew deep down inside, understood, and was able to offer a positive way forward!
It is a really liberating experience for us to follow David’s example. Do we have the courage to face up to the "gunge", (built up over many years perhaps) which needs dealing with and would open up a fresh and enriching chapter in our experience of our Creator? Help is at hand if we are ready to face the reality …
With my prayers,    Jim Stevens

Dealing with the jargon ..!
Recently in visiting someone at home I was asked what BCP meant alongside one of the services listed in Chipperfield News …. and what did "5 Alive" mean? Point taken, thank you! Too easily we use our own jargon which others do not understand. So, my apologies, and I hope this bit of explanation helps…
BCP is shorthand for "Book of Common Prayer", which has been used in the church since 1662. Other services are held in modern language.
All age worship implies that we seek to worship across the age range all together in a way that everyone can participate and value, from the youngest to the oldest present.
Cool Runnings involves spending time together over a simple meal, watching a clip or two from a film, and using that to think about Jesus Christ ….
Ask – Discovering God together held in Sarratt village hall, gives time to discuss, to question, to explore… matters relating to God and spirituality.
5 Alive is simply how we use the main morning service on the four 5th Sundays of the month. Our aim is simply to do something very different …
As two churches, Chipperfield and Sarratt, one "Benefice", we seek to hold a variety of services to meet a growing diversity of both need and approach, so that we may be the better able to discover more of the amazing riches of God. It is not possible to provide everything in both villages .... so I hope that everyone can know that whatever we do there is always a welcome. We aim to provide something for younger ones every Sunday morning at the 10.00am services in Sarratt on the 1st and 4th Sundays of the month and at St. Paul’s on the 2nd and 3rd!
Jim Stevens

CHIPPERFIELD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Wednesday  24 September: Terry Simmonds will give a talk on the history of his family and the Nursery which his family created. Come and listen to him talking on his experience and expertise on plants and gardens.  Tickets: £3; CHS Members  £2.
Friday 30 October: Tom Stuart-Smith is 6 times gold medal winner at Chelsea, winner of best in show in 2006, designer of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Garden at Windsor Castle and the gardens around the new glasshouse at Wisley, as well as numerous other well known gardens. His own garden at The Barn, Serge Hill, Bedmond, will be open on 15 June in aid of  the National Gardens Scheme and Herts Garden Trust. Tickets: £5; CHS Members £4.
Both talks will take place in the Parish Room.Tickets will be available at our Summer Show on Saturday 21 June and also at Stanleys Stores, Chipperfield

OLD FRIENDS AND NEW VISITORS
I love to hear the skylark singing on my early morning walks with Ted, our young Labrador. Even on the rather barren, open field behind Scatterdells Lane there are still plenty about. The path runs beside a nice thick hedge, the next one across the field must be half a mile away! The other side of it is a hay field, and then the gardens of Scatterdells Lane, a much friendlier habitat for most of the birds. But the skylarks love to soar and sing above the wide open field. The hedge is a perfect place for Yellowhammers, old favourites from my days on the farm where we always had a lot of these birds. The brightly coloured males sit on the top of the hedge and lustily sing their a-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese song to mark their territory and attract a mate. For me these are the sights and sounds of the lovely mornings of late spring and early summer.
I was just enjoying the sight and song of the Yellowhammer when I spotted another bird perched on the top of the hedge. It was not singing, just having a good look round. It was not familiar to me, having pale buff under-parts and a brown body with a distinctive white eye stripe. As Ted got closer it flew low across the wide open field, before landing on a lump of stone. As it flew away from me I could see a white rump with a very unusual T-shaped black pattern on its tail. Over breakfast all the bird books came out, and I’m now sure it was a female Wheatear, not a bird we usually see around here. They come to us in spring from Africa and head for the heath-lands and uplands of Britain, so this one must have been on its way north.
I love to see my old favourites but it's nice to see something that’s a bit out of the ordinary for a change.
Wendy Bathurst

YOUR GARDEN IN JUNE
There are just 3 months each year which are virtually frost-free and June is the first of these. It is a frantic time of choosing and planting out all those tender bedding plants such as geraniums, fuchsias, petunias, busy lizzie, begonias, dahlias, ageratum and marigolds. Trailing fuchsias and geraniums and Surfinia petunias are ideal subjects for hanging baskets and window boxes but there are many ideas which can be found by regularly visiting the garden centre. Always add a water-retaining gel such as Swell Gel to the compost intended for all containers and add a slow-release fertilizer as well. It is rather late to be direct sowing outside in borders now, but it is already time to be sowing wallflowers for flowering next spring. Keep the weeds down and water and feed all bedding plants.
In the vegetable garden sow peas and also sow salad crops at regular intervals. Plant out the marrows, courgettes, outdoor tomatoes, peppers, celery, sweet corn, cabbage, cauliflower and, of course, runner beans. Vegetables need to be watered regularly and this is very important with all tomato crops. Regularly feed with a liquid feed such as Tomorite. Keep the greenhouse well ventilated in warm weather and apply Coolglass or some other kind of shading. Feed the lawn as soon as possible but not in hot dry weather and cut at least once a week, but avoid cutting too short. Only water newly seeded areas or new turf but never water an established lawn. If purchasing a mower, the latest models leave clippings as a fine mulch.
There is still time to plant out herbaceous perennials, cottage garden plants, shrubs, climbing plants and conifers. Always use some form of mulch: the folks at the garden centre can advise on how to do this and how to conserve moisture and so to cut down on the use of water. Do keep the roses sprayed against rust, mildew and black spot every 3 weeks, and feed with Toprose fertilizer which is an excellent feed for shrubs and conifers too. Stake those tall perennials in the hardy borders and keep them dead-headed. As shrubs finish flowering they will need to be pruned. If the birds have finished nesting it is time to cut the hedges.
Chipperfield has its Summer Flower Show on June 21. Gardeners' World Live is at the NEC Birmingham from June 11-15 (tickets 0870 040 0374). The garden at Callipers Hall will be open on June 22 and on the same day a number of gardens in Whelpley Hill will be open. Other gardens open this month include those at Ashridge and Serge Hill, Bedmond, on June 15 and at Waterdell House, Croxley Green on June 29.
Terry Simmonds