The Parish Magazine July and August 2021

The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 1 

The 

Parish 

Magazine 

The John King Trophy and Gold Award 

Best Magazine of the Year 2018 

National Parish Magazine Awards 

Best Overall Magazine 2020 

Best Editor 2019 

Best Print 2018 

Best Content 2016 


Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning & Sonning Eye since 1869 

July/August 2021 — Summer Days and Nights 

Church of St Andrew 

Serving Sonning, Charvil & Sonning Eye 

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF 

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY

2 The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 

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Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning & Sonning Eye since 1869 



The Parish Magazine - June 2021 1 

The John King Trophy and Gold Award 

Best Magazine of the Year 2018 

National Parish Magazine Awards 


Best Editor 2019 

Best Print 2018 

Best Content 2016 


information — 1 

Contents July/August 2021 

THE VICAR'S LETTER, 5 

THE PARISH NOTICEBOARD 

— Songs of Praise, 7 

— Messy Church, 7 

— Rendezvous Club, 7 

— Regular Services, 7 

— For your prayers in May, 7 

— STAY, 7-9 

— On Reflection: Zechariah, 11 

— From the editor's desk, 11 

— The Persecuted Church, 13 

features 

— St Sarik, 15 

— Samaritans, 17 

— Sonning Show, 19 

— Write us a story, 21 

— Summer Days & Nights, 22- 25 

around the villages 

— Reading Blue Coat Head, 27 

— Reading Family Aid Award, 27 

— S&SES Garden Party, 27 

— FoSTAC Garden Party, 27 

— Dunsden Hall Trustee, 29 

HEALTH 

— Dr Simon Ruffle, 31 

HOME & GARDEN 

— In the Garden, 33 

— Recipe of the Month, 33 

THE ARTS 

— Comedians of faith, 35 

— Edward Hicks, 37 

— Book Reviews, 37 

— Poetry Corner, 38 

the sciences 

— Big Questions, 38 

PUZZLE PAGE, 39 

children's page, 41 

information 

— Church services, 3 

— From the registers, 3 

— Parish contacts, 42 

— Advertisers index, 42 

This ISSUE's FRONT COVER 

July/August 2021 — Summer Days and Nights 

The 

Parish 

Magazine 

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF 

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY 

Summer Days means cricket 

in the park 

(see centre pages) 

Picture: Peter Rennie 

EDITORIAL DEADLINE 

The editorial deadline for every issue 

of The Parish Magazine is 12 noon on 

the sixth day of the month prior to the 

date of publication. 

The deadline for the September 

issue of The Parish Magazine is: 

Friday 6 August at 12 noon 

The Parish Magazine online 

This issue can also be viewed online at: 

http://www.theparishmagazine.co.uk 

Earlier issues from 1869 onwards are 

stored in a secure online archive. If you 

wish to view these archives contact the 

editor who will authorise 

access for you: 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk 

From the 

registers 

Funerals 

— Thursday 13 May, Barbara Joyce 

Vincent, Interment of Ashes in 

St Andrew's churchyard 

— Thursday 27 May, Pamela Raie 

Bridgeman, Funeral service at, 

Easthampstead Crematorium 


Services at 

St Andrew’s 

IN-PERSON WORSHIP 

Services will continue with the Covid 

social distance, masks and hand 

sanitising restrictions in church until 

government restrictions are lifted. At the 

time of printing the following services 

are planned. 

Sunday 4 July 

— 8.00am Holy Communion 

— 10.30am Family Communion 



— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with 

Sunday Club and STAY 






— 10.30am Parish Eucharist 

Sunday 1 August 















OTHER REGULAR SERVICES 

Mid-week Communion in The Ark 

will be held every Wednesday at 

10.00am 

Morning Prayer will be in Church 

at 9.30am every Tuesday and once a 

month on a Friday — 2 July and 6 

August. 

Compline on Zoom will be sang 

every Wednesday evening — full 

details about how to login from Rev 

Kate (contact details on page 42)


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The vicar's letter 


Dear friends, 

President John F Kennedy’s hero was his grandfather, and he loved to hear stories 

about his grandfather’s boyhood in Ireland. One of these stories concerned how 

Grandfather Fitzgerald used to walk home from school each day with a group of 

friends. Sometimes these boys would challenge each other to climb over the stone 

walls along the lanes of the countryside. However, there were times when young 

Fitzgerald and the other boys were sometimes hesitant to dare the hazardous 

climbs. So they devised a way to motivate themselves to take the risk involved: they 

would toss their caps over the wall. You see, they knew that they dare not go home 

without their caps, so then they had to climb over the walls to get them. 

There are times when all of us long to toss our caps over the wall. There are times 

when we hunger in our own way for the heroic, whether we want to change our 

lifestyles, jobs, start our own business, go back to university, or whatever. We just 

feel we need to make a change. 

I know of one young man in particular who decided to make such a change. He 

was 30 years old at the time and he owned a successful small business which had 

been left to him by his father. He was secure, he was liked and respected by his 

friends and neighbours, and he was meeting his responsibilities. But he knew that 

this was not where he belonged. He felt called to a ministry, a ministry of teaching 

and preaching and healing. So, he threw his cap over the wall. At first he met with 

spectacular success, and his reputation spread with amazing speed. But as his 

popularity increased, so did the number of his critics, especially in his home village. Some of his closest friends tried to 

dissuade him from his insanity, and his family was also concerned for him. But he persevered in his new calling for three 

years, only to die an untimely death. As he hung on a tree between two thieves dying a cruel and unjust death, feeling 

forsaken by both God and man no one would have judged his life to be a success. But it was. It was the most successful life 

ever lived. Jesus tossed his cap over the wall. He modelled for us what the life of adventure should truly be. 

ISN'T IT TIME TO TOSS YOUR CAP OVER THE WALL? 

Of course, no one has ever accomplished anything of note without critics. If your cap goes over the wall you learn 

very quickly who your true friends are. Certainly Jesus had his critics. That is the way life is. Start to make waves and 

somebody will try to wrest the oars out of your hands by belittling your work. One author has called this the 'Salk Theory.' 

Jonas Salk, that great Doctor of Medicine who pioneered polio research and discovered the polio vaccine, had a legion of 

critics he dealt with over the years. At one point he made an interesting observation about the nature of criticism, which 

seems to hold true for any person who is successfully innovative. 'First,' he said, 'people will tell you that you are wrong. 

Then they will tell you that you are right, but what you are doing really isn’t important. Finally, they will admit that you 

are right and that what you are doing is very important; but after all, they knew it all the time.' 

We all have our critics and perhaps the best way to answer them is to do as the builder of the Panama Canal did. He 

had to endure carping criticisms from countless busybodies back home who predicted that he would never complete his 

great task. However, the resolute builder pressed steadily forward in his work and said nothing. One of his subordinates, 

irritated by the flak they were receiving, asked the great engineer if he was ever going to answer his critics. 'In time,' he 

said, 'when the canal is finished.' 

There comes a time when we toss our caps over the wall in spite of everything the critics have to say. Nothing is ever 

accomplished by people who value comfort and safety and acceptance above all else. There comes a time for what is often 

called a leap of faith. 

Of course, the greatest adventure that one can start out on, the most spectacular, and often the most courageous 

change that can be made in a life is that of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Now it is unfortunate that, for the 

most part, that statement will fall on deaf ears. All too often we confuse discipleship with membership in the church. 

Or we confuse discipleship with respectability. But there is certainly no particular risk involved in being respectable 

or belonging to a church. However, to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, to move from a nominal belief to a radical 

conviction, to move from a nodding acquaintance with God to a complete commitment of one’s life, that is more of a 

challenge for the human creature than digging a canal or finding a cure for polio. 

Isn’t it time for some of us to toss our caps over the wall? A certain high jumper was referring to a world record he set 

in his sport. He said he threw his heart over the bar and the rest of him followed. Perhaps all of us who consider ourselves 

to be Christians need to throw our hearts over the altar, so that we may follow. Jesus had his critics, of course. But he 

never let them detract him from his call. His life is a challenge to our lives. Perhaps he is telling you that it is time for you 

to toss your cap over the wall as well. 

Warm wishes, 

Jamie


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the parish noticeboard — 1 

Notices 

Hold the front page! 

As we put the final touches to this issue of The Parish Magazine for July and 

August, there was increasing speculation that the end of the Covid lockdown 

planned for 21 June was to be delayed because the threat of the Delta variant 

of the virus was increasing. There were also concerns about the early signs 

of infection rates in the Wokingham area increasing. Because of this the 

Churchwardens and the Ministry Team have had to delay the plans to restart 

normal services and other regular events. The latest thinking is outlined 

below, but as always please check on the parish website, the weekly service 

newsletter, or the parish office for the latest information. 

Songs of Praise 

The celebration Songs of Praise 

planned for Sunday 4 July is postponed 

until Sunday 12 September at 5pm, 

subject, of course, to any further Covid 

restrictions. 

Regular Worship Services 

It is hoped that the regular pattern of 

worship listed on page 3 of this issue 

will continue to be possible but please 

always check on the parish website or 

with parish office for the very latest 

information. Services that are currently 

broadcast online will continue as 

planned until further notice. 

Messy Church 

After a long break due to Covid-19, 

Messy Church at St Andrew's will relaunch 

this September. 

The first session will be on Sunday 19 

September from 3 - 4.30pm in The Ark 

when the theme will be 'Hope'. Messy 

Church will then run every third 

Sunday of the month. 

Rev Kate said, 'The Messy Church 

team is very excited about restarting 

and we can't wait for us all to be back 

together again. More details will follow 

in September's edition of The Parish 

Magazine and all plans are subject to 

Covid restrictions.' 

Thursday at Eight on Zoom 

The Thursday 8pm Zoom fellowship 

and prayer meeting restarts on Zoom 

on 22 July. More details from Westy. 

Rendezvous Lunch Club 

The plans to restart Rendezvous in 

the Ark for senior members of the 

community remains the second 

Tuesday of July at 12pm. This assumes 

that any extension of the end of 

the Covid lockdown will end before 

that date. Please check on the parish 

website or with the parish office to 

confirm nearer the time that we will 

be able to hold this popular fortnightly 

event once again. 

For your prayers in 

July and August 

— For our Churchwardens 

and Ministry Team as they 

seek to appoint a new 

director of music 

— For all people around the 

world whose lives are still 

seriously affected by Covid 

— For all those who are 

unable to take a holiday this 

summer 

— For the work of Samaritans 

and all in need of their 

listening service 


STAY 

St Andrew's Youth 

By Westy 

Everyone who answers a question gets a 

stress ball to stay calm and carry on. 

STAY in Schools 

There have been quite a few recent 

assemblies delivered at the four local 

schools: Wargrave Piggott, Reading 

Blue Coat School, Charvil Piggott and 

Sonning Primary. The most exciting 

news was that we have returned to 

‘in person’ assemblies. 

We have been able to cover 

some amazing topics, including the 

generosity of God and when Jesus 

meets the wedding guests at Cana in 

Galilee. In God's economy we are all 

welcome, he gives us what we need 

and he never embarrasses us. 

We have also worked successfully 

with the Piggott ‘advocacy group’ 

looking at kitting out and advertising 

the school's reflection room which 

is a quiet space for pupils to sit, pray 

and find space during the business of 

a school day. 

We have also continued 

mentoring over 25 boys a week 

in both senior schools and offer 

support, someone to chat to, advice 

in how to deal with tough situations 

and we’ve been handing out infinity 

loop sensory toys to help with 

concentration in lessons. 

Summer sunset at Mudeford, Christchurch 

Nick Fewings on unsplash.com 

Infinity loop sensory toys. 

turn to page 9



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STAY 

St Andrew's Youth 

from page 7 

STAY on Friday 

To end the half term in the last week 

of May we hired a super fun bouncy 

castle. We also had the donut wall 

stocked to the max and provided 

some fun indoor activities such as 

temporary tattoos, coloured hair 

sprays and a nail bar. 

STAY in Summer 

We are planning a few summer 

activities, including but not limited to: 

— Aqua Park 

— Paddleboarding 

— Canoeing 

— Rounders 

— Football 

— Frisbee 

— Wide games/hide and seek games 

— Footgolf 

— Cinema 

— Coral Reef/inflatables in a pool 

— Bowling 

— Go Ape 

— Escape room 

— Open bus tour 

— London museums 

— Beach trip 

Please email me, Westy, on: 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk 

for more details as these will be 

confirmed in the coming weeks. 

The question cards ask about mental health, 

emotional wellbeing and how to deal with hard 

situations. 

STAY on Sunday 

Being back 'in person' makes all the 

difference to our faith deepening. We 

have had fun watching Kleer Series 

videos from Urban Saints Energize 

Resource. We have looked at questions 

around: 

— Is Jesus real and what’s the 

evidence for his existence? 

— Is Jesus still relevant today even 

though his teaching is 2000 years old? 

— What is prayer and does it change 

anything? 

— Why did Jesus teach his disciples 

the Lord’s Prayer? 

STAY Detached Project 

Having continued our Wednesdays in 

Emmer Green and Fridays in Sonning 

and Charvil we have seen an increase 

in numbers of young people about. 

This has created great opportunities 

to check how they are doing, what 

pressures they are currently under 

and what they hope for in the future. 

We use packs of question cards from 

the Luton based youth charity and 

give out stress balls, sensory fidget 

toys and sweets as prizes. 

Cheers! 

Westy 


The boys love the nail bar, and roped me into it! 

Alex painting my nails a deep purple! Went 

great with my eyes! 

Year 6 girls use the new hair sprays and mirrors 

A moment of reflection… 

Utilising what was around us, the final thought was 

all about a story of when I was a donut at school but 

bounced back by changing my ways. 

Jaiden following in his mum's 

hairdressing footsteps by spraying 

Oscar's hair multi coloured! 

The bouncy castle proved to be a 

hit for all the young people.



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On reflection . . . 

By Elizabeth Spiers 

Zechariah: God encourages 

us through his Word 


From the desk 

of the editor 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk 

Share a story with us 

freebibleimages.org 

Zechariah was a prophet living in Jerusalem almost 

70 years after the nation of Israel had been enslaved in 

Babylon. He was among the first of his people returning 

to their desolate homeland. The Jewish people who had 

survived were returning in small numbers. Their temple lay 

in ruins and things looked bleak. They didn’t have much of 

anything and were especially short of hope. It is into this 

situation that Zechariah speaks. 

God gave him a series of messages to help motivate and 

encourage the people to both rebuild the temple and look for 

the fulfilment of God’s promises. 

Zechariah points to the coming of Jesus. The Messiah 

will come, says Zechariah, as Saviour, Judge, and 

ultimately, as the righteous King ruling his people from 

Jerusalem. He will punish the people for their sins, yes, 

but afterwards he will come to them if they are obedient. 

CERTAINTY 

Zechariah’s book brims over with the hope — meaning 

the certainty — that God would remember his promises 

to his people, even after all the time they spent in 

captivity. Things may look hopeless now, Zechariah said 

— in a nutshell — but God is faithful and he will bring 

things right in the end. 

Although they had been scattered, God had not 

forgotten his promises and was still willing to help them if 

they were willing to obey him. Deuteronomy 7 says: 

‘Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, 

the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love 

with those who love him and keep his commandments, 

to a thousand generations’. 

Through his word God continually encourages us 

and he is utterly faithful. The God who never changes 

always keeps his promises. No matter what we do or how 

unfaithful we may be, he is true. We can trust the one 

who sees all but still loves us unconditionally. Just as 

he encouraged the people of Israel through Zechariah’s 

messages, so God encourages us today through his Word. 

Have you read it lately? 

One of the good things to emerge from the lockdowns 

is that I heard some young people say they grew tired of 

looking at a screen for almost everything they did so they 

started doing some of the more traditional things that the 

older generation often occupy their time with — things 

such as playing a musical instrument, board games, 

painting, handicrafts, cooking and even writing their own 

stories. The fun thing about these types of activities is 

that they are shared with friends and families, although 

story writing can be more difficult to share. 

As a magazine editor, of course, I get lots of stories 

coming across my desk which I can share, and I have a 

ready made outlet for my own stories that I enjoy writing. 

For young people, however, sharing their stories is not so 

easy so I have had in mind for a while about offering space 

in this magazine for young people to be able to share their 

stories in print. 

YOUNG WRITERS 

One of my grandchildren asked if she could write me 

a story, which of course, I was delighted about. She often 

writes stories but apart from giving them to her parents 

or grandparents to read she has few other opportunities 

to share them. Stories are for sharing and there must be 

many other young story writers who would like to share 

their stories more widely. This is why, on page 21, you 

will see that I am offering space in The Parish Magazine to 

publish stories written by school children of all ages. 

My problem as an editor, as well as a journalist, is that 

I can't resist editing almost every item in this magazine 

but doing this with stories by young writers can be very 

discouraging for them so, apart from correcting spelling, 

the odd grammatical error, and the use of words which in 

my younger days meant something different, I will try not 

to rewrite their stories too much! 

If you know any young people who enjoy writing 

stories — fiction or nonfiction — then suggest they 

send them to me and together we can encourage them to 

develop the ancient skill of story telling which dates back 

30,000 years when stories were first painted in caves. 

OUR HIGHEST IDEALS 

There are lots of reasons why story telling is 

important, here's one I came across on the internet: 

Stories can increase our empathy and often help reinforce our 

highest ideals such as compassion and kindness. 

The greatest example of compassion and kindness 

reinforcing stories can be found in the world's oldest, best 

selling collection of stories that has been translated into 

more languages than any other — the Bible! So if you are 

short of ideas for your own stories, try reading it first!



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The Persecuted Church 

Christians in Nigeria are often 

targeted for abduction, whether by 

Islamist militants or by bandits. 

Eight Christians were abducted 

from a church minibus in March, 

and in April one Christian was killed 

and four abducted on the Kaduna- 

Kachia road. Kaduna State is in the 

Middle Belt of Nigeria, where at least 

240 Christians have been killed in 

Islamist attacks since the beginning 

of July 2020.1 

The eight Christians abducted in 

March were subsequently released. 

They had been travelling for an 

evangelistic mission.2 

A further eight Christians were 

killed in an attack by armed bandits, 

again in Kaduna State, on 19 May. 

The attackers also burned down a 

church building and several homes.3 

Later in May, in Katsina State, 

a church minister was killed and 

another was abducted by gunmen in 

a targeted attack on a church.4 

The United States Commission 

on International Religious Freedom 

(USCIRF) produced a study in 

February 2019 which found that 

some Nigerians consider current 

religious divides in the country to be 

'the worst they have ever been.'5 

The USICRF’s website state their 

mission is to 'advance international 

freedom of religion or belief, by 

independently assessing and 

unflinchingly confronting threats to 

this fundamental right.' 

They list Nigeria as a 'country of 

particular concern (CPC)' and point 

out in their most recent annual 

report that religious freedom 

conditions in the country have 

deteriorated. 

To quote from their key findings, 

'Despite Nigeria’s constitution 

protecting freedom of religion 

and belief, Nigerian citizens faced 

violence by militant Islamists and 

other nonstate armed actors, as 

well as discrimination, arbitrary 

detentions, and capital blasphemy 

sentences by state authorities.' 

They report how elements from 

Boko Haram and from the Islamic 


A round-up of news items, features, and links by Colin Bailey. Please read for 

awareness, and support by prayer and any further support — financial or otherwise. 

Nigerian risk of genocide say UK parliamentarians 

THE WORST SEEN 

Worshippers inside a Nigerian Church 

State in West Africa Province 

(ISWAP) abducted and executed 

several individuals based on their 

religious beliefs. 

Nigeria is, according to their 

data, estimated as 53.5% identifying 

as Muslim and 45.9% identifying as 

Christian. 

One of the commissioners has 

said in the report that 'the status quo 

is unsustainable', with the 'perilous 

situation…now spreading more and 

more to other countries'. 

The commissioner described the 

the situation as a 'tinderbox' and said 

that 'the world must do more.'5 

According to the data company, 

statista.com, Nigeria ranks number 

dreamstime.com 

six in the world at risk for genocide, 

while 'the risk percentage of mass 

killing stands at 7.3%, about seven 

times higher than the global average.' 6 

UK REPORT 

Last year, a report by the All Party 

Parliamentary Group on Freedom 

of Religion and Belief, Nigeria: 

Unfolding Genocide? was published. 

It was the result of an investigation 

by 100 UK parliamentarians from 

a wide range of political parties. 

The report warned of the risk of an 

unfolding genocide and called for UK 

aid to be linked to efforts to protect 

Nigerian villagers from attacks by 

Islamist extremists.7 

Sources and further reading 

1 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/one-christian-killed-fourinjured-and-four-abducted-in-kaduna-nigeria/ 

2 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/eight-nigerian-christiansreleased-after-abduction-from-church-minibus-i/ 

3 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/eight-killed-in-attack-whichleft-church-destroyed-in-kaduna-nigeria/ 

4 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/church-minister-killedanother-abducted-in-attack-on-northern-nigerian-c/ 

5 USCIRF website https://www.uscirf.gov 

6 Statista.com https://www.statista.com/statistics/1203253/risk-of-genocide-innigeria/ 

7 Anglican Ink https://anglican.ink/2020/06/16/parliamentary-report-warns-ofunfolding-genocide-in-nigeria-against-christians/



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feature — 1 

Even though there are more than 

10,000 officially named saints there 

are few that are not shared, for 

example, there are more than 600 

churches in England named after St 

Andrew. It is rare for any church or 

parish to claim a unique saint, but we 

can for our ecclesiastical parish that 

serves Charvil, Sonning and Sonning 

Eye. Our unique saint is St Sarik! 

St Who? is a common response to 

strangers hearing his name, assuming, 

of course, that he was male, after all, 

there are 2,368 churches dedicated to 

St Mary in the Church of England. 

The Parish Magazine archives only 

give a little background as to who 

Sarik may have been and why he was 

associated with our parish church, but 

then the archives only go back to 1869! 

However, Canon Chris Clark, 

vicar of Sonning from 1999 - 2008, 

announced in the December 1999 issue 

of The Parish Magazine why the PCC 

had decided to dedicate a new meeting 

room to St Sarik. 

Quoting from the 16th Century 

historian John Leland's Itinerary, 

Canon Clark wrote: 'Thens a mile and 

half to Sonning, an uplandish Toune, but 

set on a fair and commodius Grounde ... 

there is an old Chapelle at the Est ende of 

the Chirche of S. Sarik, whither of late tyme 

resorted in Pilgrimage many folkes for the 

Disease of Madness.' 

The new St Sarik meeting room was 

created by rebuilding part of what was 

in Victorian times a morgue — the 

nearby Sonning lock was a natural 

stopping place for the unfortunate 

bodies that entered the River Thames 

upstream at Reading. 

Canon Pearson, founder of this 

magazine in 1869 also researched the 

subject of St Sarik and concluded that 

a chapel dedicated to him certainly 

existed. The biggest uncertainty seems 

to have been the saint's name which 

could be Sarik, Sarac, Siric or Cyricus. 

SIGERIC THE SERIOUS 

Cyricus, with his mother Julitta, 

were two of the earliest martyrs 

venerated by the Catholic Church. 

They were put to death in 304 AD and 

in the Eastern Orthodox Church and 

Oriental Orthodox Church their feast 

day is this month on 15 July. 

Another character in the St Sarik 

mystery is Sigeric the Serious who 

from 985-992 was in residence here as 

the Bishop of Ramsbury and Sonning. 

He went on to become, Archbishop of 

Canterbury and died in 994. 


Saint who? St Sarik, our unique parish saint! 

A statue of Sigeric the Serious in Glastonbury 

The St Andrew's choir emerge from the St Sarik Room 

Alexirina27000, dreamstime.com 

Tom Farncombe 

Sigeric's name is engraved in a 

bronze plaque in St Andrew's which 

lists the 'Bishops of Sunning' and it has 

been suggested that he buried some 

of St Cyricus's relics in the church. 

Burying a saint's relics in a holy place 

was a common thing to do in those 

days because it would encourage 

pilgrims from distant places to visit 

the burial site which, in turn, became a 

lucrative tourist attraction! 

Often the pilgrims were attracted 

because they believed that they would 

receive some kind of spiritual or 

physical healing from being close to 

the relics. 

Any evidence of the relics being 

buried has long been lost in time but 

one of the interesting aspects of John 

Leland's quotation above is this hope 

that pilgrims had of a cure for 'the 

Disease of Madness'. 

While there is no documented 

evidence of pilgrims being cured of 

mental health illnesses, there has 

been a suggestion from the work of 

archaeologists in the church grounds 

in 2001 that some of the Saxon 

remains buried there could have been 

from people suffering from physical 

ailments and that they may have come 

to Sonning for healing by St Sarik. 

The remains were found in 

the garden of The Bull during a 

construction project and were clearly 

the result of an ancient Christian 

burial alongside what is believed to 

have been the original site of the first 

wooden Saxon church. 

The Saxon remains found by The 

Bull are now buried in a 'mass' grave in 

the churchyard and the St Sarik Room 

is used as a choir vestry.



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feature — 2 

It began with a vicar who was 

willing to listen on his 

telephone — now there 

are 20,000 listeners! 

'In an emergency the citizen turns to the telephone 

and dials 999. There ought to be an emergency number 

for suicidal people, I thought.' So said Chad Varah in 

the summer of 1953. His thought led to the founding 

of Samaritans, the crisis telephone service for anyone 

contemplating suicide. 

Chad's lowly stipend was barely enough to pay his 

secretary, so this meant he had to subsidise his income 

by sitting up into the early hours of the morning drawing 

cartoons and writing scripts. Then he was offered the 

incumbency of St Stephen's Church in the City of London. 

Now he could spend the early hours doing something about 

his idea for an emergency number for people considering 

suicide. On 2 November 1953 he took his first call and 

Samaritans was born! 

Like many of today's social services, hospitals, schools 

and adoption agencies, that were originally started by 

Christians, Samaritans has become an integral part of daily 

life, not just for Christians, but for everyone whatever their 

faith — or none. They are always there, if you need them. 

116 123 

Although Chad was a little sceptical about passing his 

listening ear on to volunteers, he soon discovered they 

were often better equipped than him to help. Today there 

are over 20,000 listening volunteers in 201 branches in the 

UK and the Republic of Ireland. Every day, they respond to 

about 10,000 calls for help. 

Chad died in Basingstoke in 2007 and left behind him a 

charitable organisation that today still plays a vital role in 

helping suicidal people who can contact volunteer listeners, 

anonymously, and free of charge from any landline or 

mobile phone. The Samaritans' number, 116 123, will not 

appear on the caller's phone bill. 

According to Felicity Varah, Chad's daughter: 'The 

challenge now is to look to the future. As the way 

people choose to communicate changes over time, we 

need to continue to evolve, combining technology with 

compassion, to reach people who still so desperately need 

our help.' 

To enable this, Samaritans is investing in new 

communications technology such as an instant messaging 

service, all of which, of course, needs to be financed from 

donations. 

JULY AWARENESS MONTH 

To raise awareness of Samaritans and the work they 

do, each year they run a month long campaign in July. 

This year the theme is 'Talk to Us. They are asking people 

to give their time for 60 seconds, creating the UK’s largest 

conversation. Samaritans’ branches up and down the 


Chad Varah who founded Samaritans in 1953 

samaritans.org 

country will be popping up in local towns and cities to 

let people know that they are there, round the clock and 

that they provide a safe space for them to talk and be 

themselves. 

Throughout July, Samaritans is running several social 

media campaigns encouraging support for the work they 

do. People up and down the country can get involved by 

simply texting ‘SUPPORT’ to 70080 to make a £4 donation 

which is the cost to the charity of answering one call for 

help. 

A focus for the awareness month will be the 'Big Listen 

Day' on 24 July which aims to encourage us all to become 

better listeners. 

READING SAMARITANS 

The nearest Samaritans' branch to our parish is in 

Reading where there are 150 dedicated volunteers who 

all play a vital part in supporting callers — whether 

by phone, text, email, in person at a local branch or at 

community events across Berkshire. 

Last year Reading Samaritans answered more than 

40,000 calls. If you think you can help them to continue 

Chad's dream of being there for others in a crisis, a good 

starting place is to visit their website at: 

https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/volunteer/ 

Anyone can contact Samaritans FREE any time 

from any phone on 116 123, 

even a mobile without credit. 

This number won’t show up on your phone bill. 

Or email: jo@samaritans.org 

Or visit http://www.samaritans.org


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feature — 3 

classes. For the full details and rules see the show's schedule published by the organisers. 

ADULT SECTION 

PRESERVES 

Handmade Card 

Pot of Marmalade 

Unfinished Projects - Any item started but 

Pot of Jam 

not finished! 

Pot of Lemon Curd 

Article of any other Craft 

Jar of Chutney 

COOKERY 

Victoria Sandwich – three egg mixture 

Rachel’s Raspberry & White Chocolate Loaf 

See recipe right 

Gingerbread – show three pieces 

Scones – show three 

Chocolate Shortbread Biscuits - see recipe 

right, show three 

Favourite Cake – judged on taste and 

texture - please supply recipe – winners 

recipe will be a class for next year 

COOKERY MEN ONLY – Chocolate 

Brownies show five pieces - recipe right 

VEGETABLES 

Nine Runner Beans 

Three Carrots 

Four Onions 

Two Vegetable Marrows 

Four Potatoes 

A Truss of Tomatoes 

Six Tomatoes 

The Heaviest Marrow 

The Longest Runner Bean 

Any Other Vegetable (at least three) 

Collection of Four kinds of vegetables (at 

least three of each) 

Heaviest Pumpkin 

FRUIT 

Four Dessert Apples 

Four Cooking Apples 

Four Pears 

Any other fruit 

FLOWERS 

Three Large Dahlias - 6" diameter or greater 

Three Small Dahlias - Less than 6" diameter 

Hanging Basket 

Three Roses 

One Specimen Rose 

Vase of Annuals - max 10 stems (mixed or 

one variety) 

Vase of Perennials - max 10 stems (mixed or 

one variety) 

Pot Plant - Foliage 

Pot Plant – Flowering 

Largest Sunflower Head (dead or alive) 

FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS 

OPEN CLASS - ALL WELCOME 

Flower Arrangement of your choice. Any 

size from pedestals to table centre pieces. To 

be viewed all round or front facing. 

CHILDRENS CLASS 5 - 12 years 

A Small Flower Arrangement in a container 

of your choice. 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Colour print, Weather, 3½" x 3½" min 

Colour print, Flowers or Trees, 10”x 8” max 

Black & White or Sepia Print – any subject 

CRAFT 

Knitted, Crochet or Woven item 

Any item, Embroidery, Tapestry or Stitchwork 

ART 

Drawing - Pen and Ink 

Drawing - Pencil 

Drawing - Pastels 

Painting in Oils 

Painting in Water Colours 

Painting in Acrylics 

Painting in any other medium 

TIMES GONE BY 

Exhibits will be judged for interest and rarity. 

A small card giving a short description of 

any knowledge you have of your entry should 

accompany them. The organisers cannot be 

responsible for loss or damage of valuable items. 

Favourite object connected with Sonning 

history 

Something made by a family member a long 

time ago 

Guess the purpose of this historic object 

Technology from the past 

CHILDREN’S SECTION (8-12 years) 

The White Hart Cup will be awarded to the 

child gaining the most points 

COOKERY 

Iced Fairy Cakes – show three 

Jam Tarts – show three 

My Favourite Sandwich - list ingredients 

FUN WITH FLOWERS 

An arrangement in a teacup 

Largest Sunflower head (dead or alive) 


PHOTOGRAPHY 

Any subject size from 90mm x 90mm to 

250mm x 200mm 

CRAFT, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY 

Handwriting – Maximum 15 lines 

Hand Drawn Picture of an Olympic event 

Design a Birthday Card 

A Garden using Plasticine or equivalent 

Fruit and/or Vegetable Sculpting 

INFANTS SECTION 

A special prize of £10 will be given to the infant 

gaining most points. Age is taken into account. 

For 6-7 year olds: 

A Picture of Yourself 

A Decorated Crown 



Iced Fairy Cakes – show 3 

The Seaside on a Plate 

Dressed Lolly Stick or Wooden Spoon person 

For 5 years old and under 

Hand Drawn Picture of an animal 

A Decorated Crown 



Decorated Gingerbread People – show three 

A plate of your favourite food made from 

Plasticine or equivalent 

Make a Junk Model 


It's time to start planning your Sonning Show entries! 

To help you plan your entries for the Sonning Village Show on Saturday 11 September here is summary of all the 

RECIPES 

Times and temperatures are for guidance only 

Rachel’s Raspberry & White Chocolate Loaf 

125 g butter 

125 g caster sugar 

3 eggs 

175 g selfraising flour 

½ tsp vanilla extract 

1 tblsp milk 

125 g raspberries (keep some for decoration) 

150 g white chocolate chips 

Freeze dried raspberries 

Cake: Whisk together butter, sugar, eggs, 

flour, baking powder, vanilla extract 

and milk until light and fluffy. Fold in 

raspberries and half of the chocolate 

chips. Put in greased loaf tin. Cover loosely 

with foil. Bake for 40 minutes - Oven 

Temperature 170 ˚C. Remove foil and cook 

for another 20 – 30 minutes. Put on a 

cooling rack. 

Topping: Put remaining white chocolate 

chips in a food bag and place in a jug of 

lukewarm water to melt chocolate slowly. 

When melted snip corner of bag and drizzle 

over the cake. Place remaining raspberries 

down the centre of the cake then sprinkle 

over dried raspberries. 

Chocolate Shortbread Biscuits 

75 g plain flour 

A pinch of salt 

125 g softened butter 

40g caster sugar 

40g chocolate chips 

Extra sugar for sprinkling 

Oven 170˚C/ 150˚C fan / Gas Mark 3 

Rub butter into flour and salt, add sugar 

and chocolate chips and make into a ball. 

Turn onto lightly floured board and roll out 

to about 1 cm thick. Cut into rounds and 

place on baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with 

sugar. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Chocolate Brownies 

375g plain chocolate, broken into pieces 

250g margarine 

2 tsp instant coffee 

2 tbsp hot water 

2 eggs 

250g caster sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

90g self-raising flour 

175g walnut pieces 

250g plain chocolate chips 

Grease a 30 x 23cm (12" x 9") roasting tin, 

line the base with greaseproof paper, and 

grease the paper. Put the chocolate and 

margarine in a bowl and sit the bowl on top 

of a small saucepan of gently simmering 

water. Melt the chocolate slowly, then 

remove the bowl from the pan and let the 

chocolate cool. 

Put the coffee in another bowl, pour in the 

hot water, and stir to dissolve. Add the eggs, 

sugar, and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in 

the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and 

walnuts, then the chocolate chips. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and 

bake in a preheated oven at 190°C (170°C 

fan, Gas 5) for about 40–45 minutes or 

until firm to the touch. Don’t overcook – 

the crust should be dull and crisp, but the 

middle should still be gooey. Leave to cool 

in the tin, then cut into 24 pieces.



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feature — 4 


WRITE US A STORY! If you are at school and love to write your own stories then send one to us and we will try to 

publish it here so you can share it with all our readers. You must have your parent's or guardian's permission. Send 

your stories with your name and age to editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk Your story can be up to 750 words long and 

the editor reserves the right to edit it. 

Lexi’s surprise 

By Angel Young age 12 years 

It was one long summer term and 

Lexi had worked hard in school to 

go on her annual summer holiday 

trip to a surprise location. Her 

parents were telling her that it was 

somewhere they had never been 

before and with an airline that was 

not known to them. 

She went on and on to her friends 

that she was going away to a 

beautiful white beach with a 

turquoise sea that stretches for miles 

along side the white fluffy sand that 

had tall shading palm trees that had 

some private hammocks. 

The only issue was that there had 

been a huge lockdown with a big 

pandemic and there was a risk of 

another lockdown happening at the 

time of the holiday. 

Lexi — who is 10 — has beautiful 

long curly blonde hair, and she likes 

to wear beautiful white and pink 

dresses. Her favourite thing is to 

explore and go for long walks in new 

different places. 

After a long week, her parents 

finally revealed that they were going 

to holiday in a famous Dubai hotel. 

The plane ride was OK. It had a 

bit of bad turbulence but when they 

arrived they had a great welcome. 

They had been greeted by staff and 

had their bags carried to their room 

by a butler. The suite was a surprise 

for Lexi. It was kept quiet until they 

opened the room's door. 

They had a great big two bedroom 

suite and the first thing Lexi saw 

when she opened the door was a 

great big curved sofa that was on 

an electric board that rotated and 

a big 72 inch TV in front of the 

sofa. Across the room was a small 

kitchen with its own mini bar. The 

decoration of the suite was beautiful. 

It had gold and white patterned 

wallpaper and was filled with flowers 

and elephant statues. Behind the 

massive curtains that covered one 

wall of the living room was a balcony 

with the most incredible view. 

For the next day they had booked 

to go on a tourist walk with a tour 

guide to see all the sights in Dubai. 

They woke up the next morning 

and were told the tourist walk was 

cancelled and the resort beach was 

closed, but there was no reason why. 

TERRIFYING 

Lexi came up with the bright 

idea of going on their own walk and 

exploring the scenery. So, they left 

the hotel and snuck onto the closed 

beach but suddenly the security 

guard walked round the corner, so 

they ran down an alley way that led 

them into a forest. 

They could hear a noise coming 

from behind them, so they went 

further into the forest until there 

was no one in sight. They stopped 

running, but the noise continued. 

It sounded like someone grunting. 

It was a frighting sound in the dark 

woods. 

A few minutes passed when Lexi 

and her parents had established 

that they had messed up as they 

had realised they did not know the 

area or the way back to the resort. 

Suddenly, they heard footsteps — 

but not human footsteps. It came 

round the corner. It was something 

terrifying. It was a bear! They ran! 

It got so late the sky was pitch 

black, but they had to try and find 

a way to camp in the forest for the 

night as they could not see an exit. 

The next morning, they were 

awoken by the sound of footsteps 

again. They jumped up to run but 

as it came round the corner, they 

realised it was one of the hotel staff 

that had seen the CCTV footage and 

came in search of them. 

When they returned to the hotel 

they bathed 

and slept all 

day and for the 

rest of the 

holiday they 

stayed on the 

resort. 

When they 

returned 

home, they 

found out 

why the 

beach had 

been 

closed for 

the day. It 

was because 

it had been 

vandalised 

and was being 

cleaned. They 

soon realised 

they were also 

lucky to be 

home as the 

world had 

returned to 

lockdown.


feature — 5 

July: Sweet Food for Thought! 

Now is the time to dig out the picnic hampers and 

clean the BBQs! July is officially National Picnic 

Month, and on 2 July BBQ week begins – if taking 

a BBQ on a picnic beware, many picnic locations 

ban fires and BBQs for safety reasons. And while 

planning your picnic remember that July is also 

the World Plastics Free Month so avoid using 

plastic wrappers, utensils, etc. There are lots of 

ideas about how you can support this worldwide 

effort — including plastic free picnic ideas — on: 

https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ 

By 7 July you may fancy a sweet break because 

it is World Chocolate Day! It was on this day in 

1550 that chocolate was first brought to Europe. 

The cocoa bean, from which chocolate was first 

made in Mexico about 4,000 years ago, was said by 

the Aztecs to be a gift of the god who gave them 

light and drink – it came in the form of chocolate! 

Christians will know that they were correct in 

chocolate being a gift from god, only they would 

question who the true God is! 

MEXICAN COINCIDENCE 

After spending a whole day of eating chocolate 

without feeling guilty you can then take a break 

for three days as you prepare to enjoy National 

Doughnut Week from 10-18 July. By the end of 

doughnut week, you will be able to take a slightly 

longer break to recover before celebrating Vanilla 

Ice Cream Day on 23 July. 

By coincidence, vanilla, like the cocoa bean, 

originally came from Mexico and it is said to be 

the second most expensive spice after saffron. 

Also, like chocolate, the best way to celebrate 

Vanilla Ice Cream Day, is to eat it either on its own 

or with one or more of your favourite foods – food 

maybe you could add a chocolate flake! 

To round off a glorious month for food lovers, 

30 July is National Cheesecake Day. Cheesecake is 

believed to have originated in Ancient Greece, and 

the earliest evidence is in a book by the Greek 

physician Aegimus (5th Century BCE), who wrote 

a book on the art of making cheesecakes. 

By the first century BCE it was established in 

Rome as evidenced by the oldest known Roman 

cheesecake recipe credited to a politician, Marcus 

Cato. 

There are hundreds of cheesecakes recipes 

online, a good starting place is: 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/ 

cheesecake-recipes 

August: Great and Small! 

With fewer opportunities for overseas holidays 

this year, many of us will be visiting the UK’s 

beaches and shorelines and so what better time 

could The Wildlife Trust choose than to have its 

annual National Marine Week from 25 July to 9 

August. 

Despite its name, it lasts for 15 days to allow for 

variations in tide times around the country, so 

you need to bear that in mind when planning your 

visits. 

There is a lot of information to help you 

on: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/get-involved/ 

campaign/national-marine-week where the trust 

says they are particularly interested in sightings 

of Pacific oyster, wireweed, slipper limpet, Chinese 

mitten crab, oarweed, snakelock anemone, 

stalked jellyfish, shore crab, beadlet anemone 

and common limpet, but feel free to report all


Image credits 

Mountain picnic table: Lina1984malina on dreamstime.com 

Elephants: Jonathan Pledger on dreamstime.com 

Lions: Ciolca on dreamstime.com 

Owls: Pedro Turrini Neto on dreamstime.com 

Seaside: Three Cliffs Bay, Eutuxia Ntzereme on unsplash.com 

Bats in the night sky: Amy Smith on dreamstime.com 

other sightings as well. August is also a month to 

celebrate several other creatures, great and small. 

The 4 August should be a hoot as the International 

Owl Awareness Day is being celebrated around the 

UK at bird sanctuaries, wildlife parks and even by 

book sellers who are suggesting you spend the day 

reading a wide selection of owl-centred stories! 

Four days later cats take centre stage while on 

the 24th dogs get their turn. If larger animals are 

your love, then look out for lions on 10 August, 

elephants on the 17th and orangutans on the 19th! 

HOMELESS ANIMALS 

For most animals lovers, however, 22 August 

is perhaps the most important day of the month 

because it is when The International Society for 

Animal Rights is holding its annual ‘Homeless 

Animals Day’. This special day was introduced to 

spread awareness about pet overpopulation and 

the society’s meaningful work which includes 

saving the lives of millions of animals. 

https://isaronline.org/programs/internationalhomeless-animals-day-ihad/ 

BAT NIGHT 

To round off a month of animal celebrations 

the ‘night owls’ among us can sit up all night long 

on 28-29 August and take part in the International 

Bat Night. This annual night out started in 1997 

and if you want get involved visit: 

https://www.eurobats.org/international_bat_night 

. . . and fresh 

air memories 

of UK holidays! 

Camping and caravanning holidays have been 

around for many years and for obvious reasons 

seem to be increasingly popular this year, so on 

this, and the following pages we share some past 

experiences of this traditional pastime ... 

How did we ever find 

time for church . . . 

By Paul Masters, son of Claude a regular contributor 

My memories are from our early caravanning days and 

membership of the Berkshire branch of the Caravan 

Club which seemed to meet every weekend ... how we 

ever found time for church, I don't remember! 

However, I remember well the first Sprite caravan. 

It was towed by what I would now think a most 

inappropriate vehicle — a 1500cc automatic Hillman 

Avenger. Dad had to buy a special oil cooler to stop 

the automatic gearbox overheating! 

I remember that Dad converted a drop down 

double bed from a wall into a bunk bed made from 

a steel tube and a canvas sheet — a typical make 

do and mend, but it worked well for many years, 

although I never got to use it. Being a male offspring, 

I was banished forever to sleep in the awning with 

whatever animals we took with us. 

The rally weekends seemed to be a lot of people 

showing off their latest asset and that the bigger 

units always belonged to the smallest family with the 

very best rigs reserved for retired folk. 

ANOTHER NIGHTMARE 

The highlight was always to claim the souvenir 

badge for the weekend which would be proudly stuck 

with the smallest piece of Blu Tack possible to the 

most visible part inside the caravan. 

I remember the water being delivered to the sink 

via an awkward hand pump and it felt very posh 

when the next caravan upgrade sported a foot pump! 

Our last caravan had hot and cold running water! 

Toilets were another nightmare. Our first van had 

nothing more that a bucket and a small pack of 'Elsan 

Blue' to keep the unpleasant smells at bay. No doubt 

that the job of emptying it would not have been 

Dad's favourite job of the weekend. 

All in all, I have many pleasant memories of those 

weekends away, but most of all I remember watching 

the adults getting increasingly more inebriated as 

it went on. They sobered up just in time for the haul 

back home late on Sunday evening, knowing that the 

working week ahead would end with the preparations 

for yet another weekend away!


feature — 7 

Making friends, overcoming 

dangers, and drinking wine! 

By Claude Masters 

When waiting in a traffic queue with a caravan hitched up, the 

driver of the car behind got out and came to tell me that when my car 

was indicating to go one way the caravan was indicating the other. 

On arrival at the previous site, I had unhitched the car and driven it 

clear without removing a 7 pin plug that connected the car light to 

those of the van. All the wires were ripped out and I had the tedious 

task of reconnecting them — erroneously as it turned out. 

The first caravan my wife, Barbara, and I owned was second hand. It cost 

£240 in 1975 and was very basic. It was the very opposite to the latest 

ones equipped with central heating, dishwashers and microwave ovens. 

Called a ‘Sprite’, it had glass windows, including a large one at the front 

which one of my sons tried to open with his head. It shattered! 

There were no electrics except the rear lights and 

indicators. The lighting was two gas mantles and the 

only way to heat it was via the gas rings on the hob. 

The toilet was ‘bucket and chuck it’! It was kept in a 

recess by the door which meant no one could get in or 

out when it was in use. Water was stored outside in 

a container and it was drawn into the sink by a hand 

pump on the tap. 

The most dangerous feature was its lack of 

ventilation. One cool evening five of us were sitting in 

it with gas lights and two hobs burning when it slowly 

got darker and darker. Fortunately, I realised what 

was happening. That the oxygen in the air was being 

replaced by carbon monoxoide. I threw a window 

open and the lights came up instantly. 

OVERLOAD 

The first trip in our van was to holiday in 

Tewkesbury and my inexperience as a caravanner 

soon became apparent. The van was loaded with toys 

and games for the youngsters, a library of books and 

anything else we thought might be useful or needed. 

Not knowing what the site facilities might be like, we 

took a 5 gallon container of water and a spare cylinder 

of Calor gas. 

I knew that a towing vehicle needed to be heavier 

than that being towed so that was loaded too. 

Subsequently the best speed I could do along the 

M4 was 35mph! However, this was the first of many 

happy caravan holidays over the years. 

The Caravan Club published a manual each year 

listing the location and map reference of hundreds 

of small sites around the country and, when we had 

decided where to go, I bought an ordnance survey 

map to find the precise position of the site so that we 

knew what to expect in that vicinity. The back garden 

of a pub was my favourite! 

Sometimes we would take Candy and Floss our 

pet cat and dog. At the site the van's spare wheel was 

put on the grass and the dog tied to it with a couple 

of metres of rope so that it couldn’t wander off and be 

a nuisance. The cat was free to pester the birds in the 

Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor 

trees. It knew where it’s food was and always ready to 

go when we left. On the journeys it sat contentedly 

on my lap as I drove. 

Initially we went on rallies and holidays with the 

Caravan Club but as friends from St Bartholomew's 

Church began to get vans the days away became 

even more enjoyable. 

At Whitsuntide and Easter the choir and 

congregation would be sadly diminished but we 

would all go to the local church on Sunday, or 

Salisbury Cathedral if we were in the New Forest. 

These were the happiest of times with all 

our friends from church. John and Peggy Lot, 

remembered by many at St Andrew's, were among 

them. 

EMBARRASSMENT 

Our favourite site was Burrowhayes Farm near 

Porlock in Exmoor. It was a large, well equipped, 

National Trust site with toilet blocks, a well stocked 

shop, and a laundrette, At the foot of the Horner 

Valley it is ideally placed for walks around the 

adjacent hills and it was a couple of hours walk from 

Dunkery Beacon the highest point on Exmoor hills. 

One pool, formed in an adjacent stream, was big 

enough to swim in but the water was too cold for me. 

There were four or five families there for a week 

or fortnight and about equal numbers of adults and 

youngsters. Each did their own thing in the day — 

visiting Minehead or Porlock, maybe going up the 

notoriously steep hill and driving into Lynton or 

Lynmouth. 

In the evenings there might be a communal BBQ 

but certainly we would gather in two of the vans, 

the adults in one and youngsters in another. On one 

occasion a nearby caravanner complained about the 

noise from the kids van and to the site manager's 

embarrassment one of the kids was his son! The lad 

and his wife now run the site. 

Homemade wine was popular. The men would delve 

into each other’s car boots to see what they could find 

and an enjoyable time was had by one and all. 

One of my wife’s relative 

Colne in Essex and we had s 

there when I spent most of 

in the harvest. 

The caravan was parked 

field and one year it was nex 

roosting there tried to scare 

wonderfully displaying its t 

My son and daughter wa 

sleeping on the hay in the b 

of the bales to make a safe r 

did not welcome their intru 

had settled down it started 

a hell of a noise so they soon 

ladder back to the van. Geo 

scruffy and used a length of 

one occasion when waiting 

pulled up and the driver gav 

At the end of our fortnig 

BBQ for George and his fam 

to the funfair at Clacton-on 

George gave the youngsters 

The Masters' family rig 

H


elen Hotson, dreamstimes.com 

s owned a farm near Earls 

everal summer holidays 

my time helping to gather 

in the most convenient 

t to a barn. A barn owl 

us off by diving at us, 

hree foot wing span. 

nted a bit of adventure 

arn so I rearranged some 

ecess. However, the owl 

sion and soon after they 

screeching and making 

scrambled down the 

rge the farmer was always 

string for a belt and on 

at the side of the road a car 

e him some money! 

ht there we would host a 

ily and on the last day go 

-sea to spend the money 

. 

Gatherings for social events and times of worship are a feature of a CCCF rally 

. . . and how did we find time for caravanning? 

By Bob Peters 

So, where are you going for your summer holiday 

this year? Are you looking for somewhere in the 

UK with a low risk of Covid infections that is safe 

for young and old alike? Somewhere with plenty 

of clean, fresh air that the scientists say is good 

for us, and somewhere with like-minded people? 

Have you thought of camping or caravanning? 

Have you heard of CCCF? If you have, you will 

know that a CCCF holiday is an ideal solution for 

such a holiday! 

CCCF stands for Christian Caravanning and 

Camping Fellowship, a title that sums up the 

organisation well. 

It is a nationwide, nondenominational Christian 

nonprofit making organisation run by volunteers 

since 1969. It aims to encourage like-minded 

Christians to meet for fellowship in a relaxed 

caravanning and camping holiday environment 

– you need to provide your own tent, caravan or 

motorhome of course. In my experience, the best 

way to find out what makes it such a great way 

to caravan, or camp, is to book into one of their 

weekend rallies which are held all around the 

country on farms, camping sites and schools. 

EVERYONE WELCOME 

You will be assured of a warm welcome and 

you will soon make life-long friends with other 

Christians from different churches to your own, 

and you will want to book one of its holiday rallies 

that last for a week or longer. It does not matter if 

you are a family with young children, or teenagers, 

or more elderly, or disabled. Everyone is welcome 

in the CCCF family. 

Typically, each day begins with a short meeting 

with prayer, a hymn and a brief ‘Thought for the 

Day’ by one of the members. At the longer rallies 

there are usually evening events with speakers 

and live music, and sometimes guest entertainers. 

For children there are on-site clubs and organised 

games, all supervised by volunteer members. 

More than 25 years ago, after some persuasion, 

I nervously stood up and gave a ‘thought for a day’ 

at a weekend rally. It was a turning point in my 

life. Unfortunately, because I am now so busy as a 

lay minister at St Andrew's I no longer have time 

to be a member of CCCF. 

There are, of course, Covid restrictions in 

force at the time of writing, but these are being 

relaxed all the time. Take a look at the CCCF 

website on http://www.cccf.org.uk/ and ignore any 

preconceived ideas you might have. 

Planning Your 

Traditional Wedding? 

Then you might like to 

discuss the possibility of 

marriage in our ancient and 

beautiful parish church. 

If so, call the vicar, Jamie 

0118 969 3298 

He will be pleased to help! 

In addition to the stunning and historic location in Sonning, 

we will work hard to provide you with a memorable and 

moving occasion. We can provide a choir, organ, peal of 

eight bells, beautiful flowers, over 100 lit candles set in 

ornate Victorian chandeliers and the use of our beautiful 

churchyard as a backdrop for your photographs. 



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SONNING & sonning eye since the 7 th century

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around the villages — 1 

A letter from Reading Blue Coat's 'new' head . . . 

Dear neighbours June 2021 

It has been described as ‘a year like no other’, and the past months have 

certainly brought challenges for everyone. As I write, the forecast is promising 

improvements, athletes and rowers are training hard, the term is in full swing 

and the Government’s road map heralds a welcome relaxation of restrictions 

over the weeks ahead. We all hope for a rather different year to come! 

My purpose in writing is two-fold. Firstly, I wanted to introduce myself as 

your relatively new neighbour. My family and I moved into the Headmaster’s 

house last August, having taken the reins from Jesse Elzinga who is now in 

Sevenoaks. Busy terms and lockdown are not the ideal means to get to know 

others living close by, but I look forward to meeting many of you in the weeks 

and months ahead. 

To be honest, any of you who are on Sonning Buzz might already be 

aware of our slightly adventurous black lab, Arthur, who has been known to 

wander to the far corners of the village with members of the Thomas family 

in hot pursuit, thanks to Sonning Buzz leads. If you have provided particular 

sightings, thank you! 

CELEBRATIONS 

Andrew Wilbey 

I also wanted to flag up our planned end of year celebrations for the last 

week of term. As you might know, the School’s Prize Giving moved online last 

summer, so we are delighted that as restrictions ease we will be able to increase 

the number of people who can safely gather on the school site for events. 

Two of note in our final week are: ‘Swing into Summertime’ on Tuesday 29 

June, which is an evening of music with various groups and styles represented. 

This will be held on Way Hall Field in front of the main School House until 

about 10pm. I very much hope that any sound that you hear will be pleasant! 

The second event is on Saturday 3 July when we will have various leavers’ 

celebrations during the day, culminating in a leaver's party beginning at 

7.30pm, to be held on Back Lawn. In previous years this has been the ‘Summer 

Ball’, but restrictions at the time of planning (and committing resources!) 

means this is not possible. What we are able to do is have some music and 

we have arranged for a band to perform a number of cover songs during the 

evening. They have been superb in previous years but I am sure that they will 

also be audible to our near neighbours who, I appreciate, might not necessarily 

agree! The evening is due to conclude with a 5 minute fireworks display starting 

at approximately 10.15pm, and all guests should have left the school site by 

10.45pm. 

I very much hope that any disruption to the evenings of 29 June and 3 July 

will be minimal for you, but also that any sound might also be quite enjoyable 

and a hopeful reminder that we are starting to breathe again! 

If you have any questions, please get in touch on hm@rbcs.org.uk and I look 

forward to meeting you in due course. 

Yours 

Pete Thomas 


Toys and Teens 

charity wins 

Queen's Award 

Reading Family Aid has won the 

highest award a voluntary group 

can receive in the UK — The Queen’s 

Award for Voluntary Service. 

The award was created in 2002 to 

celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee 

and recognises the outstanding work 

done by volunteer groups for the 

benefit of their local communities. 

Reading Family Aid started 

in the 1950's when they helped a 

handful of families. The first outing 

recorded costs of just £10. It became 

a registered charity in 1993 and 

recently has been helping up to 1,000 

families each year. 

Despite the challenges of Covid, 

Reading Family Aid was still able 

to provide over 1,400 children with 

gifts at Christmas and the charity's 

generous supporters helped raise 

over £33,000. 

Garden party talks 

Details of Sonning and Sonning Eye 

Society's summer garden party being 

held on 8 August can be found on its 

website. 

Following Simon Wenham's talk 

on 25 June in Pearson Hall about the 

pursuit of pleasure on the Thames, 

the society will be holding two more 

in the coming months: Owen Green 

the map maker on 10 September and 

John Painter, Reading Abbey, on 5 

October. 

For tickets or reservations contact 

Penny Feathers on 0118 934 3193 or 

penny.feathers@btinternet.com 

FoStAC garden party 

Friends of St Andrew’s Church 

Sonning (FoStAC) invites readers 

to its garden party on Monday 30 

August from 3-5.30pm in Allan and 

Wendy Williams' garden at 8 West 

Drive, Sonning. 

Entrance is by ticket which can be 

obtained at £15 from Bob Hine 0118 

969 8653, Sally Wilson 0118 979 3328, 

or Keith Nichols 0118 969 4628.



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around the villages — 2 

Dunsden Village Hall seeks another part-time trustee 

The Dunsden Village Hall Board of Trustees is seeking a new voluntary 

member to help manage the historic Victorian building that originally served 

as the village school. The hall is close to the village green and community 

orchard and consists of two bright halls, a garden with a terrace and a field 

for outdoor events. The centre is a registered charity run by two paid parttime 

staff under the direction of the voluntary trustees. 

Dunsden Village Hall has it roots in 

a long history of local community 

service which began in 1829 when 

Dunsden’s first school, which was part 

of Sonning School, opened in a cottage 

in Tagg Lane. It had 30 pupils. 

When All Saints Church, Dunsden 

was consecrated in 1843, it became 

obvious that there was a need to 

provide proper education facilities in 

the parish, hence the school building 

which today is used as the village hall. 

TWO HALLS 

Much of the funding was provided 

by the Palmer family of Holme Park, 

Sonning — part of the building today 

is called the Palmer Room which was 

first used as a Sunday School on 20 

December 1846. 

By 1869 the school had grown and 

the main hall, was added. 

After a chequered history recorded 

in A short history of Eye & Dunsden 

Village Hall and which is based on Brian 

Law’s Eye & Dunsden Two Centuries of 

Change, published in 2001, the school 

was closed in 1977. 

Subsequently, Eye & Dunsden 

Parish Council bought it for £8,000 

and refurbished the near derelict hall 

at a cost of £30,000. 

COMMUNITY 

A separate charitable trust was 

set up with the objectives of being: 

‘for the use of the inhabitants within the 

present boundaries of the said Parish of 

Eye and Dunsden in the County of Oxford 

without distinction of political religious or 

other opinions including use for meetings 

lectures and classes and for other forms 

of recreation and leisure time occupation 

with the object of improving the 

conditions of life for the said inhabitants’ 

The community contributed 

generously to a fundraising campaign, 

many of them by buying tiles for 

the new roof which still bear their 

signatures. After much refurbishment 

the Parish of Eye & Dunsden proudly 

opened its first Village Hall in 1980. 

COMMITMENT 

In 1987 the Robert Phillimore 

family generously gave to the parish 

council a field by the hall which is used 

for village fetes and outdoor events. 

Today the hall is used regularly 

by clubs and groups and the entire 

building and grounds are popular for 

weddings and community functions, 

live music and entertainment. 

Anyone with commitment and 

enthusiasm is welcome to apply for the 

voluntary trustee post, especially if 

you have experience of: 

— Events promotion and management 

— Fundraising and grant applications 

— Personnel management and 

compliance issues 

— Property and asset management 

— Online promotion including 

websites and social media 

INFORMAL CHAT 

If you would like an informal 

chat about the roles available, how 

to apply for the trustees position, 

or for more information about 

Dunsden Village Hall, contact David 

Woodward: 

chairman@eyedunsden.org 

http://www.dunsdenvillagehall.co.uk



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HEALTH — 1 

Dr Simon Ruffle grasps the nettle . . . of dying 

One of the most controversial subjects to discuss in any 

community is how people die. It is the inevitable and an 

unescapable end of life, as much as birth is the beginning. 

Too long, as a nation, we have filed the discussion in the ‘to 

do’ cabinet. 

Rarely in discussing other issues do we ignore the full scope 

of an argument. 60% of people in the UK have no will when 

they die.1 

Compare our attitude to South America. Día de Muertos 

(day of the dead) is celebrated. Anyone watching James 

Bond Spectre (2015)2 could not fail to see the scale of the 

celebrations of the dead that coincides with All Saints and All 

Souls days — the first two days of November. 

Depending on which surveys you read between 70% 

and 80% of the public are in favour of assisted dying, yet 

parliament allows a free vote on this subject, leaving it to 

the individual MP. This is not an easy decision for anyone 

to contemplate making; and I doubt any MP wishes to go 

against their constituents' wishes. Strangely, we can have a 

referendum to decide to choose our European status but not 

on our own choices about our lives. 

The issue is so personal to everyone and many different 

influencing factors lead a person to their own decision. I 

doubt I could list everything but personal experience, legal, 

professional, religious and societal factors are some of these. 

TERMINOLOGY 

However, I am not certain that everyone is aware of the 

terminology used. While researching this topic, I found that 

the House of Lords voted against changing the Assisted 

Dying Bill to have the title Assisted Suicide. 

Wanting to die and wanting to determine your death are 

two totally different issues. Choosing a method to die when 

your life expectancy is determined does not mean someone 

is actively suicidal. The definition of suicide does not help. 

Intentionally taking action to end your life is suicide. A lot of 

suicidal attempts are not intentional. The person often lacks 

the capacity to make a rational decision due to the 

effects of drugs, alcohol, financial issues and mental 

health problems. This problem gets projected onto 

someone who wishes to choose when and how to die 

when they have been given a terminal diagnosis, even 

if not a totally determinable time to live. 

Euthanasia is a step beyond this. This is someone 

else ending your life. 

In some countries and USA states, notably 

Oregon, the term favoured is physician assisted 

suicide. Only 0.4% of deaths in Oregon, USA are 

from assisted dying. It was legalised and since 

then hospice use has increased and the numbers 

using the legislation remains small, but the 

fear, anxiety and pain scores associated 

with dying have decreased. 

The figures from Oregon also show that the 

slippery slope and exploitation arguments are not 

valid. Louis Theroux made a hard watching but 

sympathetic documentary on this.4 

The religious argument is out of my remit as are the 

legal aspects and the argument that we have to extend the 

protection of the law to those who are dying is irrefutable, 

but it is parliament that chooses legislation. 

Among the medical profession surveyed in 2020,3 50% 

believed there should be a change in the law. 39% were 

opposed to physician assisted dying but only 36% of doctors 

were prepared to be involved, 45% would not participate and 

11% were undecided. This poses really thorny questions — 

Who is going to prescribe medicines to take a life? Who is 

capable of deciding whether a terminal illness is correct, or 

the patient has capacity and is not being coerced? 

When I was at medical school palliative care education 

was pretty pathetic, fuelling the belief that if something can 

be done it must be done. Palliative care services were seen as 

a Cinderella service — neglected, underfunded, and poor. 

QUALITY OF LIFE 

In the last few years palliative care services have 

improved. This is mainly through the use of the third sectorcharity. 

Research into palliation has increased. 

Receiving palliative care is not an immediate sentence of 

death. It is an acknowledgment that the disease process has 

a life limiting aspect to it, but it doesn’t just mean length of 

life. Palliation is the treatment of symptoms that remove 

quality of life. 

It is time that this Cinderella service got it’s happy ending 

(no pun intended) and is elevated to its rightful position and 

funding. 

Patient choice has been high on the health services 

agenda for many years now but sometimes it’s a choice 

between a kilo of mud and 2.2lb of mud, no real choice. I 

mention this because a huge question for me is if palliative 

care services were of ‘gold standard’ would people want to 

choose differently? 

At the moment we have the unacceptable legal/moral 

position of ‘turning a blind eye’ to those who assist 

someone to travel to a foreign country with the sole 

purpose of dying. It is a criminal act whereas 

suicide was decriminalised in 1961. Doctors in our 

country are not allowed to aid dying or provide 

material or information that may lead to it. They 

face prison and their licence to practice to be 

removed. We cannot provide an opinion on whether 

someone is capable of making the decision. 

People in their most needed time of life are faced with so 

many decisions. Palliative care and assisted dying 

are not binary choices and correctly used, 

together, could offer peace at the end of life; a 

choice. 

Even with the best care and the support 

and love of family, friends and the community 

around them, some people suffer in their final 

days and there are alternatives to being rendered 

confused and sedated, which just prolongs the 

inevitable decline and death. 

I hope I haven’t offended or hurt anyone by 

discussing this topic and indeed hope that some 

may take comfort in knowing that with correct help 

the end of life can be well managed; but that needs 

not only the medical profession but all of society, 

turn to page 33



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HOME & GARDEN 

In the garden 


Recipe of the month 

Basil Pesto and Fig Tart 

Ivy on your house is not 

really bad after all — RHS 

In an effort to restore ivy's reputation, the Royal 

Horticultural Society (RHS) is showcasing the species 

at its flagship garden in Wisley, Surrey. It hopes to set 

a new trend, and to get people to stop seeing ivy as ‘the 

enemy.’ 

RHS experts from Reading University and Wisley have 

concluded that ivy is not such a bad thing for growing up 

verticals walls as previously thought. They say that ivy is 

a ‘super plant’ that not only has insulating benefits, but is 

good for the environment, offering habitats for a variety 

of wildlife, as well as being a food source for birds and 

pollinators during months of the year when there is very 

little else for them to eat. 

ECO-FRIENDLY 

Kouklabazar, dreamstime.com 

In its new Centre for Horticultural Science and 

Learning at its flagship RHS Garden Wisley, you can now 

see 390 varieties of ivy, with a vast array of leaf shapes, 

sizes and colours. 'We want people to see that ivy can 

be an attractive and even eco-friendly addition to your 

home.' RHS said. 

The study looked at the impact of three plant species 

(Hedera helix – common ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata 

– Boston ivy, and Pileostegia viburnoides – climbing 

hydrangea) on temperature and humidity when grown as 

building cover in the summer and winter. 

All the plants reduced the air temperature internally 

and externally during the summer daytime by at least 

1o⁰C compared to bare ‘buildings’. 

COOLER AND LESS HUMID 

The evidence showed that the best plant for summer 

cooling was provided by ivy. It was able to reduce the 

internal and external wall temperature by 7.2⁰C and 5.7⁰C 

respectively. Not only did ivy provide the best summer 

cooling for buildings, but it also demonstrated the 

greatest summer reduction in daily variation of relative 

humidity (RH). 

During warm winter afternoons, RH was 5.7% lower 

inside ivy-covered compared to bare ‘buildings’. This 

means that ivy covered walls would keep buildings less 

humid in winter months. 

For more information visit: http://www.rhs.org.uk 

With early figs in season this is a delicious recipe from the Good 

Housekeeping Cookery Team which can be served hot or cold, 

making it ideal for Picnic Month (see page 22) 

Ingredients (Four Servings) 

— 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry 

— 4 tbsp basil pesto 

— 3 fresh figs, each cut into six wedges (we defrosted some 

frozen figs from last year's autumn harvest and they 

worked well) 

— 75g (3oz) of Stilton cheese (or blue cheese) 

— Handful of rocket, or other dark green salad leaf, plus 

extra to serve 

Method 

Preheat oven to 200⁰C (180⁰C fan) gas mark 6. 

Unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet and score a border one 

inch in from the edge with a knife — don't cut right through 

the pastry. Prick the pastry well with a fork inside the 

border. Spread the pesto in an even layer inside the border, 

then scatter over the figs. Crumble the Stilton or blue cheese 

over the figs. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is risen 

and golden. Scatter rocket over and serve in quarters with 

extra rocket. 

HEALTH — 2 

from page 31 

Dr Simon Ruffle . . . 

religious and secular to be open and discuss this issue 

dispassionately and use the evidence that other nations 

have collected. Considering the decisions the government 

and parliament make everyday; inter alia go to war, tell the 

nation difficult facts, hide them, re-new nuclear weapons, 

fund or de-fund services, what to teach our young, I do not 

think we have ever been offered, via manifestos or otherwise 

a balanced, reasoned argument to discuss end of life matters. 

The death penalty however was legal for a few causes until 

1998 and debated in parliament every year until 1997 since 

the abolition of the penalty for murder in 1969. 

To explore this further from a doctor and son of a 

terminally ill person I recommend: Being Mortal, Illness 

medicine and what matters in the end by Atul Gawande. It is an 

uplifting read despite the subject material. 

Notes: 

1 https://www.co-oplegalservices.co.uk/media-centre/articlesmay-aug-2018/60-of-people-dont-have-a-will/ 

2 www.007.com 

3 https://www.bma.org.uk/media/3367/bma-physician-assisteddying-survey-report-oct-2020.pdf 

4 Altered States https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bshjrp



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It’s a new day at Sunrise 

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ADV_SON_0421_ParishMagazine_01.indd 1 27/04/2021 10:31

THE ARTS — 1 

Truth can come from a range of places. In Shakespeare, it’s the fool who often 

has the insight that the main characters lack. In the Old Testament, it’s the 

prophets that proclaim the truth from God’s perspective. 

Maybe today, we should be listening 

more to the comedians — to the 

people who stand back from our dayto-day 

happenings and see the world 

from different angles. They can make 

us laugh, but they can also teach us 

truths about ourselves that can be 

distinctly uncomfortable. 

Take the new book by comedian, 

and Catholic, Frank Skinner. It’s 

called A Comedian’s Prayer Book and is 

published by Hodder & Stoughton. 

The book runs to just over a 100 

pages, yet in this thin volume, Frank 

Skinner — who is very open about 

his devout Christian faith — poses 

serious questions for both believers 

and atheists. 

It’s far from being a comfortable 

read, though it never ceases to be 

amusing and thoughtful. 

Setting the scene for the book, 

Frank Skinner, an award-winning 

comedian, television and radio host, 

explains: 

'Imagine someone on a pilgrimage, 

stopping at churches, martyr-related 

tourist spots and sacred wells, while 

dressed in a medieval jester outfit. 

'The intention is serious and 

completely devout, but the pilgrim just 

feels more at home in the motley than in 


Comedy — the gift of seeing the world in another way 

By Rev Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest in St Albans, Herts, and a former 

communications director for the CofE 

THOUGHTFUL 

sackcloth and ashes. He feels jest is an 

integral part of who he is, and it seems 

wrong to deny that part.' 

Frank Skinner sees his role as 

a comic as integral to this faith, 

although some ‘fellow pilgrims’ may 

be uncomfortable with someone who 

seems to see humour all around him 

— and can easily make others laugh. 

Yet he raises deep issues in 

the chapters of this slim volume, 

including questions that will 

connect with people both within the 

Christian faith, and those standing 

outside. 

He describes his prayer life as 

'a telepathic dip into a long, ongoing 

conversation with thousands of tabs left 

open and no helpful ‘new readers start 

here’ summaries or simplifications for 

the neutral observer.' 

QUIRKY 

His ‘prayer book’ is on my 

bookshelf alongside '10 Second 

Sermons,’ (Darton, Longman & 

Todd) written by fellow comedian 

Milton Jones in 2011. 

Again, the comedian’s quirky 

view on life brings fresh insights and 

challenges. 

Milton Jones, a master of oneline 

jokes, describes gossip as 

'bullying people who are not there', lust 

Frank Skinner 

Milton Jones 



as 'rehearsing for a play in which you 

shouldn’t have a part' and salvation 

as 'like being returned to the factory 

settings — but you have to admit there 

is a factory, and that there could be 

some settings.' 

One of my favourites is Milton 

Jones’s description of the Holy Spirit 

as 'a real person you can invite in. But 

watch out – in time He will go over, pull 

the fridge from the wall and say ‘What’s 

all this mess under here?’ But at least 

He helps clear up.' 

Both Milton Jones and Frank 

Skinner are comedians of faith — 

comedic commentators with a gift of 

making us see the world with fresh 

insight. And, as importantly, making 

us laugh.

36 The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement

THE ARTS — 2 

Promise and fulfilment in 

the Peaceable Kingdom 

By Rev Michael Burgess 

When St Peter preached his first sermon on the day 

of Pentecost, he showed how the life, death and 

resurrection of Jesus had to be understood in the light of 

the Old Testament. 

The promise of the Old was granted fulfilment in 

the New. This is how we understand the unity of the 

two Testaments: the messianic hope in one finds full 

expression in the other. We read of the Suffering Servant 

in Isaiah and look to the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus. 

Earlier in that prophet we read of a wondrous Child 

who is granted the spirit of the Lord to bring Paradise 

once more to the world: 

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down 

with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, 

and a little child shall lead them….. 

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain: 

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord 

as the waters cover the sea.(Isaiah 11:6,9) 

That vision of peace and harmony inspired this 

month’s painting, The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward 

Hicks. 

INNOCENT AND FREE 

Edward Hicks was born in Pennsylvania in 1780 and 

worked as a carriage and sign maker. After a rebellious 

adolescence, he became a Quaker, living as a preacher and 

minister before taking up his brushes. 

His fellow Quakers were uneasy with this pursuit of 

such a worldly profession, and so Edward Hicks tried his 

hand at farming. His efforts proved unsuccessful, and he 

returned to painting, creating a whole series of canvases 

on this single theme. He painted almost a hundred 

versions of the Peaceable Kingdom of which over 60 still 

exist. The one illustrated above is from 1834. 

The foreground is occupied by not just one child, but 

several. They are innocent and free, playing with the 

animals around — lion, tiger, leopard, bear, wolf, cow and 

lamb. 

VISION OF PEACE 

There is no sign of ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ here 

for all is peace and tranquillity. The bear and cow nudge 

each other in the bottom corner with no fear and no 

assertion of strength. 

That vision of peace is being realised in the distant 

scene, where we see William Penn and his fellow Quakers 

working on a treaty of co-existence with the Indians. The 

animals in the foreground symbolise the human traits we 

see at work in the background: leadership and strength, 

sensitivity and gentleness. 

As he worked on later versions of this painting, Edward 

Hicks knew that such peace was not an easy and simple 

achievement. Arguments and misunderstandings divided 

his own flock, and as a result the animals he painted look 

tired and anxious with sad eyes and white whiskers. 


commons.wikimedia.org 

But here in 1834 there is a freshness and a promise 

of paradise restored. The cow and the calf, the bear and 

the bear cub, and the other animals are at one with the 

children playing. 

That harmony can be realised in human affairs also, 

the artist is saying. ‘Follow the Inner Light’ and Isaiah’s 

prophecy can be fulfilled in our world. It needs both 

the innocence and strength we see here; it needs action 

and waiting, it needs wisdom and gentleness as we take 

counsel one with another. 

Follow those qualities to be channels of God’s peace to 

make this world the Peaceable Kingdom. 

Book Reviews 

The Treasures of English History — witnesses to the 

history of a nation 

By Matthew Byrne, Shire Publications, 

supported by National Churches Trust, 

£17.00 

This will be a sheer delight for 

anyone who enjoys the magnificent 

artefacts to be found in metropolitan 

cathedrals and remote parish 

churches. The wide range of stunning 

photographs include 16th century 

carvings on the choir seats of a village church to iridescent 

stained glass windows commemorating the Second World 

War, to ultra-modern art in Liverpool cathedral. These 

artistic treasures trace the changing attitudes towards 

theology, politics and social life of Britain. 

The Lion Storyteller Book of Family Values 

By Bob Hartman and Krisztina Kallai Nagy, Lion Children’s 

Books, £14.99 

Here is a practical way of considering 

the moral, spiritual, and cultural 

values that shape our lives and society. 

It would be helpful for use within 

children’s church groups and schools. 

The book uses a number of engaging 

stories to encourage children to think 

and make connections within their 

own lives.


the ARTS — 3 

Poetry Corner 

the sciences 

Exploring big questions 

Sunlight on St Patrick's Stream 

Rambling Reflections 

By Steven Rolling 

Tune: Lasst Uns Erfreuen – ‘All creatures of our God and King’ 

Saint Patrick’s Stream your waters gleam 

Reflecting of the sun’s bright beam 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

And River Thames here flowing by 

Your peaceful waters they are nigh 

Drink Water of Life and ne’er die 

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! 

Farmlands surround, you cows and sheep 

Farmers them diligently keep 

Geese come to join, fly down from sky 

Or travel from water-side nigh 

Resting in green pastures you lie 


On through permitted paths we tread 

Following signposts we are led 


Not to trespass on private ground 

For there no rambles should be found 

Nor the tread of runners feet sound 


O’er open countryside we roam 

Till making our way back to home 


If haply we enjoy bright days 

As we progress along our ways 

God has made us, creation says 


You crows, magpies, swans, birds many 

Fields for you where you may come, see 


Or perching on telegraph wires 

Your flight wish for freedom inspire 

In us, in our human desires 


Stop for moments, see hill and dale 

Gather memory of country tale 


Back to town, roads we may need go 

Everyday life makes it so 

Yet times of leisure too we know 


Andrew Smith, wikimedia 

parish pump/pixabay 

By Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, church engagement director at The 

Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge. 

It is important to have debates about science and Christian 

faith and to dig into the hot topics, but we can’t exist solely 

on a diet of controversy. I find it helpful, at times, to simply 

enjoy the wonders revealed by science and the big questions 

they raise about meaning and purpose. 

What’s the universe for? What do you do with your feelings 

of awe and wonder? Where do we get our sense of the value 

of the living world from? 

I had the privilege of meeting a group of Christian 

scientists and theologians who shared thoughts about 

these big questions, and will share some of their thoughts 

here. 

The Oxford-based theologian Alister McGrath shared 

that 'science is wonderful at asking questions. Some of those 

questions can be answered, but very often when you answer 

them, they simply open up yet more questions. But of course, 

there are some more fundamental questions I think science 

simply cannot answer … questions like, Why am I here?' 

COMPATIBLE WITH GOD 

Rhoda Hawkins, a physicist at Sheffield University, has 

had a similar experience. “I never cease to be amazed at 

quite how impressive the world is, and how impressive the 

mechanisms are for how things work ... It really is beautiful 

in many ways, and it leads me to think about God. I’m not 

saying that I have any proof, but I’m saying that by looking at 

the world around me, it tells me more about God and it leads 

me to worship him.” 

Another scientist who appreciates beauty is Jeff Hardin, 

who explained that 'studying the wonders of the living world 

is an exercise in art appreciation. For me, God is the creator 

of everything … so the joy of discovery is also the joy of 

appreciating the world that God has made…and leads me to 

thank God for the amazing world that we have to enjoy and 

to explore.' 

I will close with some words from Jeff Schloss, who – like 

the others quoted above – finds that Christian faith makes 

science more satisfying for him. 'Once I became a Christian 

… I had the sense that I was studying the marvels of the 

natural world, which are marvellous in their own right but 

become more profoundly engaging and enticing when one 

thinks that you’re studying the works of God.' 

Perhaps if we can spend more time listening to people 

like this, our discussions about science and faith will also be 

richer and deeper. 

Video quotes on: http://www.wondersofthelivingworld.org

CROSSWORD 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

8 

7 

9 10 

11 12 13 

14 

15 16 17 18 19 

21 22 

24 

Across 

Across 

1 Spout (6) 

7 Bogs or marshes (8) 

8 Annoy constantly (3) 

9 Group of 12 constellations (6) 

10 Capture a piece in chess (4) 

11 Church instrument (5) 

13 Highest singing voice (7) 

15 Confused struggle (7) 

17 Skin on top of the head (5) 

21 List of food items available (4) 

22 Tithes (anag) (6) 

23 Very cold; slippery (3) 

24 People who consume 

a particular beverage (8) 

25 Gained deservedly (6) 

1 - Spout (6) 

7 - Bogs or marshes (8) 

8 - Annoy constantly (3) 

9 - Group of 12 constellations (6) 

10 - Capture a piece in chess (4) 

11 - Church instrument (5) 

13 - Highest singing voice (7) 

15 - Confused struggle (7) 

17 - Skin on top of the head (5) 

21 - List of food items available (4) 

22 - Tithes (anag) (6) 

23 - Very cold; slippery (3) 

24 - People who consume a particular beverage (8) 

CODEWORD 

25 - Gained deservedly (6) 

1 21 11 20 23 14 26 8 7 14 23 

20 

25 

23 

2 - Move with short sharp turns (6) 

19 Made a victim 

16 - Happy 

of 

(6) 

(6) 

18 - Something done (6) 

19 - Made a victim of (6) 

20 - Compact (5) 

3 8 7 2 1 2 3 

2 15 5 8 18 12 23 16 8 1 

23 16 2 18 8 10 8 1 18 

4 24 1 20 23 4 6 8 21 

22 2 15 8 18 7 8 21 4 

7 8 21 18 12 2 

1 2 19 19 8 18 4 7 22 

14 9 4 18 24 24 4 15 18 

2 26 4 8 23 14 2 26 1 

18 4 1 7 8 17 20 23 20 16 

13 22 25 8 20 1 5 

3 2 7 23 4 23 14 8 7 3 13 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 

G S L 

SUDOKU 

Each of the nine blocks has to contain all the 

numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number 

can only appear once in a row, column or box. 

WORDSEARCH 


PUZZLE PAGE — the answers will be published in the next issue 

Down 

Down 

1 - Papal (6) 

1 Papal representative (6) 

2 Move with short sharp turns (6) 

3 Electronic 3 - Electronic message message (5) (5) 

4 Farm vehicle (7) 

4 - Farm vehicle (7) 

5 Recondite (8) 

6 Calculate 

5 -(6) 

Recondite (8) 

12 Wealthy 6 (8) - Calculate (6) 

14 Rattling 

12 

noise 

- Wealthy 

(7) 

(8) 

16 Happy (6) 

14 - Rattling noise (7) 

18 Something done (6) 

20 Compact (5) 

Search for 25 words hidden in the grid above 

that are from the story below ... 

Doubting Thomas 

If you have ever doubted aspects of your 

Christian faith, St Thomas is the saint for you. 

His feast day is on 3rd July. Thomas, one of 

Jesus’ 12 disciples, was deeply devoted, but also 

very honest whenever he got confused. When 

Jesus spoke of going to his Father (John 14), 

Thomas was not afraid to ask Him where His 

Father was. As for the Resurrection, that really 

baffled Thomas. He demanded to see the risen 

Jesus for himself - and touch the wounds in His 

hands and feet. When Jesus appeared, Thomas’ 

immediate response was one of worship: 'My 

Lord and my God' (John 20). Thus, Doubting 

Thomas’ honest doubts, turned to honest faith, 

have become a reassurance for thousands of 

us down the centuries who also sometimes 

doubt Jesus. In Doubting Thomas’ complete 

affirmation of faith, after meeting the risen, 

crucified Christ, we can find support for our own 

faith in Him. 

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURING VILLAGES QUIZ? 

1. Which village do you associate with 'Moley and Ratty'? 

2. Which village do you associate with 'Tom Brown'? 

3. In which village within 4 miles of Sonning was there once a silk mill? 

4. Which village is reputed to be haunted by a 'White Dog of Teens'? 

5. Which village church was burnt down on Whit Sunday? 

6. Which village do you associate with the picture of The Last Supper? 

7. Which village during the Civil War had its castle besieged by General Daldier? 

8. Which village do you associate with the red cottage of the lieutenant? 

Last Month's 

Solutions 

CROSSWORD 

S A P S C O N F U S E D 

T L U U L I R 

A G A I N S T Y E M E N 

C I S R O P O 

C O N S E Q U E N T L Y 

A A N T E M 

T H R U S T C H A R G E 

O H O O E A 

C O U N T R Y W O M A N 

S M A I A E I 

K E B A B G A L L E O N 

E U L I L T G 

W E S T E R N S A S K S 

CODEWORD 

M E D I A A I R L E S S 

E E P E E Q 

Z E P R D A T U M 

Z E P P E L I N G I 

A E A A J U M B O 

N O S T R I L S E L 

I T S A V I 

N S E D I F Y I N G 

E P I C S O F N A 

L U D O M I N E E R 

W A I L S M X G C 

I P E E A H 

K N I T T E D D E R B Y 

SUDOKU 

WORDSEARCH ST ALBAN 

NEIGHBOURS QUIZ 

1. The Vicar of Bray 

2. Conway Bridge on the 

Wargrave to Henley road 

3. In 1822 at 72 London 

Road, Reading 

4. A hurricane swept through 

southern England 

5. Finchampstead Ridges or 

Dogmersfield, Hants 

6. Calcot 

7. Summer is a-coming in 

8. Pennsylvania - the 

Quaker founder, William 

Penn lived in Ruscombe


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PAINTER and DECORATOR 

Roger McGrath has 25 years experience 

Restoration painting work of any size undertaken 

For a free quotation call 

Roger 0742 332 1179

CHILDREN'S PAGE 

The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 41

42 The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 Please mention The Parish Magazine when replying to advertisements 

information — 2 

Parish contacts 

Ministry Team 

— The Vicar: Revd Jamie Taylor* 

The Parish Office, Thames Street, Sonning, RG4 6UR 

vicar@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

*Day off Friday 

— Associate Vicar: Revd Kate Wakeman-Toogood 

revkate@sonningparish.org.uk / 0746 380 6735 

On duty Tuesday, Friday and Sunday 

— Youth Minister: Chris West (Westy) 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk / 0794 622 4106 

— Licensed Lay Minister: Bob Peters 

bob@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 377 5887 

Children's Ministry 

— Alison Smyly office@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

Churchwardens 

— Perry Mills perry@oaktreeoffice.com / 0786 035 5457 

— Stuart Bowman sdbowman73@aol.com / 0118 978 8414 

Deputy Churchwardens 

— Liz Nelson liz.nelson1@ntlworld.com / 0118 934 4837 

— Simon Darvall sdarvall@businessmoves.com 0793 928 2535 

— Sue Peters mail@susanjpeters.com / 0118 377 5887 

— Molly Woodley (deputy churchwarden emeritus) 

mollywoodley@live.co.uk / 0118 946 3667 

Parish Administrator 

— Hilary Rennie 

office@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

Parochial Church Council 

— Secretary: Hilary Rennie 0118 969 3298 

— Treasurer: Richard Moore 0118 969 2588 

Director of Music, organist and choirmaster 

— Chris Goodwin MA (Cantab), ARCO (CHM), ARCM, LRAM 

music@sonningparish.org.uk 

Sacristan 

— Helen Goodwin 0134 462 7697 

Parish Website: http://www.sonningparish.org.uk 

The Parish Magazine: http://www.theparishmagazine.co.uk 

— Editor: Bob Peters 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 377 5887 

— Advertising and Distribution: Gordon Nutbrown 

advertising@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 969 3282 

— Treasurer: Pat Livesey 

pat.livesey@yahoo.co.uk / 0118 961 8017 

— The Parish Magazine is produced by St Andrew’s PCC and delivered 

free of charge to every home in Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye. 

— The Parish Magazine is printed in the United Kingdom by The Print 

Factory at Sarum Graphics Ltd, Old Sarum, Salisbury SP4 6QX 

— The Parish Magazine is distributed by Abracadabra Leaflet 

Distribution Ltd, Reading RG7 1AW 

— The Parish Magazine template was designed in 2012 by Roger 

Swindale rogerswindale@hotmail.co.uk and David Woodward 

david@designforprint.org 

Advertisers index 

ABD Construction 10 

ACG Services Locksmith 40 

ADD Plumbing 12 

AJH Roofing 40 

All Aerials Sonning 40 

All Waste Clearance 34 

Barn Store Henley 16 

Beechwood Carpentry and Construction 40 

Big Heart Tree Care 40 

Blandy & Blandy Solicitors 14 

Blinds Direct 26 

Blue Moose 8 

Bridge House 43 

Bridges Home Care 14 

Bright and Fresh Cleaning 26 

Bull Inn 8 

Carer Companion 40 

Chimney Sweep, Thames 40 

Chiropody, Linda Frewin 40 

Chris the Plumber 32 

Clark Bicknell 40 

Complete Pest Solutions 16 

Computer Frustrations 40 

Cruz Kitchens 34 

DAC Mobility Services 34 

David Shailes Plumbing & Decorating 26 

Design for Print 28 

Freebody Boatbuilders 6 

Fields Pharmacy 32 

French Horn 44 

Gardiners Nursing 8 

Graham Blake Soft Furnishing 6 

Great House Sonning 26 

Handyman, Decorating 40 

Haslams Estate Agents 2 

Hicks Group 16 

Intersmart Electrical Installations 40 

James Autos 40 

Jones & Sheppard Stone Masons 16 

Just Brickwork 20 

Kingfisher Bathrooms 18 

MC Cleaning 40 

Mill at Sonning 4 

M & L Healthcare Solutions 12 

Mortgage Required 18 

Muck & Mulch 28 

Newgate Car Finance 20 

Odd Jobs 40 

Painter and Decorator 40 

Pearson Hall Sonning 30 

Pennymatters Finance Advice 10 

Q1 Care 30 

Reading Blue Coat School 18 

Richfield Flooring 14 

Sabella Interiors 36 

Shiplake College 20 

Signature Cliveden Manor Care Home 28 

Sonning Golf Club 32 

Sonning Scouts Marquees 32 

Smallwood Garden Services 40 

Style by Julie 10 

Sunrise of Sonning Senior Living 34 

Thames Valley Water Softeners 10 

Thames Valley Wills Service 40 

Tomalin Funerals 30 

Velvaere Studio 6 

Village Hamper 20 

Walker Funerals 12 

Water Softener Salt 28 

Window Cleaner 30

Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding this advertisement 


BRIDGE HOUSE 

of TWYFORD 

Because you deserve 

the very best 

Welcome to Bridge House Nursing Home 

Established for 35 years, the elegant Georgian Grade II listed Bridge House has extended its facilities to 

include a beautiful, light-filled and airy purpose built nursing home. 

Our philosophy is built upon helping residents maintain their independence and dignity, whilst ensuring 

their needs and expectations are fully met. We believe that being independent means having the freedom 

of choice and flexibility over how the day is spent. Working closely with families and professionals 

is fundamental in delivering and maintaining the required level of health and wellbeing. 

At Bridge House, our comprehensive facilities and care provision is designed to deliver skilled, 

professional and individually planned care in an unobtrusive manner. 

Call 0800 230 0206 

Visit www.bridgehouseoftwyford.co.uk 

INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • NURSING HOME 

190821 - Bridge House Ad Parish Mag v01.indd 1 21/08/2019 18:06

44 The Parish Magazine - July/August Please mention 2021 The Parish Magazine when responding this advertisement 

The French Horn, 

Sonning. Quality. 

A continuing commitment to 

wonderful food and wine. 

0118 969 2204 

www.thefrenchhorn.co.uk

The Parish Magazine July and August 2021

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