Simon of Sudbury will be the subject of a talk by Roger Green to the West Bergholt History Group on Wednesday 11th September 2013. Being held at the Orpen Memorial Hall, West Bergholt the meeting starts at 8pm; the cost to members is £1 with non-members £3, and includes refreshments.
Simon of Sudbury makes a fascinating subject to learn about. Well travelled and educated, a confidant of royalty & pope alike, and yet beheaded by commoners, why, how?
Simon Sudbury, also called Simon Theobald of Sudbury and Simon of Sudbury was Bishop of London from 1361 to 1375, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his death, and in the last year of his life Lord Chancellor of England. Wikipedia
Sunday 8th September saw just one of our three teams in action as the Under 9s took on Tempest at home in their first “West League” fixture of the season. Looking to score more goals than the opposition for the first ever time, which they duly did, they scored three goals. Daniel in the Bergholt Heath goal also saved a penalty in the last minute to cue some very happy scenes on the Poors field at the final whistle. The boys passed the ball really well and made some very good chances throughout the game. They have clearly learnt a great deal from their first season together when they were Under 8s. Well done boys.
The Under 11s were due to play their first ever fixture in the new 9vs9 format of youth football (hence the new size goals installed on the Poors field), but unfortunately their scheduled opponents in the C league, who also happened to be Tempest, could not field a team and so a friendly was arranged instead.
Our Under 15s had a blank weekend as there is an odd number of teams in the A league this season due to the withdrawal of Brooklands, and their number came up to miss the very first week. Instead they played a friendly on Saturday away at Hadleigh against a combination of Hadleigh, Ipswich Wanderers and Woodbridge players, which they lost 4-2.
Having missed last year we see the return of the Annual Village Quiz on Saturday 21st September this year. Starting at 7.30pm in the Orpen Hall teams of 4 are invited to compete for the Challenge Cup in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust:
Our vision is a future where young people’s lives don’t stop because they have cancer. We make sure they’re treated as young people first, cancer patients second and everything we do aims to improve their quality of life and chances of survival.
Around seven young people aged between 13 and 24 are diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK. They need expert treatment and support from the moment they hear the word ‘cancer.’ We’re the only charity dedicated to making this happen.
Refreshments will be provided, but please bring your own drinks. Teams consists of 4 people who can be from a village club or group, or just good friends, as long as at least one team member is a West Bergholt resident. Entry fee is £16 per team, with all proceeds to the Teenage Cancer Trust, cheques should be made payable to “West Bergholt Parish Council” or pay on the night, as long as you have booked your team in by 14th September. Please contact Susan Leng ([antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]) to book your team in or get more information.
The Friends of St Mary’s Old Church are holding a Heritage Day in the Old Church in conjunction with the Churches Conservation Trust between 10am – 4pm on Sunday 15th September.
Heritage walk around
A walk round leaflet costing 50p will tell you more about this old building so come and find out more about the Old Church:
view the Royal Coat of Arms, which was painted over the chancel arch by order of King James 1 (reigned 1603-25) and only discovered in 1986;
examine the massive oak chest which dates from about 1400; and
try the seats in the 18th C gallery.
Other attractions
There will also be:
an exhibition by professional and amateur artists;
Christmas cards of the Old Church for sale; and
Refreshments available
Find out more about the Old Church on our webpage, the location for those unsure is St. Mary’s (Old) Church, Hall Lane, West Bergholt, CO6 3DU.
The West Bergholt Gardeners Association have released details of their 2013/2014 meeting programme. This starts with their AGM which is to be held on 16th September. The programme is:
16 September – Thady Barrett – Selecting the right fruit for your garden.
14 October – Eddy Harris – Introduction to cacti and succulents.
18 November – Sally Hepher – Woodland Trust.
09 December – Barry Kaufmann-Wright – Role of Wildlife Crime Officer.
17 February – Eddy Harris – Looking for plants in South Africa.
17 March – Geoff Hodge – Luscious Lawns – Lawn care for perfect lawns.
The Allotment Holders Committee had applied to Edible Essex, which is a three year project funded by the Big Lottery’s Local Food Scheme and supported by Essex County Council, for some funding for the site, they report in these minutes that:
We have been given a grant of £660 from Edible Essex and a further £300 from Parish Council for the purchase of rotavator from Ernst Does. This will shortly be with us and once village handy man has had hands on – will then let plot holders know details/costs for any rotavating they require.
Sad News
They also had the following sad news to report:
Many longer established plot holders will remember Stan Rideout who was frequently seen digging on the allotments in his wellies, whatever the weather. Stan has spent the last few years in a Nursing Home and recently died just before the age of ninety. All his remaining family have now also passed away. His funeral service is at the Crematorium on Weds 7th Aug at 2.00pm when it is hoped any friends who remember him will be able to attend.
Welcoming
It is apparent form the minutes that the allotments continue to be a welcoming environment in which new plot holders will be well-supported:
Several new plot holders thanked the committee and others plot holders for help/advise etc they have received on the site.
Children are also welcomed to get involved although there is a small caveat:
Children – Are welcome on the site, however they should be supervised at all times by an adult. And ensure they do not go on any other plots, play around water tanks, play ball games or wander around site unsupervised.
One of the Friends of Hillhouse Wood‘s younger members has decided that, for her Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award, she will spend the next 6 months or so going through Hillhouse Wood collecting litter and making observations. Her first two visits have now been recorded on her online diary, part of the Hillhouse Wood sub-site, and can be followed here.
Steve Hallam reports on this year’s Dawn Chorus walk in Hillhouse Wood.
Dawn seems very early
There are times when 3.45 am feels like a truly mad time to go for a walk. Such times are generally around 3.15 am, when the alarm sounds. And, as the guide for this year’s Dawn Chorus walk, I couldn’t help wondering if anyone else was going to be mad enough to turn up this year. As it turned out, my timing was such that I arrived at the old church right on time (close enough to prompt some concerns by Andrew Savage concerning the reliability of the Hallam alarm clock). As I drove down the lane to the church I saw one car (phew – someone’s turned up), then another, and more, and then lost count. I then saw what looked like a small army standing by the bench. Had a coach party turned up?
Andrew, being Andrew, was doing a head count – 32 people! Amazing, and a Personal Lifetime Best!
Which, of course, raised the stakes for being able to find everyone some good birds to see and hear. We had a guess regarding the first species we would hear (not withstanding the Tawny Owls that had been heard already). The suggestions were Cuckoo and Nightingale – both good ones, as these birds have previously achieved this status.
First call from Whitethroat
In previous years we have heard something almost as soon as we’d started off. This year, however, we were past the site of the hurdle maker’s cottage before we heard our first bird. To make up for the delay it came from the hedge right next to us. It was a single blast of Whitethroat, perhaps complaining about its sleep being disturbed. They don’t normally sing this early (not that I have a robust ‘data bank’ to base this opinion on).
An opportunity to catch some late bluebells as well
Things continued to be quiet as we approached the wood, such that I was starting to worry what to talk about. However as we reached the main entrance a solitary Robin struck up its fluid song, and (relief!) we could hear a Nightingale singing lower down the wood. As we stood and listened at least two Tawny Owls were calling at each other from either side of the wood, while the first Blackbird also started. The Blackbird is sometimes referred to as ‘the poor man’s Nightingale’, so we had a good opportunity to compare the two. The first Wrens also entered the fray at this point, while a Pheasant called somewhere in the dark.
Nightingale still singing
We moved on into the wood and took up position around the top pond (it was noticeable how many torches came into use as the group negotiated the narrow path to the pond!). The Nightingale was continuing to sing and could now be heard more clearly. Here we also heard our first Rooks and Wood Pigeons as they woke up. We moved on down the hill to where we had arguably the highlight of the walk: the Nightingale that we had first heard had continued to sing throughout the walk so far. By now we were only a few yards from its bush, but it continued to sing unabated. Everyone in the party was able to thoroughly familiarise themselves with a Nightingale in full cry. At the same time one of the wood’s Blackcaps finally woke up close by. To complete the noisy ‘soundscape’ some Blue Tits started their incessant calling on the other side of the path.
Surprising Goldcrest
Moving on down to the stream at the bottom we heard a singing Chaffinch, some Canada Geese noisily flying nearby, the first Chiffchaff of the walk and the major pleasant surprise of the walk – a singing Goldcrest. What he was doing there I have no idea, as they normally live in conifers. He was near the large Alder trees, so maybe these were acting as a substitute habitat. Reaching the lower pond we had our second surprise – a pair of Mallards. They are presumably looking for a quiet place to breed – they may not have chosen wisely. But it is an implicit comment on the relatively good state of the pond this year that they are even considering setting up home. Whilst here we also heard our first Jackdaws and Great Tits. At this point I (and hopefully at least a few of our guests) heard one call note from a Buzzard somewhere overhead. As we continued round the rest of the wood things started to wind down, but we heard a Nightingale singing in a thicket that I’d not heard occupied before, along with both resident species of woodpecker.
Missing Song Thrush
So what did we fail to hear this year? There are always some species that inexplicably keep quiet. Our ‘roll of shame’ is headed by Song Thrush and Dunnock, while I was also hoping to hear the Nuthatches. The solitary Cuckoo in the area failed to call, whilst it appears that the Yellowhammers who usually live by the track have disappeared. Overall, though, a tally of 21 species was very respectable.
A very proud Simon Ashurst reports on the final match of BHYFC’s 2012/13 campaign.
Bergholt Heath Vs Wivenhoe Youth Blues: Under 14 League Cup Final
Well what can I say? We have gone unbeaten since November 18th – 16 games – but this one epitomised our heart and belief.
We faced Wivenhoe Youth Blues in the League Cup Final, hoping to win and do the Under 14 Cup double and it was a really tough game. The league runners up are obviously a good team and it was going to be a tough ask to win with two players out injured in James Holden and Max Booth, who have both been exceptional for us this season. However the 13 players we did have available showed that we are a squad full of belief and desire, giving everything they had to win this final.
I can’t go into too much detail as it was a game that could have gone either way and was quite tense, but we had the slightly better of a 1st half that saw very few chances. Connor commanded his area well throughout the game and only had to make one comfortable save in the first half whilst at the other end James Hirst had a similar effort before Ollie flashed a cross across the goal mouth that looked to be heading in but was turned into his own net by a Wivenhoe defender under pressure from Leo. So we went into the break 1-0 up.
The second half was again a very close affair as both defences dealt with everything that came their way. There was some good football played at times, but when the ball got near either penalty area there was never a clear sight of goal and any shot was either from distance or wide and didn’t trouble the keepers. Owen had our best effort on goal which was well struck but dipped into the keepers hands. It was a hot day and Wivenhoe piled on the pressure but our boys ran themselves into the ground to make sure they protected the lead we had and stop them getting the equaliser. The final whistle was greeted by a huge cheer and we celebrated our achievement of the cup double which is a rare thing at any level, and a perfect finish to a great season.
Again it was a game where every player had a brilliant performance but it was James Hirst who got many of the parent’s nods for MOM as he typified the desire and effort that we showed. He was often there to win the ball in front of the defence and drove forward at every opportunity.
I just want to thank each and every player for their efforts this season. They have certainly deserved their medals.
Simon Ashurst – U14 Manager
The 2013/14 season gets underway on 8th September – if you are interested in finding out more about the club then please check them out on our local football page.
For those who enjoy their gardening this news update will be of interest, also to those who are keen to show their artistic side.
Little Bentley Waterways & Gardens
This annual show, which runs from 1st June, is one of the largest annual garden shows in east Anglia, regularly seeing over 8,000 visitors. This year, there is an opportunity for your artwork to help raise funds for a local charitable organization. Austin Hicks explains:
The Rotary Club of Colchester Centurion has been invited to run a fundraiser at The Little Bentley Waterways and Garden Show on the weekend of 1st & 2nd June. We are calling it ‘Art on the Run’ and we are hoping to collect 400 pieces of original Art and, in return for a donation of £10.00, visitors will pick a ticket and be guaranteed a piece of art. Funds raised will be donated to Rotary charities, particularly East Anglian Children’s Hospice (EACH).
We are interpreting the word ‘art’ in its widest sense – paintings or drawings, sculptures, photographs, pottery, wood carvings, embroidery or tapestry, quilting or any other item that can be admired for its creativity. Anything original or limited editions would be much appreciated.
