NORTHLEW NEWS CRAFT & PRODUCT SHOW REPORT. NORTHLEW REMEMBERS. WHEN NATURE BREAKS THE RULES. UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA. A PANTHER IN NORTHLEW? www.northlewparishcouncil.org.uk
limited print run. If you enjoyed your read please consider sharing it online or lending your copy to another villager Read it Love it Share it Photo credit: . Catherine Wensley] In this issue…... From the Editor...............................................................................................................Page 2 Pews News: St Thomas of Canterbury....................................................................... Page 3 Seasons Greetings from FOST .....................................................................................Page 9 Produce and craft show report....................................................................................Page 6 PTFA News........................................................................................................................Page 7 SPECIAL FEATURE: Understanding Trauma...............................................................Page 8 Harvest Moon. A poem.................................................................................................Page 9 With Gratitude..............................................................................................................Page 10 Northlew Remembers..................................................................................................Page 12 Panthers in Northlew?.................................................................................................Page 14 Quiz Time: A look back 2024...................................................................................... Page 15 Northlew Nature: When nature breaks the rules ..................................................Page 18 Seamoor Lotto .............................................................................................................Page 19 Cottage Garden Wildlife..............................................................................................Page 21 Tania’s recipe: An alternative Christmas Pudding...............................................Page 24 Northlew Market & 50:50 shop..................................................................................Page 25 INFORMATION PAGES Your Parish Council .................................................................................Page 26 Community Contacts ..............................................................................Page 27 Sports and Recreation ............................................................................Page 28 Bus and Train ............................................................................................Page 29 NORTHLEW NEWS IS A FREE NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY NORTHLEW PARISH COUNCIL. YOUR NEWS, STORIES, ARTWORK, POEMS OR PHOTOS WELCOMED, EMAIL THE EDITOR, VICTOR HULBERT AT NORTHLEWNEWS@HULBERT.ORG.UK TO ADVERTISE OR IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THE E-DISTRIBUTION LIST, PLEASE CONTACT CELIA MINERS AT NORTHLEWNEWS@GMAIL.COM. OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY ADVERTISING BUT PROVIDE IT AS A SERVICE TO USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. PROOFREADER: AUDREY ANDERSSON ALL PHOTOS ARE BY THE EDITOR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. PAGE 1
EDITOR Victor Hulbert Recently I’ve been up in the attic looking through boxes of our archives. It is a time-consuming exercise as we easily find ourselves distracted by family photos, old letters or autograph albums, and other unexpected surprises. One of those surprises was a folder of cartoons Luisa had drawn during our courtship and the first few years of our marriage. Luisa has a tremendous sense of humour and often uses her artwork to make a point. One cartoon in particular jumped out at me reminding me of when I was an insecure young preacher. As I preached my heart out, she sat in the congregation distractedly caring for our three young children while supposedly listening to my sermon. The expression on her face on the way home as I posed my insecurity-inspired question said it all, “So, how was my sermon today, dear?” It was fun. It was light-hearted, but it made a point. A point I needed to take note of. Listening skills and improving communication are half the battle in ensuring a happy marriage. We’ve been married for more than four decades, but we are still learning as time goes by and the stages of life change. Now we watch our children as they raise their families and find ourselves filled with admiration at the way they translate those similar skills with the next generation. The same is true as we learn from each other in the village. Whether personal conversations, a bit of banter in the Green Dragon, or an exchange of information on the Facebook group, learning and understanding each other helps us to be the vibrant community for which Northlew is known. Several articles in this edition emphasise those same skills. Revd Leigh tackles the tricky problem of when to let go - and how to take on something new. Cathering Wensley shares practical advice on defining and dealing with trauma, while other contributions put those skills into practice. This winter edition brings me to the end of my first year as editor. I’m still learning, and I’m more than grateful for your ideas, suggestions, and good-humoured patience when I get things wrong. Thank you, and please keep those articles and contributions coming in 2025. So here is to wishing you a merry and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. I shall be waiting with expectation for Shaun and the midnight canon! PAGE 2
CHURCH Dear Northlew, I don’t know about you but I do like to feel like I’m noticing the passing of the seasons. It hasn’t been so easy this year with summer having not put in much of an appearance, but autumn is currently doing its beautiful, colourful, dishevelled best. The view from my office window of our neighbours’ beech tree in a blaze of gold and orange is just as it should be. Revd Leigh Winsbury At our most recent Celtic night prayer in Jacobstowe, I led a little reflection based on autumn leaves. I passed a basket of leaves around asking each person to take a few. The reason is that I learned, more recently than I should have, that autumn leaves are only pushed of the branches because of the swelling of the buds beneath preparing for next year’s burst of new growth. So, with that in mind, I asked a few questions which I believe are pertinent to all of us. What are our ‘dead leaves’; the things we carry that once were productive and full of life but which now have run their course? And then, what are the reasons behind our unwillingness to let go? I find it is very easy to know when to pick a thing up or start something new, but the reverse is so much harder when the time comes to lay it down and recognise it’s time to stop. Perhaps even more important, what is now ‘swelling in the buds’ of our consciousness? What are the things we see new life in that we’d love to take hold of but feel we can’t because we’re already over committed? The bud from a falling leaf may, next year, develop a twig bearing 8, 10 or even more new leaves. That would not be possible without shedding last years’ effort. We often don’t like change. It threatens our sense of security. But change happens whether we like it or not. The natural world knows this. God knows it too. In the long run it is more productive to work with God and His creation than resist. So as we ponder these things, here’s a tip: Follow the peace. Follow the joy, and follow the life. And rest up when you get the chance! With every blessing, Revd, Leigh. PAGE 3
The Friends of St Thomas’ Church would like to thank everyone who has supported us through the year and have become regular readers of FOST news. It was launched in March and every two months has information about our Parish church and churchyard. You’ll find copies in the Church and Church Room or you can receive the newsletter by email if you prefer by contacting Jackie Ellis (contact details below). A range of locally designed Christmas cards in aid of FOST will be on sale at various events in the lead up to Christmas and at the Hof Gallery. Each purchase helps us conserve our beautiful church building - and you can even make a secure donation by mobile phone using our new QR code. As you may be aware, Jackie is recovering from major heart surgery. She writes: I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes. Your cards and visits (and baked goods) have been much appreciated and enjoyed! Thank you so much – I look forward to joining you at all our village events over the coming months. A merry Christmas and prosperous New Year to you all! Val Welsh FOST Committee 2024 Chair–Keith Ellis Secretary – Jackie Ellis 01837 658750/07952 071809 or Email to: jackie.ann.ellis@btinternet.com Treasurer-Tony Hazell Email: carmelcoaches@hotmail.com Allan Welsh Roger Atkinson Shaun Millership Tania Haycocks Val Welsh Revd. Leigh Winsbury [ExOfficio] PAGE 4
Northlew and Ashbury Produce and Craft Show, those queuing at the door certainly had a wide choice of items to inspire and enjoy. The show has been going in different forms since 1922, firstly, with the Women’s Institute and then with the Allotment Group. With a few breaks, including during covid-lockdown, the show has been an annual event for the village. It was great to see so many children entering the show this year and to see their excited faces as they showed parents and family around. It it very clear that this is a village bursting with talent. Older youth also gave the adults a good competition when it came to the baking, photography and crafts entries. blanket. The different members knitted squares showing a variety of techniques, colours and textures. Once they had been stitched together their creation of vibrancy was made clear to all. The blanket was then donated to a care home in Oakhampton, the textures and colours really lift the people living there. The Northlew Needles Group meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month 2:00 – 4:30 pm, at the Methodist Hall. Everyone is welcome to come along, learn different crafts, eat homemade cake and enjoy good company and a chat. Judges for the show come from both the village and further afield. As we are not members of the WI and not bound by their guidelines it can be tricky to navigate a fair competition. Yet, our judges are experienced in many forms of competition and seem to negotiate this path sensitively. In recent years Northlew school has taken one of the categories to develop a whole school display. This year was fantastical beasts and demonstrated an amazing variety and creativity. These children have huge imaginations and skills. Each year I learned something different about the skills; shown. I find it amazing how the same set of cake ingredients results in so many different shapes, sizes and texture. I learnt that even using different spoons and the timing of the whisking makes all the difference. Northlew Needles Group made an exhibition lap There are multiple cups and trophies awarded, PAGE 6
was Pat Canham. She garnered the most points across the different categories. Congratulations not just to Pat, but to the many winners and every participant. Having had such a wonderful day, the committee is definitely encouraged to start planning for another show next year. We have had lots of suggestions, will continue to add different categories or drop categories that don’t appear to be popular. Every year we discuss the timing of the show; too early and we’re in the school holidays and people are away, yet, too late and some of the flowers have gone over. And that doesn’t even take into consideration what the weather can throw at us. If anyone is interested in joining our committee or just helping out on the day (putting up tables, serving tea and coffee etc) we would be really happy to hear from you. Please message Maggie Basanti on the Northlew life Facebook page, or any of the committee members. The whole show is organised around 6 to 8 short meetings, usually on a Wednesday evening. Even the crazy set up and the actual day itself is fun, working with a great bunch of gifted committee members and volunteers, and being consonantly astonished by the variety of skills and talents to be found in Northlew and Ashbury. The AGM next year will be 7.30pm on 26 February at the Victory Hall. Northlew and Ashbury Primary PTFA News We would like to update everyone on our play equipment fundraising; so far, we have raised £4000 towards our £15,000 target. Unfortunately, the company who gave us the quote has gone bankrupt. We are now in the process of getting some new quotes which will be with us soon. During this time we registered the PTFA as a charity to allow us to apply for more grants and hold more money in our bank account. The hold-up now is waiting for the new quotes, so we can apply for the grants. This year, other than saving money for the play equipment, we have paid for the children to have first Aid Training with Joe Rice, a fun science afternoon in school, leavers hoodies, and bus trips to the panto in Exeter. A big thank you to those who braved the bad weather to attend the School Christmas Fayre on Friday, 22 November. We raised £475 with various quality items, local stall holders selling their crafts or products, cakes, and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses. Selling hot chocolate, cakes, and more, at the Carols in the barn helped swell that figure. You are warmly invited to the school carol concert in the church on Wednesday, 18 December, at 2.30 pm. This will be followed by refreshments in the school and a hamper prize draw. Christmas hamper raffle tickets are available to buy from the school on a Tuesday or Thursday morning or simply catch one of the parents. Keep an eye out for more exciting events in 2025. Plus, if you have any spare time and would like to help us in any way, such as helping at events or any fundraising ideas, then please come and speak to us. We would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and thanks for all your support. Jo, Becky, Mel, Jade, Becky, Natalie and Rosie. PAGE 7
Fleepit Digital © 2021