Community, Parish Council & Village
General news items
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has tested us all, now you can be tested in a special charity quiz for Ukraine. This quiz will follow the normal Village Quiz format with 10 rounds of ten questions; all profits will go directly to the DEC Red Cross Ukraine Appeal.
Continue reading “Quiz for DEC Red Cross Ukraine Appeal”
The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 17th March 2022 with topics including:
Information you need, with deadlines, for those wanting to:
…in the Borough Elections taking place on 5th April 2022:
Continue reading “Notice of Borough Council Election – May 2022”
Writing this article I couldn’t, first of all, decide if it should be about Cherry Trees, Oak Trees, Pear Trees or Bluebells; it transpired they all had their part to play along with many others. The Cherry trees graced Orpen Hall for decades; however, as they had become elderly and diseased, they had to be removed last year.
Continue reading “Botanical Shenanigans”
This edition starts with thoughts on recent storm damage and then addresses Lent matters and the usual listings of services and contacts.
Dudley, Eunice and then Franklin. In the space of just a few days, storms wreaked havoc in the UK. Power lines were cut, properties damaged, trees fell down, some were injured and tragically a few lost their lives.
On the Sunday after Storm Eunice, and as Storm Franklin gained momentum again, across the six parishes we worshipped in churches which had lost window panes and trees, all whilst hearing the reading from the bible of Jesus calming the storm from Luke’s gospel.
As the storm builds, Jesus is asleep in the boat, the disciples become frantic and eventually wake Jesus up saying ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown.’ In Marks gospel, it says the disciples said ‘don’t you care if we drown?’
Of course Jesus cares, he cares deeply for all of his children, and he gets up rebukes the wind and the raging waters and the storm subsides.
But that doesn’t mean that storms still don’t occur, whether that is the aforementioned physical storms, or the emotional or mental storms that might assail us throughout our lives.
And sometimes, we like the disciples may feel in a place where we want to call out and say ‘Jesus, don’t you care that we are drowning?’ and the answer for us is that of course he cares, he is indeed, as he was for the disciples, in the same boat with them and us. He is always with us. He can’t protect us from every storm, but he is with us through them all.
This month we begin our journey through Lent, as we travel with Jesus to the cross. A stark reminder that Jesus himself had to suffer both spiritual and physical storms in his life. We see his pain and torment in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he cried out, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.’
Jesus travelled through his own storms, and is with us through ours too. May we trust in him and may God bless you.
Reverend Heather
There are three Lent-specific activities taking place during Lent, a Carbon Fast, Lent Groups and Prayers.
In the Bible, caring for Creation is God’s first instruction to humans. During Lent, an organisation called Climate Stewards is encouraging us to take up the challenge to find new ways to reduce our impact on the natural world and our global neighbours.
You can sign up through the link below to receive weekly emails suggesting easy, medium and harder challenges to try related to the seven weekly themes of:
Rev Heather Wilcox has written a Bible Study Course which be focusing on our Sunday readings for Lent. Our regular Bible Study Groups will meet weekly, from 8th March to 5th April, to study this material and you are very welcome to join the following groups:
Throughout Lent (from Saturday 4th March until Easter) there will be prayer space activities in the Church, changing weekly, to reflect the set Gospel reading for the week. All are welcome to come in and have a look at the prayer spaces and try out some of the simple activities, such as writing in a sand pit something we are sorry for and then wiping the words away to remind us of God’s forgiveness.
One of the prayer spaces will include an opportunity to light a candle and say a prayer for the people of Ukraine.
The church will be open from 9am to 3.30pm each week day and children accompanied by parents are very welcome.
| 6th March | 10:00 am | Holy Communion (also on Zoom) |
| 13th March | 10:00 am | Messy Church |
| 20th March | 11:15 am | Holy Communion (also on Zoom) |
| 27th March | 10:00 am | Mothering Sunday – Praise on 4 Service (also on Zoom) with refreshments served from 9.45am |
| 3rd April | 9:30 am | Holy Communion (also on Zoom) |
| 10th April | 9:30 am | Messy Church |
The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 10th February 2022 with topics including:
The first guided walk at Hillhouse Wood since 2020 takes place on Saturday 26th February when Steve Hallam leads the Winter Bird Walk 2022. Walkers should meet at the Old Church at 10 am (weather permitting), wearing stout footwear and warm clothing & with a warm drink in a flask. They can expect to see a range of resident woodland and meadow species as well as some winter visitors, the Woodland Trust lists the following as the top-15 winter potentials:
Continue reading “Winter Bird Walk 2022 – will you see a Waxwing?”
West Bergholt Gardeners didn’t meet in January so the first meeting of 2022 on 21st February has speaker Neil Ludmon talking about the “History of the use of Herbaceous Perennials. On 21st March they will be learning of “Current Trends in Garden Design” from Steven Digby.
Their trips out have always been popular so this year they have provisionally booked a self drive visit to Utling Wick in September and coach trips to East Rushton in July and RHS Hyde Hall “Glow” in November. Guests are welcome to join them on these visits.
Further meetings to take place at 7.30 pm in the Orpen Hall will be:
Continue reading “Garden Design & Herbaceous Perennials”
The TEC Mates programme supports the use and uptake of Digital Technology and Technology Enabled Care (TEC) products and services. It aims to inform vulnerable people, their friends, family and carers on TEC and its capabilities; also to consider its adoption for accessing social and health care services.
It will focus on the specific skills required to help residents and their family and friends become more digitally aware. Importantly, it will help them gain a greater understanding about new Technology Enabled Care solutions. These are being rolled out by the West Essex Community Action Network (WECAN) and supported by Essex County Council.
Continue reading “Could you be a TEC Mate?”
On Wednesday 26th January 2022 West Bergholt Parish Council agreed the following motion:
“THAT THIS COUNCIL BELIEVES THAT A CLIMATE EMERGENCY SHOULD BE DECLARED AND THAT THE PARISH COUNCIL WILL TAKE ACTION EITHER THROUGH ITS OWN WORK OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHERS IN THE PARISH TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS, MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING AND IMPROVE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS ALL IN THE WIDER INTERESTS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS”
Climate emergencies are being declared internationally by governments and locally by public organisations. This is to draw attention to the effects of human activity, resulting in an ever-warming planet and its potentially catastrophic effects on natural environments, wildlife and human habitats. These can be manifested by a rise in temperatures, rising sea levels and deteriorating conditions for all life
Around 75% of UK councils have declared a Climate Emergency. Colchester Borough Council voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency back in July 2019. Internationally COP 26 has reaffirmed the need to:
If so, we are asking for volunteers, across all age groups to join, or maybe lead, a new Working Party forward. They will help produce a strategy and a plan and initiate workshops.
Email Laura, our Parish Clerk, at [email protected] to join us. Once she has your contact details, she will send you further information on the first meeting.
Please join us to help improve the future; to safeguard as far as is possible an environment that future generations can enjoy.
Press contact: Cllr Bob Tyrell, Chairman: Climate Emergency Working Party, West Bergholt Parish Council