The Parish Magazine September 2024

The 

Parish 

Magazine 


Parish Te 

155 

The Parish Magazine 1869- September 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 

September 2024 

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

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




Parish Te 

The Parish Magazine 1869- September 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 September 2024 

THE VICAR'S LETTER, 5 

THE PARISH NOTICEBOARD 

— Being bolder Christians, 7 

— Our senior youth minister, 7 

— Communion chalice, 7 

— For your prayers, 7 

— STAY, 8-9 

— Why I am a Christian, 10-11 

— From the editor's desk, 11 

— Bad news for the world, 13 

— The Persecuted Church, 15 

FEATURES 

— Ekiden in Sonning, 17 

— Help raise funds to beautify, 19 

— Zero Waste Week, 20-21 

— Holy Cross Day, 21 

around the villages 

— Rotary Club, 22 

— Short Mat Bowls, 22 

— RNLI, 22 

— Guide Dogs, 22 

— Sonning and Sonning Eye, 23 

— Female voices, 23 

— Old wall repairs, 23 

— My Cancer My Choice, 24 

— Sonning Village Show 

— TRHA, 25 

— Sonning Club, 25 

— Twinning for 30 years, 27 

— WI's 60 years, 27 

— Scarecrow financials, 27 

— Toys and Teens Appeal, 27 

HEALTH 

— Dr Simon Ruffle on Shingles, 29 

HOME AND GARDEN 

— A foot in the garden, 31 

— Claude's garden photos, 31 

FASHION 

— Baggy v Skinny Jeans, 33 

THE ARTS 

— Gabriel Fauré, 34, 

— Prayer Petitions, 34 

— Book Reviews, 35 

THE SCIENCES 

— Christianity through science, 37 

— Ordained scientist? 37 

PUZZLE PAGES, 38-39 

children's page, 41 

INFORMATION, 

— Church services, 3 

— From the registers, 3 

— Local Trades and Services, 40 

— Parish contacts, 42 

— Advertisers' index, 42 

This ISSUE's FRONT COVER 

The 

Parish 


September 2024 

155 

Picture: Ekiden in Sonning 

Peter Rennie 

EDITORIAL DEADLINE 

The editorial deadline for every issue 

of The Parish Magazine is 12 noon on 

the sixth day of the month prior to the 

date of publication. 

The deadline for the October 

issue of The Parish Magazine is: 

Friday 6 September at 12 noon 

From the Registers 

YEARS 

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF 

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY 

The Parish Magazine - September 2024 3 

Services in 

St Andrew's 

Church Sonning 

Sunday 1 September 

— 8.00am Holy Communion 

— 10.30am Family Service 

— 4.00pm Choral Evensong 

followed by Tea in The Ark 

BAPTISMS 

— Sunday 14 July 

Riley Michael Freeman, and Jacob Anthony Freeman 

Ivy Grace Emily Cojocaru, and Amelia Marian Cojocaru 



— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with 

STAY and Sunday Club 



— 10.30am Family Communion 

— 3.00pm Messy Church 









OTHER REGULAR SERVICES 

Morning Prayer is held in the church 

every Tuesday at 9.30am. 

Mid-week Communion in The Ark is 

held every Wednesday at 10.00am. Tea 

and coffee follows the service. 

Home Communion at Sonning 

Gardens Care Home is held on the first 

Monday of each month at 11.00am. 

WEDDINGS 

— Saturday 2 June, Mathew Terrence Apsey-Brown and Fay Sarah Govett 

FUNERALS 

— Monday 17 June, Christopher Dunbar French-Drayton, interment of ashes 

in churchyard 

— Thursday 4 July, Ann Kathleen Lawrence, interment of ashes in churchyard 

— Friday 5 July, John Clifford Watts and Marion Edith Watts, interment of 

ashes in churchyard 

— Monday 8 July, Sophie Louise Watkins, funeral service in church and burial 

in churchyard 

— Tuesday 16 July, Keith Hubert Fisher, funeral service in church and burial in 

churchyard 

— Thursday 1 August, Catherine Mulherine, interment of ashes in churchyard

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The vicar's letter 

D e a r F r i e n d S, 

We have a visitor’s book in church and every day when I lock up it is interesting 

to see where visitors have come from and what their reflections are. So many 

speak of the peace they find within the building and the tangible presence of 

God, which is gratifying. Yesterday someone had written 'this place is full of 

history and hope' and this struck me as profound. 

In terms of our history, a church was founded on our present site in the 

mid-7th Century, and it is almost mind blowing to think of all who have gone 

before us, worshipping, praying, serving and sharing their most significant 

family moments here, both joyous and heartbreaking. 

As Vicar, I am aware of following 58 other priests that we have records 

of, going back to 1222, with many more serving previously, now lost in the 

mists of time. Some stayed many years and left their mark, such as Canon 

Hugh Pearson, with our village hall and main street named after him and the 

stunning reordering of the church building left largely untouched today. Many 

others are just a name on a wall plaque in church, and that is an important and 

sobering realisation for those who serve in this role. 

The comments were also timely as we are in the wake of the hideous murder of three precious little girls at their 

dance class in Southport, and the subsequent riots, protests and counter protests. I am very conscious of the comments 

in our visitor’s book; 'Full of history and hope'. We are rightly proud of so much of our history as a nation and for those who 

have enriched our culture through literature, art, music, science, engineering, architecture and much else besides. The 

Christian church has been so much a part of this, not least with the founding of schools, universities, charities, hospitals 

and the Christian ethos of service before self. The notion of service, of putting the other person first, was epitomised 

by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, whose second anniversary of death we mark this month. The motivation for 

Christians to serve, not to be served, to provide education and healthcare comes from Jesus Christ himself. 

SENSE OF HOPE? 

So, we have an undeniably rich national history, but what about our sense of hope at this time? I am 51 years of 

age, and I don’t think I have ever witnessed such a lack of hope as evidenced across so many of our communities, for 

various reasons. It is distressing to witness the violence in many deprived towns and cities, and the Police must respond 

accordingly, with the law upheld, without fear or favour. However, the law must also be applied equally, to whichever 

group is breaking it, and I am not certain that this has been the case in recent months. Such a perceived 'two tier' 

approach will inevitably be counterproductive. 

In the past we have looked to our political leaders to give hope, most notably Churchill in the dark days of WWII. 

Mrs Thatcher was elected in 1979 with a promise to reverse national decline after the disastrous ‘winter of discontent’ 

and power shortages and strikes through the 1970s. Mr Blair campaigned with the song 'Things can only get better', and 

won a large majority with many people hoping he would be proved right. At the recent General Election, the two main 

campaigns didn’t seem to gain much traction, and Sir Keir Starmer’s party was elected with only about 20% of the 

electorate’s votes. For whatever reason, I haven’t witnessed much appetite from the public to seek hope from our present 

political leaders, and I include the last government, and so where can we find it as a nation? 

Well, I suggest if we look to our Christian history, and most especially to the author and perfector of the faith that 

this nation has been built upon, Jesus Christ, we will be well on our way to finding the only hope that is real, alive and 

life changing. At this turbulent time for our country and across the world may all Christians wake up and proclaim this 

eternal hope with confidence and boldness. 

'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 

that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit'. 

(Romans 15.13) 

Warm wishes, 

Jamie

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the parish noticeboard — 1 

The Archbishop of York 

Ravage Productions 

The adjacent article is based on 

extracts from the presidential speech 

made by the 98th Archbishop of York, 

Stephen Cottrell (pictured above) 

at the Church of England General 

Synod held in July. Many readers will 

remember him well from the time he 

served as the Area Bishop of Reading, 

2004–2010, before becoming Bishop 

of Chelmsford, 2010–2020. 

Our senior youth minister 

Christopher West (Westy) has been 

accepted for non-residential training 

for the priesthood and begins this 

month. He will remain as youth 

minister throughout the three-year 

period of training and then will serve 

his curacy in this parish. Please keep 

him, Gem and Phoebe in your prayers. 

Communion chalice 

At the start of the Covid pandemic 

we suspended the sharing of the 

common cup. The Bishop of Reading 

has now instructed all churches that 

it is time to reinstate the Biblical 

precedent of sharing the cup. Her 

letter requesting this is posted on the 

church noticeboard. We shall reinstate 

this at the beginning of September. 

The Bishop makes the point that those 

who are not comfortable with this can 

simply receive the wafer and opt out of 

receiving wine. 

FOR YOUR PRAYERS 

— Thanksgiving for our late Queen’s 

faith and service 

— For HM The King in his role as 

Defender of the Faith 

— For all starting at new schools 

colleges and universities 

— For Westy as he begins his training 

for the priesthood 


Let us be bolder . . . 

In a letter that was sent a few weeks ago to faith leaders from the Prime 

Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, it is clear that he sees, and wants to understand 

more, about the impact people of faith have on communities today. 

Let’s be clear, we know that 

politicians of all parties admire and 

covet the values that underpin our 

faith: 

INSTINCT 

During the cost of living crisis 

that still rocks so many of our 

poorest communities, during the 

Covid pandemic, and by continued 

commitment to social justice, our 

values mean that it is our instinct to 

put the needs of others before our 

own. 

But this is where we may need to 

be a bit more bold. 

We need to say that these values 

that we hold dear do not exist in a 

vacuum. 

They are shaped by beliefs and 

practices, by what God has done for 

us in Jesus Christ, and by what we 

do in response, the daily reading 

of scripture, the life of prayer and 

worship, the iron rations of the 

sacramental life. 

These values then become real 

and become the lived outworking of 

a Christian life. 

This is the best advertisement for 

the Gospel. 

REKINDLED 

The great Archbishop, William 

Temple, articulated a Christian 

vision and a Christian narrative for 

the world, one which shaped what 

we came to know as the post war 

consensus and the beginnings of a 

welfare state and a vision which I 

pray will be rekindled and reworked 

in our own day. 

Here in this Synod, and following 

the publication of the Housing 

Commission report, Coming Home, 

we have also been engaged with 

the massive challenges that face 

our society today, not least how to 

provide decent housing. 

Other huge challenges face our 

new government, our nation and our 

world, of which we in the Church of 

England stand ready to help because 

the scriptures that shape us demand 

it. 

I was recently in New York, and 

I had a very powerful and moving 

meeting with the UN Deputy 

Secretary who spoke about the 

need of shared values as a way of 

countering extremism and populism 

and of the growing recognition 

within the UN of the importance, 

and the place of faith, in ensuring 

that there is a narrative for the 

world. 

This narrative is about our 

common humanity, our respect for 

the earth and all people in it, and 

of how developing this narrative, 

this story, and confronting hateful 

extremism, needs the active voice of 

healthy communities of faith. 

ROOTED IN CHRIST 

As a new government forms, 

let us be bold in presenting the 

Christian narrative for human wellbeing, 

a narrative that is rooted in 

Christ and makes no sense without 

him; let us pray for our King and 

government and our new Prime 

Minister. 

William Temple once famously 

said, 'I believe in the holy Catholic 

Church, and sincerely regret that it does 

not presently exist.' 

He knew that the Church God 

longs us to be, transcends our 

current divides and disagreements, 

and requires a greater trust in God 

and in each other. 

At his enthronement as Bishop of 

Manchester William Temple said: 

'I come with a burning desire; it is 

that in all our activities, sacred and 

secular, ecclesiastical and social, we 

should help each other to fix our eyes on 

Jesus, making him our only guide… 

'Pray for me, I ask you, not chiefly 

that I may be wise and strong, or any 

other such thing, though for these 

things I need your prayers. 

'But pray for me chiefly that I may 

never let go of the unseen hand of 

the Lord Jesus, and may live in daily 

fellowship with him.' 

Sisters and brothers, let us tread 

the path of the way of Jesus Christ.

8 The Parish Magazine - September 2024 


St Andrew's Youth 

email or text me, Westy, for 

ideas, a chat or to encourage 

what we are doing: 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk 

0794 622 4106 

STAY in Schools 

During June and the first half of July we finished 

our schools work for the academic year with some 

end of year assemblies, mentoring sessions and 

Christian Union sessions. My favourite moment 

at CU this year was when a year 7 student, with 

varying learning needs, said a prayer thanking God 

for making him the way he is. I echoed his prayer 

and said yes, that’s a brilliant thing to thank God 

for! 

STAY on Friday 

The remaining 7 weeks of youth club were a blast. 

We finished on Friday 19 July with a water fight, at 

the request of the young people. We played water 

balloon volleyball, we played cops and robbers with 

water pistols and water balloons and we ended with 

leaders v young people in an all out water fight to 

the end! There wasn’t a dry person left! 

STAY on Monday 

Our fortnightly group on a Monday evening met 

for the last three times before the summer break. 

We finished some more of the STIR cards (https:// 

www.starttostir.com/shop/products/the-discipleshippack) 

and we had a BBQ social at our new house in 

Charvil. The young people played a lot of Spikeball 

in preparation for the tournaments at Satellites 

summer camp. 

STAY on Sunday 

Our fortnightly Sunday group met four times in 

June and July before the summer holidays and the 

themes continued along the same lines as the main 

adult congregation. We looked at various gospel 

stories, played lots of games, ate lots of yummy 

treats and prayed for each other's exam results and 

summer holidays.


We're all going 

on our summer 

holidays . . . 

With the summer holidays 

starting in July, we 

wrapped up a final Sunday 

Club, Messy Church, and 

general school's work until 

September. 

Corinne 

During Sunday Club, we celebrated a couple of 

our year 6 students – as year 7 students no longer 

attend Sunday Club and are encouraged to move up 

to STAY with Westy. 

We will surely miss the leadership and guidance 

of these year 6 students and continue to pray for 

them as they move to secondary school and join in 

with the older, young people during STAY on Sunday, 

STAY on Friday, and all our other STAY activities! 

During Messy Church, we celebrated with the 

theme of Biblical seasides, which felt very fitting 

with the summer holidays quickly approaching! 

After creating some lovely crafts, such as the tea 

light lighthouses, listening to a Bible story about 

Jesus calming the storm, and singing one of our 

favourite songs — Our God is a Great Big God! — our 

amazing catering volunteers supplied party foods, 

so we enjoyed a picnic outside in the sunshine all 

together. 

One of our young leaders planned some outdoor 

games for everyone, including sack races and 

parachute fun! 

School work finished with the end of the school 

term, and I look forward to continue mentoring 

some of the students again in the autumn. 

At Sonning School I had the opportunity to 

meet the year 6 students and guide them through 

prayer journeys, having them reflect on their time 

at primary school and getting them ready for the 

move to secondary school.



WESTY, ST ANDREW'S CHURCH SONNING'S YOUTH MINISTER, WRITES OUR NEXT ARTICLE IN 

THIS 

Why am I a Christian? 

So I can tell people about an 

amazing, unique person 

The following is based on Westy's first sermon in St Andrew's Church Sonning after his 

successful application to begin part-time training to become an ordained priest in the Church 

of England. It's a process that will be undertaken in parallel with his work as our youth minister 

and will take several years to fulfil his childhood dream . . . 

When I was 16 years old I sat on the staircase of a 

friend's house during a party. One of my mates turned to 

me and said, what do you want to be when you’re older? I 

replied: 'I am going to be paid to tell people about Jesus.' 

He laughed and said, that’s not a job. No one gets paid to 

do that. I replied, 'in fact I am going to find someone to 

pay me to go to university so I can be qualified and debt 

free to tell people about Jesus.' He laughed even louder 

and told me I was dreaming! 

In 2003, aged 23 years old, I moved to Reading and I met 

a chap called Chris Evans who is now the head teacher at 

Reading School. He asked me what I was doing in Reading, 

to which I replied: 'I’m here to find someone to pay me to go to 

university to study to become a qualified youth worker.' 

'I'LL DO IT,' HE SAID! 

So off I went to get my degree in Youth and Community 

Work and Applied Theology, and since that day I’ve been 

paid to tell people about Jesus and the wonder of living 

life to the full in his kingdom. 

Now, with the support of Jamie and everyone here at St 

Andrew's, I have been given the chance to tell even more 

people about Jesus by being ordained in the Church of 

England. 

WHY I WANT TO TALK ABOUT JESUS 

So why am I a Christian, and why do I want to tell 

people about Jesus? 

The best starting place for my answer is in the Bible and 

here are two examples from the Gospel of Mark: 

'The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to him all they had 

done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and 

going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 

‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So 

they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many 

who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the 

towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw 

a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like 

sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.' 

(Mark 6, 30-34) 

'When they had crossed over, they 

landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 

As soon as they got out of the boat people 

recognised Jesus. They ran throughout that 

whole region and carried those who were ill on 

mats to wherever they heard he was. 

And wherever he went — into villages, towns 

or countryside — they placed those who were ill in 

the market-places. They begged him to let 

them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all 

who touched it were healed.' (Mark 6:53-56) 

WHAT DOES THIS TELL US? 

When reading these verses I asked myself, 

what do these passages tell us about Jesus? 

Here are my answers . . . 

— Jesus had authority and was a fair leader. 

— Jesus wants to spend time with us, he 

wants to give us rest and he cares that we 

get what we need. 

— Jesus was popular and full of compassion. 

— Jesus taught people many signs, wonders and was a 

great story teller. 

— Jesus was recognisable. 

— Jesus was for the people, healed the people and showed 

care for them. 

— Jesus travelled all over the place to tell people about 

the kingdom of God. 

— Jesus had power like no other man ever has, even the 

edge of his cloak had healing power. 

WHY CHRISTIANITY IS IMPORTANT! 

So, why are these things important? 

Firstly, they wouldn’t have been written down by eye 

witnesses if they weren’t important. And, secondly, I think 

these things are all important because they show us just 

how remarkable Jesus is: 

— There has never been another human being who has 

more authority or fairness than Jesus. 

— There has never been another human being who wants to


SERIES WHICH ASKS THE QUESTION . . . 

spend time with us and who cares about our deepest needs. 

— There has never been another human being who is 

more popular or compassionate. Did you know that 

Jesus is the single most written about person in the 

world. 

— There has never been another human being who is as 

great a story teller or miracle worker than Jesus. 

— There has never been another human being who is 

more recognisable. He is the most painted man ever to 

have lived. 


cared more for the entire human race than Jesus. 


more focus on one single task, to tell people about the 

kingdom of God. 

MY FUNDAMENTAL BELIEF 

It’s such good news that he knew everyone needed to 

hear it. This is one my fundamental beliefs because there 

is no life better lived than one that is with Jesus Christ. 

No amount of money, no amount of status, no amount 

of influence will ever satisfy than the love you can receive 

from Jesus Christ. 

He is the source of all life, the beginning and the end. 

The one for whom, in whom and because of whom the 

world exists. 

There has never been another human being who has 

more power than Jesus. The Bible tells us that even his 

clothes are saturated with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

WORDS AND ACTIONS 

During my first service in St Andrew's Sonning, Rev 

Jamie invited the congregation to shake the hand of one 

person near them and say Jesus loves you. Then they were 

asked to shake the hands of the people around them. And 

so on. 

Within minutes, he said, it will get to the back of the 

church, and it did. Let all your words and your actions 

speak the love of Jesus to others, he said. And it did! 

In Mark 11:24 it says: 

'Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe 

that you have received it, and it will be yours.' 

And in Matthew 7:7 it says: 

'‘Ask and it will be given to you; 

seek and you will find; 

knock and the door will be opened to you. 

NO SECRET 

Being a Christian is not about belonging to a secret 

society and it is not for a chosen few. Being a Christian is 

a choice we can all make. Just remember: 

— Whatever it is you need, Jesus has it; 

— Whatever it is you want, Jesus knows what is best 

for you, 

— Whatever it is you have, Jesus wants you to use it 

for his kingdom and his glory. 

This is why I am a Christian, and why I have always 

wanted to earn my living telling people about him! 

From the 

editor's desk 

Waste not, 

want not . . . 

When I think of September, I can't help thinking about 

my father. He was born on 13 September, a day my very 

superstitious mother insisted was the unluckiest of the 

year — especially if, as it does this year, falls on a Friday. 

He would always agree with her while reminding her that 

he had still married her anyway! 

He was born in Bethnal Green, East London, but like 

many families just before the war, his family moved to 

Southend-on-Sea. It was here he met my mother, despite, 

having lived in the next street to her in Bethnal Green, 

they had never met previously. 

He left school when he was 12 years old and joined the 

Royal Horse Artillery's stable in East London where he 

began as a 'lad' mucking them out, grooming the horses 

and polishing the leather saddles. When the war started 

the horses were replaced by motorcycles and he became 

a dispatch rider carrying messages between the troops. 

The bikes were soon replaced with vehicles and his future 

was sealed as a lorry driver, a job he did for the rest of his 

life. The favourite place he had driven to in the war was 

Jerusalem and I have a copy of a Bible he brought home 

with him. 

MUCK AND MONEY 

One of his favourite sayings was 'where there's muck 

there's money' which, after the war, he put into practice by 

collecting the waste fat and bones from butcher shops and 

slaughter houses. He sorted it to resell to soap, glue and 

fertiliser manufacturers in London. All the meat cloths 

that the waste fat and bones came in were sold to a laundry. 

It was a mucky, very smelly job, but one that earned good 

money. All that he was doing was reusing 'waste' products. 

I'm sure that my Dad would have been interested in this 

month's issue of The Parish Magazine where we feature Zero 

Waste Week on the centre pages. The idea behind the week 

is not to waste anything and that all 'rubbish' has a value. 

As my father taught me, reusing waste is not a new idea, 

but it is one that many of us neglect. It's too easy to throw 

things away but if we don't change our ways we are in great 

danger of our world dying around us by being smothered 

with rubbish. 

RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE — PLEASE! 

A lady in church said to me recently that she always 

feels bad when she puts The Parish Magazine in the recycling 

bag. My response was, please do! The more things that 

we recycle the greater the chance we have of saving our 

environment. Much of the paper used for our magazine 

has been recycled previously anyway and we keep copies 

online going back to 1869. Please recycle this magazine 

after you have read it. You know it makes sense!


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SUMMER AT 

THE GREAT HOUSE 

There’s lots happening at The Great House this summer, from 

paddle boarding and boating on the river, to outdoor cinema screenings, BBQs 

and Sunday sound sessions. 

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parish noticeboard — 4 

Very bad news for the wider world . . . 

The Church of England’s General 

Synod has voted to create a day 

of prayer for Christians who face 

oppression and violence around the 

world. 

A background paper highlighted 

the plight of millions of Christians 

worldwide facing high levels of 

persecution and discrimination for 

their faith. In North Korea, where 

Christianity is illegal, believers risk 

imprisonment, torture, or execution. 

Similarly, in parts of the Middle East 

such as Iraq and Syria, extremist 

groups have targeted Christians, 

leading to mass displacement and 

atrocities. 

In China, the government 

imposes strict regulations on 

religious practices, frequently 

raiding and demolishing 

unregistered churches. 

Sub-Saharan Africa also sees 

severe persecution with Nigeria’s 

Boko Haram attacking Christian 

villages, churches, and schools, 

resulting in countless deaths and 

abductions. 

In Pakistan, blasphemy laws are 

often misused to unjustly imprison 

Christians and incite mob violence 

against them. 

#REDWEDNESDAY 

A 2024 report by ‘Open Doors’ 

concluded that 317 million 

Christians face ‘very high or high 

levels of persecution’ across its 

ranking. This equates to one in seven 

Christians worldwide. 

Geographically, it found that one 

in five Christians face persecution in 

Africa and two in five Christians face 

persecution in Asia. 

The top five countries are: North 

Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea and 

Yemen. 

Background information 

provided to Synod members also 

highlighted existing initiatives 

to highlight the plight of 

persecuted Christians, including 

#RedWednesday on 29 November and 

The International Day of Prayer for 

the Persecuted Church — together 

with initiatives more broadly 

aimed at promoting Freedom of 

Religion or Belief (FoRB) such as the 

International Day Commemorating 

Jesus statue by Gustavo Facci, Argentina 

the Victims of Acts of Violence Based 

on Religion or Belief. 

The Pew Research Centre has 

reported that overall FoRB is in 

decline, paralleling the global 

deterioration of democracy and 

human rights in general. 

Its 2024 report found that 

government restrictions on religion, 

laws, policies and actions by state 

officials that limit religious beliefs 

and practices, reached a new peak 

globally in 2021. 

NATIONAL DAY 

Harassment of religious groups 

and interference in worship were 

two of the most common forms of 

government restrictions worldwide 

in 2021. 

As a response to this crisis, the 

Synod backed the motion from 

the Diocese of London which 


commons.wikimedia.org 

highlighted the issue, and has 

proposed a national ecumenical day 

of prayer and action dedicated to the 

Persecuted Church. 

The Bishop of Winchester, 

Philip Mounstephen, said: 'The 

biggest threat is from overbearing, 

authoritarian nationalistic 

governments who are bolstered by their 

own particular theology: so Putin’s 

regime in Russia is bolstered by the 

concept of Russkiy Mir: a theology 

shamefully expounded by the Russian 

Orthodox Church. 

'President Xi’s ambitions for Chinese 

hegemony are bolstered by the ancient 

concept of Tianxia: literally ‘all under 

heaven’ — a geopolitical system with 

China at the centre and President Xi at 

the centre of the centre. 

'All these ideologies are very bad 

news for minorities of every sort, and 

bad news for the wider world too.'


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parish noticeboard — 5 

This month we hear about the 

second regional International 

Religious Freedom (IRF) Asia 

Summit. The conference took place 

in Tokyo in July. More than 150 

people from around the world met 

for two days to discuss and advocate 

for religious freedom. 

Topics discussed included the impact 

of genocide in the region, religious 

pluralism, enshrining religious 

freedom in Asian democracies, and 

freedom of belief under authoritarian 

governments. Benedict Rogers, 

CEO of Hong Kong Watch (pictured 

right), chaired the panel for the lastmentioned 

topic. 

In his remarks he stated that 

Asia includes 'some of the world’s most 

brutal and most repressive authoritarian 

regimes'. 

Four of these are communist, he 

explained: China (which now includes 

Hong Kong), Vietnam, Laos, and North 

Korea. Plus, he added, the military 

dictatorship that seized power in a 

coup in 2021 in Myanmar (Burma). 

In most of these countries, he said, 

religious freedom has been repressed 

very severely for a long time. In North 

Korea, for example, being a Christian 

means literally risking your life, risking 

execution for reading the Bible, or a 

lifetime in a prison camp for praying. 

In Myanmar, under successive 

military dictatorships, Christians have 

faced restrictions, discrimination and 

in recent years war crimes and crimes 

against humanity. 

The Muslim community - in 

particular the Rohingya community - 

face a genocide. 

CHINA 

Rogers turned his attention to 

China. He believes that there have 

been periods of intense persecution 

as well as periods of relaxation. At the 

moment we are seeing, he claimed, 

perhaps the worst period since the 

Cultural Revolution which includes the 

intensifying persecution of Christians. 

In Hong Kong, religious freedom 

is impacted by 'the dismantling of 

freedom itself'. Once one of Asia’s 

freest and most open cities, it is being 

turned into a police state. 


THE PERSECUTED CHURCH BY COLIN BAILEY 

Asia has 'some of the world’s most brutal 

and most repressive authoritarian regimes' 

Benedict Rogers, CEO, Hong Kong Watch 

On the panel, Bob Fu, the founder 

and president of China Aid, a nonprofit 

Christian NGO based in Texas, 

has a mission to advance religious 

freedom and the rule of law for all in 

China. He summarised the basic trend. 

He echoed Rogers’ comment about 

the (between 100 and 130 million) 

Chinese Christians experiencing the 

worst persecution for four decades. 

The goal of the regime of Xi 

Jinping has changed from 'control' 

to 'eradication'. They have seen, he 

said, for the first time in 40 years, the 

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forbid 

all children, students and even medical 

doctors, to believe in the Christian 

faith. 

Millions of Chinese Christians were 

forced to sign a Communist Partyprepared 

form to renounce their faith 

in public. 

Christian parents, children and 

employers were encouraged by local 

regulations to betray each other — for 

example, if they found a copy of the 

Bible 'under the pillow'. 

This only happened, he said, during 

the Cultural Revolution of Chairman 

Mao in the 1960s. 

There are monetary incentives, 

whereby anybody who reports these 

kind of 'illegal religious activities' 

would be rewarded. They are also 

seeing the CCP totally banning 

Christian private education. All the 

foreign missionaries, for the first time 

since 1955, were kicked out — even 

those engaging in humanitarian 

charitable activities like helping 

orphans or training the orphanage 

teachers. 

Under the banner of Sinicization 

— the process of assimilating non- 

Chinese groups into Chinese culture 

— the CCP ordered the churches to 

sing the Communist Party’s national 

anthem before they participate 

in worship and Xi Jinping’s and 

Chairman Mao’s pictures were 

mandated to be put on the pulpit. 

This is really, he said, the first step 

toward 'elimination'. 

NORTH KOREA 

Also on this panel, Rev Tim Peters, 

who founded Helping Hands Korea in 

1996, spoke about how the government 

of North Korea under Kim Jong Un 

had become increasingly repressive to 

its population in general but also to its 

Christian population. 

It was making it more and more 

difficult for people to leave the country 

without permission. 

There is mining of the border areas 

– not mines for the country’s enemies 

but for their own population who 

might attempt to leave. 

Meanwhile, China is upping its 

surveillance along the Sino-North 

Korean border to detect escapees. 

Detention and then forcible 

repatriation to North Korea can follow, 

with the prospect of incarceration 

there. 

Please pray for support and 

strengthening of faith of Christians 

in these countries, and for the work of 

the Christian agencies. 

References / further reading 

International Religious Freedom Summit 

Asia Regional Conference 2024: 

http://irfsummit.asia/ 

International Christian Concern report: 

https://www.persecution.org/2024/07/25/ 

spotlight-on-religious-freedom-at-irfsummit-asia/ 

IRF Summit video 'Panel Four' 

Freedom of Belief Under Authoritarian 

Governments : https://youtu.be/8zPwp8wnC0?si=fw3dkVuCjfaS5OdG 

Helping Hands Korea: 

http://helpinghandskorea.org 

China Aid: http://ChinaAid.org 

Hong Kong Watch: 

http://hongkongwatch.org



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feature — 1 


The day Ekiden ran through Sonning 

On Monday 24 June the inaugural UK Ekiden came through Sonning with a 

handover point at the St Andrew's Church Ark. 

The Ekiden is a Japanese long 

distance relay format running race 

which traces its roots back hundreds 

of years to a time when runners 

relayed important messages between 

stations along predetermined routes. 

The UK Ekiden was launched in 

admiration and celebration of the 

100th Hakone Ekiden which took 

place in January 2024. 

The Hakone Ekiden is run over 

two days, between Tokyo and 

Hakone on day 1, and returning on 

day 2. It is televised live on Nippon 

TV! 

The UK race has incorporated 

many aspects of the Japanese race 

including passing a Tasuki sash 

between runners instead of a baton 

and also follows an iconic route. 

The race emphasises teamwork, 

endurance and camaraderie, and is 

also intended to strengthen the close 

bonds between the UK and Japan. 

The 76 mile race was run from 

Oxford to Windsor roughly along the 

Thames path split into 10 legs with 

teams of 10 runners each running 

one of the legs. 

The seventh leg was from Sonning 

to Henley, with a short diversion 

away from the river at Lower 

Shiplake to allow a large hill to be 

run up and down! 

Running this leg for Cambridge 

University was Sonning resident 

James Rennie. Cambridge started 

the leg in third place behind 

Oxford University and Birmingham 

University but finished in second 

with a combination of good running 

by James, who was the fastest 

runner on that leg, and unfortunate 

navigation by Birmingham whose 

runner was spotted north of Henley 

before eventually making his way 

back to the handover! 

As a spectator sport it was a little 

slow with action happening for 

each of the changeovers then long 

waits for the next team to come in! 

Nevertheless, it was great to see The 

Ark in use with the teams preparing 

for their runs and recovering from 

the previous leg. 

The race was ultimately won by 

Oxford University with Cambridge 

University following in second and 

Birmingham University in third 

place.



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feature — 2 

Reaping what we sow? 


Help Ian to raise funds to beautify 

your parish Church 

To mark his 70th birthday this month, Charvil resident, Ian 

McCann (pictured right), is undertaking a sponsored cycling 

marathon with his son, David, from Lands End to John O'Groats. 

They plan to cycle over 100 miles every day for nine consecutive 

days — that's over 980 miles! 

All Parish Magazine readers, church members and Charvil, 

Sonning and Sonning Eye residents are invited to make donations 

on a Just Giving Crowd funding page at: 

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/fostaccycling 

All the donations will be given to the Friends of St Andrew's 

Church (FoStAC) to be used for the repair and beautification of 

your parish church, St Andrew's, that serves Charvil, Sonning and 

Sonning Eye. 

Images from Dreamstime.com (left to right) Jittawit Tachakanjanapong; Allexxandar; Alessio Andrea Balza 

A journalist once asked Billy Graham’s daughter why God allowed all the problems in the world today. Here is what 

his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz replied: 

'I believe God is deeply saddened by 

this, just as we are, but for years we've 

been telling God to get out of our 

schools, to get out of our government 

and to get out of our lives. 

'And being the gentleman he is, 

I believe he has calmly backed out. 

How can we expect God to give us 

his blessing and his protection if we 

demand he leave us alone? 

'In America some years ago 

people complained that they did not 

personalities would be warped and 

we might damage their self-esteem 

(Dr Spock's son committed suicide). 

We said an expert should know what 

he's talking about. And everyone said 

OK. 'Then someone said teachers 

better not discipline our children 

when they misbehave. 

The schools feared bad publicity, 

and said there was no difference 

between proper discipline and cruel 

humiliation. And we said OK. 

'Then the entertainment industry 

said, ‘let's make TV shows and 

movies that promote profanity, 

violence, sadistic cruelty and 

illicit sex. Let's record music that 

encourages rape, drugs, murder, 

suicide, and satanic themes.’ And we 

said it's just entertainment, it has 

no adverse effect, nobody takes it 

seriously anyway, so go right ahead. 

'Now we're asking ourselves why 

our children have no conscience, 

want prayer in their schools. And the 

why our society is so violent and 

authorities said OK. Then someone 

WE SAID OK 

dangerous, why no one seems to 

said: ‘you better not read the Bible 

in school ... the Bible says thou shalt 

not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love 

your neighbour as yourself.’ And so 

everyone said OK. 

'Then Dr Benjamin Spock said we 

shouldn't spank our children when 

they misbehave because their little 

'Then some of our top elected 

officials said it doesn't matter what 

we do in private, as long as we do our 

jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it 

doesn't matter to me what anyone, 

including our leaders, do in private 

as long as I have a job, and the 

economy is good. And we said OK. 

know right from wrong, and why 

it doesn't bother people to cheat, 

threaten and even kill each other. 

Probably, if we think about it long 

and hard enough, we can figure it 

out. 

'I think it has a great deal to do 

with we reap what we sow!'


feature — 3 

Become one of the many millions 

of people who are trying to save 

our world from being smothered 

by rubbish 

Every year, millions of people all around the world commit to reducing their landfill 

waste for a week during September — saving money, preserving resources and having 

fun in the process. The campaign was started by Rachelle Strauss in 2008 and all the 

information on these pages can be found on the Zero Waste website where there is 

more information . . . 

https://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk/ 

Rachelle Strauss states: 

'My mission is to empower you to rethink ‘rubbish’ as a valuable resource. 

I encourage you to make small changes that lead to more sustainable consumption 

patterns. 

I educate so that you can easily and effectively reduce landfill, save money and 

participate in the circular economy in line with the global goals for sustainable 

development. 

Small changes lead to more sustainable consumption patterns.' 

It's simple to take part 

in Zero Waste Week 

Choose an action that will help you reduce your 

waste, do it every day throughout Zero Waste 

Week in September and share your experience 

with others in person or online using the hashtag 

#ZeroWasteWeek. 

Here's a step by step plan: 

Save the date. Zero Waste Week takes place the week 

beginning the first Monday in September, so the dates 

change each year. Check your calendar for the first 

Monday in September and that will be the first day of 

the campaign week! 

Download a resource for hints, tips and ideas. 

Pick a theme — popular ones in the past have been 

food waste, plastic packaging and repair. 

Set a goal — will you reduce your landfill waste by 

10%? Banish food waste for two days? Or go all in and 

challenge yourselves to a completely waste free week? 

Think about your why — WHY do you want to 

achieve your goal? This will keep you accountable 

to yourself and on the bandwagon when things get 

tough. 

Declare your challenge — tell colleagues, friends 

and family members. Take to social media, using the 

hashtag #ZeroWasteWeek 

Invite others — it’s so much more fun to do 

challenges with others. Set up a Zero Waste challenge 

at work, your local community, at home or with your 

customers. 

Have fun — enjoy your week, learn from your 

mistakes and celebrate your successes. 

MONDAY 2 SEPTEMBER — FRIDA 

Please reme 

donation 

Woodley F 

Please inside remem St A 

Church wh 

10am - 4pm 

donations for the 

Bank and place th 

just inside St And 

Thank


Holy Cross Day: 14 September 

Y 6 SEPTEMBER 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem 

Gerd Eichmann 

mber your 

s for the 

ood Bank 

ber ndrew's your 

ich is open 

every day 

Woodley Food 

em in the box 

rew's Church. 

you! 

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated every year on 14 September, recalls the 

discovery of the 'True Cross' by Saint Helena, and the dedication of the church built by Emperor 

Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary. The Cross is a symbol of 

triumph, the sign of Christ’s victory over death. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is also known as the Church of the Resurrection. It was built in 

the 4th Century in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is also the seat of the Greek 

Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and is considered to be the holiest site in Christianity, and has 

been the most important pilgrimage site for Christians since the 4th Century. 

Holy Cross Day dates from 14 September 335, and we have Helena, the mother of a Roman 

Emperor to thank for it. Helena was a devout Christian, and after her son, Constantine, was 

converted, they agreed that she should travel from Rome to Israel, and seek out the places of special 

significance to Christians. 

THE SIMPLE WOODEN CROSS 

Around 135 AD, much of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans, but even so, Helena 

finally located what she believed to be the sites of the Crucifixion and of the Burial of Christ, a fact 

that modern archaeologists think may be correct. The sites were so close together that she built one 

large church over them — the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was built in honour of the Cross, and 

was dedicated on 14 September 335. 

The sign of the Cross has been used by Christians since early times. Tertullian, writing his De 

Corona (3:2) around AD 211, noted that Christians seldom did anything significant without making 

the sign of the cross, but why a cross? 

We often put our initials or some sort of personal mark on something to show that it belongs to 

us. The Cross is seen as the personal mark of Jesus Christ and it is the one we mark on ourselves as 

a sign that we belong to him. In the book of Revelation, we can read that the servants of God are 

‘sealed’ or ‘marked’ on their foreheads as a sign that they are his. This 'mark' was the cross. 

But why a cross? A preacher once put it this way: if you were explaining to someone how to make 

a cross, you would say: 'Draw an I.' That is you standing before the Lord, saying, ‘Here I am’. Then 

cancel that vertical stroke with a horizontal stroke as if to say: 'Lord, I abandon my self-will and 

make you the centre of my life instead. I abandon myself to your love and service.' 

There are many different designs of crosses in use by different Christian groups but they all have 

their roots in simple wooden cross on which Jesus was crucified.


AROUND THE VILLAGES — 1 

Rotary raises over £8,000 for charity 

The Rotary Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh's annual Charity Golf Day at 

Sonning Golf Club on 4 July, attracted a record turnout with 26 teams and 

over 100 players. 

The day's success extended into the evening with a dinner compered by golfing 

comedian Aaron James, who also conducted a charity auction featuring items 

donated by local golf clubs and businesses. 

The auction and other fund raising activities raised over £8,000 for Rotarysupported 

charities. The majority of which will benefit Rotary’s Community 

Food Aid and children's programmes which support local food banks, churches, 

families, and various local children's charities. Since the pandemic, the club 

has donated over £30,000 to these vital causes. 

Scott Trathen, joint president of the Rotary Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh, 

commented, 'It was a superb way to raise money for our programme. Everyone 

enjoyed a great day and contributed generously to all the fund raising activities. We 

are grateful for the support of so many local businesses and especially Sonning Golf 

Club.' 

Since its inception, the club has raised over £500,000 for both local and 

international causes. Serving the communities in East and South Reading, 

including Sonning, Wargrave, and Twyford, the club meets every Tuesday 

evening at various locations. More from: https://www.readingmaidenerlegh.org/ 

Bowlers wanted 

VlaS-Secretariaat, CC0, 

Wikimedia 

Charvil Short Mat Bowls Club is 

seeking new members. 

It's a friendly group who play on 

Tuesday afternoons in Charvil 

Village Hall from 2–4pm and on 

Wednesday evenings from 7–9pm 

indoors from September to April at 

Charvil Village Hall. 

The 2024/25 seasons start 

on Tuesday 17 September and 

Wednesday 18 September. 

For further details contac: 

Gerry on 0118 969 4022 

or 0777 078 7791. 

Charvil Fete 

This year's Charvil Village Fete will 

be held in East Park Farm playing 

fields on Sunday 1 September from 

2-6pm. Charvil Parish councillors 

invite all residents to their stand 

at the fete to hear about the latest 

neighbourhood plan developments, 

a potential youth council, and the 

community orchard. 

The Village Hamper 

opens for its third 

guide dog training 

session 

In early June, Kathy, the owner 

of The Village Hamper in Sonning 

High Street, opened her doors again 

to host her third guide dog puppy 

training session. 

These are important sessions 

during their training programme 

because they provide pups with 

invaluable experience as well as 

learning how to remain calm in busy 

settings with lots of food around. 

You can find out more about guide 

dogs and their training at: 

https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/ or call 

into The Village Hamper to look at 

the notice board for flyers about 

guide dogs. 

MORE LOCAL SUPPORT FOR THE RNLI 

Following their successful summer garden party, the Sonning branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution 

were able to send more than £2,000 to the organisation's head office. Sonning branch thanks all who so generously 

contributed to the evening and to David and Laura Haldane who lent them their garden. 

RNLI Sonning Branch's next event will be a supper to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI. This will include a three course 

meal and a speaker recollecting his experience of his RNLI rescue. It will be held in Pearson Hall on Saturday 5 October at 

7.15 for 7.30pm, Tickets are £25 per person. They will be available from David Bates on 0118 969 7753

AROUND THE VILLAGES — 2 

Sonning and Sonning 

Eye Society diary . . . 

Village Walk: 20 September with 

Pam Szadowski. Meet at The Mill 

Theatre at 10am. The walk will take 

you through the village looking at 

various properties and St Andrew's 

Church. There is no charge but places 

must be booked online or by sending 

Heather Kay a text message on: 

0785 177 5467. 

Talk: The History of Reading 

Hospitals — Pearson Hall 

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE 

The talk is now on 4 October at 

7.30pm. Lionel Williams' talk will 

cover the history and changes to 

Reading Hospitals from 1837 to the 

present day. 

To book online: sonning.org.uk or 

email penny.feathers@btinternet.com 

tickets include a soft drink or wine. 

£5 members £6 guests. 

Talk: Secret Thames 

18 October 7.30pm. Duncan Mackay, 

author of 'The secret Thames' will 

present an illustrated talk giving an 

insight into some of the river's more 

obscure areas. Booking as above. 

Visit: Harcourt Aboretum, Oxford 

October date and details to come. 

AGM: Pearson Hall Saturday 16 

November 7.15pm. Meeting and 

Supper following the official part of 

the meeting, a three course meal and 

a talk by a member of othe village 

community. Tickets are £25 and 

include the meal. Details above. 

Charvil Hall Voices 

14 September, 2-4.15 pm, a singing 

afternoon for female voices. They 

will be working on a medley of songs 

from the musical 'Wicked' arranged 

for 2-part choir. Cost: £15 includes 

music and refreshments. 

5 October, 2-4pm, singing a trio 

of Abba songs for female voices, 

including: Mamma Mia, Super 

Trouper and Money, Money, Money, 

arranged for 2-part choir. The cost 

is £12 which includes music and 

refreshments 

The sessions are led by local 

music teacher and choir director, 

Suzanne Newman. Places need to 

be booked and paid for in advance. 

Contact Suzanne for details: 

suzanneynewman@btinternet.com 


Old wall repairs completed 

If you have walked through the St Andrew's churchyard during the summer 

you may have seen some specialist work taking place on the old brick and flint 

wall beside the footpath that runs from the Sonning Lane entrance through 

the churchyard. This work, which was commissioned by the Parochial Church 

Council, is now complete. 

It was undertaken by Mathias Restoration Ltd who had previously restored 

the flint work on the East face of the Vicar's Vestry and which had been funded 

by the Friends of St Andrew’s Church (FoStAC). Mathias Restoration is a long 

establish family business with over 50 years experience being passed down to 

the current generations. 

The work on the brick and flint wall was funded by the PCC with the help 

of a generous donation from the Fire Station Trust. Traditional materials were 

used and it is expected that the new lime mortar will fade in time to match the 

remaining old mortar.


around the villages— — 31 

Triumphant trio trot the Thames Path 

for My Cancer My Choices 

Three valiant volunteers completed the gruelling challenge of walking the entire 

Thames Path's 203 miles (due to diversions). That's the equivalent of nearly eight 

marathons in 15 days. They clocked up an incredible 423,516 steps! 

The 'Thames Trotters', set out on 8 

June at the river’s source, and walked 

over 200 miles finishing at the Thames 

Barrier on 22 June. 

Their aim was to raise funds for 

the Charvil-based charity, My Cancer 

My Choices (MCMC), that provides 

complementary therapies and 

support to people living with, and 

beyond, cancer across Berkshire. 

The three trotters were Mandy 

Barter, from Streatley, who founded 

the charity 9 years ago after her own 

cancer diagnosis; Fiona Pearce, from 

Wokingham, who has been a member 

of the charity’s fundraising committee 

for many years; and Nicki Brown, 

of Checkendon, who volunteers as 

a complementary therapist for the 

charity. 

EXPEDITION 

During the 15 day expedition, they 

were joined by 27 other family, friends, 

supporters and users of the charity’s 

services. They all walked for a day, a 

few days or even a week, as well as 

raising additional funds and boosting 

the Trotters’ morale. 

So far they have raised an incredible 

£12,000, an amount that will keep 

the entire charity operating for over a 

month, and so ensure that more people 

can benefit from their services. 

The Trotters had many 'adventures' 

along the way, surviving deluges 

and baking sun, navigating through 

diversions and path closures, including 

a trip on Ringo, a Pink Flamingo 

pedalo, to get them across a bridge 

closure, and they appeared on national 

radio. 

BLISTERS 

Despite horrendous blisters from 

day two, Fiona was determined to 

finish the tortuous trek, and said, 

'Walking the length of the Thames 

Path over 15 days was a big challenge 

but it exceeded all my expectations. 

For me it was more than a walk and I 

have changed as a result of all I have 

experienced along the way. 

'My fellow Trotters, Mandy, Nicki and 

Claire (who joined for the second week), 

are so inspiring to be around. 

'The most amazing outcome is the 

extraordinary amount we have raised for 

MCMC which has increased fourfold from 

our original £3K goal. 

'Nearly 300 people have donated so far 

and this keeps on growing. I am proud to 

have been part of this amazing journey, 

but very glad my blisters can start to heal 

and I don't have to wear my walking boots 

any more!' 

GRATITUDE 

The Trotters expressed their huge 

gratitude to all the people who joined 

them en route, donated, ferried them 

around and fed them — even their taxi 

driver who donated his fare! 

The support has been incredible, 

and Mandy commented, 'I feel elated 

that we have raised vital funds for My 

Cancer My Choices, which will help people 

with cancer access therapies that make a 

difference to their lives. 

'I’m delighted we have completed this 

really tough challenge and I would really 

encourage people to explore the Thames 

Path in all its beauty. 

'On a personal level, walking 203 miles 

is a significant achievement in my 60th 

year, and 15 years post cancer. I hope it 

highlights the benefits walking has on 

mental and physical health.' 

SPONSORSHIP 

If you’d like to sponsor the Thames 

Trotters, please visit https://www. 

justgiving.com/team/thamestrotters 

All the donations will go to support 

the charity in its mission is to empower 

people with cancer, enabling them to 

make active choices to enhance their 

well-being, as they come to terms with 

their diagnosis. 

Specialist therapists volunteer their 

time to offer a range of one-to-one and 

group therapies, such as acupuncture 

and reflexology, which help manage 

the side effects of conventional 

treatment and improve mental and 

physical health. 

These choices are offered from 

the time of diagnosis, and are not 

restricted by an individual’s finances or 

cancer stage. 

The charity has around 65 

volunteers and recently won the King’s 

Award for Voluntary Service for its 

work. 

For more information visit: 

http://www.mycancermychoices.org

around the villages — 1 


Sonning Village Show 

Robert Farquhar (pictured right) 

presents Jill Watkins with the 

Sonning Art Club Chairman's Cup. The 

subject chosen for the latest award 

was humour and it attracted many 

excellent pictures causing much fun 

and laughter. Jill Watkins' pencil 

drawing of Danny De Vito was the 

deserved winner. 

If you would like to see more of the 

Sonning Art Group's work it will be 

on show during the Sonning Village 

Show on Saturday 14 September at 

the Sonning CofE Primary School. The 

children's art prize money has been 

increased this year. It is now £5 for first 

prize, £3 for second and £2 for third 

prize. Entries to be submitted on the 

day between 10am and 12 noon. The 

Village Show will open at 2pm. 

TRHA in bloom 


Despite the poor spring weather, 

things have been blooming for 

the Twyford and Ruscombe 

Horticultural Association. 

Their popular bring and buy plant 

sale in June raised over £500 to be 

used for essential maintenance on 

their horticultural store in Loddon 

Hall Road, Twyford. 

The Summer Show in June was 

also successful with 100 more entries 

than last year and the enthusiasm of 

the competitors could be seen in the 

quality of the exhibits. 

Efforts to encourage younger 

growers resulted in all the local 

schools entering the competition for 

the new Schools Challenge Cup. 

The standard of all the entries 

was high and this year the cup was 

won by Happy Hours Preschool 

Group. 

TRHA is non-profit making and 

the quiz evening raised over £400 

which was shared between two 

local gardening charities, Twyford 

Growers and Growing Places of 

Wokingham. 

The Association is now preparing 

for the Autumn Show which will 

be held on Saturday 7 September at 

Loddon Hall, Twyford, RG10 9JA. 

A trip to the RHS Garden at 

Hyde Hall, Essex is planned for 25 

September. For details and all other 

information: https://trha.org.uk



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Almost 30 friendly 

years of twinning 

Abbaye-St-Martin, Liguge 

Lesley Green, Sonning Twinning Association, writes 

Sonning was officially twinned with Ligugé near Poitiers 

in France in 1995 and the twinning charter which hangs 

in the Pearson Hall, Sonning, outlines the intention and 

purpose of this link. 

It encourages a fostering of friendship and mutual 

understanding between the people of Ligugé and Sonning 

and seeks to promote cultural exchanges between our two 

communities as well as forging sporting, social, cultural 

and professional links between citizens of all ages. 

Next time you are in Pearson Hall you might also 

notice the painting of a bandstand located in the Parc de 

Sonning in Ligugé! 

Many thanks to Rob and Jackie Jones for hosting our 

Summer Barbecue! It was lovely to see many members 

enjoying the warm sunshine and sharing memories of 

twinning activities, both in Sonning and Ligugé. 

It has also been good to welcome some new members 

but there is always space for more! Membership is £5 

individual or £10 for a family so if you would like to 

join please contact our treasurer Trefor Fisher on trefor. 

fisher@hotmail.com or 0778 988 0072. 

Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the twinning 

and we are already planning for this! 

In the meantime you will be most welcome at our next 

event which is the Autumn Supper in the Pearson Hall on 

Saturday 2 November at 7.15 for 7.30pm. Save the date and 

keep a look out for further details soon! 


WI looking forward to 

their 60th anniversary 

If you have been wondering what the WI have been 

doing lately then you will pleased to hear they have been 

extremely active as always! 

As well as their regular monthly meetings — 7.30pm on 

the third Monday of the month in Pearson Hall — in 

April they flexed their muscles at a skittle evening with 

a fish and chip supper, served many hundreds of cups of 

tea with slices of delicious homemade cake and met some 

lovely people. 

In June several members attended the National WI 

AGM in the Albert Hall as well as going to a performance 

at the Mill Theatre. 

Then came The Village Rounders match, an annual 

event that the WI inaugurated many years ago! 

In July they cruised up the river from Maidenhead to 

Windsor as well as enjoying a summer supper, hosted by 

José and Rodney Huggins — and then there were all the 

lunches and evening meals out. 

You will be met by some of the members at the 

forthcoming Sonning Village Show on Saturday 14 

September at the Sonning CofE Primary School where 

they will be serving teas and running a Bag Tombola. 

Come October, Sonning Glebe WI will be celebrating 60 

years, so watch this space for more exciting happenings. 

To find out more go along to one of their monthly 

meetings: 7.30pm Pearson Hall, third Monday of the 

month. 

Scarecrow financials 

As reported previously, the Scarecrow Weekend proved to 

be yet another very successful Sonning Village event with 

both its main objectives being achieved — for a weekend 

of family fun and the opportunity to raise some extra cash 

for local good causes. 

The organisers have said that after the outstanding 

expenses have been paid, there will be almost £14,000 

available for local causes, so keep watching this space — 

and if you have any suggestions for those good causes let 

them know. contact@sonningscarecrows.com 

Toys & Teens Appeal 

The organisers of the annual Toys and Teens appeal are 

keen to hear from volunteers interested in being involved 

this year. They need help from experienced van drivers 

and book sorters. They are particularly keen to hear from 

anyone who has worked in a library or school, but this 

experience is not essential. 

These are unpaid, volunteer roles and you will need to 

be available for at least one full day from 8 ‐ 13 December. 

Please contact them on social media, or by email to 

express your interest. 

info@readingfamilyaid.org


HISTORY 

Was it really . . . 

. . . 865 YEARS AGO on 1 September 1159 that Pope 

Adrian IV, Nicholas Breakspear, the only English 

Pope, died. 

Father of English medicine 

. . . 400 YEARS AGO on 10 September 1624 that 

Thomas Sydenham, English physician, was born. He 

became known as the ‘father of English medicine’. 

His textbook on medicine became the standard 

medical textbook in England for the next 200 years. 


British explorer Captain James Cook became the first 

European to discover New Caledonia in the southwest 

Pacific, during his second voyage. 


Gustav Holst was born. This British composer, 

arranger and educator is best known for The Planets. 


British racing driver Malcolm Campbell broke the 

land speed record for the first time. He recorded a 

speed of 146mph in a 1921 Sunbeam Grand Prix car at 

Pendine Sands, Carmarthen Bay, Wales. 

. . . 90 YEARS AGO, on 22 September 1934 that the 

Gresford Colliery Disaster took place in Wales. An 

explosion killed 266 miners and rescuers. It was one 

of Britain’s worst coal-mining disasters, but the cause 

of the explosion remains unknown. 

. . . 80 YEARS AGO from 17-25 September 1944 that 

Operation Market Garden took place. The Allies 

attempted a massive airborne invasion of Germanoccupied 

Netherlands, but they were forced to 

withdraw. The story was told in the film A Bridge Too 

Far. The operation included the Battle of Arnhem. 

. . . 75 YEARS AGO on 1 September 1949 that the 

Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 

was released. 

. . . 70 YEARS AGO on 15 September 1954 that the 

iconic photograph of Marilyn Monroe’s billowing 

skirt as she stood over a New York subway grate was 

taken during filming for The Seven-Year Itch. 

Georgios Kollidas, Dreamstime.com 

Four hundred years ago, on 10 September 1624, Thomas 

Sydenham, (pictured above) the English physician who 

became known as the 'father of English medicine', was 

born in Dorset. 

His textbook on medicine, 'Observationes Medicae', became 

the standard medical textbook in England for the next 200 

years. It is still possible to purchase an original copy of the 

textbook if you are prepared to pay over £1,850! 

Sydenham came from a Puritan family, and his 

medical studies were interrupted by his fighting for 

the Parliamentarians in the Civil War. He had a deep 

Christian faith and believed in simple remedies based on 

natural theology. His treatments contrasted with many of 

the complex, speculative prescriptions of his time. 

COURAGEOUS MIND 

His work generally led to a more scientific approach 

to medicine, and he was compared to Hippocrates, the 

ancient Greek ‘Father of Medicine’. When he studied 

medicine at Oxford, he became a friend of renowned 

chemist Robert Boyle and philosopher John Locke. 

Sydenham had an astute and courageous mind that 

rejected much of the received wisdom of his day. He 

stressed the importance of observation, stating: 'You must 

go to the bedside.' 

One of his achievements was to identify and 

differentiate scarlet fever and measles, two extremely 

dangerous diseases at the time. He recommended fresh 

air and exercise, and also diagnosed St Vitus’ dance, 

sometimes called Sydenham’s chorea, for the first time. 

He was a founder of clinical medicine and 

epidemiology, and his treatise on gout — from which he 

himself suffered — was considered a masterpiece. 

He also wrote a book on fevers and treated victims of 

the Great Plagu in 1665, as well as introducing laudanum 

into medical practice for pain relief.

HEALTH 

Dr Simon Ruffle writes ... Shingles, 

a slightly misunderstood disease 

Shingles is the result of a pox virus. There are many versions of pox viruses, most are 

inconsequential for humans. But there are a few that are not, for example, Coxpox, 

Monkeypox, Parapox, Molluscum Contagiosum, Smallpox, Varicella and, arguably, 

the most important, Vaccinia Smallpox which was declared eradicated in 1980 and the 

last case was in 1977. Before then it ravaged the world killing millions in its time. 

Most pox viruses enter through broken skin and cause 

a localised reaction. Some, like Smallpox and Varicella 

become systemic, spreading through the body causing other 

organs to become involved and the rash more generalised. 

Molluscum and Cowpox usually remain localised unless 

spread by scratching. Rarely, Cowpox can cause severe illness. 

BLOSSOM THE COW 

Edward Jenner noticed that milk maids often suffered 

from painful blisters on the hand caught from the udders of 

cows. But they did not suffer from Smallpox or, if they did, it 

was minor, and they recovered well. 

He applied to the ethics committee before researching 

this further and he took pus from a milkmaid’s infected hand 

and inoculated his gardener’s son, James Phipps. 

I was joking about the ethics committee because a few 

months later he exposed James to Smallpox (Variola) a 

number of times and little Jimmy, fortunately for Jenner, 

and the world, never fell ill. 

To complete this tale, the hide of Blossom the cow, who 

allegedly infected Sarah, was stripped and hangs in the 

library of St George’s Hospital University. 

We get the word vaccination from ‘vacca’ which is Latin for 

cow. Inoculation with Smallpox pustules pre-dates Jenner 

and caused milder, survivable Smallpox but also killed a few! 

Vaccinia is the pox virus that is found in the Smallpox 

vaccine which has saved millions of lives and due to 

eradicating the disease, and effectively still is. The vaccine 

against Smallpox does not contain any Smallpox virus, live 

or denatured. The Vaccinia virus is used which gives 95% 

immunity. Its origin is lost and it resembles a Horsepox virus 

and not a Cowpox virus as most people thought 

CHICKEN POX 

Varicella Zoster causes Chickenpox. Usually a mild self 

limiting illness in children. It is far nastier in adults and 

can rarely cause significant illness including chest and 

brain complications. It has nothing to do with chickens. It 

is thought to be named after peck marks that chickens can 

leave on skin or the resemblance of the lesions to chickpeas. 

The majority recover fully, although most of us can find a 

scar somewhere. Approximately 95% of people who say they 

have never had Chickenpox actually have if they are tested. 

Pregnant women were tested for antibodies, as 

Chickenpox in pregnancy can cause problems with the baby. 

Varicella has a nasty little trick. Once the body has 

attacked the initial infection the sneaky little poxy virus 

hides in the nerve roots, often near the spine. This takes the 

name of Herpes Zoster, despite it still being Varicella Zoster 

virus, or Shingles 

Many years after an attack of Chickenpox a nasty itchy 

painful area can occur on any part of the body. Often 


characterised by a 

burning pricking pain. 

A few days later a rash 

appears that creeps along the distribution of where the 

nerve supplies the skin, as in the picture above. This is in the 

distribution of one of the thoracic nerves, a common area to 

get Zoster. I mention creeping because that is the origin of 

the word Herpes — to creep. 

As an aside, the slang term ‘the pox’ was used to describe 

Syphilis which isn’t pox. Neither is the ‘clap’ which is often 

called poxy, that’s gonorrhoea, (from ‘Clapier’ or rabbit hutch, 

a slang name for a place where humans go to do what rabbits are 

famed for!) and finally, cold sores and genital sores are the 

Herpes virus not pox. 

Cingulus is medieval Latin for girdle and thus we get 

the English Shingles. As seen in the photo that I took with 

permission. 

You cannot catch Shingles you already have it. 

You can catch Chickenpox from Shingles if in contact with 

it but if covered it is almost impossible. 

Most Shingles settles in 7-10 days and the rash subsides 

completely over a few weeks. Like Chickenpox once the scabs 

are dry you are not infective. 

But again Herpes (Varicella) Zoster has one more evil trait. 

The virus can affect the nerve so that it continually signals 

pain. 

This is known as port herpetic neuralgia and is disabling, 

especially if in the head, face or around the genitals but can 

affect any area. Patients have been known to become suicidal 

and ordinary painkillers do not work and just cause more side 

effects and misery. Fortunately there are now medications 

that can suppress the pain and occasionally surgery can be 

used. 

CONTROVERSIAL 

The most important strategy is to not allow Shingles 

to develop. We have a vaccine. People with suppressed 

immunity over 50 can get the vaccine. 

If you turned 65 before 1 September 2023 you will be 

eligible from the age of 70. 

If you turned 65 after 1 September 2023 you are eligible. 

The vaccine is not that effective after 80 years of age and 

thus will not be given to people who have reached 80 years of 

age. The reason for the staging of the vaccination is purely on 

supplies. 

Vaccination of children against Chickenpox is still a little 

controversial and the immunity drop off from vaccination 

needs further studying, but the data from the US and those 

who have been vaccinated in the UK may be available soon, 

but it put children and adults though multiple tests. 

Don’t underestimate nature's poxy little tricks especially 

when it comes to something that can be mostly prevented.


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HOME AND Garden 

A garden 

take-a-way 

visit 


Claude's garden photos 

AFOOT IN THE GARDEN by Ray Puddefoot 

It’s a pleasure for a gardener to visit a great garden and be 

inspired to change their own humble plot. Over many years 

I have amassed a long bucket list of gardens I have wanted 

to visit! Bodnant Gardens in North Wales was always near 

the top of my list but no longer as we visited last April. 

Bodnant Gardens is so amazing we visited again this year. 

Nestled in a sheltered valley south of Conway and not far 

from Snowdonia, Bodnant is a lush paradise. It is famous 

for its laburnum tunnel, rhododendrons, azaleas, trees and 

streams tumbling down rocky streams into a valley. This year 

I came away thinking, how do we create a garden in our dryer 

soils that looks and feels as verdant as Bodnant— not the 

wet spring of 2024? My key thoughts are: 

— Shelter from wind. 

— Light shade from a pergola or small trees that do not 

cast dense shade. 

— A water feature/irrigation system to increase 

retentiveness, ie adding organic matter and mulching. 

— Regular feeding. 

— Avoid killer plants that stop other plants from 

growing, for example, conifers and dense evergreens. 

These measures would also be good for the environment 

as they absorb carbon and support wildlife. I would add that 

trees and shrubs with purple foliage cast dark shade. 

TASKS FOR SEPTEMBER 

— September is a time to enjoy the last of the summer 

sun, plan for any changes you want to make and 

preparing for the autumn and winter ahead. 

— Check fences and paving for wobbly posts and slabs. 

— Trim hedges and remove any unsightly stems from 

herbaceous perennials. 

— If the soil is moist enough, plant pot grown trees, 

shrubs, perennials and spring flowering bulbs. 

— Edge lawns, apply autumn treatments and raise the 

mower blades to help shade out moss. 

— Cut back, lift and divide perennials that have finished 

flowering. 

— Take semi ripe cuttings from plants like lavender, hebe, 

salvia, rosemary and penstemon. 

— Direct sow seeds of half-hardy annuals like calendula, 

cornflower, flax, larkspur, love-in-a-mist and poppies. 

SEPTEMBER TOP TIPS 

— Plant potted trees and shrubs 

— Lift and divide herbaceous 

— Trim hedges 

— Sow half-hardy annuals 

— Take semi-ripe cuttings 

Looking through some photos 

recently, I came across 

several family gardens from 

the past. 

My father was a very keen gardener but one thing my 

mum used to moan about was that he always grew flowers 

in a straight row. In fact, everything was grown in straight 

rows! 

He grew a lot of vegetables and, during the war, he kept 

three allotments going. 

It was hard for people in the war, because my dad 

used to work 12 hours a day, with three weeks on nights 

alternated with three weeks in the day time. 

Apart from the hours he worked as a metal turner, he 

kept these allotments going as well. I don’t recall him ever 

sitting down, he was always on the go. 

APPLE CRICKET 

One of the photos of his garden included a cold frame 

which I built for him when I was about 18, probably not 

long after I started work. He used to bring on plants, 

mainly vegetables, under it. 

I enjoyed gardening myself, particularly growing 

dahlias. A lot of veg also came from my garden — beans 

and runner beans, and I always grew lots of tomatoes in 

the greenhouse. 

When we lived in Church Road, the garden was split 

into three. The top part, next to the house, was the 

attractive bit; the second section contained my vegetable 

patch and the bottom section had fruit trees, mainly 

apples. 

The boys and I liked playing apple cricket in the garden 

with the windfalls. When they were thrown, the batsman 

whacked them with the cricket bat and they split into 

many pieces. Unbeknown to me, during one game, Paul 

picked up a tennis ball in between throwing apples. I 

whacked it, thinking it was an apple, and it flew over 

many gardens never to be seen again! 

I don’t know how we got away with it as my shirt was 

always splattered with apple spit!


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FASHION BY HARRIET NELSON 

Baggy v Skinny Jeans 

September means we say goodbye to the lovely summer 

days and await the shorter and duller days of winter. 

Likewise, fashion also changes with jumpers reappearing 

in stores and our winter wardrobe coming out of storage. 

Our summer denim shorts are turning into denim jeans, 

the staple of most of our wardrobes. 

Throughout my life, I have always worn a pair of jeans 

although in many different styles and jeans of all styles have 

dominated the fashion runways for several seasons now. 

We can always rely on a good pair of jeans to make us feel 

comfortable and stylish in most everyday outfits. 

Denim was first used as a hard wearing material for work 

clothes in America during the mid 19th Century. Denim 

was the main fabric used within farm and industrial wear 

throughout this era because of its strong fabric, which kept 

the pockets and seams from bursting while working. 

Jeans first became fashionable in the UK when denim 

fabric was used for trousers in the 1950s. Zippers were 

incorporated for the first time after the war, and the 

younger generation began wearing denim trousers as leisure 

wear. 

Levis invented these jeans, and they have always been 

a staple brand in wardrobes all over the world. The brand's 

most famous pair of jeans — Levi's 501s — turned 151 years 

old this year and is still one of fashion's most iconic jeans. 

Many consider it the best company to purchase jeans in any 

style, skinny or baggy! 

DIFFERENT GENERATIONS 

Today, among different generations, there is still an 

argument about whether skinny or baggy jeans are more 

stylish, with the ongoing debate causing a generational 

divide on TikTok where the younger generation is showing 

viewers why they think baggy jeans are superior. 

Over recent years, this outgoing generation, including 

myself, has switched and opted for straight-leg styles and 

mom jeans instead of the skin-tight styles that dominated 

the late 2000s and most of the 2010s. Skinny jeans were 

all the rage growing up in my teens, and I always wore my 

favourite Jamie jeans from Topshop. 

Historically, skinny jeans have been favoured by 

millennials, while Gen-Z have loved the baggier look, but 

is it now slowly changing? This year comfort is getting top 

priority, especially after the 2020/2021 lockdowns during 

Covid. 

MAKE OR BREAK YOUR LOOK 

Popular in the '90s and early 2000s, baggy jeans started 

making a significant comeback in the fashion world around 

this unsettling period. People swapped their smarter outfits 

for more relaxed ones during this time at home, and the 

fashion industry has seen a shift in what customers now 

prioritise: to look good but also feel comfy. Because of this 

shift, baggier clothes styles have become more popular over 

the last couple of years. Baggy jeans are now more popular 

because customers can quickly move around comfortably. 

This style is prevalent online and is making a comeback. 

Street-style clothing has embraced the denim trend, and 

TikTok has told the masses why this style of jeans can make 


or break your look depending on how you style your look. 

Celebrities like singer Billie Eilish are showing the world 

it's okay to embrace the baggy look! As people embrace this 

flexible and comfortable fashion, baggy jeans naturally 

return to our wardrobes this winter. 

RECYCING TRENDS 

Although baggy jeans may be popular, some people 

speculate that skinny jeans will return to the fashion world 

in a few years. It's no shock that most trends from the past 

recycle themselves in the industry and become vintage and 

popular. It has been a while since we've seen baggy jeans, and 

they're back bigger and better than before, so why shouldn't 

we expect the same for our beloved skinny jeans? Throughout 

2007, skinny jeans were at the top of high-street fashion. 

They received more love than the classic bell bottoms and 

baggy pants, which had mainly taken the lead in fashion and 

had been famous for ten years. 

Popularised by celebrities like Britney Spears, Christina 

Aguilera, and Paris Hilton, low-rise and skinny jeans became 

a symbol for the rebellious younger generation looking to 

make a statement within their wardrobes. The skinny jeans 

were a massive hit and will always be a decade's defining 

fashion for both men and women! Runways for winter 

fashion this season have slowly been incorporating skinny 

jeans into their collections again. These stunning outfits look 

great for the cold season, and I'm excited to see if this trend 

takes off again. 

So the question is, are you a lover of skinny or baggy jeans, 

and what style will you wear for the winter season ahead?


THE ARTS — 1 

'Nothing much to 

write home about' 

At the end of his life in 1924, Gabriel Fauré, the French composer, 

(pictured right) said to his sons, 'When I am no longer here, you will 

hear it said of my works, ‘After all, that was nothing much to write 

home about!’ You must not let that hurt or depress you. It is the way 

of the world.' 

His concern was ill-founded, for Fauré’s compositions, vocal, 

choral and instrumental, have become standard works in concert 

programmes, and are much loved by all who value the beauty and joy of 

music. 

Curiously, the one work of Fauré’s 

that is most frequently performed, 

his Requiem, had a lukewarm 

reception at its first performance. 

That was in 1888 at the funeral of 

an important Parisian architect in 

the Church of the Madeleine. 

Afterwards the priests there told 

Fauré that the church’s own musical 

repertoire did not require this new 

addition, and so for over 20 years the 

Requiem was virtually ignored. 

Now it is one of the most 

loved and sublime settings of the 

Requiem. 

Is it because of the graceful, 

fleeting lines of melodies that 

Debussy compared to the gesture of 

a beautiful woman? 

Or is it because of the resigned, 

yet optimistic approach to death and 

eternal life that is at the heart of 

Fauré’s setting. 

He wrote, 'It has been said that 

my Requiem does not express the fear 

of death, and someone has called it 

a lullaby of death. But it is thus that 

1. Jesus said, When you pray, not be 

As the hypocrites, see 

Who love to pray that all folk view 

Their piety anew 

I see death: as a happy deliverance, 

an aspiration towards happiness 

above…' 

Written on the death of his 

parents, the Requiem in many ways 

marks the end of Fauré’s youth. 

It was a youth that could be 

said to have begun with another 

beautiful choral work, the Cantique 

de Jean Racine. 

This was composed in 1865 when 

Fauré was just 20 years old, and 

finishing his studies at the École 

Niedermeyer. 

Yet however youthful, it has 

all the hallmarks of the great 

composer: a serenity and a delicacy 

in setting the words, and a clarity of 

line and beauty of proportion that 

makes the work sing out its prayer. 

It addresses Jesus the word and 

asks that he will watch over us and 

send us his grace. If we have been 

forgetful, then stir our hearts again. 

Receive this song, it prays, which 

is your gift to us returned in full 

measure. 

Prayer Petitions 

By Steven Rollings 

Matthew 6 v.5-15 parts; Tune: St Hugh (Lord, teach us how to pray aright) 

3. And pray to your Father, He be 

In that place secretly 

And he who sees you praying there 

Open reward shall share 

Wikimedia commons 

The Cantique points to God as the 

author of all beauty. The music we 

compose is his inspiration and gift in 

our lives, which we offer to the world 

and to him. 

In the novel God’s Apology by 

Olivia Fane, the ten-year old girl, 

Joanna, talks of music as God’s gift 

in this way. 

'I have come,' she says, 'because the 

lines of communication between our two 

worlds has been frayed. Music is the 

language of God. We can not only hear 

it, we can also sing it. So, sing now: sing 

in joy and in pain, sing to God.' 

As we listen to Fauré’s Requiem or 

Cantique, we can rejoice in that gift of 

music, and find it opening up God’s 

world of beauty and harmony for us 

to hear and enjoy. 

5. Be not you therefore like them, for 

Your Father knows for sure 

What things you need before you ask 

Yet join here in prayer’s task 

2. Such have their reward as from men 

No further reward then 

But when you pray, to your room go 

And close your door then so 

4. But when you pray do not use vain 

Repetitions, no gain 

They bring, though some think they shall be 

Heard for much speaking free 

6. After this manner, so do pray 

As ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ each day 

His is the kingdom and the power 

And the glory each hour

THE ARTS — 2 

Book Reviews 

Enduring Wisdom – Words of Hope 

and Inspiration by Her Majesty 

Queen Elizabeth II, SPCK, £10.99 

A unique anthology of over 80 

inspiring quotations from the late 

Queen's Christmas speeches, offering 

an intimate insight into the values she 

embodied and faithfully promoted 

throughout her 70 year reign. 

This treasury of quotations speak 

of the qualities that were closest to her 

heart: courage, empathy, forgiveness, 

hope, humility, love and respect. These 

are the qualities that she encouraged 

in others and that she hoped would 

endure among all people of goodwill, 

whatever their religion or race. 

Including seven memorable 

portraits — one from each decade of 

her reign — this exquisite giftbook 

offers an inspiring tribute to a world 

leader whose wise and gracious 

influence will live in our hearts forever. 

Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth 

II (1926-2022) was Queen of the 

United Kingdom and Commonwealth 

countries from 6 February 1952 until 

her death on 8 September 2022. Her 

reign of over 70 years is the longest of 

any British monarch and the longest 

verified reign of any female head of 

state in history. 

Elizabeth II was queen regnant 

of 32 sovereign states during her 

lifetime and remained the monarch 

of 15 realms by the time of her death. 

She was also Patron of more than 600 

organisations and charities. 

Baby's Little Bible 

By Sarah Toulmin, SPCK, £7.99 

This baby Bible is a 

treasured gift and 

a perfect starter 

Bible to share with a 

much-loved child. 

Written by 

Sarah Toulmin, 

who shared the 

Bible stories she 

loved with her own little ones. 

Her ultra simple retellings of 20 

favourite stories, from creation to 

the resurrection, are filled with a 

sense of wonder, expressing God's 

love for creation. Combining with 

Kristina Stephenson's heartwarming 

illustrations, this delightful little Bible 

offers lots to look at, and point to, on 

the page, to create the perfect focus for 

parent and child. Baby's Little Bible is 

now also available in this small format 

gift edition, presented with gilt edges 

and a ribbon marker. 

Against the Flow - The Inspiration of 

Daniel in an Age of Relativism 

By John C Lennox, SPCK £16.99 

This richly detailed 

study of Daniel by 

Professor John C 

Lennox adds life 

and depth to our 

understanding of 

both the man and 

the book named after 

him, while drawing 

out the parallels 

between the spiritual and intellectual 

challenges he faced and those faced by 

Christians today. 

The book of Daniel tells the 

story of four teenage friends, born 

in the tiny state of Judah about 26 

centuries ago, who were captured by 

Nebuchadnezzar, emperor of Babylon. 

Daniel describes how they eventually 

rose to the top echelons of imperial 

administration. 

Although forced to live in exile, 

Daniel and his friends remained 

faithful to the one true God. But they 

did not simply treat their devotion 

to God as a private matter; they 

maintained a high-profile witness in a 

pluralistic society highly antagonistic 

to their faith. That is why their story 

has such a powerful message. 


Signal Fire - A guide to putting prayer 

into practice 

By Martin Saunders, SPCK, £11.99 

This book explores 

the different ways 

in which we can 

connect with God, 

both together and 

alone. A handy 

guide, it provides 

opportunities to 

try out different 

aspects of prayer, equipping young 

people with a prayer life of their own. 

Prayer is a refuge in times when 

everything else is failing; it's a compass 

when we're lost and a firework when 

we're joy-struck. Prayer is the subject 

of a thousand distinct metaphors, and 

they're all both true and insufficient. 

Why? Because prayer is direct 

connection with God, and the pathway 

to making sense of life itself. 

The book encourages young 

people to develop a life of prayer and 

connection with God and invest in this 

key practice of lasting faith. Martin 

Saunders, director of innovation at 

Youthscape, writes an accessible and 

practical book for teenagers with some 

points for reflection and discussion at 

the end of each chapter. 

It can be used alone by a young 

person or used by youth workers to 

work through with a group. 

The Quiet Path — Contemplative 

practices for daily life 

By Andrew Rudd, Canterbury Press, 

£12.99 

This is a book for 

the walker, or the 

armchair traveller, 

the clear-sighted 

tourist, or the 

bewildered wanderer. 

Blending reflection 

and poetry, it shows 

how the simple 

practice of walking can become a 

quiet path of wonder, and how a brief 

pause in a busy day can turn into 

contemplation. 

It explores how the ordinary 

practices of walking and noticing, 

recognising and writing can help us 

discover depth and spirituality in 

everything we encounter and find a 

deeper awareness of God's presence.


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Tuesday 10 September 

Tuesday 24 September 

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Open to everyone of all ages 

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Reserve your seat on: 

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3pm — 3pm 4pm 

Craft— Science — 4pm — Puzzles 

Stories Craft— — Craft— Science Games Science — Songs Puzzles — Puzzles — Celebration 

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An afternoon An afternoon of fun, A of fellowship different fun, fellowship theme and a each free and meal month a free together meal together 

A different A different theme each theme month 

For more information: 

each month 

For more For information: 

more Corinne information: 

Corinne Corinne 

corinne@sonningparish.org.uk 



the church of st andrew, SERVING THE 

COMMUNITIES OF CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye 

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THE SCIENCES 

Christianity through scientific eyes 

Iranian Night Sky 

Alister McGrath is well-known as a theologian, but he started out as a 

scientist. After becoming a Christian as a student, he wanted to learn about 

his new faith, so he studied theology at the same time as completing his PhD 

in molecular biophysics. He has not lost touch with science, but has continued 

to write and speak about how science and Christian faith work together. In 

this extract from a recently released interview, he shares his experience of 

being a scientist and a Christian. 

I think my most vivid experience of 

wonder took place in the 1970s when 

I was on vacation in Iran. 

We were travelling on a bus in the 

middle of the night because it wasn’t 

hot then, but the bus broke down. 

We found ourselves in the middle 

of this solemn black desert, and the 

night sky shone with a brilliance 

like I had never seen before. I was 

overwhelmed with it. It made me 

think there is something really 

wonderful here. 

I was a Christian by that time 

and I knew how Christianity could 

answer that. It just struck me, that 

sense of wonder has two possible 

outcomes: 

DEEPER LEVEL 

One is science. This universe is 

wonderful, what’s it all about? 

But of course, it is also about 

religion, the deeper levels of things 

that science can’t really engage with. 

I think one of the things I have 

discovered over time is that maybe 

this sense of wonder opens both the 

gateway to science and to faith, and 

that those two together are able to 

answer questions which on their own 

they simply couldn’t. 

I think science is wonderful at 

asking questions. Some of those 

questions can be answered, but 

very often when you do answer 

them, they simply open up yet more 

Evgeny Dontsov, Dreamstime.com 

questions. But of course, there are 

some more fundamental questions I 

think science simply cannot answer 

– they transcend its capacities to 

answer, and you might think of nonempirical 

questions like, ‘Why am I 

here? What is the meaning of life? 

What is good and how do I live a good 

life?’ 

REAL AND GOOD 

“These are real questions and 

they’re good questions but they’re 

not scientific questions. And the 

psychologists tell us that we really 

need answers to those questions 

if we are to lead a fulfilled human 

existence. 

You find some scientists who say, 

‘Well because science can’t answer 

them there are no answers to be 

given’, but actually most realise 

that there are answers waiting to be 

discovered – it’s just that science can’t 

deliver them. 

'Science fills in part of a big picture 

but there are parts of the picture you 

have to fill in from somewhere else. 

Science is part of the answer but only 

part, and faith supplements it, giving 

us a vision of life that is exciting and 

reliable, and also something that we 

can inhabit meaningfully.' 

For more information: 

wondersofthelivingworld.org 


Ordained 

scientist? 

At the age of 48 the Cambridge 

Professor John Polkinghorne decided 

he’d done his bit for physics and that 

it was time for a different sort of 

adventure, so he trained for ordination 

in the Church of England. 

40 years later he said, 'It’s one thing to 

go to church on Sundays but to give up 

a professorship and train for something 

else — that was a bit more than a 

gesture. I think a lot of people realised I 

was religious but they didn’t expect me 

to take it that seriously…people were 

saying, ‘Oh John what are you up to?’ 

They weren’t thinking so much about 

my becoming a clergyman but just the 

fact that I was a Christian.' (From Test of 

Faith, Paternoster, 2009) 

John saw his science work as a 

Christian vocation where he felt a 

responsibility to use his talents. Once 

ordained he found himself engaged 

in the conversation about science and 

religion. One of his main messages was 

that 'I’m not a vegetarian butcher. There 

is a cousinly relationship between thinking 

about theology and thinking about science.' 

COSMIC 

When asked for a Bible passage to 

appear at the end of a 2009 interview he 

chose Colossians 1:15–20: ‘He is the image 

of the invisible God, the first-born over all 

creation. For by him all things were created: 

things in heaven and on earth, visible and 

invisible, whether thrones or powers or 

rulers or authorities; all things were created 

by him and for him. He is before all things, 

and in him all things hold together. And 

he is the head of the body, the church; he 

is the beginning and the first-born from 

among the dead, so that in everything he 

might have the supremacy. For God was 

pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 

and through him to reconcile to himself all 

things, whether things on earth or things in 

heaven, by making peace through his blood, 

shed on the cross.’ 

John’s explanation for his choice: 

'I value this passage because it speaks 

of the cosmic significance of Christ, the 

one in whom all things hold together and 

who redeems all things (notice, not just 

all people) by the blood of His cross. Here 

meet my deepest religious beliefs and my 

strongest scientific concerns.”


PUZZLE PAGE — 1 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

A Fishy Verse Search by Ralph 

Across 

1 & 3 - Two of the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of 

Jesus (Luke 9:28) (4,3,5) 

3 - See 1 Across 

8- ‘Let us draw — to God with a sincere heart in full assurance 

of faith’ (Hebrews 10:22) (4) 

9 - O Simon is (anag.) (8) 

11 - Form of government under the direct rule of God or his 

agents (10) 

14 - How Jesus found his disciples when he returned to them 

after praying in Gethsemane (Luke 22:45) (6) 

15 - In The Pilgrim’s Progress, the name of the meadow into 

which Christian strayed, which led to Doubting Castle (2-4) 

17 - Glad sin rat (anag) (10) 

20 -Spinal column (Leviticus 3:9) (8) 

21 - Valley of the Balsam Tree with a reputation of being a 

waterless place (Psalm 84:6) (4) 

22 ‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one - - sees 

clearly’ (Numbers 24:3) (5,3) 

23 - Adam and Eve’s third son (Genesis 4:25) (4) 

Ralph's ‘verse search’ grid above contains the names of 34 

fish whose names begin: 3A; 3B; 4C; D; 2E; F; G; K; L; 2M; 

4P; 3R; 7S; T. If you find all 34 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 . . . 

Down 

1 - David’s great friend (1 Samuel 20:17) (8) 

2 - ‘The Lord... will bring me safely to his — kingdom’ (2 Timothy 

4:18) (8) 

4 - ‘I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; 

— — or wine touched my lips’ (Daniel 10:3) (2,4) 

5 - Seeking to vindicate (Job 32:2) (10) 

6 - Female servant (Isaiah 24:2) (4) 

7 - ‘For Christ died for — once for all’ (1 Peter 3:18) (4) 

10 - ‘Offering spiritual sacrifices — to God through Jesus Christ’ 

(1 Peter 2:5) (10) 

12 - Jesus said that some people had renounced this ‘because of 

the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 19:12) (8) 

13 - One of the three men thrown into the furnace for refusing to 

worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image (Daniel 3:20) (8) 

16 - ‘You have — of good things laid up for many years. Take life 

easy; eat, drink and be merry’ (Luke 12:19) (6) 

18 - ‘There before me was a white horse! Its rider held — — , 

and he was given a crown’ (Revelation 6:2) (1,3) 

19 - Equipment to Charity Hospitals Overseas (1,1,1,1) 

ANSWERS TO RALPH'S JULY/AUGUST VERSE SEARCH 

CHARLEMAGNE 

CHURCHILL 

EISENHOWER 

FOKKER 

FRANCO 

GARI BALDI 

GENGIS KHAN 

HANNIBAL 

HURRICANE 

LENIN 

MACARTHUR 

MESSERSCHMITT 

MONTGOMERY 

MOSQUITO 

MUHAMMAD ALI 

MUSSOLINI 

NAPOLEON 

NELSON 

PATTON 

ROMMEL 

SONNY LISTON 

SPITFIRE 

TITO 

WELLINGTON 

The hidden Bible verse was from 2 Timothy 4: 7 

(King James Bible) 

I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, 

I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE.

PUZZLE PAGE — 2 

CROSSWORD 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

8 

9 10 

SUDOKU 


answers in the next issue 

July and 

August 

Solutions 

11 12 

13 14 15 

17 18 19 

16 

20 21 

22 23 

Across 

Across 

Low platform for a lectern (4) 

1 - Low platform for a lectern (4) 

Viewing (8) 

3 - Viewing (8) 

- Fanciful daydream (7) 

9 - Fanciful daydream (7) 

10 Lover of Juliet (5) 

10 - Lover of Juliet (5) 

11 Do extremely well at (5) 

11 - Do extremely well at (5) 

12 - Atomic particle (7) 

12 - Atomic particle (7) 

13 - Hire for work (6) 

13 - Hire for work (6) 

- Agreement (6) 

15 - Agreement (6) 

- Cyclone (7) 

17 - Cyclone (7) 

- Less common (5) 

18 - Less common (5) 

- Covered with water (5) 

20 - Covered with water (5) 

- Not attached (7) 

21 - Not attached (7) 

- Abiding (8) 

22 - Abiding (8) 

- Depend on (4) 

23 - Depend on (4) 

Down 

Down 

1 - Distinguish between (13) 

1 - Distinguish between (13) 

2 - Type of chemical bond (5) 

4 - A person in general (6) 

4 - A person in general (6) 

5 - Restrict within limits (12) 

5 - Restrict within limits (12) 

6 - Steep in; engross (7) 

6 - Steep in; engross (7) 

7 - Amiably (4-9) 

7 - Amiably (4-9) 

8 - Someone skilled in 

14 - Wreath of flowers (7) 

penmanship (12) 

16 - Vertical pillar (6) 

14 - Wreath of flowers (7) 

16 - Vertical pillar (6) 

19 - Cause to stop sleeping (5) 

2 - Type of chemical bond (5) 

8 - Someone skilled in penmanship (12) 

19 - Cause to stop sleeping (5) 

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 

CROSSWORD 

N O W A D A Y S S T I R 

E H E E B E E 

A R I A S S E I S M I C 

R T C O P E 

R E P R O D U C T I O N 

G S I R H T 

L E T P E A C E C O L 

O T P M R Y 

S A C R I L E G I O U S 

S O O S C S 

A D V A N C E T W I S T 

R E S G R A E 

Y E T I P O L Y G L O T 

CODEWORD 

I N E X P E R T S O L O 

C L A E T V 

E Q U I P J U S T I C E 

D D A E O R 

E R C U B I S T S 

R A D I A N T O E H 

A Z U O 

M S Z W I L D E S T 

P E C K I S H E N 

A H E V S F 

G H E R K I N A D I E U 

E M C R G R 

S E E S T E N D E N C Y 

SUDOKU 

CODEWORD 

14 19 11 13 3 2 8 15 4 12 16 1 

9 13 23 13 14 16 19 

9 17 23 14 16 11 5 4 19 10 14 3 

12 15 22 4 12 24 26 

11 8 16 3 14 20 23 14 16 11 14 3 

19 15 3 12 17 9 

11 19 16 18 19 3 8 3 2 17 14 15 

5 8 11 23 11 14 

14 21 11 13 19 16 1 14 19 7 17 14 

Remembering John Bunyan 

After the Bible, John Bunyan’s Christian 

allegory, the Pilgrim’s Progress, is one 

of the most celebrated and widely read 

books in the English language. It has been 

translated into more than 100 languages 

around the world and is a Christian classic. 

Names of people and places from its 

pages are known wherever English is 

spoken: Mr Great-Heart, Mr Valiant-for- 

Truth, Giant Despair, Madame Bubble, 

the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, the 

Delectable Mountains, the Hill Difficulty and 

the Celestial City. Bunyan was a popular 

preacher of Baptist conviction, but because 

of his opposition to the Established 

Church and because he did not have a 

Church of England preaching licence, he 

was imprisoned in 1661. It was in prison 

that he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress. He is 

remembered by the worldwide Church on 

30th August. 

WORDSEARCH 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

9 12 12 17 16 19 6 

19 7 8 22 14 12 16 11 14 16 3 14 

15 23 18 10 14 25 15 

4 19 3 2 14 15 14 22 17 8 2 3 

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 

T 

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

Q D 

JOHN 

BUNYAN 

PILGRIMS 

PROGRESS 

GREAT 

HEART 

VALIANT 

TRUTH 

GIANT 

DESPAIR 

MADAME 

BUBBLE 

SLOUGH 

DESPOND 

VANITY 

FAIR 

DELECTABLE 

MOUNTAINS 

HILL 

DIFFICULTY 

CELESTIAL 

CITY 

PRISON 

PREACHING 

LICENSE



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CHILDREN'S PAGE 

The Parish Magazine - September 2024 41

42 The Parish Magazine - September 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 

— Children and Youth Minister: Corinne Robertson 

corinne@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

Churchwardens 

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

— Ruth Jeffery, ruth@jefferyfamily.net / 0797 101 8730 

Deputy Churchwardens 

— Kevin Wilson, kevinmichaelwilson@gmail.com / 0118 969 3298 

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

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: nic.nige@sky.com / 0742 517 3359 

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 

St Andrew's Church Parish Website 

https://www.sonningparish.org.uk 

Advertisers' index 

ABD Construction 6 

Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society 6 

ACG Services Locksmith 40 

Active Security 30 

AMS Water Softeners 14 

Barn Store Henley 6 

Berkshire Stump Removals 40 

BHR Maintenance 40 

Big Heart Tree Care 40 

Blandy & Blandy Solicitors 40 

Blue Moose 14 

Bridges Homecare Meals on Wheels 12 

Bull Inn 32 

Canon Tree Care 30 

Chole Lefroy Counselling 40 

Clark Bicknell Bignall Plumbing and Heating 

40 

Computer Frustrations 40 

Crosfields School 32 

French Horn 4 

Gardiners Home Care 32 

Good Oaks Home Care 26 

Great House Sonning 12 

Handyman and Decorating Services 40 

Handyman and Satellite TV repairs 40 

Haslams Estate Agents 2 

Hicks Group 18 

Home Stair Lifts 18 

Kingfisher Bathrooms 30 

MC Cleaning 40 

Mill at Sonning 44 

Muck & Mulch 18 

Reading Blue Coat School 14 

Richfield Flooring 16 

Sabella Home Furnishing 34 

Shiplake College 16 

Smallwood Landscaping 40 

Sonning Golf Club 16 

Sonning Scouts 32 

Studio DFP 40 

Thames Valley Water Softeners 40 

Thames Chimney Sweep 40 

The Abbey Nursery 43 

Tomalin Funerals 14 

Walker Funerals 12 

Water Softener Salt 18 

Window Cleaner 18 

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

— Editor: Bob Peters 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 377 5887 

— Advertising: Ian and Lauren McCann 

advertising@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 969 3298 

— Print and Distribution: Gordon Nutbrown 

classified@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 969 3298 

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

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

The Parish Magazine is printed in the United Kingdom by 

Sarum Graphics Ltd, Old Sarum, Salisbury SP4 6QX 

The Parish Magazine is distributed by 

Abracadabra Leaflet Distribution Ltd, Reading RG7 1AW 

The Parish Magazine template was designed in 2012 by 

Roger Swindale rogerswindale@hotmail.co.uk 

and David Woodward david@designforprint.org

Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement 


AB0049_The_Abbey_Little_Knellies_Ad_175x255.indd 1 06/03/2024 09:32


Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement 

BOOKING NOW 

27 SEPTEMBER - 

16 NOVEMBER 2024 

THE WATERWHEEL BAR 

27 NOVEMBER 2024 - 

25 JANUARY 2025 

STORYTIME 

Open Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm for 

Sandwiches, Homemade Cakes & Artisan Coffee. 

Come and treat yourself to a scrumptious lunch 

in the most beautiful setting. 

On Wednesday Mornings, enjoy a magical 

experience as pre-school children are treated to 

a story and singing in the theatre, followed by 

dressing up and colouring in activities in the 

Waterwheel Bar. £6, book at Box Office. 

B O X O F F I C E : ( 0 1 1 8 ) 9 6 9 8 0 0 0 

millatsonning.com

The Parish Magazine September 2024

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