The Parish Magazine February 2024

The 

Parish 

Magazine 


Parish Te 

155 

The Parish Magazine 1869 - February 2024 1 

YEARS 

Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye 

2024 

The John King Trophy and Gold Award 

Best Magazine of the Year 2018 

National Parish Magazine Awards 

Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023 

Best Content 2016, 2021 

Best Editor 2019 

Best Print 2018 

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

February 2024 — Candlemas with Christingle 

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 - February 2024 

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




Parish Te 

The Parish Magazine 1869 - February 2024 1 

2024 

Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye 

The John King Trophy and Gold Award 

Best Magazine of the Year 2018 

National Parish Magazine Awards 

Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023 

Best Content 2016, 2021 

Best Editor 2019 

Best Print 2018 

information — 1 

Contents February 2024 

THE VICAR'S LETTER, 5 

THE PARISH NOTICEBOARD 

— I am a Christian, 7 

— February Prayers, 7 

— Transfiguration Sunday, 7 

— STAY, 8-9 

— Why am I a Christian, 11 

— Claude's view from the pew, 13 

— From the editor's desk, 13 

— Algerian persecutions, 15 

— India persecutions, 15 

— Saint Joseph, 17 

— From the Organ Bench, 19 

— War in Gaza, 19 

FEATURES 

— Candlemas and Christingle, 20-21 

— Bears, hedgehogs and birds, 23 

—around the villages 

— Santa in Berkshire, 24 

— Monday Club, 24 

— Sonning Gardens, 24 

— Rotary bumper year, 24 

— Sonning School Nativities, 25 

— Scarecrows 2024, 25 

— TRHA gardens, 25 

— Sonning floods, 27 

THE ARTS 

— Nunc Dimittis, 29 

— Poetry Corner, 30 

FASHION 

— St Valentine's Day, 31 

THE SCIENCES 

— Creation, 32 

This ISSUE's FRONT COVER 

The 

Parish 


February 2024 — Candlemas with Christingle 

155 

Christingle 

Image: PowerofFlowers, 

dreamstime.com 

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 March 

issue of The Parish Magazine is: 

Tuesday 6 February 

at 12 noon 

The Parish Magazine online 

The most recent issues can be viewed 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: 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk 

YEARS 

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF 

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY 

The Parish Magazine - February 2024 3 

Services at 

St Andrew’s 

Sunday 4 February 

— 8.00am Holy Communion 

— 10.30am Family Candlemas 

Service with Christingles 

— 4.00pm Choral Evensong 

followed by tea in the Ark 



— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with 

STAY and Sunday Club 

Ash Wednesday 14 February 

— 4.00pm Holy Communion with 

the optional imposition of ashes 



— 10.30am Family Communion 

— 3.00pm Messy Church 

—Sunday 25 February 


— 10.30pm Parish Eucharist with 

STAY and Sunday Club 

— 5.45pm Sunday at Six in The Ark 

OTHER REGULAR SERVICES 

Morning Prayer is held in church 

every Tuesday at 9.30am. 

Mid-week Communion in The Ark is 

held every Wednesday at 10.00am. Tea 

and coffee follows the service. 

Home Communion at Sonning 

Gardens Care Home is held on 

the first Monday of each month at 

11.00am. 

history, 32 

BOOK REVIEWS FOR LENT, 33 

PUZZLE PAGES, 34-35 

children's page, 37 

information 

— Church services, 3 

— From the registers, 3 

— Local Trades and Services, 36 

— Parish contacts, 38 

— Advertisers' index, 38 

From the Registers 

baptismS 

— Sunday 10 December: Bonnie-Mae Elsie Dovaston, Amy Nicole Salter, 

Leighton Connor Lee Saunders 

FUNERALS 

— Tuesday 19 December: Julie Digby, funeral service in St Andrew's Church

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The vicar's letter 

Dear Friends, 

I was a big fan of the American show ‘The A Team’ in the 1980s. The leading 

character ‘Hannibal’ had a catch phrase that has come back to me in recent 

months: 'I love it when a plan comes together'. For some years we have been 

planning the introduction of ‘choral scholars’ at St Andrew’s, and I am delighted 

to report that we now have three in place. These are talented young singers who, 

in return for a yearly payment, commit to being part of our choir thus giving 

greater confidence to the voluntary choir and enabling the expanse of their 

repertoire. 

Our director of music, Richard Meehan, has brought about this new 

development and I must say that it has already made a big difference to our 

growing junior and adult choirs. The musical offering at Christmas, most 

notably at the Nine Lessons and Carols, complete with a phalanx of young brass 

players, was breathtaking. Indeed, it felt like a completed aspiration as I have 

always striven to expand our ministry of music to that level of excellence. I am 

grateful to Richard and his two predecessors, Hannah Towndrow and Chris 

Goodwin, who have led us to this point. We are blessed indeed with the high 

standard of music in our church. Thanks be to God! 

One recent remarkable development in the parish has been the instigation 

of the ‘Alpha Course’, an informal series of Zoom sessions where people can 

explore more about the Christian faith in a relaxed and totally non-judgmental 

way. We have had over 50 undertake Alpha in the last few years, both adults 

and teenagers. They met together recently with the founder of Alpha, Rev 

Nicky Gumbel at The Ark and it has been wonderful to see how they have been 

encouraged and nurtured. At the time of writing another course is about to 

begin and I want to express my gratitude to all who have facilitated this. 

WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN 

On Sunday 18 February, the first Sunday of Lent, I shall vacate the pulpit for 

five Sundays and instead I have asked five members of the congregation to speak 

to the subject 'Why I am a Christian'. They are a varied group, at different stages 

of their Christian journey, and I believe this could be a helpful process for us 

all on our own journeys. We like to regard the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury, 

Lord Carey, as a sort of honorary parishioner, so I have asked him to conclude 

the series on Easter Day. 

One ‘behind the scenes’, yet significant development, has been our 

contribution to the Piggott and other schools with our youth minister, Westy, 

mentoring young people who are facing particular challenges. He spends two 

days a week on this task and I know how much he is appreciated by the senior 

leadership teams. Now that our new ‘female youth and families worker’, Corinne 

Robertson, has begun her work, we shall be able to add to our provision in these 

schools. 

An aspiration of our church council back in 2008 when advertising for a new 

vicar was to develop a youth ministry and to increase the number of families 

and young people in our congregation. I am delighted to report therefore that 

the National CofE attendance statistics for 2022 show that St Andrew’s is now 

in the 95th percentile for child attendance on an average Sunday, and this is 

out of 16,000 churches. Indeed, in all 11 categories of church attendance for 

2022, including average Sunday attendance of all ages, weddings, Easter and 

Christmas attendance, baptisms and confirmations, St Andrew’s is in the 95th 

percentile of churches nationally. We take nothing for granted and must always 

prayerfully strive to do better, but nonetheless, I feel we should give thanks to 

God for this good news. 

There is so much bad and depressing news around, and the Church of 

England’s leaders sometimes seem to have a special gift for creating their fair 

share of it! I just felt it might be helpful in a gloomy February to suggest that, 

at least locally, there are good and positive things happening in your local 

manifestation of the good old CofE. 

Warm wishes, Jamie

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the parish noticeboard — 1 


Transfiguration Sunday 11 February 

Nigel Beeton* writes: We have a window in St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds which 

depicts The Transfiguration, and I always find it really inspiring. The Transfiguration 

was a breathtaking moment, and we can scarcely imagine the impact it had on the 

watching Peter, James, and John . . . 

1. Reveal Thyself to me, 

Transfigured shining Son! 

Thy holy radiance may I see 

God’s own anointed one. 

2. The prophets there with thee 

What stories do they tell? 

What holy words of mystery? 

What glories do they spell? 

3. Then, God’s own mighty voice 

Rolling through shrouding cloud; 

Must make the hardest heart rejoice 

To hear him clear and loud: 

4. This, my beloved Son! 

Listen to what he says 

Know that he is the chosen one 

And follow him all thy days! 

February prayers 

— All who undertaking our 

Alpha Course 

— Peace and justice in the 

Holy Land 

— The persecuted church in 

Nigeria and all those 

murdered recently by 

Islamists 

— All who use the Woodley 

Food Bank 

*Nigel Beeton was until his recent retirement an NHS radiographer working at the 

West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds. He is also editor of ‘The View’, the parish 

magazine of St Mary with St Peter, Bury St Edmunds. To relax from these duties, 

he enjoys 'messing around with words', writing poetry ranging from the comic to the 

more reflective. 

Julia Sudnitskaya,dreamstime.com



St Andrew's Youth 

What a wonderful Christmas we had with the 

young people at St Andrew's in December. From 

the amazing music in the Christmas services and 

the STAY Christmas party, to the fun activities 

we had in the week leading up to Christmas Day. 

Here’s what we got up to in December… 

STAY for Christmas Activities 

During the first week of the school holidays 

Corinne, our new female youth and children's 

worker took on the task of organising a fun week 

of activities for the youth to enjoy. Needless to 

say, she did a fantastic job and the young people 

loved it! We took a group of us bowling, a group 

to Haahoos pottery painting in Twyford and a 

group met at the Ark to play a series of ‘A minute 

to win it’ games. There were prizes galore and a ton 

of laughter was had. Although I wasn’t laughing 

when using my nose to roll a sweet potato (Corinne 

called it a Yam!) I got a nose bleed! 

STAY on Sunday 

We only had one STAY on Sunday session in 

December because of all the Christmas services. 

We finished our theme of water throughout 

scripture and enjoyed a review of all that the Bible 

has to say about it. From the Spirit of God hovering 

over the waters in the beginning, to Moses being 

drawn out of the water as a baby, to Jesus walking 

on water and in Revelation where there will be a 

river of life in the world to come. Each week we 

tried to make sense of what these passages might 

say to us. From God always being with us from 

beginning to end, God draws us out of the water 

to stop us from drowning and other times he is in 

the water with us, to knowing that often before a 

blessing we may face hardships. 

STAY on Monday 

STAY is not just about games, 

sport and adventure, we also 

have some great artistic and 

handicraft talent! 

STAY on Friday 

Our weekly youth club for secondary aged young people 

continued in December with the final party on the 15th 

when we had pizzas, loads of yummy food, drinks and a 

bunch of party games we all played together. 

The new basketball hoop is proving very popular, since we 

asked the young people what suggestions they had to improve the 

youth club. 

We also continue to make lots of use of the spikeball game, pool table, 

table tennis table, cookie making in the kitchen, the nail bar, Xbox and PS5 

rooms and the various board games we have. 

Timings on Friday night are 6.45pm-8.15pm for all secondary aged youth, 

with the addition of the fourth Friday opening up to year 6 to aid with their 

transition to year 7. The next few Fridays where year 6 are also welcome are; 

23 February, 22 March, 26 April, 24 May, 28 June and 19 July because the 4th 

Friday in July is in the summer holidays. 

STAY on Monday met twice in December — one 

session with the STIR cards and the final session of 

2023 watching the Christmas movie Elf. 

The STIR cards week was about connecting with 

God through Adam and Eve. What was life like for 

them? How connected to God were they? How has 

that connection changed over time to our lives 

now? 

Two hands from the very famous painting by 

Michelangelo were used to create an image of how 

that connection has been broken through sin, 

corruption and greed. 

We ended by thinking about how we can 

reconnect those hands and how that might look for 

us?


STAY in Schools 

Throughout December we continued our regular 

schools' work through mentoring, assemblies, 

prayer meetings and various visits and carol 

services. We are hoping to grow 

the schools work with Corinne 

(right) joining the team and 

increasing our capacity to provide 

opportunities for people to 

connect with each other, 

with their school communities 

and with the Christian faith. 

Assemblies in December 

covered topics such as 

friendship linking to the 

theme of connecting, 

and Mary linking to 

the theme of women 

in the Bible. 

Reading Youth Workers 

Youth workers (above) across Reading meet every week to share 

ideas, support one another and pray. In December we went for a 

slap up breakfast to celebrate the year and as always there was a lot 

of love for each other as we looked forward to working hard over 

Christmas pointing young people to Jesus. 

email or text me for ideas, a chat or to 

encourage what we are doing 

Westy 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk 

0794 622 4106

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the church of st andrew, SERVING THE 

COMMUNITIES OF CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye 

the church of st andrew SERVING CHARVIL, 

SONNING & sonning eye since the 7 th century 

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COMMUNITIES OF CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye 



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10am Thank - 4pm you! every day


Why am I a Christian in Lent? 

During Lent, which begins on Ash 

Wednesday 14 February, we are 

called to take ourselves out of the 

comfortable zones we live in and 

experience discomfort to enable us 

to grow closer to God. 

A good Biblical example can be found 

in the Book of Job, written 500-600 

years before Christ. 

Job enjoyed a very comfortable 

life for his time. He lived according 

to the ways of God and was 

subsequently blessed because of his 

righteousness. 

He enjoyed good health, had a 

large happy family, and was one of 

the wealthiest men on earth with 

lots of land, huge herds of different 

animals, plentiful crops, and many 

willing servants. 

GOD-FEARING 

However, suddenly, all this 

is taken away from him, and he 

experiences the most uncomfortable 

life imaginable. 

Job, then gets advice from his 

close friends who, like him, were 

God-fearing people. It’s not a 

comfortable story to read, which 

makes it ideal for Lent because it can 

take you out your comfort zone. 

His agony and lack of comforting 

words from his, at times, nonsympathetic 

friends, leads Job to 

seek help from God. 

AN ARBITRATOR 

Today, we are more fortunate than 

Job because we have an arbitrator 

to seek help from, to comfort us and 

guide us through life. In fact, we 

don’t have one, but two, Jesus and 

the Holy Spirit, who are one with 

God. 

But, even so, as followers of Jesus, 

we need to understand that our 

lives are not necessarily going to be 

comfortable all the time. 

Like Job we have to learn to take 

the rough with the smooth because it 

is through the bad times that we can 

recognise the joy of the good times. 

POSSESSING 

In his second letter to the 

Christians in Corinth, Paul tells 

us that we have to expect, as he 

did, to face hardships so that we 

can appreciate the joyful times – 

‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, 

poor yet making many rich, 

having nothing and yet possessing 

everything.’ 

The possessions that Paul refers 

to are not the worldly possessions we 

associate with Job, but the heavenly 

possessions that we can read about 

in Matthew’s gospel: 

‘Do not store up for yourselves 

treasures on earth, where moths and 

vermin destroy, and where thieves break 

in and steal. But store up for yourselves 

treasures in heaven, where moths 

and vermin do not destroy, and where 

thieves do not break in and steal. For 

where your treasure is, there your heart 

will be also’. 

This Lent, try not to do only those 

things designed to comfort you 


Jorisvo, dreamstime.com 

personally, such as changing your 

diet or taking more exercise, but 

seek to store up treasure in heaven 

by doing some of those things that 

make you feel uncomfortable but 

that will bring joy to others. 

LET JOB HELP 

If you need help in choosing 

what your Lenten task might be, 

try reading those parts of the Bible, 

such as Job, that you avoid because 

you think they will make you 

feel uncomfortable, you might be 

surprised how comforting that can 

be in the long run. 

This year Lent begins on 

Wednesday 14 February and ends 

on Thursday 28 March. It does not 

include Sundays. This year at St 

Andrew's on a Sunday during the 

10.30am service different members 

of the congregation will speak on the 

subject: why I am a Christian.


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Claude's 

view 

from 

the 

pew 

February has always been a special month for me as both 

Barbara (my late wife) and I celebrated our birthdays just 

two weeks apart, so we would always spoil ourselves at this 

time with a special meal out with our family. 

This year, I reach my 90th birthday on 3rd February and 

arrangements are in place to continue these celebrations 

with all my Grandchildren visiting from around the country 

to join me. 

These preparations brought back thoughts of celebrations 

from years gone by. However, growing up during the war 

meant that we didn't have much to celebrate and there seems 

to be a void in my memory of birthday parties during my 

childhood. I can only assume that children's parties did not 

happen due to the constraints of the war years. I do, however, 

remember having a cake with candles. I think the parties 

were saved up for Victory in Europe street parties, of which I 

have fond memories. 

Twenty first birthdays were more important than they 

are now and mine was celebrated with a few friends. As the 

following day found me being conscripted for my National 

Service, that would have been very much in my thoughts. 

I was posted to Hong Kong about seven months later, 

returning after about 15 months, when I was demobbed. 

Shortly after that, I do remember Barbara's 21st birthday 

party and dance being quite an affair. It was held in Reading 

Town Hall (the small hall known as Victoria Hall) and many 

people attended, including my parents. It was the same venue 

as our wedding reception would be the following year. 

Barbara and I hosted various parties in our home over the 

years and we always enjoyed celebrating with others. 

Claude and Barbara celebrating an anniversary with a glass of bubbly 

From the 

editor's desk 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk 

February? 


I usually write this column early on when working on the 

next issue of this magazine, but this month I overlooked it 

until I had almost finished it and discovered an oversight. 

While there are mentions of other features of February 

this year, such as the start of Lent and so on, I had missed 

the 'leap' aspect. 

February is, of course, the shortest month of the year 

and unlike any other month. Every four years it starts and 

finishes on the same day of the week because of the extra 

'leap' day. This year is a good example, February starts on 

a Thursday and ends on a Thursday. 

The Earth takes approximately 365 and a quarter 

days to orbit the Sun. The quarter day, creates the need 

for a leap day every four years to correct the in-balance. 

There are alternative ways of adjusting the calendar, for 

example, the ancient Hebrew calendar incorporated a 

'leap' month every four years. 

While we all enjoy the extra day, leap years can have 

their problems for some people. When I was a child, I had 

a friend who was unfortunately born on 29 February and 

so only had a proper birthday party once every four years. 

She was not alone, however, as there are an estimated 5 

million people in the world who are 'leaplings' — that's 

the name for someone born on 29 February, 

HAPPY FEBRUARY 

This year Claude, who writes a regular column for us, 

will be 90 years old in February, and we thank him for his 

long support of our magazine and wish him a very happy 

birthday! 

Also this February, we begin the 40 days of Lent which 

follow Ash Wednesday, a day that is governed by the 

phases of the moon. This year it is on 14 February, which, 

of course, is also Valentine's Day when tradition expects 

us to tell the people we love that we love them. 

I have always thought this to be a strange requirement 

because love is not limited to a special day, love is about 

every moment of our lives and the only people who really 

benefit from Valentine's Day are the florists, chocolate 

manufacturers and card sellers! I believe that it is far 

better to tell the people you love that you love them every 

day, when possible, and to show your love for them every 

day in the way you treat them. 

Having said this, I am not saying we should ignore 

Valentine's Day, which is why on page 31 you will find 

Harriet's latest article about the fashionable clothes you 

might wear to enhance the romance of your day. 

And if you are wondering why we have a candle stuck 

in an orange on the front cover of this issue, then see the 

centre pages about Candlemas and the annual Christingle 

celebrations and fund-raising for charity that will be held 

in St Andrew's this month. Have a happy February!


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PARISH NOTICEBOARD — 5 

This month we look at the steadily 

worsening situation for Christians 

in Algeria. 

There are around 139,000 Christians 

in Algeria, which is about 0.3% of 

the country’s population of over 45 

million. 

Most Algerian Christians are 

converts from Islam and they can 

face pressure from their family 

and community to follow Islamic 

customs. 

Laws regulate non-Muslim 

worship and are sufficiently vague to 

be used to harass believers. 

Low status is given to women 

in Algeria and Christian women 

can experience additional intense 

hostility to their faith. Male converts 

can face ostracism, beatings and 

threats from family and community. 

It is getting harder to be a 

Christian in Algeria. 

In 2023, the country went up 

three places to number 19 in the 

World Watch List Top 50 countries 

where Christians are most at risk of 

persecution. 

In 2022, at least 10 Christians 

were sentenced for charges that 

included ‘shaking the faith of a 

Muslim’. 

The government has ordered 

churches to close and cease 

activities. 

A Spectator article in December 

reports that of the 47 churches of 

l’Église Protestante d’Algérie (the 

EPA), 43 have been issued orders to 

close. 

The law used to justify the 

closures is that churches should 

have permits to operate as places of 

worship. 

However, despite the EPA’s efforts 

to comply and submit applications 

for permits, none has been issued 

since the law was placed on the 

statute books in 2006. 

The vice president of the EPA, 

Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, is a dual 

national, with British citizenship. 

He oversees a number of 

congregations in the Kabilye region 

of Algeria and has been interrogated 


THE persecuted church by colin bailey 

It's getting harder to be a Christian in Algeria 

'SHAKING THE FAITH' 

CLOSURES 

An Algerian church in the Sahara desert 

26 separate times by the Algerian 

authorities. Tried and sentenced 

without his prior knowledge, he now 

faces prison for the alleged crime of 

hosting an unauthorised religious 

assembly. 

As The Spectator writer, Miles 

Windsor, says, ‘[o]ne hopes that the 

Foreign Office is fighting for him in their 

diplomatic conversations.’ 

GOOD INTENTIONS 

Please pray for Christians in 

Algeria, that they may persevere and 

hold on to Jesus, and for their words 

and witness to lead others to him. 

Pray for softening of the hearts 

of those in authority so they may 

see the value and good intentions of 

Christians. 

Please also pray for Pastor Youssef 

and his family at this time. 

References and further 

reading 

— Open Doors World Watch List – 

Algeria - https://www.opendoorsuk. 

org/persecution/world-watch-list/ 

algeria/ 

— The Spectator article on Algerian 

Christians - https://www.spectator. 

co.uk/article/algerian-christians-willface-persecution-this-christmas/ 

Sergey Strelkov, dreamstime.com 

Faith persecutions 

rising in India 

The recent anti-conversion laws 

in India have led to the arrest of 

hundreds of Christians, according to 

church sources. 

UK-based Release International, 

which raises the voice of persecuted 

Christians worldwide, warns: 'The 

persecution of Christians and other 

religious minorities in India increases 

dramatically with each passing month.' 

Twelve of India’s 28 states have 

now passed anti-conversion laws, 

and momentum is building to impose 

a national law across the whole of 

India. This would limit the freedom 

of religious minorities, including 

Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and 

Sikhs, from sharing their faith. 

Police are arresting Christians 

under a law that is intended to 

prevent conversion by force, but in 

practise prevents any Christians 

from sharing their faith — even 

though their right to do so is 

enshrined in the Indian constitution. 

India is set to hold national 

elections in 2024, raising the 

possibility of further gains for the 

Hindu nationalist BJP.



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Joseph, and why we 

should not be afraid 

to answer God's call 

During Christmastide we would have heard a great deal 

about the main characters involved in the story of the 

birth of Jesus: Mary, her cousin Elizabeth, John the 

Baptist, Gabriel and the angels, Herod the jealous king, 

the magi from the East, the shepherds, and even an 

innkeeper, but Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, seems to 

be overlooked. 

Maybe, a main priority of the early church was to 

emphasise the virgin birth and by playing down the role 

of Joseph could make it easier for people to understand 

— it’s a standard journalistic and political technique to 

emphasise one side of any story more than another to 

make a point. 

But Joseph’s role is far greater than being the husband 

who remains in the background just to link Jesus to the 

house of David, which was an essential requirement for 

the expected Messiah. Joseph was not only of the house 

of David, his family tree takes him back to Abraham, the 

father of all nations. The Messiah being the saviour of ‘all 

nations’. 

A MAN OF PRINCIPLE 

Joseph is only mentioned in the Bible at the birth of 

Jesus and again a couple of times in the childhood of 

Jesus, of which there is very little detail. 

This led to the belief that Joseph died when Jesus was 

a boy, something that is confirmed when Jesus is dying on 

the cross and he entrusts his mother’s care to his faithful 

disciple, John. 

If Joseph had been alive, there would have been no 

reason to say this. This also led to the idea that Joseph 

was older than Mary, although some experts believe that 

when Joseph married Mary he was only 17 years old – 

Mary is thought to have been about 12, the usual age for a 

Jewish girl to marry. 

Just as Mary has a mature faith in God, so does Joseph 

who was a man of principle. In some Bible translations 

he is called just, or righteous, meaning he lived according 

to the laws God had given to Moses. Like Mary, Joseph is 

obedient to God. 

'DO NOT BE AFRAID' 

When Joseph is told that Mary is to have a child 

fathered by the Holy Spirit, the laws allowed him to 

divorce her – betrothal automatically applied all the rules 

of marriage except the woman had to remain a virgin. 

Divorce would mean humiliation for Mary. She would be 

outcast for life. 

But Joseph shows his love for her by not doing so, 

and then, following further instructions from God via a 

messenger, takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt, until it was 

safe for them to go to Galilee. 


St Joseph with the Infant Jesus by Guido Reni c.1635. 

Wikimedia public domain 

The messenger’s first words to Joseph were, ‘do not be 

afraid’, thus identifying the messenger as being from God 

— often in the Bible when God speaks, either directly or 

through a messenger, he begins with the words: 'Do not be 

afraid’. This phrase, by the way, appears in the Bible 365 

times, making it something to remember every day of the 

year — unless, of course, it is 29 February! 

He said it to Abraham, Joseph’s distant forefather, to 

Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, and many others, 

just as Jesus said it many times to his disciples. 

Clearly Joseph is a righteous, kind, loving, caring and 

humble man, chosen by God to stand alongside Mary and 

support her in the miraculous event that was to change 

the world for ever. 

He could handle adversity and he was not only 

obedient to God but his trust and faith in God was 

reflected in all that he did. 

This didn’t mean great fame or wealth, he remained 

a carpenter and he was poor — we know this because 

when Mary and Joseph took Jesus, the firstborn child and 

presented him to God in the temple as the law prescribed, 

their sacrificial gift was that which only the poor were 

allowed to offer — two doves instead of a lamb. 

GOD IS WITH US 

The story of Joseph, son of Abraham, son of David, two 

of the greatest and most powerful characters in the Bible, 

teaches us that whether we are male or female, we are not 

all called to be leaders. 

God values us if we place our trust in him and seek to 

live righteous, caring, loving, humble and faithful lives 

according to the way of Jesus our Saviour who, as Joseph 

named him, is Emmanuel — our God who is with us and 

of whom we should not be afraid to tell others about.



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An organ only makes music 

through the person playing it 

By Richard Meehan, director of music, St Andrew's Church Sonning 

When someone describing a pipe 

organ refers to its size, they would 

generally not be talking about the 

size of its console or casing, but 

about the number of stops it has. 

Most stops on an organ connect a 

set of pipes to either a keyboard or a 

pedal board. 

In larger organs, stops might 

be geographically separated. The 

speaker positions in St Andrew’s 

Church represent this, with one set 

near the old pipes, two on the north 

and south transepts, and one in the 

nave so that the sound better reaches 

the singing congregation. 

The idea is that the organist 

playing a larger instrument has the 

power to create a complete nearorchestral 

effect which engulfs the 

listener. 

Each stop produces a different 

sound. About two thirds are flutelike 

designs and these include the 

whistle-shaped pipes generally on 

view. 

More strident sounds are created 

by vibrating metal reeds, and are 

referred to as such. 

These can often be rather loud, 

and almost every organist can 

'The first thing Christians can do 

in response to war is to pray for 

peace and for those affected, says 

the Archbishops of Canterbury and 

York. 

The Archbishops are praying for 

'those mourning, those injured, and 

all those fearing for their safety,' and 

for 'restraint on all sides, and renewed 

efforts towards a just peace for all.' 

The Archbishops and Bishops 

are also encouraging Christians 

throughout the UK to join them in 

prayer, and to consider practical 

action, by supporting organisations 

'working to promote peace and human 

flourishing in the Middle East.' 

The following are posted on the 

Church of England website: 

— Christian Aid is the official 

ecumenical arm of Churches in 

recall with horror an occasion on 

which they, during a quiet passage 

accidentally let rip with the sound of 

doom. 

Stops for the great manual 

tend to be louder than the swell 

one, while the choir manual often 

comprises sounds of more distinctive 

characters. 

However, the most powerful 

aspect of the way they are ordered is 

their relative size. 

VIBRATO 

Stops marked 8' (eight foot pitch) 

sound at concert pitch, whereas ones 

marked 4' and 2' sound at one and 

two octaves above this respectively. 

Similarly 16' and 32' play one and 

two octaves lower than concert pitch, 

giving increased weight and body to 

the resulting sound. 

Other sizes of stops include some 

which are made deliberately slightly 

out of tune so that they create 

vibrato like beat-frequencies when 

played with the others. 

Some, such as the 2 2/3 stop plays 

a note an octave and a half above the 

main note, creating an emphasised 

second harmonic in the resulting 

Britain and Ireland and has been 

working with the poorest and most 

vulnerable people in the Middle 

East since the early 1950s, when 

it provided humanitarian relief to 

Palestinian refugees. 

— The Church Mission Society is 

a historic Anglican mission society 

which supports mission partners 

across the region. 

The Council of Christians and 

Jews — is a leading interfaith 

charity which works to help 

Jews and Christians to meet, to 

understand each other better and 

to create meaningful engagement 

between the communities. 

— Embrace the Middle East is 

an ecumenical Christian charity 

working to help marginalised and 

vulnerable communities. 


From 

the 

organ 

bench 

sound and so, if played on its own, 

would in fact be playing the wrong 

notes. 

Learning to combine the stops 

to create expressive and pleasing 

sounds can be daunting for the 

beginner organist. 

It is one of those situations where 

there are in theory no wrong choices, 

but context can almost always make 

any combination unsatisfactory. 

I have always found it to be a 

joyful experience when organs 

thought to be pedestrian are brought 

to life in vivid sound colour by a 

good organist, reminding us that, 

for all its technical achievement, an 

organ only makes music through the 

person playing it. 

Gaza-Israel War: bishops urge us all to pray and to act 

— Friends of the Holy Land is a 

non-political Christian Charity whose 

mission it is to secure a resilient and 

enduring Christian community in the 

West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan. 

— The Jerusalem Middle East 

Church Association has supported 

the life and work of the Anglican 

Church across Jerusalem, the Middle 

East and North Africa for more than 

120 years and in many other ways 

for individuals to get involved in 

supporting the Church in the Holy 

Land. 

— United Society Partners in 

the Gospel (USPG) is an historic 

Anglican mission agency having a 

long-standing partnership with the 

Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and 

the Middle East.


feature — 1 

FROM THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST 

Candlemas, on the first Sunday of 

February, is also known as the ‘Feast 

of the Presentation of Christ in the 

Temple’ which recalls the events 

recorded in the Gospel of Luke 2.22-40. 

The ceremony complied with the 

ancient Jewish rite of purification 

when, following the birth of a child, the 

mother had to be ‘purified’ by offering 

a burnt offering in the Temple. This 

offering was specified as being a lamb, 

but for the poor, a young pigeon or 

dove was acceptable. Mary and Joseph 

offered doves. 

Traditionally, Candlemas around the 

world marked the end of Christmas 

and was the time decorations would be 

taken down. Today it is more generally 

recognised that The Epiphany, which 

marks the visit by the Magi and which is 

celebrated 12 days after Christmas Day, 

is the time to take down our Christmas 

decorations — the choice is yours! 

Candlemas is held 40 days after 

Christmas and complies with the length 

of time that is prescribed for most of 

the major seasons in the Christian 

calendar, for example the 40 days of 

Lent which this year begins on Ash 

Wednesday 14 February — and which is 

also St Valentine's Day — and what was 

originally, 40 days of Advent, although 

now it lasts between 3-4 weeks. 

Before electricity became the main 

source for lighting, churches such as St 

Andrew's relied solely on candlelight 

Zatletic, dreamstime.com 

and the annual stock of candles for the 

coming year would arrive at the end of 

January and would be dedicated and 

blessed on the first Sunday of February, 

hence 'Candlemas'. 

In recent times, at St Andrew’s, and 

many parish churches, we also celebrate 

Christingle at Candlemas, while some 

churches include it as part of their pre- 

Christmas celebrations. 

LIGHT OF THE WORLD 

The Christingle originated in 

Germany — it means ‘Little Christ Child’ 

and so you can see the connection with 

the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. 

The Christingle is made from an orange, 

which represents the world, and a candle 

representing Jesus, the light of the 

world. 

Around the candle are four sticks 

representing the people of the world 

and fruit or sweets are place on them to 

represent the ‘fruits of the earth'. Often, 

one of the sticks is left empty to remind 

us of the poor and hungry in our world. 

A cash collection, taken during the 

Christingle Candlemas service, raises 

money for the work of The Children’s 

Society. 

At St Andrew's we will celebrate 

Candlemas with Christingles on Sunday 

4 February at the 10.30am Family Service 

and hope you can join us. 

On the opposite page are instructions 

on how to make your Christingle. 

LUKE 2: 22-40 

When the time came for the purification rites 

required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary 

took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 

(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every 

firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord', 

and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is 

said in the Law of the Lord: 'a pair of doves or two 

young pigeons.' 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called 

Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was 

waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy 

Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by 

the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had 

seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he 

went into the temple courts. When the parents 

brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the 

custom of the Law required, Simeon took him 

in his arms and praised God, saying: 'Sovereign 

Lord, as you have promised, you may now 

dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have 

seen your salvation, which you have prepared in 

the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the 

Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 

The child’s father and mother marvelled at 

what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed 

them and said to Mary, his mother: 'This child is 

destined to cause the falling and rising of many 

in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken 

against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will 

be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own 

soul too.' 

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter 

of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; 

she had lived with her husband 7 years after her 

marriage, and then was a widow until she was 

84. She never left the temple but worshiped night 

and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them 

at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and 

spoke about the child to all who were looking 

forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

When Joseph and Mary had done everything 

required by the Law of the Lord, they returned 

to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the 

child grew and became strong; he was filled with 

wisdom, and the grace of God was on him


TO CANDLEMAS AND CHRISTINGLE 

How to make 

a Christingle 

You will need: 

— one orange 

— one candle 

— four cocktail sticks 

— enough red ribbon to wrap round 

the orange 

— dried fruit or sweets 

— a pin 

— a small piece of aluminium foil 

— scissors and an adult to help! 

Ask an adult to cut a thin slice off the bottom 

of the orange so that it stands firmly on a flat 

surface, and ask them to make a hole in the top 

of the orange large enough for the candle, but 

don’t push the candle in yet. 

Wrap the red ribbon around the middle of the orange and fix it in position 

with the pin. 

Cut the aluminium foil with the scissors to cover the top of the orange and 

press it into the candle hole in the centre. 

Push the candle into the top of the orange where the foil is and make sure 

it is held firmly in place. Put the dried fruit or sweets on three of the cocktail 

sticks, leaving the fourth one empty. Push the cocktail sticks into the orange 

so they are spaced equally around it — see the picture above. 

What does it mean? 

The orange represents the world that God created. The red ribbon indicates 

the love and blood of Christ. The dried fruits and sweets are symbols of the 

fruits of the earth created by God for all his people. The four sticks represent 

all the people of the world. The empty stick reminds us that not everyone has 

their fair share of the food provided by God. The lit candle symbolises Jesus, 

the light of the world that shines even in the darkest corners of our planet. 

Candlemas 

Communings 

By Steven Rolling 

8.7.8.7. Tune: Laos Deo- 'Bright the vison 

that delighted’ Luke 2: 25-32 

1. Lord, now let your servant depart 

In peace, desire of my heart 

I have seen in your child Jesus 

Born a Saviour unto us 

2. So said Simeon in Temple 

He did true hear the Lord’s call 

That He would not this earth leave till 

God did His promise did fulfil 

3. 'Twas that Simeon would see clear 

The Lord’s Christ, Anointed, dear 

Simeon took Him in his arms 

Gone now any doubts or qualms 

4. He said, My eyes they 

have now seen 

Your salvation, Lord, between 

You and man you have provided 

Salvation, as you have said 

5. You have your Son prepared before 

The face of all people, for 

He a light to Gentiles lighten 

Israel’s glory revealed then.


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feature — 2 


What do 

polar bears, 

hedgehogs, 

hippos and 

birds share? 

Answer: 

They are all 

celebrated in 

February! 

Images: Dreamstime 

Polar Bears, Iakov Filimonov 

Hedgehogs, Lana Langlois 

Hippos, Mikhail Blajenov 

Birds, Stef Bennett 

Hedgehog Day 2 February: The belief that hedgehogs can 

predict the coming of Spring dates from the Ancient Romans 

who relied on them to determine if Spring was coming soon. 

Later, Germans did a similar thing with local badgers, while in 

America groundhogs are thought to offer a similar prediction. 

Hedgehogs are definitely a gardener's friend, because they 

eat beetles, caterpillars, worms and other invertebrates you 

might not want and they help to keep crops and plants healthy. 

Nest Box Week 14-21 February: Organised by the British 

Trust for Ornithology, National Nest Box Week, encourages us 

to help the birds by putting up nest boxes. 

The main nesting season runs from March to August, but 

rather aptly, birds are traditionally thought to be paired up by 

St Valentine’s Day, hence Nest Box Week is in February. 

As well as feeding birds, the Trust says that it is important 

they have suitable shelter and a site for breeding. With trees 

and hedgerows being lost to development and the increase in 

urban housing, some garden birds can struggle to find a safe 

shelter to rear their young, hence providing a nest box in your 

garden can be a positive benefit. 

World Hippo Day 15 February: Unlike hedgehogs and birds 

who live in your garden, the hippopotamus, or ‘river horse,’ 

lives by the rivers and lakes throughout sub-Saharan Africa. 

They can weigh up to 3,600 kg and are the heaviest land 

animal after the elephant. 

Hippos seek refuge from the heat by living in water during 

the day, and going ashore at night to feed on short, soft grasses 

and fallen fruit. Their eyes and ears on top of their head keep 

watch for enemies — mainly crocodiles — while in the water. 

However, like hedgehogs and garden birds, hippos are at risk 

from habitat loss, in fact, they are listed as being vulnerable 

because of this. World Hippo Day is designed to educate and 

encourage people to learn about the threat hippos face, and 

how we can all help protect the animals. 

World Polar Bear Day 17 February: This date coincides with 

polar bear mothers and cubs being snug in their dens, and this 

year the focus is on raising funds to help protect them and to 

give them the best possible chance of survival. Only about half 

of all cubs reach adulthood, with even lower survival rates in 

the most vulnerable populations. 

The WWF said: ‘While climate change remains the greatest threat 

to the polar bear’s survival, that is not all they are up against. The oil and 

gas industry is turning its eyes to the Arctic, so there is the potential risk 

of habitat destruction from oil exploration work. Oil spills can reduce the 

insulating effect of a bear’s fur which means they use more energy to get 

warm and it can poison them if eaten. Exposure to toxic chemicals such 

as pesticides through their prey, can affect a bear's biological functioning 

and ability to reproduce and melting ice from climate change has 

increased human-polar bear conflicts when hungry polar bears search 

for food in the summer. Fortunately, people are learning to adapt to the 

polar bear's presence and take preventative measures to reduce conflict.’


around the villages — 1 

The day Santa came to Berkshire 

Monday Club 

Rotary Club, Hare Hatch Sheeplands 

Monday Club 

In December, Father Christmas 

arrived in Pearson Hall as members 

enjoyed a three course Christmas 

lunch that had begun with a 

welcoming mulled wine, thanks to 

support from Sonning Glebe WI. 

Naturally, Father Christmas made 

an appearance bringing everyone a 

goody bag! 

The club now returns to regular 

meetings in Pearson Hall on alternate 

Mondays 1.45pm until 3.30pm. If you 

would like a chat, a laugh, a cup of tea 

and some delicious cake why not go 

along and join them? 

In February meetings are on 12th 

and 26th. 

Sonning Gardens 

By the time Santa arrived at the 

Sonning Gardens care home his hair 

and beard had grown a lot thicker! 

He turned up at the care home's 

Christmas Fayre and helped the staff 

and residents to raise over £1,000 

towards research into dementia. The 

fund raising continued throughout 

December. 

Sonning Gardens Care Home 

'Bumper' fund raising year for Rotary 

Last year proved to be 'bumper' year for the Rotary club of Reading Maiden 

Erlegh's fund raising which enabled them to donate over £30,000 to charities. 

Overseas, it provided support to victims of the earthquakes in Morocco and 

Turkey and continued to support the Rotary programme for the eradication of 

Polio. 

Locally, it continued with its community food aid programme supporting, 

local food banks and CIRDIC (Christians in Reading Drop In Centre), as well 

as providing 2,500 frozen meals through its partnership with Feeding the 

Community Charity. 

The cost of the meals was paid for by Rotary and their distribution was 

carried out by Rotarians through local Food share organisations with the meals 

cooked by Feeding Communities’ representatives at Leighton Park School. 

All these initiatives will continue throughout 2024. Support was also 

provided to local charities such as JACs, Camp Mohawk, Yeldall Manor, Link 

Visiting and many more. 

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FOR CHARITY 

The funds were raised locally mainly through three major events: a charity 

golf day at Sonning Golf Club, the Reading Charity Art and Craft Fair at 

Leighton Park School, and a Christmas appeal at various locations around the 

area. The appeal raised about £6,500, one of the best years ever. 

Collections by Rotarians were held at Henry Street, Winnersh Garden 

Centres and members helped Santa at Hare Hatch Sheeplands throughout 

December, 

Richard Nicholson, president of RCRME said, ‘The public and our partners 

have continued to be very generous in their support and the very high amount 

donated has enabled us to help a large number of local initiatives and overseas 

aid programmes. We are very grateful to everyone who has provided support. 

100% of all the money collected goes to charity’.

around the villages —2 


Sonning School kept their Christmas celebrations going well into the New 

Year by inviting me to take a full school assembly on 8 January, writes Bob 

Peters. The condition was that I took my collection of Nativity sets along 

with me and the children's response was as enthusiastic as always! 

Make a date for Sonning Scarecrows 2024 

Sunday/Monday 26 - 27 May 

It's two years since the last Sonning Scarecrow Trail, and the organisers are 

inviting you to start thinking about your scarecrow for this year's trail. 

As it is an Olympic year, a significant D-Day year and the 60 year anniversary 

of Sonning Glebe WI, there are plenty of ideas already buzzing around. 

If you have a garden on the route from Ligugé Way to the bottom of Pound 

Lane, Pearson Road, High Street, Thames Street or bottom of Charvil Lane 

where a scarecrow could be displayed, then the organisers would like to hear 

from you. They would also like to hear from you if you are prepared to open 

your garden for visitors. 

To find out more go along to Pearson Hall on Monday 25 March at 7.45pm 

when you can register your scarecrow, volunteer to help in a number of ways 

and get yourself involved! 

For more information and booking contact: 

Barbara.carr71@hotmail.co.uk 

A new Repair Café has opened in Woodley on the first Sunday of the month 

from 2pm to 4pm at Christ Church on Crockhamwell Road. Volunteers will be 

on hand to help you fix a variety of household items. For more details: 

https://woodleyrepaircafe.godaddysites.com 

Gardening is 

good for you . . . 

TRHA, the Twyford and Ruscombe 

Horticultural Association, has been 

busy making plans for this year. 

Their store in Loddon Hall Road, 

Twyford is now well stocked with 

horticultural goods, including seed 

potatoes, and will be open every 

Sunday morning from 4 February, 

9.30 — 11.00am. 

Members, old and new, are always 

welcome so why not go along to find 

out more about the organisation 

and get some helpful tips as well as 

meeting new friends. 

As well as giving pleasure, 

gardening is widely acknowledged 

as having health benefits and TRHA 

is committed to promoting this, 

particularly among younger people. 

They have strong links with local 

junior schools. 

TRHA's Spring Show is on 23 

March in Loddon Hall, Twyford. 

Entry to the competition will be 

'open' to all comers again this year 

and the number of Classes has been 

increased. 

For more information, visit: 

https://www.trha.org.uk or go along 

on a Sunday morning, or email: 

trhamembership@gmail.com.


Please mention The Parish Magazine when replying to advertisements 

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around the villages —3 

2024 Sonning floods recalls 

old memories of 1947 . . . 


Above: January 2024, Peter Rennie took this photograph looking 

towards Shiplake from the top of the St Andrew's Church tower. 

Right: an aerial photograph from the 'Look and Learn' photographic 

library showing the Sonning floods of 1947. 

CHARITY RACE NIGHT 

Saturday 

24 th February ‘24 

7pm for 1 st race 

@7.30pm 

Pearson Hall, Sonning 

on Thames 

Ticket price: £20 (for Race Night & Fish and Chip Supper) 

Venue: Pearson Hall, High Street, Sonning on Thames, RG4 6UL 

Email: Sally Wilson on mustangsallywilson41@gmail.com or 

Phone: Sally Wilson on 0118 9793328 

Opportunities are available to sponsor a Table (10 in total) or Race (6 in total) 

at the event. Email Sally for further information. 

This is a fundraising event to raise funds for the 

Vestry Wall at St. Andrew’s Church 

Charity No: 1101944 

From The Sonning Parish Magazine April 1947: 

Rev Sidney Groves, vicar of Sonning wrote: 

Sonning Vicarage, March 19, 1947. 

My dear People, We are all deeply concerned as to the 

sorry plight in which the Sonning Eye folk have been 

plunged by the floods and to a lesser degree by the gale, 

and can only hope that by the time these words reach 

your eyes the waters will have gone down and the houses 

be once more dry and clean, and habitable — but how 

many houses in Sonning Eye are really habitable? This 

disaster has shown up afresh the lack of decencies, not 

to say the amenities of life, from which our parishioners 

in the Eye suffer; it seems difficult to believe that either 

the local authority or the landlords have done their duty 

by these people; callous neglect stares one in the face 

on every side. Now that the war is over, such conditions 

must no longer be tolerated.


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For more information, contact us on 

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Empowering Each Individual 

Senior Open Morning 

22 February 2024 from 09:15 - 11:30 

Visit our Senior Open Morning to see for yourself what 

makes Crosfields School such a vibrant and nurturing 

educational environment. Learn more about the rich 

academic opportunities we offer, meet with current 

pupils, explore our facilities, ask questions — 

and even get involved in a class or sport! 

www.crosfields.com/events 

Crosfields School, Shinfield Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 9BL

THE ARTS — 1 


Music helps us to see God's glorious salvation 

Rev Michael Burgess continues his 

series looking at great works of 

music. This month he writes about 

Nunc Dimittis — ‘Glorious the song 

when God’s the theme’ 

St Luke tells us in his Gospel that 

the angels sang praises to God at the 

birth of Jesus, and he has given us 

three poems that have become part 

of Christian song: The Magnificat, 

Benedictus, and Nunc Dimittis. 

REJOICING 

The first two are full of praise and 

rejoicing. The last comes as Mary and 

Joseph fulfil the Law of Moses and 

take the child Jesus to Jerusalem. In 

the Temple they meet Simeon, and 

Anna. 

Simeon represents each of us who 

can look back over life with gratitude 

in the face of death as he says: 

‘Lord, now lettest thou thy servant 

depart in peace.’ 

It is a story that has inspired 

preachers and artists, and also 

composers. 

In the Christian Church the 

words of the Nunc Dimittis have 

become part of worship at the end of 

each day, not just the end of life. 

Cathedral and parish church 

choirs have sung settings of these 

words in that great tradition of 

Anglican choral music at Evensong. 

They are settings that have 

captured the sense of quiet 

resignation, but also conveyed 

the glory of the light that is Jesus 

shining for all people. 

GREAT SPEED 

Rachmaninov’s setting is part of 

his Vespers, the night-long vigil sung 

in the Russian Orthodox Church on 

the eve of great feasts. 

Rachmaninov composed the work 

— which comprises of 15 pieces — at 

great speed, but even so, the Vespers 

are now seen as one of the great 

masterpieces of religious music. 

This was no more so than in his 

beautiful setting of the 5th canticle, 

the Nunc Dimittis. 

Just 36 bars long, it begins with 

a rocking, undulating figure in the 

upper voices. A solo tenor enters as 

the voice of Simeon, and it ends with 

the basses moving down to a low B 

flat: ‘a sigh of wonder and resignation 

Jesus Angels Painting Ceiling 

Interior Church Saint Nicholas 

Askold s Grave Kiev Ukraine. 

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church 

created 1810. Askold s Graveyard 

has many famous Ukrainians 

buried there. 

This 1810 ceiling painting of Jesus and the Angels is in Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of St Nicholas Askod in Kyiv. Its graveyard has many famous 

Ukrainians buried there. 

William Perry, dreamstime.com 

on the threshold of eternal rest and 

peace,’ one critic has called it. 

Rachmaninov later recalled, 'After 

I played the passage at the end of 

the 5th canticle where the basses 

slowly descend to that low note, the 

conductor shook his head, saying, 

now where on earth will we find such 

basses? 

They are as rare as asparagus at 

Christmas!’ 

Nevertheless, he did find them. It 

was one of the composer’s favourite 

pieces, and he asked for it to be sung 

at his funeral in the hope that it 

would send his ‘ship of death gently 

towards the unknown region.' 

MOVING 

On 2 February we shall hear these 

words as part of the Gospel on the 

feast of Candlemas. 

Simeon prays them because his 

cup is now overflowing. He has 

looked on the salvation of God. 

Music allows us to look on 

that glory and salvation also, and 

Rachmaninov, in his moving setting, 

has captured the calm trust of that 

moment, which shines out like the 

brightness of the light of Jesus.


THE ARTS — 2 

Poetry, Prayer and Pictures 

St Andrew's Church Sonning from The River Thames footpath 

Winter Now 

From a poem by Samuel Longfellow 1819-92 

‘Tis winter now; the fallen snow 

Has left the heavens all coldly clear; 

Through leafless boughs the sharp winds blow, 

And all the earth lies dead and drear. 

And yet God’s love is not withdrawn; 

His life within the keen air breathes; 

His beauty paints the crimson dawn, 

And clothes the boughs with glittering wreaths 

O God! Who giv’st the winter’s cold, 

As well as summer’s joyous rays, 

Us warmly in thy love enfold, 

And keep us through life’s wintry days. 

Robotic Poetry Concern 

A February Prayer 

By Daphne Kitching 

Nigel Beeton writes: I must be careful! You know that you can now call up ‘Chat 

GPT’ and say ‘Give me a poem about February!’ and it will push out dozens of 

suggestions for you to choose from, having soaked up the best work from the best 

poets all through the ages . . . 

I’ve been replaced by a robot - 

His name is ‘Chat GPT.’ 

He is a poet of a robot – 

And that’s what troubles me. 

Tom Farncombe 

Father, in this coldest and shortest of months, this month when 

traditionally thoughts turn to love and the promise of Spring, help us 

to be thankful and steadfast and to see your bigger picture in what is 

sometimes a frightening world, a world where love between nations 

seems to be in short supply and the future uncertain. 

We pray for all those whose lives are in turmoil through a lack of love 

and justice. Help us to remember the great love you have for your world 

and your people, so great that you sent Jesus to show us how to live, how 

to love and how to overcome the troubles of the world. 

Thank you that your love is stronger than the forces of evil, stronger 

than death. Help us to put our trust in Jesus, to keep our focus on him, 

knowing he will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you that his love is 

stronger than the forces of evil, stronger than death. 

In his name, Amen. 

3. He has an acceptable metre; 

His work runs quite nicely to time, 

His work gets neater and neater! 

And he is quite good with a rhyme! 

Quantity Surveyor 

2. He can read in a moment 

Shakespeare, Keats, and Lear – 

More in that one single moment 

Than I can read in a year! 

4. In fact, so good is his manner 

The robot is quite hard to see: 

So, I’ll have to dumb down my grammar: 

'This poem, it woz writ by me!' 

Phil Mason

FASHION BY HARRIET NELSON 

What will you 

be wearing for 

Valentine's Day? 

It's finally February, and Valentine's Day 

is fast approaching! This year the day falls 

on a Wednesday, and brands have already 

started preparing and stocking shelves 

with classic red and pink products to 

celebrate this special occasion. 

Shoppers everywhere will be 

persuaded to buy love-themed 

products and fashions that will be 

worn perhaps just once for a special 

Valentine's Day date or to stay at 

home and watch a favourite rom-com. 

Staying in is the new to going out; 

we all know that. Whether planning 

a date with Deliveroo or preparing 

a movie night with friends at home, 

staying in this year is OK and the 

new normal. 

Traditionally, Valentine's Day 

has meant nights out with friends 

or a partner; however, ever since the 

pandemic, people have become more 

comfortable staying at home and still 

having a great time. 

Whether you're going out or 

staying at home, here are a few 

Valentine's Day outfits and top picks 

that are predicted to be best sellers 

this February. 

RED AND PINK 

Firstly, red and pink which 

have traditionally been the classic 

Valentine's Day colour scheme for 

most wardrobes worldwide. 

These colours originated from the 

roses given out for centuries as a sign 

of love. They have been associated 

with Valentine's Day since the 

Victorian era when the language of 

giving flowers first became popular 

in Britain. 

Fashion brands have always 

used these romantic colours within 

marketing and collections to draw 

attention to their new products. 

This year 'millennial pink' may 

be the year's top colour! Whereas 

bright pinks have been popular in 

recent years, this viral shade of light 

pink, which you may remember was 

popular in 2015, is now making a big 

come back. It has recently been at the 

forefront of many colour schemes. 

Just when you thought Gen Z — 

those born from the mid-1990s to 

the early 2010s in the Western world 

— was taking over, millennial pink 

has returned to take command of 

this year's fashions. 

If you decide to dress for the 

occasion and go somewhere special, 

you'll want the perfect dress. 

This year, the classic satin slip 

dress with a languid cardigan draped 

over the shoulders will bring a touch 

of femininity and sensuality to the 

romance. 

SEQUINS 

Alternatively, you could slip into 

a fabulous sequin party dress for a 

living room disco with friends. 

Zara has a number of sequin 

styles for every occasion to add some 

excitement to your wardrobe. 

For a more casual look this 

Valentine's Day, Gucci's cable-knit 

jumper will cover you if you want to 

follow the luxury route. 

Pairing this elegant jumper with 

Alexander McQueen's classic take on 

the knee-high walking boot and Levi 

jeans will transform the look while 


still being practical for the winter 

weather. 

For long-distance relationships, 

you can still spark the love interest 

from the waist up with some help 

from sparkles! 

With Zoom your partner will 

never know you're still in your 

tracksuit bottoms, if you look terrific 

in a sequin top to make you stand 

out on screen. 

MAKEUP 

Images: pexel.com 

Makeup is another way to make 

your outfit stand out. Whether 

getting a Valentine's Day manicure or 

creating the perfect makeup to stand 

out at night, Chanel's multi-effect, 

four-way pink eyeshadow pallette 

will create the ideal pink smokey 

eyes ready for the romantic season. 

You can always make your 

celebration a self-care evening by 

choosing a new set of silk pyjamas 

for a pampering and relaxing evening 

of self-love. 

Whatever your Valentine's Day 

plans are, be happy, stylish and 

romantic with these current fashion 

trends to get you into the mood! 

What style will you wear this year?


THE SCIENCES 

The now and 

the future 

for Creation 

By Ruth Bancewicz, 

Church Engagement Director, 

The Faraday Institute for Science 

and Religion, Cambridge 

Aleksei Nikolaev, dreamstime.com 

I find that watching buds swelling on trees and plants 

during the winter months gives me a tremendous sense 

of hope. After Creation’s winter shutdown, the sight 

of tiny flowers poking out of brown earth may be more 

important than ever. 

Getting outdoors during daylight hours, enjoying green 

spaces and getting some fresh air and exercise are great 

ways to keep ourselves healthy at any time of year. 

A psychologist colleague wrote, 'Attending to the details 

of nature can also inspire awe, which has been linked to 

positive mood and increased life satisfaction.' 

I expect it is this sense of awe that makes it easier for 

many of us to connect with God outdoors. 

Helping ourselves and others to thrive is a good start 

to 2024, but it is also vital to have hope for the future. In 

the face of climate change, we urgently need to care for all 

of Creation, both human and everything else, with God’s 

help. 

RESTORED AND RENEWED 

Our ultimate hope is in God’s promise that He will 

bring about a new heaven and a new earth. We can look 

forward to the day when Creation will be fully redeemed 

and liberated from evil. The Greek word used to describe 

the new creation is the same as that used to describe 

someone who becomes a Christian, whose humanity is 

restored and renewed. There will be continuity between 

the old and new earth as it is cleansed and purified, 

surpassing and perfecting what has gone before. There 

will also be some discontinuity, as there will be no more 

suffering or death. 

So, one source of hope for 2024 is that we can enjoy 

both caring for and meeting God in Creation. But the 

parts of Creation that we find most beautiful, giving 

us a sense of awe and helping us to worship, are also a 

reminder that there is something much better to come. 

Fish Paste! 

Phil Mason 

History 

Was it really? . . . 

Achim Baqué , dreamstime.com 

. . . 150 YEARS AGO on 15 February 1874 that Sir Ernest 

Shackleton was born. This Irish-born British polar 

explorer was one of the leading explorers during the 

Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He led three British 

expeditions to the Antarctic. 

. . . 100 YEARS AGO on 5 February 1924 that BBC Radio 

broadcast the ‘six-pips’ Greenwich Time Signal for the 

first time. 

. . . ALSO 100 YEARS AGO on 12 February 1924 that 

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was performed for the 

first time, in New York. 

. . . 90 YEARS AGO on 23 February 1934 that Edward 

Elgar, the British composer, died. 

. . . 75 YEARS AGO on 22 February 1949 that Niki Lauda, 

Austrian racing driver was born. He was Formula One 

World Champion in 1975, 1977 and 1984 and was severely 

injured and burnt in a crash at the 1976 German Grand 

Prix. He died in 2019. 

. . . 70 YEARS AGO on 23 February 1954 that the first 

field test of the polio vaccine began in Pittsburgh. It 

grew into a year-long national trial involving 1.8 million 

children. 

. . . 65 YEARS AGO on 3 February 1959 that it became 

‘the day the music died’ when American rock-and-roll 

performers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big 

Bopper were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. 

. . . 60 YEARS AGO, on 7 February 1964 that the Beatles 

arrived in New York for their first US tour and were met 

by thousands of screaming fans. 

. . . 50 YEARS AGO on 7 February 1974 that Conservative 

Prime Minister Edward Heath called a snap general 

election following the miners’ strike and three-day week. 

It resulted in a hung parliament, and the Labour leader, 

Harold Wilson, became Prime Minister. 

. . . 40 YEARS AGO on 14 February 1984 that figure 

skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the gold 

medal in ice-skating at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. 

They scored the first perfect 6.0 in Olympic history.

BOOK REVIEWS FOR LENT 


The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 

Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black 

Spirituality for People of Faith 

By Selina Stone, SPCK £11.99 

Tarrying is a Black Christian spiritual 

practice in which believers actively 

wait to experience the manifestation 

of God's presence. It answers yes to 

the question Jesus once asked his 

disciples: will you tarry here and watch 

with me? Whether in the vibrancy of 

music and singing, or in the hushed 

silence of the congregation, people of 

all ages anticipate an encounter with 

God that will transform what they 

know, feel and experience day to day. 

This book makes the wisdom 

of Black spiritualities and faith 

available for everyone. It focuses 

on: darkness as a place of encounter 

with the divine; the unity of all 

things; movement, belonging 

and migration; the Spirit as one 

who moves in unexpected ways; 

quiet contemplation as essential 

to spiritual growth; healing in 

community; and weeping that turns 

to joy. Tarry Awhile offers wisdom for 

all who hope to encounter God in the 

midst of wearying times. 

Lent and Easter for Everyone - from 

Wilderness to Glory by Tom Wright, 

SPCK, £10.79 

Join Tom Wright on a journey through 

the Gospels, as he explores the life 

and impact of Jesus. Offering seven 

weeks' worth of daily readings and 

reflections, it enables you to relive 

Christ's journey from his temptations 

in the wilderness to the darkness of 

the cross and beyond, into the glory of 

Easter. 

Holding Onto Hope: 40 days of God’s 

encouragement through art and 

reflections By Amy Boucher Pye and Leo 

Boucher, BRF, £12.99 

A 40-day journey explore the themes 

of hope and new life, through vivid 

biblical images. It starts with how all 

creation praises God, from the flowers 

of the field to the streams in the desert 

and the trees clapping their hands. It 

then explores the agricultural pattern 

of sowing, growing and harvesting, 

before moving to the gracious 

promises and invitations God makes 

to his people, such as how he writes 

eternity onto our hearts. 

There are compelling images 

of God who changes his people, 

clothes us, renews our minds and 

strengthens us as we focus on a new 

life in Christ through images such 

as new wineskins, the imperishable 

seed and the city to come. 

Our Radiant Redeemer - Lent 

Devotions on the Transfiguration 

of Jesus By Tim Chester, 10Publishing, 

£7.54 

This devotional looks at the 

transfiguration of Jesus in depth, 

giving readers a glorious lens through 

which to view Jesus during Lent and 

Easter. As we see Jesus in his glory, we 

are reminded of how marvellous he is 

and how brilliant our future with him 

will be. We will be moved to worship 

Jesus with our whole lives, giving 

thanks for all that He is and all that 

He has done. Each of the 40 devotions 

includes prompts to reflect and to pray. 

Lent with the Beloved Disciple - the 

2024 Bloomsbury Lent Book by 

the Rt Revd Bishop Michael Marshall, 

Bloomsbury, £10.99 

The author invites us on a six-week 

journey in the company of the ‘beloved 

disciple’ found in the Gospel of John. 

As the only disciple to have stayed 

close to Jesus at every stage from 

the Last Supper to the Crucifixion at 

Calvary, John records subtle details 

and signs which indicate a deeper and 

far lasting significance. 

The book explores what these signs 

are and how, with prayerful reflection, 

they draw us deeply into the personal, 

eternal and cosmic significance and 

awareness of all that Christ achieved 

by his death and resurrection. 

Mapping Your Spiritual Journey - a 

companion and guide by Sally Welch, 

Canterbury Press, £12.99 

Mapping your spiritual journey is a 

technique that helps us recognise and 

interpret God’s presence in the highs 

and lows of our life experiences. This 

book offers creative ways to explore 

our own spiritual journey, helping to 

trace our relationship with God from 

the beginning, whether looking at 

our entire life or exploring significant 

moments. It can be done in drawing, 

collages, time-lines, maps, collections 

of objects or photographs, modelling, 

writing a journal, making a garden 

and more. The book offers suggestions 

for ways to reflect on your journey and 

to deepen your understanding of God’s 

presence in your life. This equips you 

to look forward and plan your future 

journey with God with confidence. 

On Mission with Jesus - Changing 

the Default Setting of the Church By 

Graham Cray, Canterbury Press, £18.99 

January 2024 marked the 20th 

anniversary of Fresh Expressions 

a movement which spread 

internationally and denominationally 

from its origins in the Church of 

England. Graham Cray was its first 

National Leader. Countless new forms 

of church have emerged and the book 

offers a theological understanding of 

the mission of the Church. 

Friend of God - the Inspiration of 

Abraham in an Age of Doubt By John 

C Lennox, IVP, £14.36 

Abraham is the only character in the 

Bible described as 'the friend of God'. 

This study by John Lennox explores 

why Abraham is one of the most 

outstanding and influential figures in 

history. He had no political or military 

achievements, and he left no literary 

remains, yet today more than half of 

the world's population call him their 

spiritual father and is a model of faith. 

Curious Contemplative - Daring to 

Discover New Depths with God 

by Chris Webb, SPCK, £11.99 

Many people would like to move 

beyond the superficialities of 

much of church life and explore 

the spiritual practices of silence, 

solitude, and stillness to cultivate 

a deeper relationship with God, 

others and ourselves. This book 

explores Christian contemplation by 

following the journey of Elijah, from 

attention seeking self-appointed 

leader to reflective and deep-rooted 

contemplative. It examines what we 

can learn and how we incorporate such 

spiritual disciplines into our own lives.


PUZZLE PAGE — 1 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Success or wealth (Deuteronomy 28:11) (10) 

7 Forbidden fruit for Nazirites (Numbers 6:3) (7) 

8 Concede (Job 27:5) (5) 

10 Look at (Psalm 48:13) (4) 

11 Much in evidence after weddings (8) 

13 Condense (Job 36:27) (6) 

15 Breakwater (6) 

17 Give a tan (anag.) (8) 

18 More usually now called Pentecost, — Sunday (4) 

21 After living for 365 years, it was said of him that ‘he walked 

with God’ (Genesis 5:23–24) (5) 

22 Trampled (Judges 9:27) (7) 

23 For example, Miriam, Deborah (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4) (10) 

DOWN 

1 Arrogance (Proverbs 8:13) (5) 

2 Roman poet from first century BC (4) 

3 So rapt (anag.) (6) 

4 Declare again (2 Corinthians 2:8) (8) 

5 Paul’s ‘fellow worker’, to whom he sent two epistles 

(Romans 16:21) (7) 

6 God’s foreseeing care and protection (Job 10:12) (10) 

9 Traditional form of Roman Catholic Mass (10) 

12 ‘The Lord... has given the — of Israel to David and his 

descendants for ever’ (2 Chronicles 13:5) (8) 

14 ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my —' 

(Luke 1:46–47) (7) 

16 The central element in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, identified 

and interpreted by Daniel (Daniel 2:31) (6) 

19 ‘On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of — will 

not overcome it’ (Matthew 16:18) (5) 

20 City where Paul was under house arrest for two years 

(Acts 28:16) (4) 

Crossword reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally 

published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon (£6.99 BRF) 

World Leaders Verse Search by Ralph 

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Ralph's ‘word search’ grid above contains the names of 28 

world leaders. If you find all 28 you will also notice that 

the unused letters in the grid spell out a relevant verse 

from the Good News Bible. You might even manage to 

identify the verse. Good luck, and God Bless! 

Write your answers here . . . 

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S US STATES SEARCH 

ARKANSAS 

ALASKA 

CALIFORNIA 

COLORADO 

IDAHO 

KANSAS 

LOUISIANA 

MAINE 

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MISSISSIPPI 

MONTANA 

NEBRASKA 

NEW MEXICO 

NEW YORK 

NORTH DAKOTA 

OHIO 

OKLAHOMA 

PENNSYLVANIA 

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RHODE ISLAND 

SOUTH DAKOTA 

TENNESSEE 

TEXAS 

UTAH 

WASHINGTON 

WISCONSIN 

WYOMING 

The hidden Bible verse was from 2 Peter 2:20 

(Good News Bible) 

Such people are in a worse state at the end 

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PUZZLE PAGE — 2 

CROSSWORD 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

9 10 

11 12 

13 14 15 

16 

17 18 19 

20 21 

22 23 

Across 

Across 

- humility (8) 

1 - Lacking humility (8) 

5 -- Fancy (4) (4) 

9 - - Leases Leases (5) (5) 

10 - Makes certain of (7) 

10 - Makes certain of (7) 

11 - Believe tentatively (7) 

11 - Believe tentatively (7) 

12 - Noble gas (5) 

12 13 -- Noble Groups gas (5) of eight (6) 

13 

14 

-- Groups 

Tempt 

of eight 

(6) 

(6) 

17 - Barely sufficient (5) 

14 - Tempt (6) 

19 - Diffusion of molecules 

17 - Barely 

through 

sufficient 

a 

(5) 

membrane (7) 

20 - Extinguish a candle (4,3) 

21 - Freight (5) 

20 - Extinguish a candle (4,3) 

22 - Flat and smooth (4) 

21 - Freight (5) 

23 - Researched in detail (8) 

19 - Diffusion of molecules through a membrane (7) 

22 - Flat and smooth (4) 

23 - Researched in detail (8) 

CODEWORD 

8 

Down 

Down 

1 - 1 - Untrustworthy (13) 

2 - Inclination 2 - Inclination (7) (7) 

3 - Long 3 essay - Long essay (12) (12) 

4 - Perfumes (6) 

4 - Perfumes (6) 

6 - Gave a job to (5) 

6 - Gave a job to (5) 

7 - Misinterpreted (13) 

8 - Extremely 7 - Misinterpreted large (12) (13) 

15 - Provider 

8 - Extremely 

of financial 

large (12) 

cover (7) 

16 - Outer layer of the 

cerebrum (6) 

18 - Positive 18 - Positive electrode (5) 

15 - Provider of financial cover (7) 

16 - Outer layer of the cerebrum (6) 

17 9 10 4 8 2 21 19 9 6 1 13 

2 20 20 8 9 15 1 

5 18 23 22 6 20 13 2 14 13 18 6 

14 16 2 9 21 14 2 

13 14 1 6 13 20 2 1 1 18 6 11 

1 13 11 14 23 16 

6 14 1 12 6 20 13 1 2 21 25 2 

20 23 13 26 2 13 

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 FOR FEBRUARY 

February is the month of romance. 

Millions of Valentine cards will be 

sent in the next week or two, as we 

celebrate our romantic love for that 

special person in our lives. 

But there are other kinds of love 

to celebrate: and on Candlemas we 

remember Mary and Joseph taking 

their baby son to the temple to present 

him to God. Jesus’ whole life was a 

loving present to us from God. 

Through his death for us on the 

cross, and his resurrection, His love 

can now transform anyone’s life. 

Romances can die, but God’s love for us 

is always there. But it won’t do us much 

good – unless we accept it! 


answers in the next issue 

January 

Solutions 

CROSSWORD 

P O D I A T R Y C H E F 

I E S E O A I 

P O S I T L O V A B L E 

S S R I E I N 

D E M O N S T R A T E D 

C R N H E I 

O U T L A Y A S I D E S 

N U A T E H 

F R O N T I S P I E C E 

U B I Y M I H 

S T O I C A L A M B L E 

E E S U T E R 

D O S E I M P E L L E D 

CODEWORD 

A W A R D B O U R B O N 

P Z I R A U 

O A S O K N O T S 

C H L O R I N E K E 

R E O C B L A R E 

Y E A R B O O K E I 

P S E J F D 

H B E F F U S I V E 

A S K E D A K F R 

T L O B J E C T E D 

Q U E U E R B E O 

D G I O E W 

D Y N A M I C X E N O N 

SUDOKU 

WORDSEARCH WISE MEN 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

14 17 15 2 13 13 6 1 23 2 13 1 

2 14 17 6 14 21 21 

18 9 10 20 6 20 6 3 6 21 9 6 

18 2 21 6 6 6 13 

24 9 18 6 1 14 11 6 2 7 6 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 

C H 

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

F 

VALENTINE 

ROSE 

ROMANCE 

LOVE 

PRESENT 

RESTAURANT 

HEARTS 

KISS 

HUG 

GIRLFRIEND 

BOYFRIEND 

FIANCÉ 

WORSHIP 

REPENTANCE 

ANGELS 

BABY 

TEMPLE 

MARY 

CANDLEMAS 

PRESENTATION



Trades & Services 

ACG SERVICES - LOCKSMITH 

Locks changed, fitted, repaired and opened 

Door and window locks fitted, UPVC door lock expert 

Checkatrade member - Which Trusted Trader 

Call Richard Homden: 0149 168 2050 / 0771 040 9216 

CLARK BICKNELL LTD - PLUMBING & HEATING 

Qualified Plumbing and Heating Engineers Gas Safe 

25 years experience - local family run company 

Office: 0118 961 8784 - Paul: 0776 887 4440 

paul@clarkbicknell.co.uk 

MC CLEANING 

We are a family business with excellent references 

and we are fully insured 

All cleaning materials provided 

For free quote call: Maria 0779 902 7901 

THAMES CHIMNEY SWEEPS 

0779 926 8123 0162 882 8130 

enquiries@thameschimneysweeps.co.uk 

http://www.thameschimneysweeps.co.uk 

Member of the Guild of Master Sweeps 

studio dfp 

complete graphic 

and web design 

service on your 

doorstep 

Since 1984 · 0118 969 3633 

david@designforprint.org 

To Advertise your Service or Products 

in the UK's Best Parish Magazine 

and which is delivered free to every 

home in Charvil, Sonning and Sonning 

Eye, as well as to all members of 

St Andrew's Church who live outside 

the church parish, and the many 

visitors to the Church contact Harriet: 

advertising@theparishmagazine.co.uk 

BERKSHIRE STUMP REMOVALS 

Stump grinding and tree stump removal 

Latest narrow access machinery 

Contact: Mark 

0798 495 7334 http://www.berkshirestumpremoval 

HANDYMAN & DECORATING SERVICES 

Reliable and affordable 

Small jobs a speciality! 

Call Andy on 0795 810 0128 

http://www.handyman-reading.co.uk 

COMPUTER FRUSTRATIONS? 

For jargon free help with your computer problems 

PC & laptop repairs, upgrades, installations, virus removal 

Free advice, reasonable rates 

0798 012 9364 help@computerfrustrations.co.uk 

BIG HEART TREE CARE 

Reliable and friendly service for all tree care 

NPTC qualified — Public Liability of £10million 

0118 937 1929 0786 172 4071 

bighearttreecare.co.uk info@bighearttreecare.co.uk 

SMALLWOOD 

Landscaping, garden construction, 

patios, lawns, fencing, decking etc 

0118 969 8989 https://www.smallwoodlandscaping.co.uk/ 

office@smallwoodlandscaping.co.uk

CHILDREN'S PAGE 

The Parish Magazine - February 2024 37

38 The Parish Magazine - February 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when replying to advertisements 

information — 2 

Parish contacts 

Ministry Team 

— The Vicar: Revd Jamie Taylor (Day off Friday) 

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

vicar@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

— Youth Minister: Chris West (Westy) 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk / 0794 622 4106 

— Licensed Lay Minister: Bob Peters 

bob@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 377 5887 

— Female Youth and Children's Worker, Corinne Robertson, 

0118 969 3298 

Children's Ministry 

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

Churchwardens 

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

— Liz Nelson liz.nelson1@ntlworld.com / 0779 194 4270 

Deputy Churchwardens 

— Simon Darvall sdarvall@businessmoves.com / 0793 928 2535 

— Terry Hunt terencehunt@me.com / 0773 470 7368 

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

— Ruth Jeffery, 0118 969 3298 

— Molly Woodley (deputy churchwarden emeritus) 

mollywoodley@live.co.uk / 0118 946 3667 

Parish Office Manager 

— Hilary Rennie 

office@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

Parochial Church Council 

— Secretary: Hilary Rennie 0118 969 3298 

— Treasurer: Jerry Wood 0118 969 3298 

Director of Music, organist and choirmaster 

— Richard Meehan MA ARCO 

music@sonningparish.org.uk 

Safeguarding Officer 

— Nicola Riley 0118 969 3298 

Sonning Bell Ringers 

— Tower Captain: Pam Elliston 

pam.elliston@talktalk.net / 0118 969 5967 

— Deputy Tower Captain: Rob Needham 

r06needham@gmail.com / 0118 926 7724 

Advertisers' index 

ABD Construction 6 

Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society 6 

ACG Services Locksmith 36 

Active Security 26 

AMS Water Softeners 14 

Barn Store Henley 6 

Berkshire Stump Removals 36 

Big Heart Tree Care 36 

Blandy & Blandy Solicitors 14 

Blue Moose 22 

Bridges Home Care 12 

Bridgehouse Care 39 

Bull Inn 28 

Clark Bignall Plumbing 36 

Computer Frustrations 36 

Crossfields School 28 

Design for Print 36 

Gardiners Home Care 28 

Great House Sonning 12 

Handyman and Decorating Services 36 

Haslams Estate Agents 2 

Hicks Group 18 

Home Stair Lifts 18 

Kingfisher Bathrooms 26 

MC Cleaning 36 

Mill at Sonning 4 

Muck & Mulch 18 

Reading Blue Coat School 14 

Richfield Flooring 16 

Rivers Idea Ramble 28 

Shiplake College 16 

Smallwood Landscaping 36 

Sonning Golf Club 16 

Sonning Scouts Marquees 36 

Thames Valley Water Softeners 6 

Thames Chimney Sweep 36 

Tomalin Funerals 14 

Walker Funerals 12 

Water Softener Salt 18 

Window Cleaner 18 

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: Harriet Nelson / 0770 707 7773 

advertising@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 

— Print and Distribution: Gordon Nutbrown 

classified@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 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



A shared passion for 

the finest care 

At Bridge House we care passionately about enabling our residents to live their best lives. 

Every day is different, but our exemplary 

standards of care remain constant, delivered by 

a highly trained and dedicated team of clinical 

nursing and care staff that ensure our residents 

maintain their independence, dignity and enjoy 

a fulfilling day. 

Our welcoming, elegant Georgian country 

house on the edge of Twyford offers a timeless 

calm with stunning views across the grounds to the 

Visit bridgehouseoftwyford.co.uk 

river Loddon, whilst our newly built rehabilitation 

centre provides access to short 

term recovery and recuperation though the in 

house team of therapists. 

To discuss your nursing, residential or 

rehabilitation needs, or a visit, please contact 

our new Care Home Manager Rachel Stoneman 

at enquiries@bridgehouseoftwyford.co.uk or 

01189 340777 

A shared passion for later living 

BRIDGE HOUSE 

of Twyford



The French Horn, 

Sonning. Quality. 

A continuing commitment to 

wonderful food and wine. 

0118 969 2204 

www.thefrenchhorn.co.uk

The Parish Magazine February 2024

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