The Parish Magazine January 2023

from page 23
feature — 4
Monkey Puzzle
tree favourite
The Parish Magazine - January 2023 25
around the villages — 1
Male fruit
British Embassy to Chile in Santiago
to discuss the Monkey Puzzle tree’s
plight.
Since the Chilean Monkey
Puzzle tree is a protected tree but
not its environment, a consortium
including the International Conifer
Conservation Programme (ICCP)
based at the Royal Botanic Gardens
Edinburgh (RGBE) have acquired 323
hectares of land to comprise the new
Nasampulli Reserve.
It is hoped that this reserve, after
further acquisitions, will form a
corridor between existing national
parks and reserves for the Andean
population of trees.
Closer to home, we saw many
young Monkey Puzzle trees
planted close to Holyrood Palace
in Edinburgh two summers ago
as part of the RBGE conservation
programme efforts in this country.
Marija Gajic, dreamstime.com
Magnus Smyly
Sonning Art Group members have been looking back over their very enjoyable
and successful year during which they produced many high quality pictures,
some of which, we have been pleased to publish. This fact was also reflected
in the favourable comments and a record number of sales of art at the
Scarecrow Trail and the Sonning Show.
Macmillan Coffee Morning in The Ark
A Macmillan fund raising coffee morning will follow the mid-week Communion
Service in The Ark on Wednesday 11 January, to which everyone is invited. It
will be from about 10.30am — the service starts at 10am and you are welcome
to join that as well. There will be coffee and cake, a bring and buy table, some
table games, and paintings and cards depicting local views.
For more information speak to Janet Robson on 0118 969 2253.
Charity rock, pop!
Over £2,200 was raised at a charity
music night on Saturday 29 November
in Pearson Hall for Alzheimer’s
Research UK and the Woodley Lunch
Bunch.
Since the first event, 6 years ago,
about £10,000 has now been raised —
that's despite covid cancelling the most
recent bookings.
The Walnuts played an eclectic
mix of music from pop, folk, Celtic
funk and cowboy traditions and were
supported by the Hagen Brothers, a trio
of brothers from Twyford.
SONNING SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
AMENDMENTS SEPTEMBER 2024
The Local Governing Body of Sonning
Church of England Primary School, as
the admission authority for the school,
is proposing to amend the admission
arrangements from September 2024
onwards. A consultation period to ensure
all views are heard on the proposed
changes is taking place from Thursday 8
December 2022 to Thursday 19 January
2023. For details on the changes go to the
admissions section on
https://www.sonning.wokingham.sch.uk
or contact the admissions compliance
officer, Louise Brown, 0118 969 3399, or
compliance@sonning.wokingham.sch.uk
to obtain a copy of the policy and a
letter explaining the changes and the
process. The school catchment area is
the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Andrew's
Church Sonning, Charvil and Sonning Eye.
2023 Projects
Charvil's Project Singers are working
on two main projects this year, the
first runs from January to March
and involves travel songs such as
Homeward bound, Already home, Skye
boat song, Route 66 and Beyond the
sea. The climax will be a concert at St
Mary's Church, Twyford on 25 March.
The second project runs from
May to December with a concert at
Norden Farm Centre for the Arts,
Maidenhead on 18 November. The
theme will be popular songs that
have stood the test of time and will
include What a wonderful world, Stand
by me, Unchained melody, You raise me
up and My heart will go on.
Female voices are invited to join
the projects — contact Suzanne
Newman on 0118 934 0589 or
suzanneynewman@btinternet.com
Make a New Year date
with Monday Club
Monday Club starts the New Year on
Monday 9 January in Pearson Hall at
2pm with a warm welcome, a cup of
tea, a piece of cake and lots of chat.
The following meetings will be 23
January; 6 and 20 February; and 6
and 20 March.