Parish Pieces Deanery Matters: Diocesan Extracts Mother's Union Home
Content
Explore the Lizard: Nare Point Recipe Charity Stall Day E.L. Helpline
Women's Day of Prayer Dairy Farming in Meneage Knitting Who's Homeless
Windfarms Sea Sunday Coverack Horticultural Society
Trengilly Farm St Keverne History Soc. SKYP An unusual Wartime Story
“Explore The Lizard”!
Tourism in Cornwall is extremely important economically, and accounts for over 25% of the County’s GDP. In our area, tourism is estimated to be worth over 30% of GDP.
Local tourism has been affected by many changes in the last two years. These include the ongoing attempt to impose the National Quality Accreditation Scheme by Visit Britain, the closure of the Tourist Information Centre in Helston, and a complete change in structure of the local tourism organisation, the Lizard Peninsula Tourism Association (“LPTA”)
Through illness and retirement, the LPTA has lost a number of its long serving committee members; Rosemary Peters, John Macknelly, Trevor Angell, and Colin Sharp being the most prominent. The old limited Company structure has gone and been replaced by an unincorporated association, re-named “Visit Lizard Cornwall”.
The current committee is made up of seven volunteers: Chair, Sandy Pulfrey (Tregarne), Treasurer, Julian Rand (Mawgan), Jan Hallam (Porthleven), Philip Hayes (Lizard Village), Jon Henney (Goonhilly) and Sam Hearn (Flambards), supported by part-time Secretary, Samantha Bray (St Keverne). In order to meet the challenges facing tourism in our area the committee planned to launch a new-style guide, design a new-look website, provide a new Tourist Information Point and improved benefits for members
Work started on “issue one” of the Guide in July 2006 with the concept of a free publication which would be a bus time-table reference for visitors and locals alike, promoting use of local bus services as part of an ever-growing “green agenda”. This was a huge undertaking and involved the committee in many hours of meetings with the designer and interested parties of The Rural Transport Partnership, Natural England, The National Trust, Kerrier District Council, the Truronian Bus Company and CoaST” (Cornwall Sustainable Tourism Project) all of whom have supported the publication through either time or financial contribution, with the County Council providing the local bus time-tables .
Sandy Pulfrey, Chair, is ”delighted with the finished guide, it will promote our area, provide some new places to explore for our regular visitors and enhance the trade of all local businesses featured. Living in such a pristine unspoilt area we have an opportunity to lead the rest of the county in green tourism. This guide is the first step. Do help yourself to a copy of the guide that will be placed in local shops, pubs, restaurants and attractions around the area. We have more great things planned for the year ahead”
Anyone who would like to consider joining Visit Lizard Cornwall, or is interested in its work, may contact Samantha Bray on 01326 281481.
GWEEK MEMORIAL
A new memorial has been dedicated and placed in the Mission Church in honour of those who gave their lives in the Second World War. The existing memorial only honoured those who fell in World War 1, and now all those who fell in both wars are remembered.
Letter from Daughter and Wife of one of the fallen.
My mother. Barbara, and I are so thrilled to know that there will be some fixed memorial to the young men from Gweek who died in service during WW2. I was one year old when my father, Douglas, was killed; however he was well-known to me throughout my childhood in Gweek and Helston - everyone kept the memory alive - he was spoken of in the warmest tones, I had never known him but he was incredibly special and very much loved. My grandparents, Jose and Mildred, were everything a granddaughter could wish for - they both were the most important people in my life, except of course for mum. They helped me understand what it meant to be Cornish - their pride in Cornwall was immense and I loved it through their eyes. They also taught me.about auctioneering, farming, fishing and the love of the Helford River, the sea and countryside. They had adored their son and I was important to them. They also made my mother very happy and offered us a home for life.
Mum and Douglas first fell in Jove at the circus in Newport - she was a Wren and he was a Despatch Rider. She learnt to ride his motor bike, something he was renowned for in Gweek! They got married after he had gone to Sandhurst and was in 4th/7th Dragoon Guards as a Captain and as a Technical Adjutant in charge of all the equipment they needed for D Day. Mum and I travelled ah" over the country to be with him and she packed in a lifetime in those 5 years,
We have been to Bayeux to see his grave many times over the years - I am immensely proud of him but it still remains one of the saddest things in the world - to have never known your father. We have followed the route he travelled and have many letters and photos from this time. People have spoken so deeply of the dedication, love and friendship he gave in. his short life.
We are so disappointed not to be with you at this service but we will be thinking of you all. I feel truly Cornish and my home in my heart is in Gweek -1 feel so pleased that I have my little piece of Gweek (the Green) which is in memory of my father. He so adored Gweek and was a true son of Gweek.
We will be in Gweek in February and will visit this specially dedicated memorial then. Thank you for this moment.
With love and best wishes,
Penny and Barbara
Dairy Farming in MENEAGE
As it is now coming up to Christmas, I thought I would tell you what happens on a dairy farm at Christmas. Luckily, cows have a switch in their left ear that you would not even notice if you didn’t know it was there. This switch has two settings: Active and Hibernate. When you switch to Hibernate, the cow will lie in the cubicle, go to sleep and not need to eat, muck or be milked until you turn the switch back to Active again. Our usual routine is to start them hibernating on 23rd December, and turn them back to active on 3rd January. This then ensures that we get a fortnight’s holiday at Christmas, the same as a large section of the population.
Oh dear, I seem to have been visiting Cloud Cuckoo Land again! I will start again…
As it is now coming up to Christmas, I thought I would tell you what happens on a dairy farm at Christmas. What we try to do is to do as much as possible on Christmas Eve. This would mean ensuring that the heifers and dry cows had enough silage and straw for 2 or 3 days. We would still check them, but it probably saves half an hour’s work.
We know, as all dairy farmers know, that if something is going to go wrong, it will go wrong on Christmas Day. In the past this has taken the form of coming out on Christmas morning and finding two tractors with punctures. Another time, coming home in the evening to milk and finding the rain water running through a hole in the roof, straight into our electric box, not an ideal situation. In the week before Christmas therefore, we try to anticipate what may go wrong and fix it, instead of thinking that will probably be all right till the new year.
On this farm, Christmas Day starts at about 5.40am when the children come into our room to show us what Father Christmas has brought them. When I say ‘children’, they are 18, 17 and 14, but tradition is tradition. I then go out about 6 o’clock and start milking. David, my son, will get out at the same time and scrape out the cubicles, mix up feed for the cows, feed the calves etc, and with a bit of luck we will be finished just after 9 o’clock.
The next few hours are spent in a traditional way, visiting relatives, eating turkey with all the trimmings and opening presents. I think last year we were 25 for Christmas dinner. (Ruth and I have both got large families).
At about 5 o’clock we head home to do the afternoon work, the cows are milked again, the calves are fed, the rest of the stock is checked and hopefully by about 7 we are finished. This is quite good in some ways, as by the time we get indoors, we are wide awake and ready to start on cold turkey and mince pies.
Something to remember is that on the Lizard peninsula there are about 35 dairy herds, all being milked twice on Christmas Day. There are milk tanker drivers picking up the milk and there are vets on call in case of emergencies. One of my neighbours had the vet out on Christmas day to do an emergency caesarean in a cow. As I said before, if anything can go wrong, it will on Christmas Day.
I would like to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and, as always, if you have any comments or observations, I can be reached on 0781 5136015.
Brindley Hosken of Withan Farm in St. Martin Parish
H
An unusual wartime story
Some 32 years ago, a letter saying ‘thank you’ for tea, buns and apples served in a Cornish farmyard in November 1941, arrived at Lowertown, near Helston. The letter delivered to Mr John Thomas, who farmed Gwavas, Lowertown, in the war, was from Adolf Glier, the pilot of the German aircraft which crashed on the farm.
While the crew were held at gun-point by the Home Guard to await the arrival of police and military, the Thomas family entertained the ‘visitors’.
Herr Glier, who lived in Leibweg, München, and Mr Thomas were brought together by Mr Cliff Vincent, of Bristol, who was researching for a book to be written by his brother-in-law, Mr Ken Wakefield.
Herr Glier wrote: “I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you and your family for the unforgettable kindness to me and other crew members. All of us know that it was not customary everywhere during the war to be served with tea, buns and apples, on coming down on enemy territory”.
Mr Thomas recalled the crash landing for Mr Vincent and Herr Glier commented “Your memory of the event was of great interest to me”, and added his thanks for the photograph of Mr Thomas’s souvenirs from the plane.
Recalling the crash he said the aircraft was flying on one engine. The other was near complete failure. Then came the crash. “I am sorry for the damage to the hedge”, he apologised. He added: “I still remembered clearly one of the Home Guard men – maybe it was you – reminding me in a very friendly manner that the war was over for me. He concluded his letter by sending best wishes to Mr Thomas and his family, the Home Guard and the police.
Those of you who have read Chapter 3 of Derek Carter’s book ‘From Helston & District Cottage Hospital War Memorial 1923 to Helston Community Hospital 2008’, will realise that Herr Glier was the same man who made a major contribution to saving the life of Ruby James of Helston, with a gift of Luftwaffe-issue burns cream.
Herr Glier would now be 88 if he is still living. We hope to be able to locate him or his offspring and to make them aware of the contribution he made in saving the lives of people with severe burns.
East Lizard Helpline Charges.
EAST LIZARD HELPLINE is a Voluntary Caring Organisation operating to help meet the needs of anyone living in the parishes of St Keverne, St Anthony, Manaccan, St Martin and Mawgan. When driving is undertaken the costs incurred by Volunteers and by Helpline need to be covered.
Due to the significant rise in Petrol and Diesel charges, EAST LIZARD HELPLINE has reluctantly increased its charges to clients. These are now as follows:
Return Journeys to:
TRURO £13.00 FALMOUTH & PENZANCE £11.50
HAYLE & REDRUTH £11.50 MANACCAN, ST MARTIN, MAWGAN
HELSTON & MULLION £8.00 AND ST ANTHONY £3.00
GWEEK £4.00 ST KEVERNE HEALTH CENTRE from COVERACK, PORTHALLOW etc. £2
JUST COMMENT
I have recently returned from a wonderful holiday. I saw and experienced many of God’s wonderful creations and much of man’s engineering. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get into a church once. I did try, but ended by praying in a garden or park, at sea or at the foot of a mountain or glacier. It seems the Church’s locked door policy is world-wide.
I know theft and vandalism are two reasons for this situation, but surely I am not alone in resenting this infringement of my freedom to go into God’s house when I need, or indeed just fancy, a chat with him.
I feel that if the church became more readily accessible when it is needed it would lead to an increased congregation. Obviously there are difficulties, but if one or two of us were willing to spend a couple of hours in the church during the day, the door could be kept open at least some of the time. (Delinquents don’t usually want witnesses to their behaviour). It would be an experiment worth trying during the summer when the expense of extra heating and lighting would not be needed.
I would be interested in hearing your opinion.
Ron Prior of Constantine
THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND
‘Twas battered and scarred,
And the Auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile,
“What am I bidden good folks?” he cried.
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A guinea? A guinea. Now who’ll make it two,
Just two? Two guineas, and who’ll make it three?
Three guineas once, three guineas twice,
Going for three But no.
From the room far back,
A grey haired man came forward
And picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody that was pure and sweet,
Just as a carolling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the Auctioneer,
In a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, “What am I bidden for the old violin?”
And held it up with the bow.
“A thousand guineas, and who’ll make it two?”
“Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?”
“Three thousand going, and gone” he said.
The people cheered but some of them cried,
“We don’t quite understand
What changed its worth,” but swift came the reply,
“The touch of the Master’s hand”.
And many a man with a life out of tune
And battered and scarred by sin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin:
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game, and he travels on,
He’s going once, he’s going twice,
He’s going and almost gone.
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Could never quite understand
The worth of a soul, or the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Master’s Hand.
by Myra Brookes Welsh
Submitted by Josephine Tyrrell of Constantine
Is the answer blowing in
the wind?
by Amy
Walker
I don’t think I’m very different from most people. I like a cup of tea with breakfast while listening to the radio and I like to watch TV of an evening. Like most people I’ll flick a switch without first thinking where my electricity comes from. Without access to mains gas on the Lizard, electricity consumption is by necessity higher. Government figures suggest households in the Kerrier district have electricity consumption nearly 20% higher than the national average. Each year Cornwall spends around £600 million heating and lighting its homes. Most of this money leaves the county. Our demand continues to increase as does the demand of other countries, just as oil and gas resources decline. We are forced to rely on countries with varying political situations to keep our lights on. But this is only part of the story. Whether we understand the full implications or are already fed up hearing the phrase, climate change is looming large and we ignore it at our peril. Increased use of fossil fuels and human activity since the industrial revolution has had a devastating effect on our planet. Scientists are now united in this realisation and it’s something we have to consider right now. While politicians fiddle over targets to reach by 2050, the planet burns. This is not a situation to leave our children and grandchildren to resolve and they will not thank us for it if we did. Many of us will be directly affected in our own lifetimes.
So, with the depressing bit over, what can we do? We have to look at alternatives to oil and gas now which are reliable and maybe even help to keep more money within the county. Wind turbines are certainly controversial. Some love them, others… are yet to be convinced. There’s certainly no argument that wind turbines provide non-polluting electricity from an unlimited source (Cornwall is the Saudi Arabia of wind apparently!), but there are suggestions that turbines do not provide enough electricity to make them worthwhile and what happens when the wind stops blowing? According to the British Wind Energy Association an individual turbine will generate electricity 70-85% of the time and whatever the wind speed it “rarely (if ever)” drops to nothing. On some days it may appear turbine blades are not turning, but then no conventional power station runs constantly.
Delabole was the first commercial wind farm in the UK, starting production of electricity in 1991. Over a single year electricity was generated to supply 2,700 homes. Producing the same electricity by conventional means would have used 2000 tonnes of oil or 5000 tonnes of coal and produced 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and this has been accumulating over the last 16 years.
Good Energy, Delabole’s operator, is planning to replace the Delabole turbines with more efficient ones. They will be taller, but there will be fewer. This is similar to the planned ‘repowering’ of the current wind farm site on Goonhilly Downs. The project’s owner/operators, Cornwall Light & Power, wish to replace the existing 14 turbines with 6 new, larger ones, which could increase capacity to 15 megawatts, generating enough to supply around 7,700 homes. The proposed turbines would have a hub height of up to 67 metres, a tip height of up to 107 metres and would revolve at between 10 and 20 revolutions per minute, significantly less than the current turbines which operate at 35 revolutions per minute. All of this power would be produced cleanly. Not insignificant in the face of rising oil prices.
Early turbines were noisy, but designs have changed dramatically to a point where some low frequency noise is only audible directly on the site. Not all windfarm developments will require new substations, but for larger developments these could be hidden below ground. There are also concerns about visual impact. Any future developments do need to be considered carefully and the environment should figure highly, but if we do nothing to address climate change there will be no areas of outstanding natural beauty. Even slight temperature rises will make it impossible for many of our native plant and animal species to survive..
Cornwall has always been a progressive county. Redruth saw the first commercial use of gas lighting in 1792. Redruth also had the UK’s first wind turbine in 1892. The consumption of renewable energy is 25% higher on the peninsula than the national average. Extensive surveys, carried out by various bodies over 15 years have shown a positive shift in attitude towards wind energy and demonstrated that many fears are unfounded. In a 2005 DTI survey, 80% of people agreed with the need for wind farms. A similar study in Cornwall showed 81% of respondents who had lived with a wind farm development for 6 months found turbines made no difference to their quality of life, while 85% approved or strongly approved of their development. Overall, only 10% of people in the UK do not support wind energy, but this minority often lead debate and strengthen misconceptions. As a nation, we gave rise to the industrial revolution, as a county we lead the way for renewable energy. We have an opportunity to demonstrate how new technology can be environmentally friendly, good for the economy, provide a stable energy future and promote a better quality of life. If we are not prepared to do something ourselves we are in no position to criticise other countries who seek the same development opportunities we have had. We need to decide what sort of legacy our children will inherit. Oil, gas and coal are not sustainable; other renewables are not yet suitable for large scale production; the government appears to favour nuclear. If we want to continue to enjoy a nice cuppa and to watch TV, we have to consider if we want a nuclear power station on our doorstep or the striking silhouette of a turbine.
TRENGILLY FARM NEWS Junior Section
I am writing this on 15th November just before I go milking so it won't be finished today as this evening is the YFC Indoor Sports round at Redruth School, The clubs in the west compete tonight to get through to the final next weekend. Afterwards we have a disco which Helston and St Keverne YFC are organising. This means I am on the door as I took over as treasurer at the start of November.
It is a busy time with YFC at the moment. We have indoor sports, speaking competitions and a lot of events to do with Christmas. I am on the Brainstrust team this year which is informal debating which J quite enjoy. Stock judging is over now until next May, I went to the Dairy Event in September representing Cornwall and managed to be placed 12th out of 26 from around the country. This was a lot better than last time I went to the Dairy Event but I did feel I could have done better.
In October we went to the Cornish Jersey Club dinner. It is a yearly gathering, and after the meal the results of the herd competition are announced. This is like a show but the animals are judged on farm without the preparation needed when we go to a show. Because we are not able to see the animals we are up against, we don't know how well our entries will do. But I did have some hope for some of the Jerseys. I entered five classes and got a top 3 place in all of them winning 2 classes. I also got joint 3rd most points of the competition. I was sharing this position with a family that have nearly 300 milking cows so my 17 Jerseys represented themselves well.
This was my best success since I have been keeping Jerseys. It was my only chance to have my Jerseys judged this year due to our TB restrictions. It made it even more frustrating that I couldn't show when my Jerseys did so well in a competition. We have our next test on 18th November. This will give us an idea if our TB has been isolated or if we have a long term problem. But while the government is determined to let the urban population's opinion have a major influence on its decision, we may be testing every 2 months for a while. I wondered if fanners would be able to have a say on congestion charges or other issues in cities. We wouldn't want a say because it doesn't affect us. But people, who do not earn their living from farming or work hard to look after livestock, should not be the only voice that the Labour government will listen to.
As Christmas creeps upon us, winter gets in full swing. All of the animals are back at Trengilly. At the moment we still have some dry -cows out and some young heifers. These-will all be in by Christmas. I have always felt that farming and Christmas are a very difficult match. When the rest of the country have a day off to celebrate the day we have to do the same work, but usually by getting up earlier to get a few spare hours. It is unfortunate that cows do not work 9-5 and have weekends and holidays off!
On 10th November we had an afternoon with the vet to scan the cows to check which ones were in calf. In three hours we scanned 111 animals and 95 were in calf. The ones that got in calf were from a mixture of Al and natural service. We didn't realise quite how busy the bull had been. He is now in a house having a well earned rest!
As 2008 comes to an end, you can end up looking back. It has been a strange and challenging year on numerous fronts so I am hoping that 2009 will be a little less challenging.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at Trengilly,
Alan Carter
St Keverne Churches’ Harvest Supper and Variety Concert
Joyce Grenfell is alive and well, and visited St Keverne on Saturday, 6th October 2007, in the person of Mrs Pam Swabey from Plymouth! Pam opened the proceedings of the Harvest Supper and Variety Concert in the Parish Hall, with a performance of the Nursery School monologue which was instantly recognisable to anyone who remembers Joyce Grenfell. She was followed by a (very drunk) Cornish Cossack dancer/singer who turned out to be Jonathan Coudrill, the leader of the evening’s music group and who insisted he was cousin to Howard Bray (a claim which was swiftly refuted!).
Free pasties were served during the interval and the second half opened with a visit from non-other as the two Ronnie’s, strongly resembling our very own Batley Twins. Adam and Nathan gave a faultless performance of the very funny “Squash Game” sketch, to enthusiastic applause. We were then treated to some clever conjuring tricks from Marten Holmes, a Christian Magician from Truro. Marten’s tricks were interspersed with very pertinent Christian analogies and he was most ably assisted on stage by Suzanne Moulton. The proceedings drew to a close with a send up of the popular TV programme This is your Life. The ‘life’ in question was that of Pauline Alexandra Victoria Elizabeth Barnes (better known as church member Pauline D. Barnes), The sketch was introduced and guided by that most genial of host/narrators, Anthony Richards, and featured an appearance by ornithologist/twitcher, Mr Joseph “Tweet-tweet” Penberthy (alias Derek Keverne) - Pauline’s erstwhile rescuer.
The evening was superbly under-pinned by the music group Gwelhellin Goth who played some truly excellent jazz, tango, samba, etc. music which culminated in 20 minutes or so of lively disco which had folk literally dancing in the aisles (well—between the tables!). The whole evening was organised and compèred by our own Howard Bray who, for weeks, had played his cards very close to his chest regarding the acts which were to appear! All in all, the event proved a fantastic evening which, after expenses, raised over £400 for the Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Very grateful thanks are offered to the wonderful team of people who helped by blowing up balloons, setting out the hall, constructing props., organising and serving refreshments, clearing up afterwards, etc., etc. Quite simply without you none of it would have happened.
H-O-W-A-R-D!!!!! When is the next one???
NCI Coastwatch Nare Point - Facts & Figures
At Nare Point’s progress meeting in February it was reported that, since its first live operational day on 14th July 2007, Coastwatch volunteers have been operational for 78 days which entailed 183 shifts, 744 watch hours and 1666 volunteer hours.
This year, some 60 watch-keepers from 11 stations nationwide have received 10 year-service badges, each recipient averaging 1600 watch hours. One lady watch-keeper has driven over 10,000 miles only to keep watch.
Some still say ‘why are you wasting your time?’, but when we report that, in the 12 months up to September 2007, our stations have been involved with the RNLI rescues on 41 occasions, they may be able to see the relevance of the NCI
In a number of cases this consisted of providing accurate positional information to the lifeboats, mostly via the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). A helicopter was involved in similar circumstances on four separate incidents. Over half of the lifeboat launches were initiated by an NCI initial sighting report; the majority of these are substantiated by an MRCC incident number. At least 55 people have thereby been rescued by the RNLS as a result of NCI actions.
Another significant fact is that, on at least six occasions, a lifeboat launch was cancelled because the NCI was able to confirm that a suspected casualty was, in fact, OK; Nare Point is included in this total. This, of course, saves a significant amount of RNLI launching money.
Nare Point is now operational four days a week, and it is planned to increase this to seven. To do this we need more volunteers as our station provides additional safety factor for all those ‘messing about in boats’, either commercially or for pleasure, on or around the busy Helford River. We are trying to recruit from boating people living both north and south of the river. We already have volunteers from Constantine and hope to have people coming in from as far as Falmouth, but we still need more from the south side.
If you are interested in supporting our venture in any way, please contact Alan Edwards on 01326 280809, or come along to our monthly progress meetings which take place on the first Monday of every month in St Keverne Parish Hall at 7.30 p.m. You will be made very welcome.
(Len Jepp
THE RECIPE PAGE
This months’ Recipe comes from a book of Church recipes from the Parish of Aysgarth situated in Wensleydale part of the Yorkshire Dales. Thanks to Mollie Ritchie of Mullion.
Nell Gwyn Pudding
2 oranges finely grated lemon rind
2 oz brown sugar 1 egg
Juice of one lemon 5 oz plain flour
4 oz margarine 1 oz cornflour
4 oz caster sugar 2 level tspns baking powder
3 tblspns of milk sugar to dredge
*************
Grease a 1½ pint Pyrex dish.
Arrange thereon orange segments.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and lemon juice.
Cream sugar and margarine with lemon rind.
Gradually add beaten egg.
Sieve in flour, cornflour and baking powder.
Mix adding milk and extra orange juice where necessary. Cover fruit with mixture.
Bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes.
Dust with sugar. Serve with cream or custard
Mrs A Graham, Beckstones, Carperby
Moses revisited
Nine year old Joey, was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.
"Well, Mum, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked, somewhat alarmed.
"Well, no, Mum. But if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it".
LEGACIES.
Have you thought about what will happen to your money and other possessions when you die ? Perhaps you think they will automatically go to your closest relatives – your husband or wife or children perhaps – and that they will follow your wishes. Not necessarily so !
The only way to make sure that your wishes are followed is to make a Will. And if you do, then it will be easier for your loved ones to deal with your affairs after your death.
Many regular churchgoers continue their giving by leaving a legacy to their parish church. In 2000, nearly 100 people left legacies to churches in the Diocese of Truro. Last year two church members left legacies to St. Germoe church. As a member and supporter of our churches, please consider following their example. There are different sorts of legacies:
- a pecuniary legacy is a gift of a specific sum of money;
- a residuary legacy is a gift of some or all of the remainder of your money and possessions, after other gifts have been made;
- a specific legacy is a gift of a particular item of property but this is not recommended as it can cause difficulties for the church.
Legacies are most useful if they are left for the general use of the church. But you may wish to leave money for a specific purpose, such as the St. Germoe Fabric Trust.
Harold can give you more information about leaving a legacy to the church. As you know he is a retired Solicitor and if you wish he will help you to draw up a Will, or a Codicil if you already have made a Will.
Bishop Bill says “Leaving the church a legacy continues the faithful giving of a lifetime. I hope you will consider this seriously and ask yourself the question “ Is this something I should be doing ? "
Operation Barnabas is about encouraging generosity. Please show your generosity today by including a legacy to St Germoe Church or St Breaca Church or to St. Germoe’s Fabric Trust in your Will.
The St. Germoe Fabric Trust.
Who’s Homeless?
Not you or I, almost certainly, but John not his real name) was. He was living in a semi-derelict caravan behind the main street of on of Cornwall’s northern towns. He has mental health problems but was too able to be considered vulnerable, so was not a priority on the Council accommodation list. He was too far from the night shelter in Camborne, and had been turned down by St.Petroc’s because of his drinking. He remained in the caravan for three months during the winter with no lighting, heating, cooking facilities or security. Eventually proper accommodation was found, secured by a SmartMove deposit bond in place of cash. But more of SmartMove later.
Every night of the year in Cornwall there are people like John sleeping rough in the open or in whatever inadequate shelter they can find—doorways, cars, barns, bus shelters, etc. Many of these will have mental health or substance abuse problems, both a cause and a consequence of their problems. Officially the government doesn’t recognise this furm of homelessness in Cornwall. Homeless people are elusive when it comes to counting heads, but they are still there.
There are also the “hidden homeless” - those who are staying with friends or relatives, possibly sleeping on the sofa, but with no home of their own. This problem is particularly acute fix the under-25s-----if they are unemployed they receive only £43 per week in housing benefit—try finding anywhere at that price.
Those of us who are homeowners have seen the value of our property rise dramatically in the past few years. Our good fortune has made the situation worse for those at the foot of the housing ladder. Fewer can afford to become first time buyers and have to remain in rented accommodation but are chasing a decreasing number of lets.
Many of us will have either been in this situation or know someone who is or was. The majority of people going to St.Petroc’s are from Cornwall—someone’s brother, sister, son or daughter. If instead of asking “Who’s Homeless?” we ask “Whose Homeless?” the answer must be “Yours and mine, ours”
St.Petroc’s is at the forefront of organizations working to combat homelessness. One of its services is the SmartMove Rent Deposit Guarantee scheme. The SmartMove bond is a legal guarantee, covering landlords against loss or damage (and in some cases, rent arrears) arising from an individual’s tenancy. SmartMove can help find tenants and then continues to support both tenants and landlords. This support may be regular visits to help fill in forms or access training, or may simply consist of being at the end of the telephone if problems arise. SmartMove’s aim is to ensure that the tenancy is a success for all concerned. Tenants are also encouraged to build up their own cash deposit in the SmartMove savings scheme. Once saved, this sum will be passed to the landlord and the bond comes to an end.
SmartMove needs more landlords willing to accept the SmartMove Bond. As well as helping to find a tenant, they can advise you on letting your property or arrange a visit from their area co-ordinator who can provide a landlords’ pack containing essential and useful information.
If you have accommodation to let, or may be thinking about letting, call
Kate on 01872 270236 or e-mail smartmove@stpetrocs.org.uk
web site: www.stpetrocs.org.uk
"JAZZ AT THE CASTLE".
In the event all the hard work and frustration in obtaining an Occasional Public Entertainmenl Licence from Kerrier District Council proved well worth while.
The above event held on Sunday 13th July was a great success and much enjoyed by about 150 people who attended. The gardens at Pengersick Castle were looking beautiful and were a wonderful setting for the Helston School Jazz Orchestra. The weather was perfect. It was a lovely sunny afternoon — not too hot with a cool breeze blowing. We are very grateful to Angela Evans for again having allowed us to use her lovely garden.
Kerrier District Council Licencing Enforcement Officer inspected the gardens prior to the commencement of the event to ensure that the arrangements made to comply with the 29 conditions on the license were satisfactory. We passed O.K. as a result of all the hard work put in by Charles who is our Health and Safety Officer. His support has been invaluable. Geoff & Jay guarded the entrance and ably collected the gate money!! The bar was run by Gwynneth and Alec supported by Diane and John and did a good trade. We were grateful to them for providing what was necessary to slake everyone’s thirst. Jeannie served cream teas and sold out and as a side line sold punets of Black currants which had been kindly donated. Those wishing something more substantial were served hamburgers and sausages from the bar-b-q which was kindly manned by Ann and Tony Woodhams. Ken helped them with the task of collecting the money
As usual the Orchestra entertained us greatly. Mr. John Austin conducted his school orchestra with great aplomb and entertained us with anecdotes about the musicians playing for us. The vocalists were also of the usual high standard which we have come to expect, This is the fifth year that we have held this event and it seems to get better every year.
Due to the necessity of obtaining a licence and a general escalation of all expenses our outgoings have been far greater than in previous years. Nevertheless we are pleased to report that we have made a profit of £526. 19. The Trustees arc most grateful to all the many helpers without whose Support we could never have achieved such a successful outcome.
I am particularly grateful to Anna who as our new Chairman took on the vital task of coordinating all the arrangements. At the end of the concert she graciously thanked the orchestra and all others concerned in the arrangements.
HaroId Matthissen, Secretary, The St. Germoe Fabric Trust.
Women’s World Day of Prayer
Friday, 3rd March at 2 pm. saw the Women’s World Day of Prayer service being held this year at St Peter’s Church; it was supported by many women from churches and chapels of the East Lizard area.
The service was written this time by Christian ladies of South Africa, and it proved to be a very thoughtful and challenging theme, yet a strand of delightful humour and thanksgiving ran through the whole message. Mrs. Leila Chettle gave a thought-provoking address on the theme of South Africa and it's recent history, whilst various members from the different churches read out the prayers and Bible readings. We endeavoured to sing several African hymns, ably accompanied by Mrs. Rita Kelly. It was a most enjoyable hour of worship, which finished up with tea and homemade cakes, and an opportunity to share fellowship with other ladies from the area.
This service is held every year on the first Friday in March, and we would encourage anyone to come; we even had one man join us this year! They do give us a perspective from other parts of the world.
(Angela Julian)
What is Worship?
“Worship is the submission of our whole nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose and all this is gathered in adoration-the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.” William Temple-former Archbishop of Canterbury
ST KEVERNE YOUNG PEOPLE’S (SKYP) CLUB
The SKYP Club is now into its fourth year and all involved continue to feel so very thankful to God for His blessing on our Parish youth club. It is fairly normal to have between 30 and 40 young people attending the early SKYP Club session and the later session, for the older members, gradually continues to build up in numbers.
The young people come along on a Friday evening (3rd, 4th and 5th Friday of the month) to the Church Hall in order to meet together in a relaxed, safe and happy environment, and to enjoy the facilities on offer: two pool tables, table tennis, air hockey, table football, Playstation/Nintendo consoles, a selection of board games, tuck shop and music. At the end of last summer term we had our first SKYP Club outing to Ocean Bowls in Falmouth, which was a great success and we plan to organise more outings this academic year. Each year we have put on a summer barbecue, a Christmas party and a New Year’s Disco, all of which are thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by the young people who come along.
We currently have 15 loyal volunteers who help at SKYP Club on a rota basis, and we have regular meetings throughout the year to discuss and plan sessions. The volunteers frequently express their pleasure at being at SKYP with the young people in our community as the young people are (on the whole!) very well behaved, respectful and polite—both to us “oldies” and their peers.
We were visited at the end of September by Cllr. Russell Peters who came along on behalf of the Parish Council to see how SKYP was getting on, and to meet and talk to the young people. Also, during the same evening, Mr Russell King, the newly-appointed trainee Youth Worker for the Lizard (appointed by The Lizard Outreach Trust) made his debut with the young people of the SKYP Club.
All young People in the parish of St Keverne of school years 6 to 11 are welcome to come along to the early session ( 7 pm to 8.30 pm) of the SKYP Club; the later session (8.30 pm to 1015 pm) is for young people from school year 10 and up.
(Nina Batley)
Big Stitch World Record
Great things are happening in Porky Street, St Martin. During 2007 Mrs Joan Cardwell and Mrs Susanne Carter joined many other UK knitters in an attempt to break a world record.
On Friday 14th December, they were told that their joint efforts had been successful, in that The Children’s Society broke the record for the World’s Biggest Christmas Stocking. The 8 inch red squares they had been knitting and sending in were put together into one giant stocking measuring 32.56m by 14.97m.
Previously the record stood at 19.25m by 8.23m, but the “Big Stitch” organisers found out only weeks before Children’s Society’s attempt that a group in Canada had just broken the record by a staggering 8 more metres. The record therefore then stood at 27.46m by 11.3m.
It was then all hands to the needles to sew together more squares and make The Children Society’s stocking even longer and wider. Thankfully we had already smashed the target for squares and had plenty available to add length to the stocking.
Over 6000 squares were sewn together to make the Children’s Society stocking nearly 33m long and 15 metres wide. Also in the region of £30,000 was raised through sponsorship.
The stocking was as long as 3 double decker buses, weighed the equivalent of 5 reindeer and there were a thousand presents to fill it with. These presents were sent to The Children’s Society’s projects in time for Christmas.
The stocking is being recycled into blankets, which will be donated to other charities.
The Children’s Society offers thanks to :-
· Everyone who knitted squares for the stocking
· Students and staff of the London College of Fashion for sewing together squares
· St Mary Magdalene, Munster Square, for the use of their church for sewing together
· ExCeL for the generous provision of a space for the adjudication
· All the volunteers who came to The Children’s Society’s offices and to St Mary Magdalene to sew together squares, and for those who sent in blankets.
During the past three years Joan and Susanne have been taking part in other projects including knitting coats and bootees for premature babies with the Mothers’ Union, jumpers and blankets for Oxfam, also Teddies for Shelter Boxes and the “Knit a River Project”, which asked for 6 inch squares in any shade of blue. When sewn together in an 8 foot width, this river was long enough to be draped down over the National Theatre in London and coil round and round on the grass outside! This was also later broken up into blanket sizes.
For 2008/9 Joan and Susanne are considering joining in the great knit in support of a Children’s Hospice in Wales. This involves knitting squares to form the Flag of Wales large enough to cover the football pitch of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Are there any other knitters out there, or non-knitters willing to learn, who would like to join in the project? Please contact Susanne Carter 01326 231543
Gardener's World
Dana Towner of Manaccan & St Keverne
When the A4 ‘new format’ Messenger started in April 1996, Dana Towner had agreed to write gardening articles, and starting from that first issue, wrote almost every month thereafter until she ‘hung up her trowel’ in August 2005, some 100 or so articles later. Barry and Joyce Hunt, Amanda Osman and Sheila Chandler have been filling this slot ever since, and Dana has agreed to write again, filling Barry and Joyce’s month on the 3-monthly turnaround. (For those new to the Benefice, Dana used to live at Wynland (now called Goon View) and prior to that, Hallowarren, both large gardens.
CHRISTMAS DECORATION
During my childhood between the wars, Christmas decorations were a lot simpler than they are nowadays. Most of these decorations were bought in Woolworths, gay paper pull-out streamers and paper tissue balls, and glass baubles and tinsel to decorate the Christmas tree. They cost up to 6d in old money i.e. 2½p nowadays, depending on how elaborate they were. When I was very small we had no electricity, so strings were stretched across the rooms and coloured paper streamers thrown across them. These strings were hung with Chinese lanterns in which there were little lighted candles. Like the candles on the Christmas tree they were extremely dangerous. One Christmas the lanterns caught fire and set our nursery alight, so no more candles.
During the War when there were no paper decorations to be bought, more and more of us took to decorating our homes with greenery. Before the War, we had tucked holly behind the pictures and hung up bunches of mistletoe, but now we started to fill vases with greenery. It was several years after the War before Christmas ‘goodies’ came back into the shops, and by that time Constance Spry and Sheila Macqueen were writing books telling us how to use evergreens out of our gardens to decorate our homes at Christmas.
If you have a garden it’s amazing what can be found suitable for decoration, and if you live near country lanes there are lots of suitable material to be found in the hedgerows. I’m particularly fond of using the berried foliage of mature ivy, which I use as they are, but also they look great painted silver or gold. Holly is a must, but it is not always easy to get well-berried holly. If you have it in your garden you can guarantee that the birds will beat you to the berries. I discovered years ago that the secret is to plant skimmias. It is essential that you plant both male and female if you want berries. I look for a plant in a garden centre that is loaded with berries, then you know you have got a female plant, and then buy another that hasn’t any berries. Skimmia berries are similar to holly berries, so all you have to do is tuck them amongst the holly.
I have never been successful in growing Christmas roses, Helleborus niger, so years ago I bought a lot of artificial ones. They are ideal to tuck in amongst the holly and ivy. I usually buy pots of poinsettias; I never keep them after they die off as it’s really a waste of time. I’ve got sprays of both red and white artificial poinsettias and these I arrange in a large vase with natural greenery. Of course it is essential to have a Christmas tree. I like a natural one but the artificial ones these days are just as good. We still deck ours with decorations that have mostly been bought 50 years ago, the fairy on the top being the oldest, and the fairy lights being the latest addition, as these fail to work more regularly!
Dana Towner
Hellebores
I have always found that late January and early February are the most dull and depressing time of the year. One longs for the signs of spring, which for me are the first primroses to come out in our Cornish hedges. In my early gardening days I used to look for early crocuses and other small bulbs to cheer me up, but in recent years I’ve started to plant more and more hellebores, which are to me more satisfying. They come up year after year making bigger and better clumps, they are evergreen and especially with Helleborus orientalis, they scatter their progeny round and about. These seedlings if potted up will soon form substantial plants that should flower in a couple of years.
Most people think of hellebores as Christmas roses but in actual fact only one variety can be referred to as the Christmas rose, and that is the variety called Helleborus niger. Most gardeners find this variety to be the most difficult to grow. In some gardens it gives no trouble, whilst in others there is not a place to suit it. No rules seem to govern its success or otherwise. I have tried to grow it several times but it has always died on me. In some gardens it will flourish sometimes in the most unlikely situations. If you are able to grow it, it likes to be given a mulch of compost or leaves, and as splashes of rain will spoil the look of the white flowers, it is as well to cover them with a cloche. Cloches are not a pretty sight so if you are able, grow your Christmas rose in an out-of-the-way spot.
Now for the easiest hellebore to grow, Helleborus orientalis. This is my favourite as it is so easy, just plant it at the front of a shrub border or between small shrubs, and it will grow away and flourish for years. Again it pays to give it a mulch from time to time but otherwise it won’t need any attention. Pieces can be cut off after flowering from large plants to increase one’s stock, but I only do this if I want to propagate from a special plant, as this is the hellebore that seeds itself around without fail. Grown from seed few can be discarded, as so many exciting colours can appear: deep purple, reddish plum, plummy pink and lovely whites, some spotted or touched with green flecks. This hellebore is the true Lenten rose as they flower all through Lent. Their leaves are not spectacular and are best cut off as soon as the flowers appear, but the seed pods are worth leaving on, not only to provide seed but because they have value in their own right.
The only other hellebores I grow are Helleborus corsicus and Helliborus foetidus. These make bigger plants but are of special value for their pale green inflorescences, which in the case of H. foetidus are in particularly marked contrast to its dark green leaves. Corsicus has the most beautiful leaves of all the hellebores; they are grey-green and toothed. The green bell flowers of H. foetidus become edged with maroon as they age. The flowers of H. corsicus are larger and more saucer-shaped and a uniform light green.
Dana Towner
COVERACK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Coverack Horticultural Society is hosting an OPEN GARDENS DAY in the village on 5th August 2007. The idea was suggested to us by Lizzie Cartright, who lives at The Little House; there are so many lovely gardens within walking distance of each other and it would be a great idea if these could be shared with other interested gardeners and visitors.
The planning is still in the early stages; however, we have decided that if we have enough 'volunteer' gardens to make it a worthwhile that anything raised will be donated to the Merlin Project. I am sure that many of you are aware of this most worthwhile Cornish charity as it is being widely written about in the local media.
The hopes of the Merlin Project are to build a therapy centre to care for patients and give support to families of those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Cornwall has the highest incidence of MS in mainland Britain so this centre is urgently needed in the county. The centre will cost around £2m and to date, only half of this amount has been raised.
Further information will be available after our next meeting, however, we have decided that there will be a donation from each person of £3 for a garden plan (accompanying children free) and that cream teas will be on sale at Tregisky from 3-5pm. Information from the Merlin Project will be available throughout the village and we will contact the papers for advance publicity
Watch this space for further details; we really think this will be a pleasant addition to summer events in the village and your support will be very welcome; indeed, any offer of help would be very much appreciated.
Please contact me if you would like further information, my number is 280532 and email gloria@knightdesign.co.uk.
(Gloria Knight. Chairman, Coverack Horticultural Society)
PS. While you're reading this, an early note for diaries, the HORTICULTURAL SHOW will be on 18th AUGUST and schedules are available from myself, Sheila Dixon, 280203 and Jan Combe, 280116.
THE OPENING OF ST KEVERNE CHURCH BELLS AND CLOCK
MAY 9th 1907
Sir William Purdie Treloar, the Lord Mayor of London for the year 1906-1907, was the son of a former Helston merchant and a cousin of James Henry Treloar Cliff of Manacle View, St Keverne. He was invited to be the guest of honour at the ceremony to dedicate the new peal of bells and the clock in May 1907 and in his Diary (published in 1925) he wrote as follows about the event.
Thursday 9th May. In the morning off we went to St Keverne which we reached about noon. Before entering the village, very gay with banners, flags and mottoes, we were allowed by Mrs Edith Pascoe to use Alexandra Villa where accommodation was provided for us to put on our official robes. The lifeboat crews of Porthoustock and Coverack, wearing their cork jackets and picturesque red caps, formed a splendid escort. The vicar (Rev.Canon Diggens) and Dr. Leverton Spry, Mr. James Coad (the Chairman of the Parish Council) and many others also came to welcome us. In the village square many little children presented purses to us with money for the bells. The Chairman of the Council read an address.
By this time a full congregation had assembled in the grand old parish church. The Bishop of Truro, the Vicar (Canon Diggens), the Rev.H.Vyvyan, the Rev. S.Vyvyan, the Rev.A.Leakey and the Rev A.L. Mugford proceeded to the tower with me and the Sheriff, where the Bishop said “By virtue of my office I desire solemnly to set apart and dedicate these bells and this clock to the glory of God and the use of this church, separate from all profane and unhallowed uses”. The Bishop then said to the churchwardens “You are to take notice that these bells are committed to the custody of the Vicar of this parish, to be used only with his consent subject to the ultimate control of the Bishop of this diocese”. Then I took the bell-rope and said “ In response to the request of the Vicar of this parish, I hereby declare this peal of bells open and ready to be employed in the service of God”. Then the ringers gave a short change on the peal of eight bells with Canon Kempe (Vicar of Veryan), the Secretary of the Cornish Guild of Ringers, standing in the centre of the band.
The Bishop then gave an address taking for his text “ Make a joyful noise unto the Lord and King” (from Psalm 98).
After the service we adjourned to a spacious marquee for luncheon at which the Rev. Canon Diggens presided. There was a large attendance including the Bishop of Truro and Mrs.Stubbs, The High Sheriff of Cornwall and Mrs.Hanson, Mrs Sandys, Mrs Diggens, Colonel Vyvyan, Mr Robert Fox of Falmouth, Mr Davey and the Mayors of Falmouth and Penzance. There were many speeches.
We left early in the afternoon as I had to be in the Town Hall of Truro to receive the Freedom of the City at 5 o’clock.
This ends the Diary entry but tradition has it that Sir William Treloar went to Porthoustock and boarded the lifeboat for a trip around the bay but was sea-sick due to the choppy sea. A photograph exists showing the lifeboat being launched on that day to celebrate the events but whether Sir William and his party were on board is another matter. Other photographs of the occasion show the welcome in the Square, the dignitaries seated outside the marquee and the Lord Mayor entering the church.
(Terry Moyle)
St Keverne Local History Society
The November talk was given by Eric Berry on the subject on Church Woodwork. He explained how dendrochronology was used to date wood and the items made from it.
He showed a variety of slides on church interiors in Cornwall. Many have extremely-attractive ceilings, bench ends and rood screens. However, the warm, damp, climate of Cornwall encourages woodworm which causes a great deal of damage to wood. Fortunately, the predominant wood used was oak, the hardness of which resists woodworm. However, softer wood, such as elm, although is easier to carve, is less resistant and damage makes it difficult to assess the age.
Damage has also been done to woodwork by extreme puritans who, during the early protestant period, regarded decoration as “popish”. They defaced a great deal of carving which is impossible to repair, and this vandalism can still be seen 400 years later.
Fortunately a more balanced view of intelligent parishioners became prevalent later and, although the damage could not be repaired, wooden carving were replaced.
Mr Berry’s talk was enlightening to many of us, and it is hoped that he will return to expand on this talk in the near future.
(Don Houghton)
The Methodist Trail in Mullion
Methodism has always been strong in Cornwall, and Mullion especially favoured after the visit of John Wesley to Angrouse in 1762.
Even today there are five Methodist sites still in existence in the village, and we have a leaflet and map available describing the Mullion Methodist Trail. Last summer, to celebrate the 125th birthday of our present building, we visited all five sites on a damp Sunday afternoon, sang a Wesley hymn, and discovered that every site had a date, except our present chapel ! This has now been remedied, and a plaque dated 1878 is in position above the Schoolroom entrance– at last!
With the better weather you may fancy a stroll along the Methodist Trail; three are in the centre of the village, but you have further to go for the other two. Free leaflets are available in the Schoolroom– please help yourself
Pauline Rowse
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