September 2006
BLACKWELLS OFFICIALLY OPENED
On Saturday 15 July Nick Blackwell officially opened Blackwells, 84 years after his great-grandfather performed a similar ceremony when he opened the original Men's and Women's Social Club in 1922.
Representatives from all village organisations as well as all the volunteers who played such a large part in raising funds and starting the repair and refurbishment of the premises were present as guests of the Trustees and joined Nick in toasting the future success of the club.
Blackwells now has a membership of 820 and has been a popular venue for coffees and cream teas for both residents and visitors throughout the summer.
A regular quiz night is held on Sunday evenings and a weekly bingo evening is planned. Paul and Di Hewetson also hope to arrange a regular lunch for pensioners this autumn. For further details phone Paul or Di at Blackwells on 01923 264708
MANOR HOUSE OPEN GARDEN
On 18 June the Manor House gardens were opened to the public for the first time in many years. Alex and Rory Tapner, whose home it is, have for the past few years worked hard to create the wonderful garden and it was a pleasure to walk around the different garden 'rooms'.
The garden was opened to commemorate the 80th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen and members of the public were able to sign a congratulatory book which was to be handed to Her Majesty personally.
The weather was ideal and scrumptious refreshments were available throughout the afternoon in the form of a hog roast, Pimms, afternoon tea and strawberries and cream. A raffle was held and a bouncy castle was on hand to amuse the children.
The grand sum of £3,500 was raised, to be divided between the refurbishment of the stage in the village hall and a new lighting system for St. Paul's church. Our sincere thanks go to Alex and Rory Tapner for so generously opening the grounds of their house and to all those who helped in any way.
Philip Waine
FLOWERS, SONG AND DANCE
Chipperfield enjoyed a very special weekend back in the middle of July. Morris dancers from as far away as Cornwall and Northumberland were guests of our own Greensleeves Morris Men, who this year were celebrating their 80th birthday. The dancing started in the twilight hours of Friday evening when the Greensleeves Morris Men danced round the tree by The Two Brewers which was planted in memory of Leslie Nichols, who was at one time their Squire.
It was the 307th meeting of the Morris Ring and the dancers spent the following day entertaining the residents at Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Chesham, beside the canal at Winkwell and in other villages in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The tour ended at The Boot, The Plough and The Windmill in Chipperfield.
A hot Sunday morning saw the traditional open-air service on The Common, led by Rev. Jim Stevens, after which most of the Morris Men danced to the delight of all present.
St. Paul's church was transformed with a dazzling display of floral arrangements created by such a lot of local talent. The theme, From Creation to Revelation, interpreted Biblical subjects as diverse as Noah's Ark and The Last Supper.
On Sunday evening it was the turn of the choirs from Chipperfield and Sarratt to entertain and included music by Rutter, Besig, Brahms and Haydn with an oboe solo performed by David Gladstone. The choirs were led by Keith Benison, who played a marvellous improvisation on the church's fine organ. Hyacinth Nicholls was the guest soloist and a real highlight of the concert was her magnificent rendering of "He's Got The Whole World in His Arms".
Terry Simmonds
GRANTS FOR 2006-07
Local groups and organisations who wish to apply for grant aid for 2006/07 should contact Joanna Deacon, the Parish Clerk, as soon as possible for an application form.
Phone 01923 263310 or e-mail to parishclerk@chipperfield.org.uk
Applications should be completed and returned to the Clerk no later than 4 October.
FUNDS RAISED FOR
ST. FRANCIS HOSPICE
Chipperfield Afternoon W.I. raised £250 for the Hospice at their Coffee Morning held at Bucks Hill Farm on 1 August and would like to thank all those who supported the event.
HISTORY RE-LIVED AT BLACKWELLS
The people of Chipperfield must have been very excited when the Men's and Women's Clubs were officially opened by Samuel Blackwell in 1922. The progress of Waterhouse's builders would have been watched for months by the villagers and the future use of the facilities would have been a general topic of conversation. Until then, the school had been used as a meeting hall and pupils were given a holiday whenever there was a need to make preparations for a show or concert, so they wouldn't have been so pleased about the new venture!
Samuel Blackwell, Lord of the Manor, who opened the Clubs in 1922, was a tall imposing man, with a full set of long whiskers. You will see a photograph of him on the wall, to the left of the bar, in Blackwells. He may have attended the opening ceremony in a wicker wheelchair. Sadly, his health was deteriorating by this stage.
On either side of the photograph, are copies of the official documents giving details of his sons' deaths and war service. Their names are also on the war memorials in Church and on the Common, along with those of many other villagers who lost their lives in the First World War. Both men would have been well known locally.
Samuel and Elizabeth Blackwell had eleven children, and Charles and William Gordon were almost the youngest members of their family.
The fifth child, Dr. Tom Blackwell, built Pale House after he retired as a medical practitioner and finally moved to Pale Farm. Their seventh child, Eddie, retired to Old Barn Cottage after World War Two. It is their sixth child Robert, born in 1876, who provides the next link with the Club.
After the refurbishment of the Club in June, this year, the Trustees asked whether I knew of a descendant of the Blackwell family, who might be persuaded to perform the opening ceremony. Quite by chance, Diana Uff, of Pale Farm, mentioned that she had sat next to a Nick Blackwell, at a lunch party in London last year. That coincidental meeting could not have been more fortuitous, for as it turned out, Nick's grandfather was the aforesaid Robert Blackwell, brother of the two young men, who died in World War One.
Nick was delighted to revisit Chipperfield and was honoured to perform the opening ceremony of the newly named Blackwells, thus following in the footsteps taken by his great grandfather Samuel Blackwell, 84 years ago.
Mary Nobbs
'DEVOTED TO LIFE' SPONSORED WALK
I am organising a sponsored walk to raise money for the Marie Curie Nurses working in Hertfordshire, and am looking for people to join us.
The walk will be taking place on Sunday September 10 at Hunton Park, near Watford and 2, 7 or 9 mile routes are available.
The walk itself will take us around the beautiful landscaped grounds of Hunton Park and along the meandering Grand Union Canal to Cassiobury Park in Watford.
Entry is only £5 and we encourage adults to raise £60 in sponsorship.
The walk is open to everyone and the more people who walk, the more money we can raise for our nurses.
Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give terminally ill people the choice of dying at home supported by their families.
For more information and an entry form please contact me in the fundraising office on 01920 468956. I look forward to hearing from you.
Maria Griffin
Community Fundraising Co-ordinator
CHIPPERFIELD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Autumn Show 23 September 2006
This show features vegetables, fruit and flowers. Everything from runner beans to raspberries to chrysanthemums, there truly is something for everybody who has a garden. For those with other talents there are three classes in the floral art section, nine classes in handicraft from painting to embroidery to woodwork and many others. There are six classes in the domestic section for cakes, jellies. jams and pies. The photography section invites entries for three classes - Village Activities, An Ancient Ruin and A Portrait (head and shoulders). The four classes in the junior section for those aged 16 years and under, cover school work, handicraft, a photograph and an animal made from fruit/vegetables.
Entry forms should be handed in by 2.00p.m. on Friday 22 September to Stanley's Stores or to any committee member. Staging from 8.00a.m. to 10.45a.m. on show day and judging starts at 11.00a.m. Doors re-open at 2.30p.m. for tea with prize giving at 3.30p.m. followed by the auction of produce and a raffle.
Come along and have fun and enter your produce, knitting, cake or photograph. You will really enjoy yourself and have a great day amongst friends.
Ann Soanes
CHIPPERFIELD SCHOOL OF DANCING
Congratulations to all the pupils of the Dancing School on passing their ballet and tap examinations. The standard of dancing is very high and many girls passed with an honours grade.
The Dancing School is now working towards the next production 'The Wizard of Oz' to be performed at the Boxmoor Playhouse in aid of charity. This is to be a song and dance production - something we have not done before! It will be a lot of fun and hard work!
For further information regarding the dancing timetable, please contact Jean Banks 01923 400370 or Clare Gurney 0208 428 9906
TABBY CAT
A tabby cat has been visiting The Two Brewers regularly for several weeks. Unfortunately it is now making itself a nuisance begging for food from customers and unless it is claimed will have to be handed in to the RSPCA. Contact The Two Brewers if you know who it belongs to - 01923 261884.
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY SUMMER SHOW ON 24 JUNE
Despite the hose pipe ban and the wonderfully hot weather, which made watering the garden a back breaking chore and gave you arms that stretched past your knees, the village hall was full of 185 fantastic exhibits. We were wondering how our members would cope with these conditions, but we needn't have worried. True, the fruit and vegetable section was a little sparse but the rest of the classes were well filled, especially the class for the best specimen rose which attracted 14 entries and was won by Sue Ellis. Margaret Stratford swept the board with her sweet peas winning four classes and Marguerite Browning excelled in the handicraft classes. Eileen Foulgham won 2 of the 3 classes for floral art coming second in the third. Roger Pigg, our show secretary, was the most successful exhibitor winning three trophies. All in all a great show and a big thank you to Lady Nicholls who was kind enough to present the prizes, for which we are extremely grateful. Another big thank you to our judges and to all the people who give their time and help to make our shows both fun and successful, we couldn't manage without you all.
RESULTS
The T.J. Denny Trophy
Best specimen rose Sue Ellis
The National Sweet Pea Society's Medal
Best sweet pea exhibit Margaret Stratford
The A.T. Hutchinson Challenge Cup
Sweet peas Roger Pigg
The National Rose Society's Bronze Medal Best exhibit of roses Linda Marzac
The F. Baldwin Cup Floral Art Bethan Rees
The Pettet Cup Most points for roses Roger Pigg
Cottagers Challenge Cup
Most points overall Roger Pigg
VILLAGE PEOPLE
Diamond Wedding Celebrations
Local residents Kath and Ron Ray celebrated their Diamond Wedding
Anniversary on the 20 July with around fifty of their friends and family in the grounds of their home in Chipperfield. In order that guests could travel from far and wide to attend, they held their celebrations a few days earlier than the exact date. A marquee was erected on the lawn, the champagne flowed until well into the early evening and an order was put in for good weather! A good time was had by all!
The couple first moved to Kings Langley in 1962 and then to Chipperfield in1976 and are well known in the village. Both play bowls for Kings Langley Bowls Club.
We should like to wish Kath and Ron every happiness for many more years together.
Sian Hopkins was married to Alan Roberts on 22 July at Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Roman Catholic Church in Dunny Lane. Sian is the only daughter of John and Diane Hopkins of "Beckley" Langley Road and is well known in the village as Brown Owl for the 1st Chipperfield Brownies, a large contingent of which attended the ceremony and formed a splendid guard of honour. After the wedding a reception was held at Millers in Kings Langley followed by an evening reception at Kings Langley Community Centre. Sian and Alan spent their honeymoon in Jersey and have now set up home in Blackwell Road, Kings Langley.
Lysbeth and Robin Sindall of Scatterdells Lane are delighted to announce that their son Mark Stephen married Eleanor Ruth Rogers on 10 August at the Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey. We wish Mark and Elly every joy and happiness throughout their lives.
Congratulations and all good wishes to Dr Mary West who will be celebrating her 80th birthday on 20 September
David and Wendy Bathurst travelled to Exeter to see son John collect his BSc. degree in geography this summer. John will be staying on to study Sustainable Land Management and Global Warming, for his Masters.
WHO WAS MOLLY OXHEY ?
When I was a youngster I used to cycle to Hemel Hempstead to school via Bullstrode or Felden Lane. There is dry valley that crosses these lanes, a continuation of Whippendell Bottom, and this is known locally as Molly Oxhey's Bottom. Alternatively as Molyeaux's or Molly Oxley's Bottom. My father used to jokingly warn me to look out for the ghost of Molly Oxhey, a witch who was believed to fly across the valley on her broomstick from time to time. Talking to a lady from Kings Langley recently, I was told that she was always led to believe that the ghost of Molly rides along the valley on a white horse. Does anyone else have any variations on the story? And who exactly was Molly Oxhey?
John Hopkins
PLAYSKILL
Four months ago, local paediatric physiotherapist Andrea Clarke started a special parent and child group to help children with physical disabilities. The group was officially opened in June by the Mayor of Watford,.Councillor Dorothy Thornhill.
Andrea was able to set up Playskill with funding from Scope, UNLTD (the funding body of the Millennium Committee) and over £1000 raised by Jo Parish running in the Marathon.
Using the specialist facilities at the Le Marie Centre, St. Albans Road Watford, and in conjunction with Watford and District Mencap, Andrea is able to offer children from 1 year old to school age skilled help to tackle their problems. She works with a team of skilled volunteers including parents of older children with Special Needs, and with speech and language therapist Debbie Hughes, who also lives in Chipperfield, and occupational therapist Sandra Evans. Playskill is held on Monday mornings in term time from 9.30am - 11.30am and has been so successful that there is already a waiting list for places. If you would like to know more about Playskill and the help it can provide, contact Andrea on 07890 267722.
NEW WATERCOLOUR PAINTING COURSE
West Herts College have arranged a new watercolour course to be held at The Village Hall on Monday mornings from 10.00am until 12 noon, running from 25 September until 29 January. The course is suitable for anyone who wishes to extend their knowledge of basic watercolour painting techniques. Students will need to provide their own paints, paper and equipment and can seek advice at the first session. The course costs £131.00 and concessions are available. Phone 01923 812345 to find out more about this and other courses.
NEWS FROM OUR CHURCHES
ST PAUL'S AND HOLY CROSS
August 2nd... Southern Lebanon...
"...All that remains of the village is piles of rubble where only days ago a thriving community went about its daily business. There has been a complete exodus apart from a few elderly people, to whom we gave what water we had.... The sense of utter devastation and loss is all around us..."
No, not my words, but a rough paraphrase of one of the BBC reporters on the spot. From the distance from which we observe what we are told, it is perhaps too easy to jump to uninformed conclusions. Few if any of us can fully feel what it is like to be Israeli, or Lebanese, or a member of Hezbollah because we are not there and don't personally have the history which is theirs.
But I believe that we can understand that the things we do, result from the ways in which we think, and the ways we feel. So much of our thought, our response, and our emotional reaction to situations we face is determined by what we have been taught, and our past experiences - good and bad. We all know too well that sometimes head and heart can be in conflict.
How we behave depends upon our attitudes - the attitudes that "be" within us. In St. Matthew's Gospel there are eight amazing sayings: we call them "the beatitudes". (Blessed are...for they... see Matthew chapter 5 verse 5to 10).
This is foundational teaching for Christian believers: indeed for all humanity, as the credentials of Jesus, being the supreme revelation of The Creator, surpass those of all others.
In short, these amazing pithy sayings tell us, not just that what we are on the inside determines how we behave in the world but, so much more importantly, how what is inside can be in tune with the character of the Creator, so that our manner of life pleases Him and honours all people - yes all people, whether we happen to approve of who they are, and what they do, or not.
I shall be looking at these eight saying of Jesus, which lie at the very heart of Christian faith, at the 10.00am services on Sundays Sept. 17th, Oct. 1st & 15th, Nov. 5th & 19th. (Please note that on Oct.1st and Nov.5th these take place in Holy Cross church, Sarratt, the other three at St. Paul's.)
May I invite you to come and consider them too, as our world in all sorts of ways is desperately short of deep compassion and care, and whether you espouse a Christian faith or not, it could be healthy to think afresh.
With my greetings, Jim Stevens
BAPTIST CHURCH
On July 16th we closed our church and joined St Paul's on the Common for the Open Air Service. Representatives from the Morris Men sides shared in the service, and danced afterwards. It was most enjoyable - even in the heat of the day! St Paul's Flower Festival too was very beautiful and we felt very privileged to take part.
Our monthly lunch is held on the second Saturday of each month and is open to anyone. If you would like to come, just contact Brenda Harpley on 01923 269574.We'll be very pleased to see you.
We are hoping to hold our Christmas Tree Festival this year, and a meeting will be held on Tuesday September 12th at 10.30am to discuss arrangements. The meeting is open to anyone who would like to decorate a tree for us, whether you have helped before or would like to join us this year. We look forward to seeing you. Contact Brenda if you want to know more.
Our traditional Harvest Thanksgiving will be on September 17th at 10.30am. Come along and join us. Our Harvest gifts will be distributed around the village as usual.
Our Church Cleaner is moving away and so we need a replacement. Please contact me on 01923 269574 if you can help.
Brenda Harpley
CHIPCHOPS UPDATE
We have enjoyed three exciting weekends out this year with the Chipchops, and also an outing to Thorpe Park. Budding young Christian children between the ages of 8 to 13 years old are all welcome, from both Chipperfield and Sarratt. Our main activities during camping weekends are archery, abseiling, pot-holing, with Barbecue food and camp fires.
Last month we were very grateful to Westbrook Hay School for the loan of their beautiful grounds and swimming pool, which we hope to repeat next year.
Please come to our Sponsored Bike Ride weekend on 9th and 10th September, cycling from Tring down to Chipperfield, with a family picnic en route. Contact Simon Wood on 01923 260249 or Jenny Newman for details.
CHIPPERFIELD SUPPORT FOR TRAIDCRAFT
Thanks to the generous support of Traidcraft by family, friends and local churches nearly £5,000 of goods were purchased from Traidcraft in the year to July and £600 profit was sent to Christian Aid. The next Traidcraft sale at St Paul's is after the 10 am Benefice Service on 17 September. New catalogues are available at the back of the church or telephone Janet Cornell on 01923 262468. As a result of the campaigning work of Christian Aid, Traidcraft and others, starting in the late 1970's, we are all now able to buy an increasing variety of fairly traded goods from our shops and supermarkets. It has been a long haul and much more campaigning work and lobbying is needed to bring Trade Justice and make progress in the wider aim to Make Poverty History!
Phyllis Edna Hopkins
1907 - 2006
Older residents of the village will be sad to hear of the death of Phyllis Hopkins who passed away at Southampton General Hospital on Wednesday 12 July after a short illness. Born in Enfield, as Phyllis Edna Gauntlett, one of Phyllis's earliest childhood memories was of the first Zeppelin to be shot down over Cuffley during the First World War. As a teenager she came to the village on entering domestic service at Braziers where she met and married Doug Hopkins who worked for many years at Waterhouses. They lived in Tower Hill, but after Doug's death she moved to the New Forest to be nearer to her daughter and her family. She was a very active and independent lady right to the end and will be much missed. She is survived by her daughter Joan, three granddaughters and six great grandchildren.
JOHN PRESTWICH'S MEMORIAL
The total amount in donations received in memory of John (in lieu of flowers) almost reached the amazing sum of £4,000. Following much recent deliberation with the committee of the Patients' Association, consultants and staff (and me!) of the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit at St. Thomas' Hospital, the decision how best to use this money has been finally resolved. It is to be used to completely refurbish a sun-trap courtyard area (which is immediately adjacent to and directly accessible from the Respiratory Unit) into a garden - complete with a water feature. It will be designed so that not only will it be accessible to patients in wheelchairs but, hopefully, to those in beds. It is to be named "The John Prestwich Memorial Garden" and once completed, the intention is to have an 'official' opening which will possibly be featured on the BBC1 TV programme City Hospital. Knowing just how much pleasure John derived from sitting on the patio in our garden, I feel it will be an apt and lasting memorial to him and one of which he would entirely approve.
Meanwhile - a big thank-you to all of you who contributed so generously to the fund.
Maggie Prestwich
A BIG THANK-YOU
FROM BIPIN
Until now I have always reminded everyone of the "Visit It or Loose It" threat to our Post Office. I feel that it is time that I recorded my appreciation of all your help and support for regular use of the Post Office as well as the shop, including my regular customers from Bovingdon and Sarratt.
Everyone has been very understanding and patient if they have been caught behind E-Bay customers mailing lots of items. We do try to be as quick as possible but some delay is inevitable.
Hopefully, with your continued support and use we shall continue to survive and prove that we are indeed a busy Post Office, regularly used by the people of Chipperfield.
Don't forget that the Post Office offers mobile phone top-ups, foreign currency without any commission charged, travel insurance, BT bill paying and of course personal banking for customers with accounts at Lloyds, Barclays, Co-Op and Nationwide banks.
Thank you all for your continued support.
Bipin Pathak
Sub Postmaster
CHIPPERFIELD CORINTHIANS YOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB
The Youth Football Club had three hot sunny Friday evenings during the first three weeks of June when we held our annual presentation evenings at the Cricket Club. Once again we were assisted with a fantastic BBQ team led by Mark East with great support from Dave Marchant, Mark Lock and James East .The Cricket Club management team were as ever really helpful in ensuring all the evenings went well and also ensured the very important bar was well staffed at all times!
This year there were eight teams involved, ranging from the under 15's to our newest team - the under 7's. The expressions of delight on the faces of the youngest team members as they step up to receive their medals is always brilliant.
We really appreciate the support of all our various sponsors who help provide our kit. This usually this means the players get a new kit every couple of years. Recently a kit was replaced but was still in pretty good condition and through some church contacts in Kings Langley we were able to pass it on to a team in Gambia and it's great to see Chipperfield make it on the map in Africa!
After three years as Chairman on the Youth Football Club I have now 'retired' although I will still coach the under 15's next year. On behalf of Ruth and myself I would like to express our thanks to the Committee who presented us with vouchers for an evening at The Grove. We used them on a lovely hot sunny evening and had a fabulous meal.
This does leave a vacancy for Chairman of the Youth Football Club and if the position appeals please contact me on the below number - we really do need someone to continue to take the Club forward.
Martyn Dicker
01923-262454
HARD TIMES
We have seen more butterflies this year than we have for a couple of years. Red Admirals have been much more plentiful as have Commas and Painted Ladies. We always get lots of Meadow Browns in the sheep runs but the gravel garden has attracted the prettier, more orangey Gatekeeper, which loves the Scabious flower. The best treat of all though was seeing a Silver-washed Fritillary feeding on the Buddleias. It's quite a large orange butterfly with black filigree like marking. They like the woodland edge and often feed on bramble flowers. We also saw one in Scatterdells Wood fluttering along a bright sunny path. They are much more common in the west of Britain so maybe they are expanding their territory.
They were not the only ones in the garden with expansionist ideas. The lambs fancied some new territory as well. By the beginning of August they had eaten all the green grass and they did not like the toasted straw coloured stuff or the hay I was giving them. Although we had a good battery on the electric fence, some of the lambs decided it was worth the shock to try and escape to eat my plants and trees. The dwarf orchard was a popular target. Something had to give, so I'm afraid they met their doom a month early. I was very lucky in that the abattoir had a cancellation, otherwise I dread to think what would have happened. The remaining ewes and the ram are more respectful of the fence and I am feeding them a few dropped apples each day along with the hay so, hopefully, they will behave themselves.
A lot of wildlife is feeling the pinch. Badgers eat a lot of earth worms and even with their powerful paws the ground is too hard to dig and the worms have gone deep into the soil. A good crop of wild cherries have been gobbled up by both foxes and badgers. All the fox droppings that get left on the edge of our terrace are full of cherry stones, as are the ones in the badger latrine by the gate. Badgers and foxes will eat any grubs, worms or beetles they find and badgers are very fond of sweetcorn, so gardeners beware. It pays to have varied tastes in such hard times!
Wendy Bathurst
THE DANCE PLACE
The Dance Place does it again! Success all round and unbelievable results in the drama and dance exams. 100% was awarded to eight drama students and many other received distinctions. The year peaked with the ballet exams. Two Chipperfield girls gained 96% and all the others received A and B grades.
Congratulations to Katherine Iles who has been awarded a scholarship to study Musical Theatre and Dance at a vocational college in Essex. Next stop the West End?
The Dance Place offers classes in the performing arts and are held in Kings Langley. They would welcome new faces. Call Di Iles on 01923 269402 for more information.
A HOT WALK FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Sally Rees (from the Post Office) would like to thank all those who sponsored her 10-mile walk in aid of Breast Cancer Care.She joined hundreds of walkers on a hot, sunny day in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in June.
Sally completed the walk in 2 hours 30 minutes with no stops and raised £570