Five Alive News Page

Book Reading Group

Enquiries to new co-ordinator

Carol Rosier 554410 or

carol@wyrepiddle.wanadoo.co.uk

START THE WEEK with Morning Prayer

To encourage and develop the prayer life and spiritual growth of the Parish, a small group of us are praying together every Monday morning. This will be at 8.30am in St John the Baptist Church, Fladbury.

Please feel welcome to join us.

For more information please ring:

Revd Lynn Busfield

860356

Fladbury Church of England First School

This month, we look forward to the Fladbury Walkabout, including the exhibition of photographic Fladbury memories in the school and the PTA barbecue in the forecourt. Then, on Monday 19^th in the morning, it is our Sports Day on the Playing Field, when we welcome families, friends and neighbours to watch and then join us for a family picnic lunch in the school grounds.

On Friday 23^rd, we come to the end of another school year during which there has been lots of hard work by our first school children and staff. We say farewell to our nine year olds who go on to nearby middle schools. We also have to say farewell to Mrs Kington who has taught at Fladbury School for over 20 years, giving many children, parents and staff very happy memories of their time at first school. We give our good wishes to Mrs Kington and our school leavers for their new lives. Again, we welcome families and friends at our Annual Leavers’ Service at 2pm in the Church.

I myself have enjoyed being acting Headteacher in Fladbury School for a term and thank everyone for their support. Mrs Jane Hughes will be the new Headteacher in September when school opens on Monday 6^th.

With every good wishes for happy school holidays,

Tessa Richardson, Acting Headteacher

We thank Mrs Richardson for being with us in Fladbury and we look forward to welcoming Mrs Jane Hughes to Fladbury School, not to be confused with the Jane Hughes we already know, married to one of our retired priests, Gerald Hughes.

CHATTERBOX PRE SCHOOL AND SUMMER CLUBFLADBURY

We have recently set up a recycling scheme called RAG BAG. This is a scheme that helps provide regular fundraising for new resources. It works by people bringing in any old clothes, curtains and any other textile items to us. These are then collected and recycled and we are paid for every kg we collect. So please have a sort though and bring to us anytime we are here.

Contact for further information: Denise Edmed, Chatterbox leader

Chatterbox in the Village Hall, Fladbury, or call 07780 811006

What the Guides have been up to so far this year!

It has been a busy year of centenary events and fundraising for the Fladbury guide unit. We started the year by completing the first aid badge which has given the guides valuable knowledge if ever put in an emergency situation. The unit has also been completing activities on the adventure 100 programme, which has been specially designed for this very special year.

We now look forward to preparing for the big centenary camp, ‘ WHOOSH’ in Ombersely at the beginning of August, an international camp bringing guides from Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire as well as from all over the world together. 2010 also marks an anniversary for local guiding as Fladbury guides celebrates their 60^th birthday, and to mark this occasion, the brownies and guides from the village have planted an oak tree.

In August, after Whoosh, Sam Gisbourne and I (both leaders) will be travelling to India as part of a Worcestershire guiding trip. Thank you to everyone who has helped with our fundraising efforts, we are now thoroughly excited!

Kathryn Styan (young leader at 1^st Fladbury Guides)

BELL TOWER NEWS

During the past two months a number of former ringers have rung at our towers for various occasions and we hope that those who have now rejoined the local band will find enjoyment and reward in their endeavours. Most of our existing ringers including our two learners have been out and about to further their ringing skills with visits to Bretforton (8 bells), Eckington (8), Hampton (8), Inkberrow (6), Overbury (6) and the two Pershore eight bell towers.

The visiting ringers in June at Cropthorne and Fladbury were from Basingstoke (All Saints). Whilst at Fladbury one of the young lady ringers, upon requesting if she could ring the tenor bell, was told by their leader 'yes, but Cropthorne bells were handbells compared to these!'. We are expecting visitors again in early August and mid-September.

A busy couple of months lie ahead with the Fladbury Walkabout and three weddings adding to the services we will ring for. We usually stop practice sessions in August but this year there will be some overrun to help prepare several of our band who are attending a 4 day training course in Berkshire.

Roger H Hunt

Ringing Master

Amongst my father’s possessions I have found the most amazing book. It is an incredible piece of literature to read in the study of social anthro - pology, with varied chapters on knots, stamp collecting, keeping healthy, “this wonderful world,’ and so much more. The most remarkable section is the introduction entitled “The Boy”.

Mary Fisher
Extract from Every Boy’s Book by H.G.Lee 1938
University of London Press

“The Boy”

When all is said and done, being a boy is perhaps the best thing on earth. It may not always seem so. Boys are under the thumb of any number of folk, and often have troubles enough. There has never yet been a boy who at some time or other has not longed to go to sleep and wake up a man – a man with power to do and the privilege of pleasing himself.

And yet, in spite of all this, it remains pretty near the truth to say that being a boy is about the best thing going.

Kings cannot do as they please. Men who have not been inside a school for half a century do not enjoy anything like the liberty of a boy. He is the luckiest thing on two legs. Retired business men who seem to have nothing to do but play bowls or sit in a deck-chair while their grandsons slog away at trigonometry, come out badly when there are trees to climb or fences to jump or rivers to swim – any normal, clean limbed, active boy leaves them panting. Millionaires sail round the world in luxury liners and are bored to tears, and for all the expense they are not half as thrilled as a boy with a florin to spend (especially if he has earned it), or an afternoon all to himself, an afternoon when he may watch a match, or ramble alone in the woods, or build a rabbit hutch, or read The Count of Monte Cristo, a bag of his favourite sweetmeats near at hand.

If only boys who are feeling envious of older people knew how envious older people are of them, they would be considerably astonished. Even the Lord Mayor, with his gold chain, the general returning to his old school to distribute prizes on speech day, the famous explorer, the great scientist or inventor who has startled the world, even these whom you may regard with admiration and wonder, are all saying: “I’d give anything to be a boy again. . . easy in mind, free in spirit, vigorous in

body, young and healthy and full of life, with no idea what indigestion is, and never a dress-suit to get in to.”

We need fine boys, boyish boys, who play the game gallantly and light-heartedly, who are never caddish or mean, who do their duty, stand for what is right and noble and good and true. We need boys who could not hit below the belt, however much they tried, who have an inborn sense of chivalry which prompts them naturally to be gentle towards women and girls, kindly to old folk, patient to the weak or handicapped, courteous in very deed and word.

The boy we all admire, the boy we want to be friends with, has a ringing laugh. He is the fellow whom you just can’t get angry, however much you try to lose his temper. He is the chap who stands up for little ‘uns, who scorns to give needless pain or cause real suffering. We admire him for his sterling qualities. He works hard. He plays keenly. He wants to succeed. He gives that glorious extra bit which gladdens other folk and puts a song in his own heart. He is always doing his best. He is frank and open as the day. He has pluck, and can bear being laughed at. He dares to stand alone. He has courage to do a brave deed and take a risk when necessary. He is modest, hating the limelight which he leaves to the windy braggarts who do nothing and tell everyone about it.

Let us have the boy who means to gate-crash the universe, the boy who reads everything who comes his way, learns all he can, and keeps his precious dreams of one day being a great man. He must want, deep down in his heart, to be like someone who has lived splendidly and made a fine thing of his length of days.

With a brain taking up knowledge as greedily as a sponge takes up water, with a firm, strong will, with a memory most Cabinet Ministers would buy at any price, with eyes so sharp they miss nothing, with hands that are quick and capable, with limbs that are sound and tireless, with an appetite second to none, with nimbleness enabling him to dodge here and there, with breath enough to swim under water or play football on a frosty day, with energy sufficient for a hundred venerable old gentlemen, with the future all before him, the boy is the most wonderful piece of mechanism in this amazing universe.

And you won’t be a boy forever, my lad. So make the most of these golden hours!

THE FIVE ALIVE MAGAZINE

(Yes, this very magazine you are reading now!)

Urgently needs

Someone to help with the printing every other month

Someone to collate the magazine every month

(using the parish collating machine)

Someone to manage the advertising

Guidance, assistance, training, help and encouragement will be given to anyone who offers to take on one or all of these jobs!!

If you are interested, or want more information, please contact

Philip Hildesley

861237

Celebrating Pentecost

On Sunday 23^rd May after our morning services were finished several of us pic-nic’d on Lower Moor playing field. A notice had gone into Five-Alive inviting us to continue the Pentecost theme by bringing along our kites. We were very blessed to have in our midst, Mr George Halls from Wyre Piddle. It soon became obvious that George was passionate about kiting. He very kindly agreed to share some of his considerable knowledge with us:

“Although the exact origins are debatable, kiting has been around for over 2,500 years. Without a doubt it originated in China before spreading to Japan, then to the Western World via the Pacific Islands, Indonesia and India.

Originally Chinese kites were made of bamboo, paper and silk, with bark used in the Indonesian Islands, whilst wood and cotton were used in the west, and paper fighting kites were and still are, used in India.

Modern materials have been used in the west, first glass fibre and nylon and nowadays carbon fibre rods and rip-stop nylon sails on the better class kites. Originally single-line kites, then came two–line sport and stunt kites and eventually four-liners for the more energetic sports of buggy racing and kite surfing. In these latter instances the two extra lines become, in effect, “brake-lines” affording the much more controllability needed in these sports.

Kites are used nowadays in a host of extreme sports as well as propelling quite large ships and pulling sledges on Arctic/Antarctic expeditions and as fishing aids.

Kites were used in Japan in inter-village contests, built and flown by teams; these were large, measuring some 17 x 26 feet. Made of heavy paper and bamboo each team employed an artist to decorate and a priest to bless the finished kite. The object was to bring down the rival kite by entwining the bridle lines, often resulting in a tug-of-war.

During each of the World Wars, kites were employed. In the First World War, a string of man-lifting kites were developed by an American - Colonel Cody. These were used to haul a man in a basket to a height of 3000 feet for gunnery direction purposes. This was extremely dangerous and a short-lived occupation. While in the Second World War kites were used as target practice and for “air-sea rescue”, being fitted in dinghies, the idea being to use lines as aerials for detection purposes. This is how the writer was introduced to kiting, being bought a surplus one at the end of the war; this consisted of a

metal- framed winged-box kite with a fine cotton sail. The writer still has this kite, albeit with a modern rip-stop sail, the original having rotted some years ago after having been passed around several generations of the family.

Many kite clubs exist over the country, the local one being the Alcester and Worcester which meets at the Worcester Country Club every third Sunday and also puts on a display there on each of the Bank Holidays. The club also organises a trip to the Dieppe Festival, which claims to be the largest kite festival in the world. Held every two years, the last attendance was from 39 different countries. A week long event, it involves the whole town and on one night the town lights are turned off, and the kites flown in the dark, lit up by search-lights and lasers - a truly spectacular sight.

Kites can be dangerous in the wrong hands and common sense must be used, for example keeping well away from trees, buildings and power-lines, whilst modern nylon kites-lines can cause nasty burns if allowed to run through the fingers and even cut down to the bone and should be treated with respect. For this reason third party insurance is a wise precaution and often comes with membership of a club. Also there are laws to be observed: - No kite should be flown above 80 metres or within half a mile of an airstrip unless dispensation is given by the CAA. Such a dispensation is given to the A & W Club every third Sunday of the month and on Bank Holidays when kites can be flown up to 4,000 feet.

Whilst kites can be purchased from specialist shops, here and overseas, many enthusiasts prefer to make their own and for this purpose materials are readily available such as rip-stop nylon for the sails in many colours and rods in glass fibre and carbon fibre. Subjects and shapes are endless and have become art forms in themselves.”

George Halls, June 201

A good book for summer reading “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks. By the same author “March” the story of what Mr March (Little Women) may have been doing away at war while his girls were having their adventures at home.

Diane Barlow

SEND IN YOUR SUGGESTIONS WE WILL TRY TO FIND SPACE FOR A FEW EACH MONTH.

Women's Institute News

FLADBURY AND MOOR.

July: our garden meeting was held in the glorious grounds of Springhill, at least until the evening chill sent us in to the house. A mini meeting (diary dates, Walkabout info, etc.) hardly made a ripple in the social atomosphere: we partook of a wonderful WI-style buffet, caught up on gossip...er..news, had a quiz, and a raffle (quelle surprise...) All in all, it was a most enjoyable evening. Our collective thanks went to our hostess, Marion Bomford.

Our next meeting on 19th July will feature our own Rev Lyn Busfield as speaker, "Heaven in the Ordinary." We shall then take a month off, and regroup on Monday 13th September, when Rod Quilter will speak on "Corsetry - the development of modern underwear." A foundation course, no doubt. Both meetings kick off at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. Visitors are welcome.

Jacky Easter

For more details about any of our meetings contact one of the branch secretaries:

Cropthorne with Charlton Pam Righton 860271

Fladbury and Moor Marion Bomford 861390

Wyre Piddle Liz Gardner

At a holiday weekend the minister waited in a long queue to get fuel for his car. Eventually he filled up the car and went to pay. “Sorry you have had to wait so long Reverend” said the assistant “it seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.”

The minister chuckled “I know. It’s just the same in my business.”

CROPTHORNE with CHARLTON

Business for the June meeting was dealt with swiftly and members were reminded that payment for the outing to Chatsworth House on September 1st must be made as soon as possible. Names were taken to form a skittles team. Our speaker, Mr Michael Smith, Property manager for the national Trust at Croome Park then gave us a fascinating audio visual presentation of the work being carried out there. He explained the history of its development: from a small settlement, through its renovation and growth, carried out by Capability Brown and Robert Adam, for Earl Coventry and its later days as a boys’ school and home to Hari Krishna members, to its new life with the National Trust. We saw aspects of the renovation, this enabled by the acquisition not only of the gardens and more recently the house , but also the original plans, invoices and plant lists. Mr Smith’s enthusiasm and knowledge filled us with a desire to visit this amazing property to see the work for ourselves.

Our speaker in July will be Mrs Elizabeth Moulder, “Writing for Pleasure and Profit”. Visitors are always welcome to join us at The Den, Cropthorne.

Carol Preece

Local linguistic Lyric

I’d like to learn a foreign tongue,

For holidays, work, for pleasure.