The Parish Magazine March 2024

The 

Parish 

Magazine 


Parish Te 

155 

The Parish Magazine 1869 - March 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 

March 2024 — Mothering Sunday and Easter 

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 - March 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement 

RENDEZVOUS 

IN THE ARK 

Tuesday 12 March 

Tuesday 26 March 

at 12 noon 

Open to everyone of all ages 

for lunch 

and conversation 

Reserve your seat on: 

0118 969 3298 

St Andrew's Ark 

(except 

Third Sunday of the month (accept August) 

3pm — 4pm 

Craft— Science — Puzzles 

Stories — Games — Songs — Celebration 

Free Food! 

An afternoon of fun, fellowship and a free meal together 

A different theme each month 

For more information: 

Corinne 

corinne@sonningparish.org.uk 



the church of st andrew, SERVING THE 

COMMUNITIES OF CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye 

messy church poster A0 Feb 2024.indd 1 15/01/2024 14:44:57

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 March 2024 

THE VICAR'S LETTER, 5 

THE PARISH NOTICEBOARD 

— March Services, 7 

— Lilies, 7 

— River Baptisms, 7 

— STAY, 8-9 

— Persecuted Church, 10 

— For your March prayers, 10 

— Claude's view from the pew, 11 

— From the editor's desk, 11 

— CIRDIC, 13 

FEATURES 

— Celebrations in Wales, 15 

— Marie Curie, 17 

— Merry March, 19 

— FoStAC, 20-21 

—around the villages 

— Sonning School, 23 

— Street Pastors, 24 

— 80th D-Day plans, 24 

— Scarecrows 2024, 24 

— 100 Dance years, 25 

— Sonning Art Group, 25 

— Charvil Project Singers, 25 

HEALTH 

— Dr Simon Ruffle writes, 27 

— Aspirin, 27 

FASHION 

— Fashion Generations, 29 

THE ARTS 

— Hildegard of Bingen, 30 

— The art of hello, 30 

— Poetry Corner, 31 

— Easter Hymn 150th 

This ISSUE's FRONT COVER 

The 

Parish 


March 2024 — Mothering Sunday and Easter 

155 

Easter egg hunt 

Andrew Haddon, 

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 April 

issue of The Parish Magazine is: 

Wednesday 6 March 

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 - March 2024 3 

Services at 

St Andrew’s 

Sunday 3 March 

— 8.00am Holy Communion 

— 10.30am Family Service 

— 4.00pm Choral Evensong 

followed by tea in the Ark 

Mothering Sunday 10 March 


— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with 

STAY and Sunday Club 

Sunday 17 March 


— 10.30am Family Communion 

— 3.00pm Messy Church 

Palm Sunday 24 March 


— 10.30pm Parish Eucharist with 

STAY and Sunday Club 

— 5.45pm Sunday at Six in The Ark 

Holy Tuesday 26 March 

— 9.30am Morning Prayer 

Holy Wednesday 27 March 

— 10.00am Holy Communion in 

The Ark followed by tea and 

coffee 

Maundy Thursday 28 March 

— 7.30pm Holy Communion with 

the stripping of the altar 

Good Friday 29 March 

— The Last Hour from 2.00pm - 

3.00pm with readings, prayer 

and silent reflection 

THE SCIENCES 

— Ideas, 32 

history, 32 

BOOK REVIEWS FOR EASTER, 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 

Funerals 

— Tuesday 9 January, Christopher 

James Clarke, interment of ashes 

in the churchyard 

— Saturday 13 January, Andrew 

Kenneth Bell, interment of ashes 

in the churchyard 

— Tuesday 16 January, Alan 

Geoffrey Tinson, funeral service 

in church and cremation at 

Reading Crematorium 

— Tuesday 30 January, Father 

Marcus Stewart, memorial 

service in church 

Easter Saturday 30 March 

— 2.00pm Family Service prior to 

Easter Fun afternoon 

— 7.30pm The Vigil and first 

Communion of Easter 

Easter Day 31 March 


— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with 

the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Lord 

Carey. The service will be 

followed by river baptisms at 

the Wharf and refreshments in 

The Ark 

— 6.00pm Easter Sunday at Six in 

the Ark

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The vicar's letter 

Dear Friends, 

The late Pope John Paul II declared that Christians are an 'Easter people'. 

For an Easter person, Easter is not only the most important day of 

the year; the first Easter was the most important date in history. The 

resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith, as the late Dr Billy Graham 

once declared, 'If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the 

resurrection because that’s the heart of Christianity.' St Paul felt the same 

way. He said, 'If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and 

your faith is in vain.' (1 Corinthians 15:2) 

Sceptics of every age have trouble with resurrection. They ask, 'Do 

you want us to believe that a dead man walked out of his grave?' That was 

the attitude of all of Jesus’ disciples when they first heard the news. But 

something earth-shattering happened, as any objective observer can tell. 

Within a seven-week period following the death of Jesus, a little band of 

depressed, cowardly men were transformed into a militant, exuberant 

team of evangelists who spread the resurrection news across the world. 

Ten of the original disciples were executed for their beliefs. Their lives 

would have been spared if they had just denied that Jesus arose. But they 

wouldn’t back down. People are not usually willing to die for a lie or a 

fairy tale. 

THE LIVING LORD 

Firstly, an Easter person is one who searches for Jesus. The angels told them that they were looking in the 

wrong place for a live person. However, at least the women were searching, which is more than we can say for 

the disciples. They were huddled in fear and despair behind locked doors. We all know that many people attend 

church at Easter who do not usually attend, Sunday by Sunday. They are a very welcome addition to our services. 

I would though gently offer this observation. There is a big difference between the way we treat a dead hero 

and a living Lord. We honour the memory of a dead hero, like Admiral Lord Nelson, with a respectful nod of 

appreciation on Trafalgar Day. We might even visit his memorial in St Paul’s Cathedral. If Jesus Christ were 

nothing more than a dead hero, perhaps an annual visit to a church would be sufficient. However, if he is a living 

Lord, that is surely not enough. If he is the living Lord, then it seems fitting to join with his people and worship 

him continually, not annually. 

Secondly, an Easter person is one who believes the good news. The women of Easter morning make a much 

better showing than the disciples. From the moment these women heard the good news that our crucified Lord 

had arisen, they believed it, but not the disciples. One of the disciples, Thomas, went so far as to say that he 

would not believe unless, and until, he could see the wounds in his hands and side. Later Jesus showed Thomas 

his wounds and then said, 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' (John 20:29) 

I once heard it put like this in parable form. Let’s suppose that an unborn infant, in its mother’s womb, can 

reason and speak. Suppose also that someone says to it, 'Soon you must leave this place and be born. You will enter a 

different realm.' The infant might protest and say, 'I like it here. I am fed, warm, and I feel loved. I don’t want to leave 

this place and be born.' But nature takes its course, and the baby is born. After he endures a slap on his bottom 

and cries a bit, he looks up into a loving face and the infant is cuddled in loving arms. He soon discovers that 

he can get anything he wants if he will just cry or coo. So, the infant says to himself, 'This is nicer than I thought 

it would be.' The years of childhood pass and then the child becomes a youth, then an adult, and years later he 

grows old with bodily parts beginning to wear out and ache. One day the thought of death begins to worry him. 

He says to himself, 'I like this place. I don’t want to leave. Death scares me.' However, nature again takes its course, 

and he dies. What happens then? The Bible declares that each believer is born once more. He looks up into a face 

more beautiful than that of his mother. Loving eyes look down on him and underneath are the everlasting arms. 

He is born again into a heavenly realm where there is no more pain, no more death, and no more sin. He is home 

at last. 

This to my mind is a beautiful reassurance to all God’s Easter people. We honour not a dead hero this Easter 

but a living Saviour who offers life in all its fullness to those who accept his invitation. 

Christ is risen! 

Warm wishes. Jamie

6 The Parish Magazine - March 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to advertisements 

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the parish noticeboard — 1 

From Mothering Sunday flowers 

to Palm crosses and Easter eggs . . . 

This year, Lent began on Wednesday 14 February and ends on Saturday 30 March, which 

is often called Easter Eve, or Holy Saturday because it comes at the end of Holy Week, 

which is the last week of Lent. Holy week begins with Palm Sunday and ends at sunset 

on the evening of Easter Eve. In Biblical times every new day began immediately after 

sunset, not immediately after midnight as is the norm today. 

For Christians, Lent is time for spiritual reflection and often includes fasting, 

or more usually today, giving up 'something' and/or making a point of doing 

something to benefit others for 40 days. Traditionally, about halfway through 

the 40 days of Lent there was an exception to the fasting when those working 

away from home were given a day's holiday travel home to visit their mothers. 

Hence, we have . . . 

Mothering Sunday 10 March 

Join us for our traditional service of thanksgiving at 10.30am for the mothers in 

our life — our mother church, our birth mother and/or the mother who guided 

us through our childhood to adulthood. During the service the children will be 

asked to help distribute Mothering Sunday bunches of flowers for all the ladies. 

Palm Sunday 24 March 

We meet in The Ark Garden just before 10.30am before processing to church for 

a Parish Eucharist with the traditional Passion Bible Reading. 

Following the service we return to The Ark for the usual Sunday morning tea, 

coffee, biscuits and conversations. 

Holy Tuesday 26 March 

Morning Prayer at 9.30am 

Holy Wednesday 27 March 

Holy Communion in The Ark at 10.00am followed by tea and coffee. 

Maundy Thursday, 28 March 

Holy Communion at 7.30pm to celebrate the Last Supper. The service concludes 

with the stripping of the altar, after which there is silent reflection before the 

congregation depart in silence. 

Good Friday, 29 March 

The Last Hour from 2.00-3.00pm with Bible readings, prayers and silent reflection. 


Images: dreamstimes - daffodils: Atman; 

eggs: Michal Bednarek; cross: Peterfactors 

Easter Lilies 

From Easter Saturday we will display 

lilies in memory of loved ones for a 

suggested donation of £5 per stem 

and record the names of those to 

be remembered on a special board. 

Please place the donation in the 

office letter box with your name and 

the name to be remembered. To pay 

by bank transfer please mark your 

payment ‘Lilies’ with your surname 

and pay St Andrew’s PCC account 

00011793 / sort code 40-52-40 and 

email Hilary the relevant name to be 

included. The closing date for names 

is Palm Sunday, 24 March. 

Easter Baptisms 

We have several people who are to 

be baptised in the Thames on Easter 

Day, following the morning service. 

If you have not already been baptised 

(Christened) then please speak to 

Jamie or Westy if interested. 

Easter Saturday, 30 March 

Family Fun Afternoon, from 2pm — Everyone Welcome, and it's all FREE! 

Meet inside the Church at 2pm for a welcome and short family service before 

moving outside for an Easter egg hunt, bouncy castle, teenage obstacle 

course, riverside walk, egg and spoon races, trips up the tower, Messy Church 

activities, and a FREE BBQ for everyone. 

IMPORTANT: Please let Hilary in the Parish Office 0118 969 3298 know if you 

are planning to be there so we can buy enough food for the BBQ! 

7.30pm Easter Vigil: The First Communion of Easter 

We meet outside the Church north door where the Easter fire will be lit. The 

congregation will be given candles, which are lit from the Easter fire. We then 

move into the dark church carrying 'the Light of Christ' to celebrate the first 

Holy Communion of Easter. 

Easter Day, Sunday 31 March 

8.00am Holy Communion 

10.30am Parish Eucharist with the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Lord Carey. The service 

will be followed by river baptisms at the Wharf and refreshments in The Ark. 

6.00pm Easter Sunday at Six in the Ark 

Don't be late for our 

Easter Sunday Services! 

Remember that clocks 

'Spring' forward one 

hour at 1.00am when 

British Summer Time 

begins!

8 The Parish Magazine - March 2024 


St Andrew's Youth 

We had a fantastic start to the year in January 

with lots going on for young people in the local 

area. We saw 3,000 children and young people 

through our assemblies. We had 65 young people at 

our STAY on Friday Youth Club and we are making 

some exciting plans for February half term and 

Easter, especially the baptisms in the river on 

Easter Sunday 31 March. 

STAY on Sunday 

We started a new theme for 2024 — following the 

CofE lectionary. This hopefully means that the 

whole of St Andrew's Church, from the children to 

the adults will be hearing and learning the same 

message each Sunday. Our hope is that this leads 

to fruitful conversations around the table over 

Sunday lunch. 

During January we covered the themes: Jesus 

calling his first disciples and what is it like to be in 

a secret church or a persecuted Christian? 

For the session on the persecuted church we 

turned the space upside down and had police 

tape on the door. This was to try to reenact what 

it’s like for people in other countries to find their 

worshipping space to have been ransacked and 

cordoned off by the authorities. The funny thing 

was, some of the youth got it, while others thought 

that the room had just not been tidied! 

STAY on Monday 

We continued using the STIR cards in January and 

we looked at how we connect with God through 

other people's stories using a singer who battled 

through cancer and a family that forgave the 

killers of their son. In the first session we heard a 

song about being at rock bottom on the tiles of the 

bathroom floor. Each young person was then given 

a bathroom tile to write their prayer on. For the 

second session, about forgiveness, we dropped a 

dissolving tablet into water as a symbol of how we 

too need to forgive those who have wronged us. 

STAY in Schools 

As mentioned we saw thousands of young people 

through our school assemblies. We offered 

messages of hope and we spoke on the themes of 

what does the Bible say about contentment and 

devotional time and how is love honouring of 

others and not self seeking. 

We also had the chance to properly introduce 

Corinne to all the children and youth, which they 

loved. Our mentoring is also looking to grow now 

that Corinne is with us. This will add to the current 

26 students being mentored each week in both 

local secondary schools. We also had the privilege 

of offering a place for prayer to all teachers and 

governors at Piggott in January. 

We looked at the passage on worry in Matthew 

6 and asked ourselves the question: what do we 

worry about and where do we need to prioritise 

our lives in order to put God first and trust him 

more? 

STAY on Friday 

Our weekly youth club on Friday evenings had a 

staggering 65 in attendance during January. The 

new basketball hoop is proving rather popular and 

young people are always happy to invite friends 

along who often end up becoming members 

themselves. This is a good sign of a growing and 

exciting youth club. 

We also have the new addition of Corinne's 

Craft Corner where the young people are welcome 

to try a craft that they can take home. This 

includes macramé, bracelet making and plate 

painting. 

Stay on Friday meets from 6.45pm-8.15pm for 

all secondary aged youth, and on the 4th Friday it 

is also open to year 6 to aid with their transition 

to year 7. The next few Fridays where year will be 

welcome are: 22 March, 26 April, 24 May, 28 June 

28 and the third Friday in July on the 19th (as the 

4th Friday in July is in the summer holidays). 

As always, please get in touch to get involved in 

any way, thanks, Westy 

email or text me for ideas, a chat or to 

encourage what we are doing 

Westy 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk 

0794 622 4106


From Corinne: Getting know to you all . . . 

Hi Everyone! 

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for welcoming me into this lovely church family and local 

community. I feel so lucky to not only be settling into St Andrew’s, but also in some of your homes 

to break bread, play games, and talk about God. 

I’ve been adjusting to the role amazingly, all thanks to Westy’s guidance, the parish’s support, 

and the community of volunteers who have been nurturing this ministry for many years. Thank 

you for your graciousness and generosity as I find my way! 

We’ve had such a blast at Messy Church, learning about baptisms, and at Sunday Club, 

exploring the idea of God’s authority over all things. We also enjoyed a lovely Christingle 

service, which was the first one I have attended! It was so fun to see everyone’s 

oranges, listen to Westy’s sermon (left), and sing songs together. 

Before I start my ministry in the schools, I’ve been using my extra time to enjoy 

sampling what I like to call St Andrew’s charcuterie board of events and services 

(there’s truly something offered for everyone!). At Rendezvous lunch club, we 

had a local kitty come to visit us, and this long-tailed friend was chatting away 

through the window as I was working in the office later that day. 

Corinne 0118 969 3298


PARISH NOTICEBOARD — 3 

That's the shocking figure 'The 2023 Open Doors World 

Watch List' concluded after gathering data from the 

50 countries where Christians face the 'most extreme 

persecution'. 

The latest report, covering 2023, was launched at a meeting 

of parliamentarians on 17 January when 100 MPs and two 

peers attended. They were able to hear first-hand about how 

365 million Christians face high levels of persecution and 

discrimination — a number that represents one in every 

seven Christians globally, or 1 million for every day of the 

year. 

Top of the World Watch List is North Korea, which 

remains the costliest place in the world to be a Christian. 

Even owning a Bible is illegal and Christians are sent to 

appalling labour camps or simply killed on the spot. Most 

people are facing starvation in the country, but stories have 

emerged of Christians sharing whatever food they have with 

their neighbours and bringing hope to their community. 

HIGH RISERS 

One of the 'high risers' on the latest list is Laos which rose 

10 places from 31 to 21. The Open Doors researcher looking 

into Laos said he had never seen such a clear connection 

between the growth of the church and the growth of 

opposition. 

Representatives of Christians in Iran and in Sub Saharan 

— particularly West Africa — answered questions on a panel 

chaired by an Open Doors UK and Ireland director. 

In Iran (9th in the list), house churches are seen as a 

threat to national security. 

In Nigeria (6th), more Christians are killed for their faith 

than in all other countries of the world combined. 

Compared with the past 20 years, the highest number 

of arrests for Christians in Iran took place in 2023, said a 

representative. Homes have been raided and Christians 

sentenced to lengthy prison sentences. It was a very difficult 

year for many believers. 

She also echoed the point that wherever the church is 

growing we can expect more persecution. If we hear there are 

more arrests, this is because there are more believers. More 

people are converting and they are not afraid to proclaim 

Jesus — but they are paying the price. 

In Sub Saharan and West Africa, 2023 was a year of 

hope for many Nigerians. The hope was for a change of 

government to one which would be concerned about the 

people and seek to restore security. Everyone in Middle 

Belt and North Nigeria knows someone from their family, 

or village, who has been abducted or kidnapped. They had 

to pay 'millions' in ransom and this is impoverishing the 

families and multiplying fear in hearts and minds of people. 

There have been invasions of villages where hundreds are 

killed. 

While the church is large in terms of numbers and some 

resources, the challenge is for the members to come together 

as one. It was said to be like a sleeping giant that needs to 

be awakened. This was not only for Nigeria but the whole 

of West Africa. In the midst of this, there is an explosion of 

THE persecuted church by colin bailey 

365 million persecuted Christians = 1 million for every day of 2023 

HOPE FOR CHANGE 

The unwelcoming face of North Korea 

Linqong, dreamstime.com 

'MBBs' (Muslim Background Believers) who have come to 

Christ either through dreams, listening to radio programmes, 

through the testimony of others and some of them through 

comparative study. These new believers are going back to 

their community and encouraging new disciples. 

Open Doors ask us to pray: 

— For Christians experiencing increased pressure under 

cover of conflict and crisis, for example in Sub Saharan Africa 

and Manipur. 

— For comfort, healing, provision, restoration, courage, and 

reconciliation. 

— For all those living in fear in authoritarian regimes; for 

them to have courage to stand strong; to become powerful 

witnesses so that the Church will continue to grow, and the 

gates of hell will not prevail against it. 

— To bless and pray for the persecutors: for religious 

nationalists and extremists, families, neighbours, and 

governments; that they will come to know Jesus as their 

personal saviour. 

References and further reading 

Open Doors World Watch List 2024: 

https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/ 

Open Doors World Watch List Launch 2024: 

https://advocacy.opendoorsuk.org/page/140238/action/1 

Open Doors World Watch List 2024 Launch Prayer Evening: 

https://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/webinars/ 

House of Commons Library Research Briefing 'Religious 

Persecution and the World Watch List 2024': https:// 

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0017/#: 

For your Prayers in March 

— His Majesty the King, his doctors 

and family 

— Those to be baptised in the River 

Thames on Easter Sunday 

— The release of the Israeli 

civilian hostages in Gaza 

— The work of Daisy’s Dream 

bereavement counselling for 

children 

— Christians In Reading Drop 

In Centre (CIRDIC) 

Mbolina, dreamstime.com


Claude's 

view 

from 

the 

pew 

After the Second World War the government encouraged youngsters to become 

part of the building industry. This was to rebuild the country’s housing stock 

and to provide new public buildings to replace those lost in the German bombing 

raids. 

When attending Caversham Secondary Modern School (which is now Thameside 

Primary), someone came round to encourage us to go to the new building school 

where youngsters, like myself, were taught building alongside traditional 

subjects. I decided to join and remember being in JSB2, so would have been 

part of the second intake. 

Skilled craftsmen were employed for half a day each week to teach the skills 

of building alongside their English, mathematics and science lessons, in George 

Palmer Central school in Basingstoke Road, Reading. 

One lady teacher, Miss Nellie Palmer, was tasked to teach us lads English 

language and literature, but rather than Milton or Shakespeare, she taught us 

comic verse, such as ‘You’re old father William’ by Lewis Carroll and encouraged us to 

learn it off by heart, and I have never forgotten it! 

We attended from the ages of 13-16 and there were around 20 in a class. We 

were taught all the different trades, such as bricklaying, plumbing and carpentry. 

Most of us went on into the building trade as an apprentice. As we had been to a 

building school, we were more attractive to local building contractors because we 

were already trained, and so we started in the second year of our apprenticeships. I 

was employed by Boyd and Murley in London Street as a bricklayer. 

You are old father William by Lewis Carroll 

'You are old, father William,' the young man said 'And your hair has become very white; 

And yet you incessantly stand on your head — Do you think, at your age, it is right?' 

'In my youth,' father William replied to his son, 'I feared it might injure the brain; 

But now that I’m perfectly sure I have none, Why, I do it again and again.' 

'You are old,' said the youth, 'as I mentioned before, And have grown most uncommonly fat; 

Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door — Pray, what is the reason of that?' 

'In my youth,' said the sage, as he shook his gray locks, 'I kept all my limbs very supple 

By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box, — Allow me to sell you a couple?' 

'You are old,' said the youth, 'and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet; 

Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak— 

Pray, how did you manage to do it?' 

'In my youth,' said his father, 'I took to the law and argued each case with my wife; 

And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw has lasted the rest of my life.' 

'You are old,' said the youth; 'one would hardly suppose That your eye was as steady as ever; 

Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose — What made you so awfully clever?' 

'I have answered three questions, and that is enough,' Said his father; 'don’t give yourself airs! 

Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!' 

'You are old, Father William' appears in Lewis Carrol's book 'Alice's Adventures in 

Wonderland' published in 1865 and is the public domain. 


From the 

editor's 

desk 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk 

I often write this column early on in 

the production cycle but this month it 

is the last piece in the jigsaw because 

two contributions did not arrive 

in time, and this left me with three 

pages to fill. Hopefully, you won't be 

able to spot which pages were put 

together in a hurry! 

I am not complaining about this. These 

things are part of life for journalists. 

I have worked as a writer and editor 

on newspapers and magazines since 

I graduated from university as an 

electronics engineer — I could never 

make anything electronic work, but 

could write a good excuse why! 

In many ways, working under the 

pressure of looming deadlines when 

promised articles don't materialise 

is all part of the fun — and it always 

makes the job more satisfying when 

it appears in print. 

RELAX YOUR BRAIN 

Some people argue that printed 

magazines such as this one are a thing 

of the past but, even though there has 

been a steady decline in the readership 

of printed newspapers and magazines, 

it is estimated that over 20 million 

people read a printed magazine of 

some kind every month. 

And, as I have said before in this 

column, experts tell us to switch off 

our electronic screens an hour before 

we go to bed in order to relax our 

brains. They suggest instead, that we 

read a printed book or magazine. 

Hopefully, this month, you will 

find plenty of interest to relax your 

brain by reading this magazine, and I 

include in this the advertisements. 

When you respond to any of 

the adverts please mention to the 

advertiser that you saw it in The 

Parish Magazine because without their 

financial support we would not be 

able to print and deliver it for your 

enjoyment and information.


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Who is CIRDIC? 

Churches In Reading Drop-In Centre, St Saviour's Church 

Hall, 1 Berkeley Ave, Reading RG1 6JT 


PARISH NOTICEBOARD — 5 

The who, what, when and why of CIRDIC 

What does CIRDIC do? 

On three weekdays and Sunday mornings for the last 32 

years CIRDIC has been serving those who go to its centre 

in Reading to receive: 

— Main meals, snacks and drinks 

— Warmth and company in pleasant surroundings 

— Clothing, bedding and toiletries 

— Baths and showers 

— Access to telephone and computers for keeping in touch 

with family and for job-seeking 

— A postal address 

— Art work 

— Access to professional services including NHS HOLT 

(Health Outreach Liaison Team) nurses, podiatrists, the St 

Mungo’s homeless charity, and a listening ear and advice 

when requested. 

What sort of people do CIRDIC help? 

CIRDIC has an open-door policy and ask only that their 

guests, who are all adults, behave reasonably well. They do 

not know the background of many of their visitors. However, 

they know that the 60 or so who use the centre vary in age, 

sex and background. Some are homeless, most have huge 

problems with rootlessness, substance abuse, poor housing, 

unemployment and mental health. Some have been using the 

resources for years, and some simply pass through. 

Does CIRDIC get results? 

CIRDIC services are not merely palliative. Simply by being 

an acceptable meeting place for many of the vulnerable 

people of the Reading area, it is a focal point for voluntary 

and statutory services. 

Although it can never prove it, CIRDIC believes their 

service probably reduces the crime rate in the town by 

reducing the temptation to shoplift for food. They have 

enabled at least one guest to obtain a university place and 

hence obtain a degree. 

Recently Shaun went to CIRDIC having hitchhiked 

from a detox centre in Wales. He was tired, hungry and 

filthy. A bath, a complete new set of clothing, a meal 

and a meeting with a housing specialist, who found him 

temporary accommodation, set him on the way back to 

work and dignity. 

Who is CIRDIC and why does it do what it does? 

CIRDIC is a company limited by the guarantee of its 

members and registered as a charity. It has two paid 

members of staff, Mabel Gregory manager and Andrea 

Darius, the administrator over 50 part-time volunteers. 

All the trustees and others in the management 

team are volunteers. Most, but by no means all, of the 

volunteers are Christians from the town who remember 

Jesus saying: 'In as much as ye did it for these the least of my 

brethren, ye did it for me.' Others simply think that 'There 

but for the grace of God go I.' Some of the greatest help 

Churches in Reading Drop In Centre 

comes from 'guest volunteers,' including ex-prisoners, who 

work alongside the other helpers without any distinction. 

Their efforts are valuable to the organisation and to the 

other guests and provide an outlet for their desire to 

work. CIRDIC has then been able to provide references 

and testimonials when the guest volunteers are ready to 

move on to paid employment. 

The Women’s Centre 

In addition to her work at the centre in Berkeley Avenue, 

Andrea looks after the Churches in Reading Women’s 

Centre on the Oxford Road. CIRDIC took this over in 2018 

when it was in danger of closure because of its financial 

difficulties. The Women’s Centre looks after vulnerable 

women who have suffered trauma such as abuse or have 

learning difficulties. They meet on a weekly basis. 

What does CIRDIC need to continue its work? 

Currently CIRDIC has enough volunteers and enough gifts 

of food and clothing to continue offering what most agree 

is a very valuable service to the town, but it has a severe 

funding problem. Operating on a shoestring it takes over 

£100,000 to run its service, of which £7,000 is met by an 

annual grant from Reading Borough Council. There is 

always a grave danger that CIRDIC will lose this funding 

but whether it does or not, there is still a great need to 

increase funds. 

How is CIRDIC going to do survive? 

Mabel Gregory, CIRDIC manager, said: 'The support that 

we currently have to obtain food and clothing is enough for 

the current needs. However, following Covid, and the present 

economic crisis, income has dropped while expenses have 

increased so that it is rapidly becoming for us an existential 

crisis. We realise that most churches are going through the 

same difficulties, but we hope that you can agree that it is no 

accident that we are the Churches in Reading Drop in Centre 

and so we represent Jesus’ church in action. So please help us 

with as great a donation as you can manage. 

CIRDIC banking information: 

Churches in Reading Drop-in Centre 

Barclays Bank 

Sort Code: 20 71 03 Account No: 70269573


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feature — 1 


ST DAVID'S DAY 1 MARCH 

Celebrating all things Welsh 

Who links daffodils with Leeks, Sessile Oak trees and Red Kites? 

Answer: St David of Wales on 1 March when everything Welsh is celebrated. 

Traditionally Welsh people would 

wear a leek on St David’s Day, but 

more recently this has been replaced 

with the flower of Wales, the wild 

daffodil, also known in English as St 

Peter’s Leek. 

Other much-loved symbols of 

Wales include the Welsh Harp, the 

Welsh Oak or Sessile Oak, the Red 

Kite and a Red Dragon. 

ST DAVIDS 

Saint David was born in Wales 

and became Bishop of Mynyw, which 

is better known today as St Davids, 

the smallest city in Britain. 

City status was awarded in 1995 

although the roots of St Davids go 

back to the 5th Century when he 

lived there. 

The city was made a conservation 

area by the Pembrokeshire Coast 

National Park in 1972. 

While there are well documented 

accounts of St David’s life the details 

are not always precise, for example, 

the date of his birth and death range 

from 462-512 to 500–589. 

SAINT NON 

David is believed to be the son of 

a prince and a nun. His mother, Non, 

is also recognised as a saint and she 

is celebrated on 2 March. David was 

canonised in 1120 and was declared 

Patron Saint of Wales. 

It was not until the 19th Century 

that the wild daffodil emerged as 

an alternative emblem for the leek 

that was traditionally worn by Welsh 

warriors to distinguish them from 

the enemy when they went into 

battle. 

The wild daffodil became 

fashionable when Lloyd George wore 

a daffodil on St David’s Day and 

encouraged its use at the investiture 

of the Prince of Wales in 1911. 

Daffodils, of course, are usually 

in plentiful supply on St David's Day, 

and smell sweeter than leeks! 

WILDLIFE 

In 2007 the people of Wales voted 

the Red Kite as the most popular bird 

in Wales, and it was adopted as the 

national symbol of Wales for wildlife. 

The Welsh Oak is not only a 

symbol of strength and endurance 

but also a living testament to the 

nation's deep-rooted connection with 

nature. 

This tree's history is intertwined 

with Welsh folklore, where it is 

celebrated for its robustness and 

longevity. 

The Welsh Harp is an icon of 

Welsh pride and cultural heritage 

IMAGES OF WALES 

— Welsh Oak trees on a Welsh farm, 

Ian Keirle, dreamstime.com 

— Red Kite in flight, Marilyn 

Barbone, dreamstime.com 

— Welsh harp, wikimedia commons 

— Leek in hand, Octavian Lazar, 

dreamstime.com; 

— Red dragon, Pixabay.com 

— Daffodils, Beata Becla, 

dreamstime.com 

that has been associated with bards 

of old to modern musical events, 

especially in Welsh arts festivals 

known as Eisteddfod. 

The instrument was not invented 

in Wales, it was created in Italy in the 

16th Century. 

CADWALADR 

As for the red dragon, it is 

thought that the Welsh kings of 

Aberffraw, a village community on 

the south west coast of the Isle of 

Anglesey in Wales, first adopted 

the dragon in the early 5th Century 

in order to symbolise their power 

and authority after the Romans 

withdrew from Britain. 

Later, around the 7th Century, it 

became known as the Red Dragon 

of Cadwaladr, who was the King of 

Gwynedd from 655 to 682.



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feature — 2 


Marie Curie's 'Great Daffodil Appeal' supports 

thousands of nursing shifts to comfort end of life 

Marie Curie 

Kollidas, dreamstime.com 

Everyone deserves expert care and 

support at the end of life and that’s 

why Marie Curie, the UK’s leading 

end of life charity is seeking support 

for its Great Daffodil Appeal this 

March by asking for volunteers to 

give a few hours of their time to 

distribute the iconic daffodil pins in 

exchange for a donation. 

The Marie Curie International 

Memorial was formally established 

on 6 July 1948 in memory of the life 

and scientific work of Marie Curie. 

She was a pioneering scientist known 

for her work on radioactivity, as well 

as her dedication to providing care to 

those with cancer. 

Shortly afterwards, The Marie 

Curie International Memorial 

became the Marie Curie Memorial 

Foundation which has grown into 

the charity that is now best known 

as Marie Curie. 

The charity stresses that it is 

not a 'cancer charity' but the UK’s 

leading ‘end of life charity’. It cares 

for people with any illness they 

are likely to die from including 

Alzheimer’s and other forms of 

dementia, heart, liver, kidney and 

lung disease, motor neurone disease, 

Parkinson’s, and advanced cancer. 

The Marie Curie charity says 

that one in four people don’t get the 

end of life care they need. Its Great 

Daffodil Appeal encourages people 

to donate and wear a daffodil pin 

to help them continue to support 

people with any illness they’re likely 

to die from. 

The appeal is the charity’s main 

fund raising effort each year to 

help fund Marie Curie Nurses and 

healthcare professionals to provide 

expert support and hospice care. 

The daffodil, a symbol of renewal 

and hope, was chosen to represent 

the campaign’s message of support 

and care for individuals with 

terminal illnesses. 

It is dependent on public 

donations and last year supporters 

helped Marie Curie provide direct 

care to more than 44,200 people 

in the UK via its nine hospices and 

through overnight nursing care in 

people’s own homes. 

The money raised also funds 

the charity’s free support line and 

webchat, which is available to 

anyone with an illness they’re likely 

to die from, and for those close to 

them. 

The support line provides 

practical and emotional support 

on everything from symptom 

management and day-to-day 

care to financial information and 

bereavement support. The Great 

Daffodil Appeal is supported by 

Superdrug Stores plc the well-known 

health and beauty retailer in the 

United Kingdom that is the second 

largest chain behind Boots. 

Since 2013, Superdrug and sister 

company Savers, have raised over 

£11 million for Marie Curie. This has 

helped fund thousands of nursing 

shifts, so people at the end of life 

can feel comforted and cared for 

right to the end. 

You can pick up a daffodil pin in 

any of Superdrug's 800 stores during 

March as well as from volunteers 

who undertake house-to-house 

collections. 

If you’re living with a terminal 

illness or have been affected by 

dying, death and bereavement, 

Marie Curie can help. 

If you would like to become a 

volunteer collector, or to learn more 

about how Marie Curie can help you 

or a loved one visit: 

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or call the free Marie Curie 

Support Line on 0800 090 2309. 

Whatever the illness, wherever you 

are, Marie Curie can be with you to 

the end.



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feature — 1 


Make all the month of March merry! 

Elsewhere in this magazine there's 

a focus on two great times of 

celebration — Mothering Sunday 

on 10 March and then from Palm 

Sunday, on 24 March, to the end 

of the month it's Holy week and 

Easter. But what about all the 

other days in the month, how are 

we going to keep ourselves and our 

children happy? 

Well here's two suggestions: 

Wednesday 20 March is 

International Happiness Day — 

and surely the world needs more 

happiness? And then, three days 

later, on Saturday 23 March it's 

Earth Hour Day, when every 

person in the world is asked to do 

something environmentally positive 

for just one hour. The purpose? To 

make our planet happy! 

HAPPINESS 

In 2013, 20 March was declared 

by the United Nations as a 

day the world should celebrate 

happiness. Happiness, they said, 

is a fundamental human goal 

and it identified 17 ‘sustainable 

development goals’ which together 

will seek to end poverty, reduce 

inequality, protect the planet 

Photoking, dreamstime.com 

and in doing so, contribute to our 

happiness. They are listed in the UN 

diagram below. 

It seems that we have two choices 

for this special day: do things that 

make us happy, or do things that 

make someone else happy. 

The two are not always the same, 

but if you opt for making someone 

else happy this will have the side 

effect of also making you feel happy! 

FLIP SIDE 

It’s easy to blame modern living 

with our advanced technology and 

the industrialisation of so much 

of our world for the destruction of 

our planet. However, there is an 

important flip side. 

For the first time in history 

the current generation has the 

knowledge and the skill to do 

something about this serious issue. 

Public Domain 

Rawpixelimages, dreamstime.com 

How you may ask? Well, the 

answer is to use the technology 

that previous generations did not 

have, and to encourage everyone 

— wherever they are — to work 

together to make the significant 

changes that are needed to reduce, 

and even reverse, the destruction. 

Earth Hour is a worldwide 

movement organized by the World 

Wildlife Fund. It is held annually on 

the last Saturday of March when we 

are all encouraged as individuals, 

communities, businesses, and 

churches to turn off non-essential 

electric lights for just one hour from 

8.30-9.30pm 

When it began on Saturday 31 

March 2007, the world’s first Earth 

Hour in Sydney, Australia, saw more 

than 2.2 million people turn off 

their lights for one hour to show a 

climate-sceptic government that 

people were concerned about climate 

change. 

WILL YOU HELP? 

Last year an historic global 

agreement was set to protect and 

restore nature by 2030 when the 

Earth Hour organisation surpassed 

its target of reaching 60,000 hours 

given for Earth. This was equivalent 

to the 7 years until 2030. It saw 

an incredible total of more than 

410,000 hours pledged on its ‘Hour 

Bank’. 

Earth Hour is a movement of 

unity that brings the world together, 

shines a spotlight on nature loss 

and the climate crisis, and inspires 

millions more to act and advocate 

for urgent change. Each year, it 

works to turn a single Earth Hour 

into thousands and millions of 

hours of action for our one shared 

home. Will you help?


feature — 4 

FoStAC 

REPAIR 

IMPROVE 

RESTORE 

BEAUTIFY 

MAINTAIN 

PRESERVE 

CONSTRUCT 

By Magnus Smyly, FoStAC Trustee 

'This is a beautiful church, and you can really feel 

God’s presence here. Thank you for taking such 

good care of it!' writes a visitor from Western 

Australia on 29 December 2023 in the St Andrew’s 

Church Sonning visitors book. It neatly sums up 

the purpose of the Friends of St Andrew’s Church – 

FoStAC. 

FoStAC was established in 2003 as a Registered 

Charity (Number 1101944), separate to the main 

St Andrew’s Church charity, with the specific 

objective to: 'Enable the restoration, preservation, 

repair, maintenance, improvement, beautification or 

reconstruction of St Andrew’s Church Sonning.' 

Practically, this means FoStAC raises funds and 

make grants to the Church for projects relating to 

the fabric of the main Church building. The trustees 

are blessed with helping to steward it for future 

generations. And this, of course, includes raising the 

funds to undertake the work. 

EVENTS 

In the 21 years since its formation, over £430,000 

has been raised by FoStAC and given to St Andrew’s 

Church. 

To help meet our objective FoStAC organises 

fund raising events, and you may have seen details 

of these included in past issue of The Parish Magazine 

as well as on posters around the churchyard site 

and village. This month, for example we are holding 

a Charity Fish & Chip Supper and Quiz in The Ark 

on Wednesday, 20 March at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20 

(please bring your own bottle/drink). They can be 

obtained from Sally Wilson on mustangsallywilson@ 

gmail.com or 0118 979 3328. 

Quiz teams will be in tables of four and payment 

can be made to any of the FoStAC Trustees in 

advance or by card payment on the door. The closing 

date is 10am on Monday, 18 March to allow for fish 

and chips to be ordered in advance. 

EXAMPLES 

FoStAC is also supported financially for larger 

scale projects by a number of local charities who 

have kindly chosen to benefit us. These include 

Sonning Scarecrows and the Sonning Volunteer Fire 

Brigade Trust. 

Recent examples of our larger projects they have 

supported include a replacement heating system 

(>£50k) and LED lighting system (~£60k) – both of 

which have reduced running costs for the Church 

alongside benefiting the environment. 

Another very important source of funds each 

year for FoStAC are the regular donations from our 

members and, when these are combined with Gift 

Aid, they provide a significant proportion of our 

FoStAC Trustees: (left to right) Ian 

Hawkins.


Specialist work was required to repair the west wall of St Andrew's Church 

Keith Nichols 

income each year, and for which we thank each and 

every regular donor to FoStAC. 

If you would like to know more about FoStAC and 

details of how to join them in becoming a regular 

donor, or about events this year, please go to our new 

dedicated FoStAC website at https://www.fostac.org. 

Even a £10 a month donation — equivalent to three 

cups of bought coffee per month — adds up very 

helpfully for FoStAC across our membership base! 

McCann, Keith Nichols, Bob Hine , Magnus Smyly, Sally Wilson, Rosemarie Rixon, and Keith 

CONSERVATIONISTS 

If you walked through the churchyard last year 

you probably saw a typical example of the work that 

FoStAC funds (picture above right). The work required 

expert conservationists to repair the external flint 

wall under the vestry window. This repair related 

to issues arising from damp, which has also led to 

internal repairs that are still in progress as the wall 

fully dries out. 

If you would like to know more about FoStAC, 

offer expertise or practical help, or even consider 

becoming a Trustee, or to book places at our events 

this year, please visit FoStAC's website or speak to 

one of one of the Trustees, (pictured left). We are very 

blessed in our community with our remarkable Grade 

II listed St. Andrew’s Church. Thank you again to all 

those who help support FoStAC, and so maintain this 

beautiful building for many generations to come.


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around the villages — 1 

Community 

children, clubs, 

and church ... 

Community continues to be at the 

forefront of our experiences at Sonning 

Church of England School writes Phil 

Sherwood, head teacher. 

In January, after a wonderful Christmas 

nativity service at St Andrew’s, The 

Parish Magazine’s editor, Bob Peters 

visited us to share his vast and 

impressive collection of nativity scenes 

to mark Epiphany. 

The pupils were amazed by the range 

of nativities and we were very grateful 

for Mr Peters’ time at our special 

Epiphany collective worship. 

In late January, we held our first 

Cross Country event for local schools in 

The Keys Academy Trust. 

This was organised by our school 

and Barnes Fitness, and supported 

by Berkshire County Sports Club and 

Reading Cricket and Hockey Club. BCSC 

allowed us to use their field and facilities, 

and Reading Cricket and Hockey Club 

allowed us to use their car park. Local 

schools, including Reading Blue Coat, 

helped by providing volunteers. 

This is a perfect example of the 

community support that we are 

fortunate to benefit from, and we hope 

to make our cross country racing a 

termly event. 

GIVING BACK 

In February, it was our turn to 

give back to others, and we 

supported the NSPCC Number 

Day. Our staff and pupils dressed 

up in number-themed outfits and 

the pupils engaged in a range of 

maths-focused activities. 

We also welcomed two new 

guinea pigs! They came from a 

charity, and we are delighted to give 

them a new home! 

Looking forward, we are excited to 

be holding a circus day on Bank Holiday 

Monday 6 May for the pupils, families, 

and members of the public. 

There will be more information about 

this event on Sonning Buzz and our social 

media pages over the next few weeks, so 

keep an eye out! Proceeds will go to our 

Parent Teacher Association to provide 

even more for our pupils. 

The Parish Magazine - March 2024 23



'I knew someone 

who would walk the 

streets of Reading ' 

By Trish Hayes 

Some time ago, I was asked by a good friend if 

if I would consider training to be a Street Pastor 

with her group in Reading Town Centre. I knew 

I would not make an effective Street Pastor, but 

I told her I knew just who would be friendly and 

empathetic with a gift for putting all kinds of 

folk at their ease; a born communicator, endlessly 

interested in people. That person is my husband 

Ron! 

The Street Pastor movement was started in 

Brixton in 2003 by Rev Les Isaac with the aim, 

in the words of patron of Street Pastors David 

Burrows MP, of '..rolling up their sleeves and getting 

involved in practically responding to the problems of 

crime and safety on the streets of our cities.' 

That first night, 18 volunteers took to the streets of Brixton with a mission 

to help anyone out there, whether homeless; in the grip of addiction; alone in 

a strange city or simply needing someone to talk to. Today there are 11,000 

trained Street Pastors in over 240 towns and cities in the UK. The Reading 

group began their mission in October 2009. 

Ron began his training last Autumn, learning ‘on the job’ from experienced 

Street Pastors, going to lectures and talks by interested parties eg local council 

and Thames Valley Police, and taking a course on emergency first aid. 

As you can see, it was a proud moment for Ron when he first donned his 

uniform and set off to 'care, listen and help' people in Reading town centre. . 

If you would like to learn more about the work of Street Pastors go to: 

https.//www.ascensiontrust.org.uk or https://streetpastors.org/locations/reading 

Sonning Scarecrows 2024 

Sunday/Monday 26/27 May 

Sonning Parish Council is following 

the National Pageant Master's 

commemoration plans for the 8oth 

Anniversary of D-Day on Thursday 

6 June. 

The national plans include a National 

Proclamation at 8.00am that will be 

followed with a similar proclamation 

in schools at 11.00 am, and at 6.00pm 

churches around the UK will ring 

their bells. 

Sonning Parish Council is also 

planning a celebration at the King 

George V Playing field to raise money 

for the Royal British Legion and 

other military charities. Gates will 

open at 6.00pm with free entry. 

The Syd Lawrence Orchestra has 

been booked to play big band music 

of the period. 

The Last Post and the lighting of a 

beacon will be at 9.15pm. 

As Thursday 6 June is also the 

National Fish and Chip Supper 

Day, arrangements are being made 

to have it delivered to the ground. 

Alcohol will also be on sale. 

Watch out for further details in 

future issues. 

Barbara Carr writes: Hopefully you have been thinking about your 2024 Scarecrow 

which will be as splendid as the one you did two years ago! Thank you to those who 

have already registered a Scarecrow … we know Barbie will be there! 

If you have a garden on the route from the bottom of Pound Lane, Pearson Road, 

High Street, Thames Street or bottom of Charvil Lane, for displaying a scarecrow 

please let me know, or if you would like to open your garden. 

To find out more, to register an entry, offer help with refreshments — making or 

serving — manning a garden, marshalling, selling maps or generally helping in 

any way, come to Sonning Club, by Pearson Hall, on Monday 25 March at 7.45pm. 

contact@sonningscarecrows.com or Barbara.carr71@hotmail.co.uk 

Pearson Hall talks 

Sonning and Sonning Eye Society's 

latest programme of events in 

Pearson Hall at 7.30pm include: 

— March 1: Lionel Williams talk on 

'The History of Reading Hospitals' 

— March 29: Terry Grourk talk on 

'Hidden History of Wargrave Hall' 

— April 26: Graham Horn talks on 

'The thankful villages of WWI whose 

soldiers returned' 

— May 23: Amy Stocker talk on 'The 

Great Fire at Windsor Castle' 

Tickets for each event are, £4 for 

members and £5 for guests. They are 

available at: https://sonning.org.uk or 

by contacting Penny Feathers 0118 

934 3193 penny.feathers@btinternet.com


100 dance for 100 years 

Over 100 members of Inner Wheel and guests met in 

January to take part in the ‘100 for 100’ dance initiative 

to celebrate Inner Wheel's centenary. 

After demonstrations of Morris and folk dances by the 

Shinfield Shambles Border Morris Group, they were let 

loose, with some trepidation, on the floor to have a go 

themselves. Some chaos ensued along with lots of laughter 

and much enjoyment, followed by a delicious buffet lunch. 

Inner Wheel was formed in 1924 in Manchester to 

complement Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland. In 

1967 clubs began to spread internationally. Now it is in 

104 countries with 108,000 members worldwide, 9,500 

approximately being in Great Britain and Ireland. This 

makes it one of the largest world wide organisations for 

women with membership now open to all since April 2012. 

The Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh was 

founded in 2002 and has about 40 members. It meets 

monthly at Sonning Golf Club, usually on the third 

Thursday of the month, for a chat and a drink at 7.15 for 

7.45 pm. Then follows a two-course meal which is usually 

followed by a speaker. 

They financially support local community projects such 

The Cowshed and The Book Bus. 

http://www.innerwheelrme.org or iwcrme@gmail.com 

Wanted: Project Singers 

Charvil based choir, The Project Singers, led by musical 

director Suzanne Newman, is looking for singers to join 

them for the summer term's project, Chocolate Box! 

The project is songs about chocolate and sweets for a concert 

on 7 July, World Chocolate Day. Songs will include: Hotta 

chocolatta, The candyman, Lollipop and A spoonful of sugar. 

The choir has a section for girls who meet for rehearsals 

on Sundays from 6.15pm - 7.45pm. There is also a ladies 

section who rehearse on Mondays between 8pm - 9.30pm. 

If you love singing and can show commitment and 

enthusiasm you will be very welcome! It will help to be 

able to read music a little as the arrangements are in two 

or three parts. For more details contact Suzanne on 0118 

934 0589 or suzanneynewman@btinternet.com 


Another successful year 

for local artists 

Sonning Art Group 

held its AGM in mid 

January and Yvonne 

Evans was welcomed 

to the Committee. The 

reports showed that 

the group had another 

successful year with 

several interesting 

events planned for 

2024. 

These will include 

the Scarecrow trail at 

the end of May when 

the group will stage its 

popular art exhibition 

to accompany its 

scarecrow. 

Sue Sheppard and Sue Bell 

Jenny Halstead will be the first tutor of the year and 

will be demonstrating 'People in the landscape' followed 

by Jonathon Newey who will be drawing Koalas . 

The Tom Baldwin Trophy, awarded to a member who 

has made an outstanding contribution to the club was 

awarded to Sue Sheppard by chairlady Sue Bell (pictured 

above). The club meets every Friday in Pearson Hall from 

12.30pm. You are always welcome to visit the group which 

welcomes all abilities. 

Annual General Meeting 

followed by 

with 

Fish & Chip Supper 

Wednesday 20 March at 7.30pm 

at The Ark, St Andrew’s Church 

in aid of FoStAC fund raising for future repairs to St Andrew’s Church 

Tickets £20 including Fish & Chip Supper 

(Please bring your own bottle/drink) 

Please email Sally Wilson on mustangsallywilson@gmail.com or 0118 979 3328 

to confirm your place 

Quiz teams will be in tables of 4 and payment can be made to any of the FoStAC 

Trustees in advance of the event or by payment card on the door 

Closing date for numbers will be 10am Monday 18 March 2024 

to allow for Fish & Chips to be ordered in advance 

Registered Charity No: 1101944


Please mention The Parish Magazine when replying to advertisements 

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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HEALTH 

Dr Simon Ruffle writes . . . Actinic Keratosis 

An odd name for a condition. 

Actinic comes from Ancient Greek 

for ‘ray.’ This gets us nearer an 

understanding of this condition as it 

is also known as Solar Keratosis. 

Keratosis comes from the Greek keras 

meaning ‘horn’ and the Germanic — 

'oses' or ‘growth.’ So it's a growth like 

a horn caused by rays. 

Keratin is what the top layer skin 

is made from and hardened keratin 

is what nails are formed of and our 

hair. (Rhinoceroses horn is made of 

tightly packed keratinous hair.) 

SCALY PATCH 

Now we have a definition, how 

does it start? 

UV radiation from sunshine is 

great for vitamin D production and 

that nice tan but it damages DNA in 

the growth layer of skin. 

Our DNA can repair itself but 

eventually in certain cells this will go 

wrong. Skin cells that are exposed to 

too much light will go wrong. 

This leads to overgrowth of the 

skin in an abnormal way. A scaly 

patch will appear, sometime flaky 

sometimes hardened. The skin 

around it will be inflamed and a little 

itchy or sore. 

Many will go away on their own; 

which is good as most of these 

appear on the scalp of bald/balding 

men who are — it’s a fact gents — 

more likely to ignore these patches or 

pick them off if they get scaly. 

HORNS 

However they are pre-cancerous. 

Rarely solo ones cause an issue but 

the risk of them turning cancerous is 

if the person has many of them. 

This is because if you have more 

you have been exposed to sun, gone 

bald early or are at particular risk— 

fair or ginger hair, light complexion 

or freckled. 

I mentioned the Rhino earlier as 

some Actinic Keratosis that are left 

will form cutaneous horns. 

The best way of dealing with these 

patches is not to get them in the first 

place. 

Wear a hat or use sun cream 

even in winter if you have bald skin 

where once was a thick luxurious 

cover. My luxurious cover is a wool 

hat resembling Tommy’s from 'Peaky 

Blinder' as the locks departed years 

ago. 

Now! Ladies you don’t get away 

that lightly. Although you rarely get 

them on your head, the back of your 

hand and face can develop them; 

blokes get these as well. 

OUTSTANDING 

The good news is they rarely cause 

bother if you treat them. 

We used to use steroid and an 

aspirin based cream or a cream 

derived from anti-inflammatories. 

Nitrogen cryotherapy or surgery 

were also performed. 

These have been superseded by a 

chemotherapy cream 5-fluorouracil. 

This is toxic to cells. However like 

a lot of damaged cells they respond 

by taking up chemotherapeutic 

substances more than normal cells. 

So although the side effects of 

using 5-FU look terrible the results 

are outstanding. Within 2-3 days of 

use there is some inflammation that 

peaks at 3-4 weeks. 

A few weeks after stopping the 

cream (4 weeks use) the skin calms 

and the lesion had gone and the 

surrounding skin normal. 

This treatment has been 

licensed in the UK and many GPs 


Mrs Ruffle 

will be familiar with it. Local 

guidelines from the Royal Berkshire 

dermatologists recommend this 

approach. 

Some GPs may be wary or 

inexperienced in its use, so if 

consulting them a decent photo on 

your phone helps so they may ask 

for guidance via a tele-dermatology 

referral. 

SUN CREAM 

So as you read this I hope the sun 

is beginning to appear in the sky 

more often than as I write and you 

have a hat or cap and a bottle of sun 

cream ready. 

The picture in this article suggests 

I should have taken this advice 20 

years ago as the shower trap started 

to have more hair than my comb! 

Happy 125 th birthday 

to Aspirin! 

It was 125 years ago this month, 

on 6 March 1899 that the German 

pharmaceutical company Bayer first 

patented Aspirin (acetylsalicylic 

acid). It is based on salicylic acid, 

which was used in herbal medicines 

as far back as Sumerian times, in 

2500 BC.


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FASHION BY HARRIET NELSON 

Fashions throughout generations 

In honour of Mothering Sunday, I 

decided to write and dedicate this 

month's article to my Granny and 

how the changing fashions during 

post-war period influenced her 

generation, as well as how she has 

impacted the way I see and adore 

fashion today. 

I've been very fortunate to have 

grown up knowing both sets 

of grandparents. I will always 

remember how my maternal 

grandmother, Barbara, dressed. 

Whenever I saw her, she 

looked like a classic woman of her 

generation, well put together, even 

when she was casually at home, 

always looking presentable. 

CLASSIC 

Granny had her hair beautifully 

styled and the outfits she wore were 

always very smart. 

The outfits I mostly remember her 

wearing were a classic maxi skirt and 

a long-sleeved blouse. 

She always dressed smartly, 

especially when she had family or 

friends visiting; whether it was just 

a quick afternoon tea on the veranda 

or an extravagant dinner in the 

evening, she always dressed the part. 

Her generation grew up expecting 

to always have to look their best, 

and I always appreciated this type of 

fashion and etiquette. 

Dressing up for an occasion has 

always been exciting for me, as I have 

grown up so differently from her and 

I think it was because of her I grew to 

love this smart style. 

FASCINATED 

I have always found the 1950s 

fashions exciting and did a lot of 

fashion-based projects at college and 

university around this era's fashion 

and beauty standards. 

I became interested in textiles 

from watching her sew and 

embroider. She always had a hoop 

on the go and her sewing box was 

always open in the living room. I was 

fascinated by how she created such 

detailed pieces. 

For my christening, she continued 

the tradition of giving each of her 

grandchildren a beautiful unique 

embroidery panel with a childhood 

Granny Barbara with Grandad Ray 

nursery rhyme on it, which we still 

treasure to this day. 

She inspired me to start my 

embroidery hobby in my spare time, 

learning the techniques myself and 

creating pieces for my family. 

This started me on my fashion 

journey at school, with textiles and 

fashion GCSE, then Art and Design 

concentrating on Fashion at Reading 

College, and finally, a Fashion 

Marketing degree at Falmouth 

University. 

Sadly, she only saw me begin my 

fashion journey before she died in 

2018. However, I hope she knew that 

she was my inspiration for wanting 

to begin a career in fashion, and I'm 

very thankful for that. 

VIBRANT COLOURS 

My Granny grew up during the 

war; she was 8 years old when it 

started. At this time, the fashion 

choices and styles must have been 

challenging due to rationing, and 

they would have had to refashion 

existing items to create new looks. 

When the war finished, she was 15 

years old, so the explosion of vibrant 

colours and new pattern designs 

in the 1950s must have been very 

exciting and inspiring for her. 

In the late 1940s my Granny 

started at the University of Reading, 

studying Agriculture and Dairying 

and worked at Sonning Farm as part 

of her studies. 

She met my grandad during this 

time, when they both joined the 

university's sailing club. 

I look back at old photos and love 

seeing her fashion choices during 


Granny Barbara Crookes 

Granny holding Uncle Charlie and Grandad 

with Uncle Richard. 

this post-war period. She looks so 

different in photos I have seen with 

her wearing trousers and wellies 

when working on the farm, compared 

to the elegant older lady I knew. It's 

incredible to see what she looks like 

in photos of her as the same age I am 

now, growing up in the same area, 

but at such different times.


THE ARTS — 1 

‘A feather on the 

breath of God’ 

Rev Michael Burgess continues his series 

looking at great works of music. 

In this series we have looked at the 

psalms of the Old Testament and 

the songs of the New Testament, 

and now we enter the Middle Ages. 

But it is the Middle Ages through 

the eyes of a record producer in the 

last century. 

In 1980 Ted Perry decided to found 

a new independent record company, 

Hyperion. If that was not financial 

risk enough, in the following year 

Hyperion issued a CD of a composer 

virtually unknown in the 1980s — 

Hildegard of Bingen. 

The risk paid off, and Gothic 

Voices’ recording of the music of this 

remarkable medieval nun became 

a best seller. The CD sold in its 

thousands and received awards from 

the gramophone industry. 

AIR BORNE 

‘A Feather on the Breath of God’, the 

title of the CD, is how Hildegard 

described herself. 

‘Listen, there was a king sitting on 

his throne. Around him stood great 

and wonderfully beautiful columns 

ornamented with ivory, bearing the 

banners of the king with great honour. 

'Then it pleased the king to raise a 

small feather from the ground and he 

commanded it to fly. The feather flew, 

not because of anything in itself, but 

because the air bore it along. Thus, am I, 

a feather on the breath of God.’ 

Hildegard was born in 1098, the 

tenth child of noble parents who 

lived in western Germany. 

Aged only eight, she was given 

into the care of Jutta, abbess of a 

monastery in the Rhineland, near 

Bingen where she lived the life of 

an enclosed nun. Her only contact 

with the world outside was a grille 

through which food was passed. 

After 30 years, Hildegard left 

that cell and was assigned a scribe, 

who wrote down her visions and 

meditations in two volumes. 

She founded two monasteries, 

wrote books on medicine and natural 

healing and the first morality play, 

Hildegard 

Zatletic, dreamstime.com 

and composed a great range of songs. 

She corresponded with the great 

and the good, and as the ‘Sybil of 

the Rhine,’ her advice was sought by 

popes, emperors, kings and bishops. 

She lived a truly creative life of 

prayer and service until her death in 

1179. 

The starting point for her own 

compositions was the plainsong 

of that time. Plainsongs are 

unaccompanied church music sung 

in unison. They have a free rhythm 

corresponding to the accentuation 

of the words, which were taken from 

the liturgy. 

Modern techniques of singing and 

performing often make plainsong 

slow and heavy. 

The secret to bringing plainchant 

alive is to sing it with relaxed 

attention. In many ways that is 

the secret of the life of prayer: that 

paradox of resting in the Lord while 

being alert to the prompting of his 

spirit. 

Hildegard realised that secret as 

she brought it to her music, as she 

did to everything, an intensity of 

emotion and faith, developing the 

medieval plainchant into melodies 

that flowed off the page and soared 

into the skies. 

ARMOUR 

It is all there in the chant ‘O ignis 

spiritus’ on the CD – an ecstatic song, 

praising the life of God’s Spirit as 

breath and spark of flame, as a power 

within and armour without. 

As Hildegard contemplates this 

gift, her music moves and grows, 

reaching upwards to God’s throne 

of glory in praise and adoration and 

outwards to those who listen. 

The art of 

saying 'hello' 

By Rev Peter Crumpler, a former CofE 

communications director 

What lessons can Christians learn 

from a London rail worker who was 

recently honoured by King Charles, 

for talking 29 people out of taking 

their own lives? 

Maybe something about the power 

of conversation and being willing to 

‘stop for a chat.’ The 'chats' led to him 

being awarded an MBE in the New 

Year Honours. 

Rev Jemima Prasadam calls this 

style of talking with people in need 

as ‘bus stop theology.’ Her engaging 

approach is featured in Stick with 

Love, by Rt Rev Arun Arora, Bishop 

of Kirkstall. 

Jemima explained: 'I don’t go out 

looking to talk to people, but I am ready 

to do it. I don’t pass anybody without 

saying ‘Hello’ and when I leave, I always 

say ‘God bless you.’ Meetings happen on 

a daily basis, but often only last as long 

as it takes for the bus to arrive. 

'People often say they are not 

religious, but I say we are all spiritual 

beings, and they agree. So, I simply tell 

them that weak and simple people like 

me call that God.' 

QUESTIONS 

Sadly, we are living in a society 

where conversations are being 

closed down. People who might have 

chatted on the bus or train, are now 

deeply involved with their mobile 

phones. 

Supermarkets are phasing out 

staffed checkout points, so that 

those who live alone are deprived of 

the conversations that can make a 

difference to their day. 

Jesus asked questions as a vital 

component of his earthly ministry. 

His deep conversation with the 

Samaritan woman at the well in 

John 4 begins with him asking for a 

drink. 

Maybe we, as Christians we need 

to be looking out for more chances 

to start conversations, to give people 

the opportunity to open up about 

their lives. In our busy, rushing 

around world, there are many people 

out there who are longing for a chat.

THE ARTS — 2 

Poetry Corner 

Constant 

Creator 

By Steven Rolling 

Tune: Lux Eoi (‘Alleluia, Alleluia! 

Heart to heaven and voices raise’) 

Based on a prayer by St Patrick 

c389-461 AD. 

Our God, you God of all mankind 

God of all things so we find 

God of heaven, earth, rivers, seas 

Making all as you do please 

God of sun and moon and each start 

Things that be near and things far 

God of high mount, lowly valley 

You the great Creator be 

God over heaven, and in heaven 

Life unto all you have given 

God under heaven, for you dwell 

In heaven, earth, sea, we tell 

And live in all things that therein 

Are, let fresh praises begin 

He inspires, give life to all things 

Of Him His creation sings 

He over all things, He supports 

All things, different kinds and sorts 

He makes the light of sun to shine 

His surrounds the moon, stars fine 

He has made wells in the dry earth 

Islands in seas brings to birth 

Father, Holy Spirit, and Son 

Three in One while ages run 

Splank, dreamstime.com 

This Easter marks the 150th 

birthday of a much-loved hymn, 

sung each year by millions of 

Christians worldwide. It all began 

on a little pump organ in the living 

room of a college professor in 

Pennsylvania, in 1874. 

Robert Lowry was professor of 

literature at Bucknell University, and 

pastor of a nearby church. 

He had a passion for poetry and 

music, and explained his ‘muse’ this 

way: 

'I watch my moods and when 

anything strikes me, whether words or 

music, no matter where I am, at home, 

on the street, I jot it down. My brain is 

a sort of spinning machine, for there is 

music running through it all the time. 

Sometimes the words come, and the 

music follows.' 

Easter 1874 was approaching, 

and on this particular day Robert 

Lowry had been meditating on the 

gospel narratives of the Passion and 

Resurrection. The angel’s words at 

the empty tomb, ‘He is not here, but 

is risen’ kept running through his 

mind. There was something there… 

Lowry moved to the little pump 

organ in his living room and gave 

himself up to the moment. Soon the 

words and the music for this joyous 

Easter hymn just fell into place: 

Christ Arose 

Low in the grave He lay 

Jesus my Saviour! 

Waiting the coming day, 

Jesus my Lord! 

Up from the grave He arose, 

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes; 

He arose a Victor from the dark 

domain, 

And He lives forever with His saints 

to reign, 

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! 

Christ arose! 

Vainly they watch His bed, 


Vainly they seal the dead, 


Death cannot keep his prey, 


He tore the bars away, 



150th birthday for joyous Easter hymn 

Robert Lowry (1826-1899) 

Youth and Age 

From: More Doggerel Days 

By Jane Gascoine 

Public Domain 

Jane Gascoine RIP 

Jane Gascoine, who was a 

contributor to The Parish 

Magazine with stories of parish 

life and her distinctive poetry, 

sadly died in January. As a 

tribute, here is one of her poems: 

Give me green fields 

And green hills 

And sheep and cattle and trees. 

Give me running brooks 

And homing rooks 

And bells on the evening breeze. 

And sunny lawns 

And bright new dawns 

And gentle rain on my face. 

And heavenly choirs 

And dreaming spires 

And I’ll know I have found my place. 

Autumn inspires 

Cosy fires 

And a need to stay close to home. 

The song of the birds 

Are comforting words 

To those unable to roam. 

Music and dance, 

Books and romance, 

Pets and laughter and space. 

Friendship and love 

And heavens above, 

I’ll know that I’ve found my place.


THE SCIENCES 

Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, church engagement director 

at The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in 

Cambridge considers the science of. . . 

History 

Was it really? . . . 

Nikki Zalewski , dreamstime.com 

We may all have rather mixed feelings on reaching 

March this year. On the one hand, it is lovely to see the 

onset of Spring, but the wars in Ukraine and Israel- 

Gaza grind on, as does the cost-of-living crisis. We may 

need to find new ways to keep going, so here are some 

suggestions that draw on both science and Christian 

theology. 

Getting outside: Time outdoors in a natural environment 

is very good for you — and you can’t argue with the happy 

hormones produced by exercise. Attending to the details 

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

positive mood, and increased life satisfaction. Enjoying 

Creation can also help us connect with God. 

Looking outside: If you are truly stuck indoors, try 

putting bird feeders outside your window so creation 

comes to you. This is also an act of kindness (see below)! 

Lament and praise: The Psalms are a rich resource to 

help us express both our grief and our thanks to God. Try 

reading one or two each day. 

Writing: Keep a journal of thoughts, experiences or 

practices you have engaged with during the day. 

Constructing a personal narrative or story is now 

recognised as a very powerful psychological and spiritual 

tool for building resilience. It is also a vital learning tool 

that we can go back to when tough times return. 

Acts of kindness: Helping or encouraging someone else 

is obviously a good thing to do in itself, but it also has a 

very positive effect on the giver — spiritually, mentally, 

emotionally, and even physically. Whichever way you look 

at it, finding new ways to show kindness to others can be a 

very effective way to help ourselves feel better. 

Gratitude: This is another natural drug – in a sense – 

that can help us feel better. Try keeping a grateful diary, 

adding a few things each day. 

Laugh, sing, make music, dance: These activities are 

deeply rooted in our physical and mental makeup. You 

may have forgotten how great they feel, especially in 

times of sadness, but we can learn from children who do 

them very naturally. 

I hope these ideas may help bring us closer to God, each 

other, and his creation. 

The Triumph of St Thomas Aquinas with heretics, doctors, Virtues, 

personifications and learned of the sciences and liberal arts, detail, 

fresco by Andrea di Buonaiuto, Spanish Chapel in Santa Maria Novella 

Principal Dominican church in Florence. Zatletic, dreamstime.com 

. . . 750 YEARS AGO on 7 March 1274 that St Thomas 

Aquinas, Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest, 

philosopher, and theologian, died. 

. . . 500 YEARS AGO on 19 March 1524 that Florentine 

explorer Giovanni de Varrazano became the first European 

to reach the Atlantic coast of North America. 

. . . 250 YEARS AGO on 16 March 1774 that Matthew 

Flinders, British navigator and cartographer, was born. He 

led the first inshore navigation of Australia. 

. . . 150 YEARS AGO on 30 March 1874 that Charles 

Lightoller, British naval officer, was born. He was second 

officer on the RMS Titanic, and the most senior member 

of the crew to survive the sinking in 1912. He was also a 

commanding officer in the Royal Navy during WWI, and 

took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in WWII. 

. . . 125 YEARS AGO on 6 March 1899 that the German 

pharmaceutical company Bayer patented aspirin. 

. . . 100 YEARS AGO on 25 March 1924 that Greece became 

a republic. The monarchy was abolished, and the Second 

Hellenic Republic was proclaimed. 

. . . 90 YEARS AGO on 9 March 1934 that Yuri Gagarin, 

Soviet cosmonaut, was born. He was the first man in space. 

(Died 1968) 

. . . 80 YEARS AGO from 24-25 March 1944, that the Great 

Escape took place when 76 Allied prisoners of war broke 

out of the Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp near Sagan, 

Germany after digging three tunnels. Three of the prisoners 

escaped, 73 were recaptured, and 50 were executed. 

. . . 75 YEARS AGO on 10 March 1949 that the 1948 Arab- 

Israeli War ended with a Israeli victory. 

. . . 70 YEARS AGO on 1 March 1954 that the USA tested 

the most powerful nuclear device it has ever detonated – a 

thermonuclear hydrogen bomb codename Castle Bravo, at 

Bikini Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. Due to a design error, 

the 15-megaton blast was 2.5 times greater than expected.

BOOK REVIEWS FOR EASTER 

The Empty Tomb - A Story of Easter 

By Brian Sibley, SPCK, £6.99 

This easy to read and engaging 

retelling of the Easter story is 

a perfect introduction for 6+ 

year-olds to the stories of Palm 

Sunday, the Last Supper, the death 

and resurrection of Jesus, his 

Ascension, and Pentecost. They are 

written to be read alone or read 

aloud. 

Learn about the procession of the singing crowd as 

Jesus entered Jerusalem, and the moment Jesus shared 

the bread and the cup at the Passover meal. 

Discover how the disciples sorrow turned to joy and 

wonder when they saw Jesus once again in their presence 

after his death, eating and drinking with them. 

Be immersed in the excitement of Pentecost and 

Peter's inspiring speech that led to the baptism of 3,000. 

Practicing the Way - Be with Jesus. 

Become like him. Do as he did 

By John Mark Comer, SPCK, £16.99 

Do you feel like there's more to life 

than this? You're right. This book 

will help you discover and cultivate 

the counter-cultural practices to 

connect you with a vibrant lifelong 

faith. 

John Mark Comer, The New 

York Times bestselling author of 

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry 

and Live No Lies, shows us what is 

holding us back from authentically 

following Jesus. It reveals the counter-cultural practices 

to connect us with a vibrant lifelong faith. 

We all have experienced unwanted parts of our 

spiritual journey: distance from God, gaps in our 

character, the fear that our lives will be trivial and empty. 

Jesus is calling us into more. Calling us to be shaped in 

his likeness. To experience his abundance of life. 

But how, practically, can we do that? By becoming his 

apprentice. By practicing the Way. 

Outlining the timeless process of being with Jesus, 

becoming like him, and living as he did, bestselling author 

and pastoral voice John Mark Comer delineates God's 

vision for the journey of our soul. 

Candle Youth Bible 

SPCK, £11.99 

The Candle Youth Bible provides an 

ideal introduction to accessing and 

understanding the entire story of 

the Bible. When viewed as a whole, 

the Bible is a wonderful story full 

of images and drama. 90 key Bible 

events are featured that show 

how the Bible's story unfolds and 

is connected, conveying how the Gospel of Christ and 

the Kingdom of God binds all of Scripture together with 

carefully selected Bible stories. 


12 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know 

About Easter 

By Bob Lepine, 10Publishing, £3.99 

The perfect, light-hearted book for 

showing a friend the true meaning 

of Easter. 

It pops up in a seemingly 

random Sunday each year, easing 

you gently into spring. 

The promise of candy and 

chocolate eggs makes it popular 

with kids, but it’s hardly in the 

same league as holidays like 

Christmas. 

But perhaps it should be? Here 

are 12 weird and wonderful facts, spanning all the way 

from its origins through to the present day, that show the 

enduring significance of Easter for Christians. 

The Wonder of Easter - an Easter 

Journey for the Whole Family 

By Ed Drew, 10Publishing, £5.86 

This flexible, easy-to-use Lent 

devotional will allow the 

whole family to celebrate the 

limitless wonder of Easter. It is a 

discussion-based resource with 

differentiated questions for 3-4s, 

5-7s, over 7s, teens and adults. 

At just 10 minutes each, these 

devotions are an achievable joy, 

not an unrealistic burden. 

The Case for Christ 

by Lee Strobel, Zondervan/10Publishing, £7.19 

This book is a journalist's personal 

investigation of the evidence for 

Jesus who asks: is there credible 

evidence that Jesus of Nazareth 

really is the Son of God? 

Retracing his own spiritual 

journey from atheism to faith, Lee 

Strobel, former legal editor of The 

Chicago Tribune, cross-examines 

a dozen experts with doctorates 

from schools such as Cambridge, 

Princeton, and Brandeis that are 

recognised authorities in their 

own fields. 

He asks questions such as: How reliable is the New 

Testament? 

Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? 

Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an 

actual event? 

Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and twice 

nominated for the Christian Book of the Year Award, 

the author's tough, point-blank questions read like a 

captivating, fast-paced novel. 

But it’s not fiction. It’s a riveting quest for the truth 

about history’s most compelling figure.


PUZZLE PAGE — 1 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1. Made from the fruit of the vine, symbol of the blood of Christ (4) 

3. ‘You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far 

from it. All of you be on — — ’ (Joshua 8:4) (3,5) 

8. Seep (4) 

9. Celebrated by Jesus on the night of his betrayal (Luke 22:15) (8) 

11. One of the supposed sites of Christ’s burial place in Jerusalem (6,4) 

14. ‘A city on a hill — be hidden’ (Matthew 5:14) (6) 

15. He inherited Elijah’s mantle (2 Kings 2:12–13) (6) 

17. Where Jesus prayed ‘Not as I will, but as you will’ (Matthew 

26:36, 39) (10) 

20.‘Only in his home town and in his — — is a prophet without 

honour’ (Matthew 13:57) (3,5) 

21. Sail (anag.) (4) 

22. How Jesus was punished before his crucifixion (Matthew 

27:26) (8) 

23 . Eye sore (4) 

DOWN 

1. Can’t grow (anag.) (5,3) 

2. A servant girl to Peter, ‘You also were with that — , Jesus’ (Mark 

14:67) (8) 

4. Well-being (Proverbs 3:8) (6) 

5. Pentecostal denomination, — of God (10) 

6. One of the ‘obvious’ acts of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:19, 21) (4) 

7. ‘I preached that they should repent and — to God’ (Acts 26:20) (4) 

10. ‘ — — , the world will not see me any more, but you will see me' 

(John 14:19) (6,4) 

12. He betrayed Jesus: Judas — (Luke 6:16) (8) 

13. Jesus to Peter: ‘ — — of my sheep’ (John 21:16) (4,4) 

16. The centurion said, ‘Surely this man was — — of God’ (Mark 15:39) (3,3) 

18. Baked bread (Mark 8:14) (4) 

19. ‘Blessing and honour, glory and power, be — Him’ (Handel’s Messiah) (4) 

Don't 

worry! 

It's just 

a. . . . . .? 

Phil Mason 

Rivers Verse Search by Ralph 

T 

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

30 rivers. If you find all 30 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 WORLD LEADERS SEARCH 

AMENHOTEP 

BIDEN 

BREZHNEV 

BUSH 

CASTRO 

CLEOPATRA 

CONSTANTINE 

CROMWELL 

DARIUS 

E 

D 

T 

O 

G 

I 

C 

I 

Y 

E 

L 

L 

O 

W 

E 

S 

O 

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I 

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L 

V 

E 

Z 

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G 

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N 

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I 

M 

R 

S 

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R 

R 

T 

E 

C 

F 

Y 

E 

I 

P 

L 

U 

A 

R 

G 

E 

G 

B 

N 

O 

E 

EISENHOWER 

ETHELBERT 

FRANCO 

GORBACHEV 

LENIN 

PUTIN 

MITTERRAND 

NERO 

NIXON 

A 

N 

P 

G 

O 

I 

I 

H 

R 

N 

I 

W 

R 

L 

S 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR 

W 

I 

S 

S 

E 

N 

N 

T 

A 

T 

O 

A 

E 

O 

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D 

O 

S 

S 

O 

R 

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Y 

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N 

A 

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E 

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C 

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D 

G 

B 

T 

E 

A 

N 

YELTSIN 

POMPIDOU 

PTOLEMY 

RAMSAY 

ROOSEVELT 

STALIN 

TITO 

TUTANKHAMUN 

WASHINGTON 

The hidden Bible verse was from John 14:30 

(Good News Bible) 

Because the ruler of the world is coming 

M 

G 

O 

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PUZZLE PAGE — 2 

CROSSWORD 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

9 10 

12 

11 

13 14 15 

17 18 

20 21 

22 23 

16 

Across 

1 Across - Policemen or women (8) 

51 -- Not Policemen bumpy; level (4) or women (8) 

95 - - Cloth Not woven bumpy; from flax level (5) (4) 

10 9 - A Cloth percussion woven instrument from (7) flax (5) 

11 10 - Children's - A percussion toy (12) instrument (7) 

13 11 -- Opposite Children's of passive toy (6) (12) 

14 13 -- Diacritical Opposite mark of two passive dots (6) (6) 

17 14 - Military Diacritical judicial mark body (5,7) of two dots (6) 

20 17 -- Foot Military support (7) judicial body (5,7) 

21 20 - More - Foot mature support (5) (7) 

221 - - Prophet More (4) mature (5) 

23 22 - Added - Prophet salt and (4) pepper (8) 

23 - Added salt and pepper (8) 

8 

19 

Down 

Down 1 - Greasy (4) 

1 - Greasy 

2 

(4) 

- Sweet icing (7) 

2 - Sweet icing (7) 

3 - Room attached to house (12) 

4 - Put right (6) 

4 - Put right (6) 

6 - West Indian dance (5) 

6 - West Indian dance (5) 

7 - Absurd representation of 

8 - Excessively forward (12) 

something (8) 

3 - Room attached to a house (12) 

7 - Absurd representation of something (8) 

12 - Political meetings (8) 

8 - Excessively forward (12) 

15 - Give up (7) 

12 - Political meetings (8) 

15 - Give up (7) 

16 - Mottled 18 - marking Join together (6) (5) 

18 - Join together (5) 

19 - Network of lines (4) 

16 - Mottled marking (6) 

19 - Network of lines (4) 

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 MARCH 


answers in the next issue 

February 

Solutions 

CROSSWORD 

I M M O D E S T W H I M 

R I I C A I I 

R E N T S E N S U R E S 

E D S N T E U 

S U S P E C T R A D O N 

P E R S O D 

O C T E T S E N T I C E 

N A C O N R 

S C A N T O S M O S I S 

I N I R I U T 

B L O W O U T C A R G O 

L D N E A E O 

E V E N E X P L O R E D 

CODEWORD 

M U C K B A N Q U E T S 

A R R B U P T 

G L O W E R S A I S L E 

I F A U N I A 

S I T E S R A T T L E D 

T S D I O F 

E I T H E R S T A N Z A 

R O S J A S 

I M P A S S E T O A S T 

A I M E I N N 

L U C R E R E V E N U E 

L A N E E E S 

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

SUDOKU 

WORDSEARCH WISE MEN 

CODEWORD 

14 14 5 23 25 26 

17 22 15 15 10 14 14 9 22 10 16 16 

13 22 19 4 22 3 21 

5 12 26 23 1 10 16 12 7 21 25 17 

21 26 14 10 19 25 14 

16 23 23 18 10 6 16 21 24 

14 25 2 14 20 13 11 

1 22 14 11 14 6 23 10 25 

22 14 13 10 23 13 21 

14 16 21 21 26 4 12 11 11 23 14 11 

Love and serve one another 

On Maundy Thursday we recall the 

final command that Jesus gave to his 

disciples before his death. After the 

Last Supper, he rose and washed his 

disciples’ feet. This was astonishing 

for a ‘teacher’ to do, but he had a firm 

purpose in mind: 'A new command 

I give you: Love one another. As I 

have loved you, so you must love one 

another.' His disciples were to love 

through service, not domination, of one 

another. 

In Latin, the opening phrase of 

this sentence is ‘mandatum novum 

do vobis’. The word ‘mundy’ is thus a 

corruption of the Latin ‘mandatum’ (or 

command). The ‘washing of the feet’ 

ceremony was an important part of the 

medieval church’s liturgy, symbolising 

the humility of the clergy, in obedience 

to the example of Christ. 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

10 16 23 4 8 19 11 

6 21 7 23 25 19 5 21 11 11 16 23 

23 23 14 14 21 1 

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 

A 

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

E W 

MAUNDY 

ONE 

THURSDAY 

FINAL 

COMMAND 

JESUS 

DISCIPLES 

DEATH 

LAST 

SUPPER 

WASHED 

FEET 

PURPOSE 

TEACHER 

AS 

LOVED 

YOU 

OBEDIENCE 

ASTONISHING 

MUST 

ANOTHER 

SERVICE 

DOMINATION 

LATIN 

CEREMONY 

MEDIEVAL 

HUMILITY



 

 

 

 

’ 

 

 

 

 

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HANDY MAN & TV / SATELLITE REPAIRS 

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MC CLEANING 

We are a family business with excellent references 

and we are fully insured 

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For free quote call: Maria 0779 902 7901 

COMPUTER FRUSTRATIONS? 

For jargon free help with your computer problems 

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THAMES CHIMNEY SWEEPS 

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BERKSHIRE STUMP REMOVALS 

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YOU COULD BE ADVERTISING HERE 

advertising@theparishmagazine,co.uk

CHILDREN'S PAGE 

The Parish Magazine - March 2024 37

38 The Parish Magazine - March 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 

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

Advertisers' index 

ABD Construction 6 

Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society 6 

ACG Services Locksmith 36 

Active Security 26 

All Aerials 36 

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 Homecare Meals on Wheels 12 

Bull Inn 28 

Clark Bignall Plumbing 36 

Computer Frustrations 36 

Crossfields School 28 

Gardiners Home Care 28 

Good Oaks Home Care 22 

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 

Sabella Interior Design 39 

Shiplake College 16 

Smallwood Landscaping 36 

Sonning Golf Club 16 

Sonning Scouts 36 

Thames Valley Water Softeners 6 

Thames Chimney Sweep 36 

Tomalin Funerals 14 

Walker Funerals 12 

Water Softener Salt 18 

Window Cleaner 18 

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 

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Sabella Interiors Parish ad.qxp_Layout 1 28/02/2023 14:48 Page 1 

Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement 


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BOOKING NOW 

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The Parish Magazine March 2024

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