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Stebbing Scene Your Village — Your Magazine

Edition No: 143 Autumn 2017

As a friend of mine once said, “It’s getting a bit back-endish” - meaning that autumn is once more making an entrance.

Sadly, the villagers of Stebbing are fending off a gathering darkness of another kind, as our elected representatives in Uttlesford demonstrate they have no intention of representing our interests, or our wishes. It is unfortunate that it is two years until the next district elections. Those councillors, who have too little respect for democracy to think they need to reflect the wishes of their electorate, will not be forgotten though - we can make sure of that.

Thanks to Tim Gates for the above photo of Church End showing how much we have to lose.

Richard Foot, Editor

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SAVE OUR STEBBING

Public Meeting 27 July 2017 by Jackie Kingdom

The Old Friends Meeting House was full for the public meeting held by the Parish

Council’s Planning Committee on Thursday 27 July. Many people were concerned

at the prospect of Uttlesford District Council’s (UDC) recommendation to build a

‘Garden Community’ of, in total, 3,500 houses on Andrewsfield and Boxted Wood

and abutting Braintree District Council’s (BDC) proposal to create the same on its

boundary to Stebbing with 10,000+ houses. This would result in a new town of

over 14,000 houses (Stebbing currently has just over 500).

Jane Goodwin, Chair of Stebbing Parish Council, opened the meeting. Chris Cant

gave an account of the process so far and described the threat to Stebbing, as we

perceive it. She reminded everyone that UDC’s Public Consultation is open until

4th September ’17 and urged people to take part. This is very important, for

whilst we feel UDC Planners do not listen to our well-reasoned arguments, they

will be looked at by the Government Planning Inspectorate, who have the final say

on local council plans.

Does Stebbing want this development? According to those present, NO!

In the recent ‘Neighbourhood Plan for Stebbing’ questionnaire, 4% of people

supported the proposal. Over 90% of the village said they did not. At the

meeting, a resident described very eloquently how she and her family had moved

to Stebbing wanting a rural life, away from the pressures of town. They had

worked hard for their home and accepted inconveniences of not having a shopping

centre and services nearby.

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The overwhelming view of the meeting was that Stebbing people want to

fight these proposals.

Following lively discussion, it was agreed the Parish needs expert help in fighting

the proposals from both District Councils. Stebbing Parish Council will take the

lead in an appeal to finance an expert planner to make our representations to both

councils and, if necessary, to the Planning Inspectorate.

Following the Meeting – update:

Stebbing Parish Council (SPC) held an Extraordinary Meeting, 3rd August ’17,

where the following was approved :

1. That Stebbing Parish Council will take the lead in the village’s opposition to

the proposed ‘West of Braintree’ development.

2. That Stebbing Parish Council will provide an initial £2,000 to an appeal

towards the cost of engaging a professional planner.

Many people are responding to the appeal and donations are growing steadily.

The Parish Council has appointed an expert planner who will put SPC’s case for the

UDC Consultation. He will also act for Stebbing at the next stage of Braintree DC’s

process.

We realise this is just the beginning of a long process. At every turn, we will fight

for Stebbing. Please continue to support the Parish Council, the elected body,

both practically and financially.

YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU!

If you want to donate for the fight, and are able to, then please do it now!

Stebbing Scene is pleased to be able to contribute £1,000 - Ed

You can donate by:

• Cash (See Parish Clerk’s letter on page 57 for details of where to send it)

• Cheque made out to ‘Stebbing Parish Council’

• Bank transfer to sort code: 20-19-95 account number 40339237 - please use

‘SOS’ followed by a dash and your surname /initial as the reference.

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Offering great quality timber, garden furniture & fencing at competitive prices

Open to the general public & trade

Find us just off the roundabout between A120 Great Dunmow & Tesco

01371 876841/01371 734400

www.dunmowfencingsupplies

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SERCLE The ‘West of Braintree’ (WoB) Proposed Development

Even though there have been exhibitions, mailshots and meetings to explain the

extent and implications of the WoB proposals, there seem to be many residents

who are blissfully unaware of how this new town will affect Stebbing and the other

adjacent villages. Make no mistake, the quaint labelling of this development as a

‘Garden Village’ belies the reality; it is an order of magnitude bigger than a village

and the plans show little provision of anything ‘garden’.

You may have seen the signs around Stebbing proclaiming ‘NO to West of

Braintree’. There is a tendency that, whatever is proposed by one group will be

objected to by another, sometimes out of NIMBYism, sometimes as a matter of

principle and sometimes with good reason.

SERCLE is a campaign group highlighting the woeful inadequacy and

inappropriateness of the development, West of Braintree, and with very good

reason. The formal response submitted by SERCLE can be viewed on the website

www.sercle.org.uk, where the realities behind the mythical benefits and

assumptions supporting the development are discussed and discredited.

If you read the response (and you really should) you will hopefully appreciate why

the opposition to this proposal is a serious and valid concern for what such a

massive building program will do to the small villages caught up in the sprawl. If

you live in Stebbing (or the neighbouring villages) and actually like it, then it is

your responsibility to oppose those wishing to capitalise on the need for more

housing by plonking them wherever there is a bit of green space. Of course we

need more houses, but every house needs a wide range of infrastructure and

support services – the WoB proposal totally disregards these factors by imposing a

disproportionate volume of properties where there are already barely adequate

services.

So how do we prevent it? By demonstrating, with valid and credible arguments,

that WoB is not a suitable location for such a major development. The only real

way we can do this is by hiring professional representation to assemble a coherent

and compliant presentation of the true facts when the planning decisions are

made. To this end SERCLE has created a crowd-funding page where you can

donate to assist in financing this endeavour.

https://www.chuffed.org/project/33402

SERCLE has made an agreement with Stebbing Parish Council to pool and share

our efforts and resources to avoid duplication because, even though we are

approaching the issues from different perspectives, our goal is a common one.

Please support this effort in any way you can. Peter Finlay

www.SERCLE.org.uk https://en-gb.facebook.com/Sercle.org/

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A Message From Our Vicar

Dear friends

I trust you have all had a good summer, even if we did

get a little damp some of the time! As we return this

month to school, college and work, I want to share

some great news with you, which will benefit the

ministry of all of the Pilgrim Parishes. I also want to

remind you of a couple of other important events

across the parishes, which may be advertised

elsewhere in these pages.

So the great news is that we have appointed a part

time administrator for the Pilgrim Parishes, who will act

as a communications and administrative hub for the ministry team, wardens,

church councils and other relevant bodies across all our villages. During this

month she will be receiving induction training and we will make her contact details

more widely known once the office is up and running. She will become the contact

point for baptisms (more of which next issue), weddings, funerals and other

enquiries, as well as greatly alleviating the administrative burdens of the clergy.

This post is initially funded over 5 years, with the help of a grant from the Diocese

of Chelmsford, but the local churches will eventually be funding it entirely

themselves. If you would like to know more about how that works, do drop me a

line.

Now, just when you thought the season of fetes and festivals was over, I want to

remind you about a few more in the coming weeks. Don’t forget about Tilty

Flower festival over the weekend of 30th September -1st October. It really is a

great event, with stalls, flower displays, a concert, Thaxted Morris Men, all topped

off with the 5 Parishes’ harvest festival in Tilty church on the Sunday morning.

And don’t miss Stebbing Village Fete on Sunday 24th September. A last hurrah for

the vintage cars, show ring, beer tent cake stall and raffle; it really is a classic

English fete. That Sunday is also the day of the Salings Harvest Festival, at Little

Saling church at 11am (note the change from the usual time). I really hope you

can enjoy being part of all of these events.

With every blessing, Tim

Tilty Flower Festival - September 30th and October 1st

The Flower Festival is the main fund-raising event for St Mary The Virgin Church,

Tilty, and this year takes place over the weekend September 30th and October 1st.

The Church is a Grade 1 listed building of outstanding historical and architectural

significance. It was originally the gatehouse chapel of Tilty Abbey, a Cistercian

Abbey founded in 1153, the remains of which can be seen in the field behind Tilty

Church, together with English Heritage information boards depicting life in the

Abbey.

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During the Flower Festival, the church becomes filled with an abundance of

flowers, fragrance and creativity. The artful floral displays of flower arrangers of

The Five Parishes will this year be based on the theme ‘Harvest’.

Tea, coffee and cakes will be served from the vestry and visitors can relax and

enjoy the floral displays on show in the church and the porch. There will be local

photographic and historical displays in the church and a stall hosted by The

Friends of The Five Parishes.

Outside in the churchyard there will be a variety of stalls to include a country

market, selling home-made and home-grown local produce, a plant stall, raffle and

games for all the family. ‘The Headless Monk’ licensed pop up bar will be open

throughout the weekend, serving a selection of real ale, cider and wines,

complementing hot food served from ‘The Friar’s Tuck’ BBQ and food stall.

Entertainment

The Thaxted Morris Men have kindly agreed to host a side of Morris Men who will

dance at 2pm on the Saturday. In addition to this, various live acoustic musical

acts will play over the weekend in the area next to ‘The Headless Monk’ bar.

Evening Concert - September 30th 7.30pm - Clive Carroll

This year we welcome the return of former Tilty resident, Clive Carroll, to Tilty

Church for a solo concert in aid of the Festival. The atmosphere and acoustics of

the Church provide a perfect backdrop for Clive’s amazing musical talent.

The Essex born guitarist made his musical debut at age two as a banjo-strumming

cowboy, singing nursery rhymes. Clive went on to earn a 1st class honours

degree in composition and guitar from the famed Trinity College of Music in

London, all the while balancing his classical work with forays into the world of the

steel string guitar. A chance meeting with the late John Renbourn changed the

course of Clive’s musical career and the two toured the U.K. and North America

together, with Renbourn encouraging Clive to release his first solo album in 2000.

Since then Clive has gone from strength to strength, touring solo around the world

and alongside lauded guitarist Tommy Emmanuel. Clive has also composed music

for major films and has been awarded an array of awards and accolades, such as

inclusion in Total Guitar Magazine’s, “Top 10 Acoustic Guitarists of All Time”.

The concert will begin at 7.30pm and will comprise two parts, with an interval for refreshments. The Headless Monk Bar will also be open from 6pm serving pre-and post-concert refreshments together with food from The Friars Tuck food stall.

Tickets are £15 and are on sale now. Please phone Fiona on 01371 870091 or

Cec on 01371 870297

or email tiltychurch@outlook.com.

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Essex County Council

Stebbing Primary School Stebbing Dunmow Essex CM6 3SH

Executive Headteacher : Mrs Karen Wallace

Head of School: Miss Lucy Mawson

Telephone 01371 856260

Fax 01371 856091

Email admin@stebbing.essex.sch.uk miss.mawson@stebbingprimary.co.uk

We began the last half of the summer term with a fantastic summer festival. This

took the place of our usual summer fete and was a huge success! Thank you so

much to the excellent AFSS and all who supported our day. There was a lot to

keep visitors entertained. We had numerous bands take to the stage to perform;

a string quartet played whilst people enjoyed afternoon tea and there were plenty

of stalls for children and adults to enjoy! We raised a grand total of £2,132.49.

This is such a huge amount for the school and will be spent on lots of lovely

resources and experiences for the children.

The children enjoyed a fantastic whole school trip to Great Notley Discovery

Centre at the end of May. The older pupils got to experience the high ropes

course, whilst the younger children went on a nature walk and tried their hand at

pond dipping. Many other school-led activities were planned too. The children

also enjoyed a whole school picnic and the weather was beautiful for the day!

This was a great way to start the May half-term holiday.

We have also had numerous other summer events take place this term. Families

were invited to enjoy our annual whole school day of sport and music on Friday

14th July. This event is always a special one in the calendar, as it gives children a

chance to share their talents and have fun with their families. Our music

afternoon adopted a special theme this year; we had the opportunity to celebrate

with Mrs Wallace, who will be leaving Stebbing Primary at the end of this year.

Although we will all be really sad to see her go, we wanted to celebrate her time

at school and share special memories with her!

Our year 6 leavers also visited France at the end of the term. This annual trip

enables the group to practise their spoken French and celebrate their hard work

over the last few years. We will, of course, be very sad to say goodbye to our

oldest children. We wish them every success on their continuing educational

journey.

School begins on Monday 4th September 2017. I am thrilled to be taking on the

role of Headteacher from the autumn term and look forward to many further

exciting times at Stebbing Primary over the next year.

Kind regards to you all,

Miss Lucy Mawson, Head of School

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Bikeability - Level 2

On the 27th and the 28th of June, 6 students from Owls took

part in Bikeability, a cycling course to improve your biking skills

and road safety. I passed the test and was awarded a certificate

and a badge.

My favorite part of Bikeability was cycling down Clay Lane; it was very muddy and

we all got soaked. The instructor was very helpful and taught me a lot about road

safety. The course was super fun and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys

cycling.

Sam Corbett

Over the past year at school, Josh Desmond and I have worked on a project about

animal farms. At the finish of our project we got to present it to the whole school

and to teachers, my mum and Josh’s grandparents. Everybody enjoyed our

presentation and laughed at my jokes. We also gave the results to our favourite

farm animal questionnaire - and horse won.

Josh did a presentation about his horse riding. I thought it was excellent and we

found out that other people at the school ride at the same riding school. Michalina

rides the same horse as Josh, which is called Sunday.

To prepare for our presentation we went to Boydells Dairy farm. We had a nice

morning seeing all the animals - ducks, cows, chickens, roosters, donkeys, horses,

goats, alpacas, lamas and sheep. They milk the cows and the sheep and I was

able to milk a cow; the udders felt very rough. Josh held a baby goat, called a

kid, and I held a lamb and fed it from a coca cola bottle that had milk in. The

lamb was very strong whilst he was drinking the milk and he enjoyed it.

They have a shop at the farm where you can buy sheeps milk, yogi pops made

from sheep’s milk and sheep’s cheese. I have tried a yogi pop which was very

nice and my mum has tried the milk, which she says it is very creamy. At the

farm we had a picnic for our lunch and then we set off back to school.

My favourite farm animals are sheep and cows. Josh likes horses. I also visited

the farm at Easter and saw a sheep give birth and it was amazing. If you would

like to go to Boydells Dairy Farm it is in Shalford, near where I live, and you can

go on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon or in the school holidays. I have always

been interested in farming because I like animals and, in the summer holidays, I

am getting my own chickens. When I go to my new school there is a farm which I

might be able to help at.

Tom Hammond

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Garden Club News

Garden Club has had two very different meetings recently. In May we visited two

members' gardens. The afternoon finished with tea and cakes; clearly members

are not only keen gardeners but also keen cooks and the range of refreshments

was much appreciated!

In June, Hilary Thomas came to speak on 'Creating a lower maintenance garden'.

Hilary was formerly a lecturer at Capel Manor and her expertise shone through. In

September we have a talk on planting autumn containers. Like all our talks, this

is open to all.

Our stall at the June Friday Morning Market was well-attended; we had a very

large number of plants to sell and customers seemed to appreciate our highly

competitive prices.

July's visit to Great Dixter took a full coach to one of Sussex's great gardens.

Great Dixter has a high maintenance garden; there are many borders and much

work goes into them. The borders are mixed, not herbaceous. So you’ll see

shrubs, climbers, hardy and tender perennials, annuals and biennials, all growing

together and contributing to the overall tapestry.

There are no segregated colour schemes. Every sort of colour is combined

effectively. Many plants in this garden are self-sown so you will see pink with

yellow, orange with purple and all are striking and effective.

For many of us, this was one of the most memorable gardens ever visited. Do go

to see it if you get the chance.

As September draws near, we're preparing for our stall at Stebbing fête, where

plants, produce and preserves will be on sale - so come and visit us. We can

guarantee you will find opportunities to buy items at far below garden centre or

supermarket prices! Jane Foster

Great Dixter

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Steve Boughey As told by Val, his wife

Steve was the middle son of 3 boys. Born in

Cheshunt he attended the local primary and

secondary schools, leaving at 15yrs with no

qualifications and had various jobs, including being a

delivery boy for Walls Sausages and an apprentice

plumber.

At the young age of 16yrs he emigrated alone to

Australia. The British Boys Movement sponsored

him. We met a few weeks before this move and

when he left England he broke two hearts: his

mum’s and mine. In Australia, he worked as an

auxiliary nurse in an ex-pat hospital treating victims

of the Vietnam war. During his time there he saved

a young girl from drowning in the sea, the first of

several heroic acts in his life.

Two years later he returned to England and our romance was reignited when he

needed someone to accompany him to a 21st Birthday party. The Birthday girl

became a very dear friend for some 40 years.

Steve became a printer for Tesco’s, a high-rise steel erector before choosing a

career in retail, eventually starting his own business with a friend.

30 years ago, we moved to Stebbing with our sons Steven 5 and 4-month-old

Jack. We soon settled in and enjoyed our townie friends visiting for a taste of

country life and several Elizabethan Fayres.

Unfortunately, things went wrong business wise and we experienced difficult

times, having our home repossessed in the process. Steve then started up as a

market trader, helping us to get back on our feet. One day on the market, he

got talking to another trader who suggested going into business together and

Thing-Me-Bobs was formed. Steve and his partners formed a chain of successful

discount stores in and around East Anglia, providing us with a wonderful home

and a happy life.

We decided to retire six years ago to spend more time enjoying ourselves,

travelling to and from France and Japan – where our first Grandchild was born.

Last Christmas our family visited from Japan. We enjoyed a very special time

together, little knowing what was waiting around the corner. To our complete

disbelief on the 16th of February our beloved husband, dad and granddad was

diagnosed with advanced cancer of his oesophagus and life became a series of

hospital appointments and treatments. Steve fought so hard for us but lost the

battle on the 6th of July and once again broke my heart.

Everyone will remember Steve for his smile, kind heart and his friendliness. Our

family will remember him for all the love that he was so generous in giving us.

We miss him dearly.

JAK

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PATRICIA PILGRIM NURSERY SCHOOL

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from Braintree, Bardfield and Dunmow

Places available Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm

Open All Year

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Essex CM6 3TD

Tel: 01371 856594/856702

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facebook.com/patriciapilgrimnursery

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Dorothy Pelham 4th April 1923 – 25th July 2017

It was a day like any other in 1994, until that is, the telephone rang: ‘Hello,

Jackie?’ said a then, unfamiliar voice. ‘It’s Dorothy Pelham, I’m phoning the five

busiest women I know and you are on my list’

And so, I became one of the

CASH ‘girls’ (Campaign to

Save the Hall) and embarked

on two hectic years following

our Leader, Dorothy on a

quest to secure the United

Reform Church in Mill Lane

and turn it in to ‘the best

village hall’ in Essex and

beyond. Nor did my

husband, Michael escape, as

he became Dorothy’s

righthand man in the

refurbishment of the hall.

The United Reform Church

Moderators had decided to

sell the Victorian building as it was in a poor state and refurbishment was

considered too expensive for a very small congregation. A planning application

had been submitted to Uttlesford District Council for a change of use to an

industrial site and the village was in danger of losing a hall which was being used

for worship and home to many local organisations for generations .

A referendum showed over 70% of villagers supported a proposal that the village

should purchase the hall. There followed nine long, hectic months with Dorothy

taking the lead in defeating the planning application, submissions for grants,

negotiations with the vendors, working with solicitors and the Charity Commission

as well as the local and County Councils. Many innovative ways were found to

raise money, on top of straightforward begging.

Despite her years, Dorothy worked long, hard hours pulling together all the

components required to make the project successful. In 1995, Dorothy topped

the Parish Council election, demonstrating the village’s appreciation for her hard

work and in 1996, she became Chairman of the New Village Hall Management

Committee. The village expressed its thanks by naming the small meeting room

‘The Dorothy Pelham Room’

Throughout, Dorothy was supported quietly and consistently by her husband,

despite his poor health. Dorothy and Eric married in 1954. They have two sons;

John & Andrew and two grandsons; William & Ben. When Eric became Principal of

Hertfordshire College of Agriculture & Horticulture, Oaklands, St Albans, Dorothy

worked alongside, supporting staff and students. Tony Lanyon was a pupil during

these years and always held Dorothy in great affection. When Eric retired, they

spent much of the time in Stebbing, living in their weekend retreat; Hillside

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House. When Butlers Cottage came on the market, both were delighted with its

magnificent sitting room. The perfect setting for their grand piano and so they

moved to Stebbing permanently.

Dorothy left school in 1939 and worked for two years in the foreign branch of

Westminster Bank but she was a country girl at heart and in 1941, joined the

Women’s Land Army. When the war ended, she studied horticulture, attaining a

degree from Wye College, University of London in 1949. Dorothy became a

lecturer at Writtle College for a short time.

In 1960, Dorothy became a governor of St Alban’s Girls’ School, she was

appointed Chair of Governors from 1985-1993. Long after retirement she was

remembered for her support and pastoral care towards the staff and pupils.

She was a Magistrate of the City Bench of St Albans and a Deputy Chair from

1971-93. Dorothy felt the JPs also needed support and an opportunity to

exchange ideas, so founded a Magistrates Dining Club for serving and former

magistrates. She remained closely involved with this group for the remainder of

her life. Keeping in contact with former colleagues and friends was a great joy to

her.

From that telephone call over twenty years ago, all involved with CASH learnt that

if Dorothy said, ‘we are going to do’ it was done. But whatever the task, Dorothy

did it with great humour and understanding of people. She was probably the first

arch-feminist I knew, having great trust in girls’ and women’s education and their

ability to achieve.

Dorothy had a wonderful wry sense of humour and I smiled at the reading

included in her funeral service. The story of the Good Samaritan – because when

the call came, Dorothy did not pass on the other side.

by Jackie Kingdom

Stebbing Open Gardens & Scarecrow Weekend 9 & 10th June 2018

Funds raised in aid of St Mary's Church Stebbing

We are still looking for additional gardens to open over the weekend. Whether

new, small, long established or partially planned. A broad variety of gardens

provide interest and ideas to others.

Plans are well under way to include a plant sale, craft fair, teas and of course lots

of fun with the scarecrows!

We will need plants for the sale next June, so if you have green fingers, we would

love to encourage you to take some cuttings, plant some seeds and help add to

the colour of the weekend.

Enquiries to:

Vicky Skilton 856 257

Wendy Smith 856 489

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Weddings

Mary Badley and Ian Forward married on Saturday 8

July at Stebbing Church, with their family and friends

present.

A reception was held at their home and the couple

honeymooned in Madeira.

The wedding cake was decorated with sugarcraft sweetpeas

that had been made for Mary’s mother’s 100th birthday

cake.

Stephen Reeve and Natalie Cronk were

married in Stebbing Church on Saturday 29 July

2017. The Rev Tim Goodbody officiated.

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One Year On!

That's right, on 13th June Little Harts turned 1

and, my goodness, what a year it's been! As

Kulli mentioned in the last Stebbing Scene,

we've seen the playgroup grow from a few

local village mums to an average of 28 children

with their mamas, dads, grandparents and

childminders in tow. Coming from surrounding

areas including Dunmow, Felsted and as far

away as Thaxted, what can they expect upon

arrival? Tea on tap, copious numbers of

biscuits and a good old natter, whilst the little

ones explore and play, that's what. We are a friendly bunch after all!

We celebrated our first year in style, drafting in Jo from Barn Owl Music to

entertain the small people before heading across to the park for cake, picnic and

play. And with the gorgeous weather (prior to the school holiday wash outs!) we

were able to open our doors and get outside for some messy water and sand

related fun.

With the school summer holidays now in full swing, Little Harts is on hold until

11th September, when we will back in full force for more crafting, playing, story-

telling and singing. Sadly though, we'll be without some of our older members

who are gearing up to start 'big' school. We will miss them terribly and wish them

all the best in their new adventures. However, with the goodbyes come some

exciting hello's. There have been a number of new additions to the Little Harts

Baby Crew over recent weeks, with more expected imminently and over the

coming months; we can't wait to welcome the new bambinos into our Little Harts

community.

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So, what's to come during our Autumn/

Winter term? There'll be messy play,

painting, play-doh, trampolining, crafting, a

whole host of other activities to encourage

imaginative play and, of course, those

much loved ride-on toys.

We'll also be holding a stall at the Stebbing

Craft Market in October, where we'll be

selling our wares to raise more funds for

the group, so please do swing by and show

us some love.

Let's not forget the upcoming festive season - as December approaches there will

of course be another Christmas shindig with the usual glittering, tinselled

thoroughfare to get the children suitably excited for the arrival of the Big Man on

the 25th. Further details of all of our events will be available via the Little Harts

Facebook Page so please do subscribe and follow for regular updates.

Although, as parents and carers, we enjoy

the two hours of sanity provided by the

Little Harts volunteer team each Monday

morning, perhaps the most exciting part of

our Little Harts journey is being able to

watch the children progress and develop as

the academic year passes. Bring on the

madness!

Becki Bond

VILLAGE HOUSE NAMES A test of your knowledge of the village set by Joan Matthews

1) Blackboard markers 2 A small stream for trophy fish

3) Small, steep Scottish hills 4 Once a purveyor of stamps

5) They run the household 6 A ferocious colour

7) Hot Christmas fare 8 A pen of female sheep

9) A ‘beer’ necessity 10 Entrance to Granny Smith’s house

11) Retreat for a man of the cloth 12 ‘Swallow’ type birds in Heraldry

13) Large, sweet-corn seller 14 Squirrels would happily live here

Answers on page 51

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Eating Out

Hello everyone, I’m Edward Fulcher and I live on Stebbing High Street.

I am a chef currently working in London. Like many chefs, I started

young (13-14 years), working in a pub on weekends, washing dishes and

cleaning floors. It was the Angel and Harp, when it used to be an

American style eatery, serving the likes of nachos, chicken wings and

BBQ racks of ribs. This is where I fell in love with the idea of being a

chef. The chefs noticed that I spent more watching them than I did

washing dishes, so I was let loose on buttering bread for soup and

learning how to cut sandwiches; from then on there was no looking back.

I left school at 16 and started my training at the Starr in Dunmow, at the time a

very well respected restaurant in Essex. They put me on a day release course and

taught me the fundamentals of being a chef. I worked there for two years, then

went to college full time where I trained for my level 3 NVQ. When I finished my

course, the college had a placement for me in America.

I moved to America for a year to work in a 5* hotel in Maryland, called, The Inn at

Perry Cabin, where I started my career as a pastry chef. From there I moved to

London to work at No1 Lombard street (1 Michelin star) for 4 years and worked

my way up in the pastry to sous chef. Leaving there I spent a year working for

Mark Poynton at Alimentum, in Cambridge (1 Michelin star), as his pastry chef.

With the arrival of our daughter imminent, I moved to the Anchor (bib gourmand),

a little closer in Hullbridge, as pastry chef to Chef, Daniel Watkins. This was

probably one of the hardest and most demanding kitchens I have worked in,

leaving the house at 6am and returning at 1am the following morning.

It was time for a change and I managed to find a job cooking for the Lord Mayor

of London at Mansion House, as head pastry chef, where I did not have to work so

many evening or weekends. This suited my new family life style, and meant I was

cooking for some very high profile people (aristocracy and royalty).

Currently I am working for a livery company called Mercers hall, the primary livery

company in the city of London. The company was formed in the late 1300s and

was a trade association for general trade of wool, velvet and silk. Now the

company exists as a charitable organisation, supporting many different causes

from Alms houses to funding help for small local communities.

With this experience, and the fact we love to go out and eat, I thought it would be

a good idea to write a little section about where we have eaten, with

recommendations - and pass on some recipes I think you might like to try out.

If you have questions or need tips, my email address is:- ed_pastrychef@me.com

In the next edition I will be writing about the week that I spent working for a chef

called Robin Gil at The Dairy in Clapham - for free to learn new techniques.

Look forward to hearing from you and helping how I can.

Ed, Sous chef, Mercers Hall

24

25

Greed versus Need

There can be no-one who believes that the new buildings at Bran End have

anything to do with local housing need. Taking away, as they do, the last view

across The Downs, they are a particular slap in the face to the council tenants who

live opposite and can only hold in memory the view that has been stolen from

them. It has long been accepted by many in the village that some development is

needed to assist local people to get on the housing ladder but this development

and others like it offer them nothing they could hope to afford.

Housing development in this part of the world has become a very bad joke with

empty properties in London owned as investments by individuals and companies

around the world and more Londoners cashing in and moving out to houses in the

countryside, allowing developers a much better profit margin than building homes

affordable to those with closer to average incomes or with affordable rents for

those who cannot manage to buy.

It is a disgrace that Uttlesford Councillors show little interest in what local needs

really are and where they are. They are caretakers for this beautiful part of the

Essex countryside, which they are intent on destroying in the interests profit

rather than people. The fact that they are supporting developments on good

arable land, so ensuring that future generations are less self sufficient in food than

we are, is short sighted and borders on the criminal.

Do make your views known and contribute to the fighting fund! - RF

Alternatively you can go to SERCLE’s crowd funding page:

https://www.chuffed.org/project/33402

You can donate by:

• cash (See Parish Clerk’s letter on page 57 for details of where to send it)

• cheque made out to ‘Stebbing Parish Council’

• bank transfer to sort code: 20-19-95 account number 40339237 - please use

‘SOS’ followed by a dash and your surname/initial as the reference.

26

27

Stebbing Village Stores AGM

Friends Meeting House

Tuesday 19th September, at 7.30

Although you need to be a member of Stebbing Village Stores Community Benefit

Society to vote on the night, all villagers are welcome to come along and, if you

decide you’d like to join us and have a vote, £10 will buy you life membership.

The main purpose of the evening is to review how the business has done in the

past year and to elect members of the committee to take the shop forward in the

way you would wish.

The more of you who come along, to question the outgoing committee and elect

the new one, the more accurately the Stores can reflect the wishes of villagers -

so do come if you can.

The meeting will be followed by drinks and

nibbles and an opportunity for informal chat

about how we can keep getting better at what

we do.

SVS Management Committee

28

29

30

Stebbing Neighbourhood Plan Update - August 2017

In April 2017, we distributed questionnaires to all 558 houses in the Parish and

we received an outstanding 532 responses from across all areas in the Parish!!

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your views with us. Below are

some highlights from the responses received:

77% felt there could be up to 5% growth in the number of

houses (up to 27 houses) in the Parish over the next 15 years.

44% would prefer a number of

smaller developments, but

only 4% would prefer one large

estate.

53% felt that the village

itself should not be

allowed to expand outside

the current built up area.

90% felt that the

proposed West of

Braintree garden

settlement would

be a bad /very bad

thing. Preferences were for 2-3 bedroom

houses, then bungalows, then 4/4+ bedroom

houses. 86% agreed that all new

houses should be built with off

street parking spaces at a ratio

of one space per bedroom.

72% agreed that there is a need for a car park to

serve the village.

82% agreed /

definitely agreed that

the speed limit in

Stebbing High Street

should be 20mph.

92% agreed/strongly agreed that the village minibus service

should be made available to visit doctors and supermarkets.

Over 90% agreed the Parish needs

more high speed internet access

and better mobile phone coverage.

31

What else have we been up to?

• Held a drop-in session on 29th July 2017 to share the results of the April

questionnaire and the findings from The Landscape Sensitivity and Capacity

Appraisal with residents. This appraisal has also been forwarded to Uttlesford

District Council (UDC) for consideration in relation to their Local Plan.

• Attended and addressed UDC’s Planning Policy Working Group on three

occasions in May and June 2017.

• Commissioned Grover Lewis Associates (independent heritage planning

specialists) to prepare a Heritage Assessment of Stebbing to further assist in

the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan. This should be complete by the

end of August.

• Contacted Essex Wildlife Trust to collate information relating to wildlife habitats

to include in our Neighbourhood Plan.

What else are we planning?

• Face to face meeting with UDC’s Planners in August to share the results of our

questionnaire and the independent Landscape and Heritage Appraisals so that

full weight can be given to them in the draft UDC Local Plan consultation

period.

• Workshop (in early September) with Rachel Hogger of Modicum Planning, our

retained adviser (paid for by UDC) to start drafting the policies for our

Neighbourhood Plan.

• Stall at Village Fete (end September) to share findings from the Heritage

Assessment and other progress with residents.

We are aiming to complete our draft Neighbourhood Plan so that it can be

examined and then go to referendum prior to conclusion of the UDC Local Plan,

which is currently estimated as Spring 2018.

You can find more details on our website www.stebbingneighbourhoodplan.com

including the full questionnaire results and Landscape Appraisal Report. You can

also sign up for regular updates and find the dates of our monthly meetings - to

which all residents are welcome!

Stebbing’s landscape

environment, wildlife habitats

and historic environment are all

important/very important to

over 95% of respondents. 81% agreed there was

not enough for teenagers

to do in the Parish.

32

The Dorcas Society

INVITATION

We would like to invite you to our

Harvest Lunch

Friday 13th October, 12.30pm

at The Village Hall

Tickets £7.50 available from:

Anne Pattenden 856476 or

Rosemary Pitkethly 856155

All are welcome but tickets are limited so

please support us by booking early with

cheques made payable to:

New Dorcas Society 2006

33

Unexpected Visitors

One of the things I most love about birding is the excitement of the unknown.

What birds will you see in a new garden, a new reserve or particularly a new

Country?

In a few days time a group of four of us are off on a two week birding trip to Peru,

my second visit but this time to the north, a totally new area to me. We hope to

see 450+ species of which well in excess of 100 should be new and many

stunningly beautiful, particularly the

wonderfully named marvellous

spatuletail, which is well worth a

"google."

I also find it very interesting when I’m

asked to identify unusual birds in other

people’s gardens. A couple of weeks

ago I was contacted by Jenny and Hugh

Nichols who had a yellow bird in their

garden they could not identify. I

popped round and joined them for a

very pleasant cup of tea and there he

was, a rather smart male Canary,

obviously an escapee but still a very

pretty boy!

I then got to thinking about some of the other strange birds that have been found

over the years in unlikely places.

In June 1984 the bird warden on the island of Fetlar, in the Shetland Isles, was

contacted by two sisters who had what they thought was a canary in their croft

garden. However, when he went to investigate, he found a breeding plumage

male yellowthroat, a gaudy North American warbler, and only the second recorded

in the UK.

In 2003 we were holding a barbeque with friends in our Stebbing garden when I

heard a strange call and on looking up was surprised to see an Australian

Cockatiel sitting on our garage roof, another obvious escapee and a rather hungry

looking one.

I have also recorded a ring-necked parakeet once in our garden feeding on

peanuts. They are an introduced species which have increased their range and

numbers dramatically in recent years.

One particularly notorious winter roost was present in trees at Esher Rugby club in

Surrey in the late 1990's and, at it's maximum, numbered over 7000 birds, which

would start to gather about half an hour before dark. By the time they were all

assembled the spectacle and noise was quite amazing, providing you didn’t have

to put up with it every day. Not surprisingly, some years ago, the trees were (Continued on page 35)

Marvellous Spatuletail

34

Registered Office: Green Ley Mill Lane Stebbing CM6 3SL

DPS PLUMBING & HEATING CONTRACTORS LTD

Domestic plumbing, heating and

gas work undertaken, including bathroom

installation and wall tiling

Steve

Telephone 01371 856029

Mobile 07850 942120

E-mail: steveatdpsltd@hotmail.co.uk

Peter

Telephone 01371 879103

Mobile 07850 942121

E-mail: petejnorman@btinternet.com

Reg. No. 018705

35

removed, much to the delight of the local residents!

Just where the original Parakeets came from is uncertain. However one rather

nice story is that a number of birds escaped from Surrey's Shepperton Studio in

1951 following the filming of the African Queen. Another, perhaps fanciful, claim

is that in the 1960's the late Jimi Hendrix released several pairs of Parakeets in

Carnaby Street.

Extreme weather conditions, particularly storms and gales can result in seabirds

being displaced and turning up in bizarre places. A few yeas ago a friend of mine,

who has a smallholding in Lincolnshire, saw something moving in amongst his

chickens and, on investigation, it turned out to be a very tired and somewhat

confused Puffin. I am pleased to report that the Puffin was taken into care and

released a week later into the North Sea, apparently none the worse for its

ordeal.

On one occasion, after a period of particularly severe gales, I was driving north on

the M11 when I drove under a Gannet flying south. Gannets are birds of the open

sea and rarely come onto land, apart from to breed, which makes the sighting all

the more strange. So be on the lookout for the unusual both in your garden and

around the village. If at anytime you do see or hear a bird you are not sure about

please feel free to contact me

Howard Jolliffe, Tel: 856843

(Continued from page 33)

36

English Tuition

Julie Bull B.Sc.(Hons), Dip. E.L.S., C.R.B. checked

I am a highly experienced English

tutor living in Stebbing, offering

tuition to help to develop

confidence in the subject and to

prepare for exams, including

common entrance, 11+, GCSE and

A Levels.

Please contact

Email: juliebull@btinternet.com

Telephone

07890 540059 or 01371 856 768

37

Stebbing Community Minibus Many thanks to our sponsors and users for keeping the minibus on the road for

another year. The bus is a Community Asset which improves the lives of all the

users.

We have had to cut back on our

website advertising as the bus

looked like it was a business.

Current legislation, and our

insurance company, has made it

clear that the bus is for use

primarily by local community

groups and those in need,

who have no transport to local

shops. We are charitable and

hope to soon regain charity

status officially.

Please phone the mini-bus number 856 892 with any enquiries you have and we can discuss your needs.

Alternatively phone:

Pat Going, acting Minibus Chairman, Tel: 855 943

Stebbing Minibus

To Dunmow and Braintree

Available to ALL

Every Tuesday to Great Dunmow – Departs from The Friends Meeting House at 09.30 and

picks up people on the way through Bran End to go the market (and Tesco if you want).

Returns from the Co-op car park at around 11.45 to return to Stebbing. A donation of £1

each way is appreciated.

Stand anywhere on the High Street or en-route and flag the bus down.

1st Wednesday of each month to Braintree – Depart Friends Meeting House 09.30 through

Bran End to Braintree Sainsbury’s. Please call the number below if you want to be picked up

anywhere off this route. Again, a donation of £1 each way is appreciated.

Call the Minibus number anytime (01371) 856 892

38

39

The Mad Medic

Time passes in the blink of an eye (scary!) so I hope that

you are well and happy.

My next Mumbai trip isn't too far off now so 'time out' is

not an option with so many children to care for. Last

year a lovely lady gave £3 to me and said 'I am so sorry

that it isn't much', I told her off and explained that she

cares and so, in a child's eyes, that £3 would be worth

£100. Using the £3 I bought a tiny doll with hair, clothes and wearing little shoes.

It was put into the goodie bag of one of my adopted daughters at Snehasadan.

The nuns told me that the little girl takes her dolly to bed each night and sings to

her. This is a child who cried herself to sleep curled up in a ball every night before

that. The £3 dolly is her comfort and her love because someone let her know that

she mattered.

I have to keep going regardless because I am “Mummy”, whatever happens,

though I know what a huge privilege it is to have their trust. No amount is ever

too little or too much for a child left abandoned in a gutter half dead, discarded

like a piece of rubbish.

As promised, an update on how plans are going for 'Daniel's Gift' project in

memory of my dear stepson, who died tragically in May. Two people kindly

donated towards the project, thank you 'H' for yours and for the lovely raffle

prizes for my pre-trip coffee day coming up. Thank you Diane and Peter, my dear

friends. Since I wrote about 'Daniel's Gift' project, we had news that the baby

Daniel and Natalie were expecting has died; it has been difficult but I am even

more determined to make the project succeed.

We will be able to start the project for poorly slum dweller children but, unless a

miracle happens, it will have to wait until the next trip for completion. It's meant

to be so; it will happen because the children need it. I was prompted to write a

book but put it off for a while because my Mumbai book is waiting for me to

format and type up - but it will take time due to my work schedule. Having given

in by the time you read this, the new book should be in the publishers hands, it is

called , 'I am me, no one special’. If I can help one person through writing, then

it will be worth it.

Thank you to Bruce and Wendy for making sure that, each month a special group

of children have their needs taken care of. Thank you everyone for reading this.

Keep safe and well,

love Valerie - the mad medic xxxxxxx

Valerie Mulcare-Tivey, Gingerbread Room, 14 warehouse Villas, Stebbing, CM6 3SU

Mail: munchkinpie63@gmail.com or vmlcrtvy@btinternet.com

Tel: 01371 856935 Text: 07711 025329

40

41

Richard’s Rant Being well into retirement I had thought that I had seen most of

the more ridiculous aspects of human behaviour but this just

proves is that I am still capable of being very naïve.

Moving house has been quite an eye-opener in relation to the

way our utilities work. When having gas laid on, for example,

would it be too much to expect that the hole digging and filling,

pipe connection and meter fitting (no more than 2 hours in total)

could be done in one go by a single company so that the pavement didn’t need to

be closed off for four days while three different companies came and went to do

their respective bits?

But this pales when compared to the great telecom fiasco! Our landline and

broadband suppliers started off very well by turning up before the removers had

left us. Unfortunately things started to spiral downwards when the engineer

discovered that there was a break in the line outside (caused just before we

moved in by another utility digging up the road). Furthermore, as the connections

were underground, it seems that only BT could do the repair. At first we were

impressed when the BT engineer turned up the following day, only to find that he

was simply locating the site of the break, which, surprise, surprise, was still in the

place we had been told the day before. A few days later another engineer turned

up to scope the work and inform us that it would be likely to take some weeks.

Some 3-4 weeks later signage and barriers

were delivered to our driveway by a contractor

and a day or so later another contractor sent

two men to dig a hole and uncover the knitting

in the photograph. Time passed until

engineers came to unscramble the knitting

and left. Next day an engineer came and

peered into the hole, checked the connections

and gave permission to waiting contractors to

fill it in. On seeing the engineer disappearing

into his van without coming to see us, we chased after him to say that we were

not at all happy about the poor connection and that we had expected him to check

our phone in the house. He came back and agreed that the line was not

acceptable and needed redoing. By this time the hole was half filled but he could

not stop the men from filling, tarmacking and flattening the surface because they

had to complete their contract to get paid for the job. We had to watch all this,

wondering when it was all going to be dug up again. Meanwhile the telephone

suppliers, with whom I have a contract, could do nothing but wring their hands in

sympathy and convey updates from BT.

It was six weeks after moving in that we finally had a working landline and

broadband that can barely cope with i-player. It is a strange ideology that

believes that taking bits of national infrastructure and fragmenting them in this

way can do anything other than increase confusion, delay and cost. And don’t get

me started on the railways! RF

42

43

Stebbing Bowls Club

A big hello from Stebbing Bowls Club I am one of five ladies in the club, along

with twenty five men and, as a relatively new

bowler, I was pleased to welcome three new

ladies this season. Now with eight ladies bowling, hopefully we can encourage

other ladies to come and give the game a try.

It is a relatively easy game to learn and there are plenty of members who are

happy to teach people.

I have found our club has a very relaxed atmosphere, on and off the bowls

green. Weather permitting or not, it is a very pleasant place to sit and put the

world to rights over a few libations.

We have successfully welcomed a number of groups to the club for a social

evening of bowling, followed by a BBQ. These evenings have proved to be

most enjoyable and even people who have never bowled before have had a

great experience..... so if you fancy a social evening that is a bit different,

then please contact the club on either of the numbers below.

Open nights are every Thursday evening during the summer, when anybody is

welcome to come along and we have plenty of sets of bowls to try. Only flat

shoes, like trainers, are required.

Hope to see you soon,

Roberta Dovaston

Contact: John Pitkethly - 856 155 or Pat Going - 855 943

Nextdoor Stebbing https://nextdoor.com/

In the last edition of the Scene, the social network, ‘Stebbing Nextdoor,’ had

grown rapidly from a handful of villagers to 172. Just 3 months on and, at the

end of August, the number of villagers signed up stood at 244, coming from a

third of all households in Stebbing. This means that, as hoped, this site is

already an effective means of getting messages out to our neighbours. Lets try

and make it half of you by the next Scene!

You can tailor it to your needs so that you don’t get too many mails if you don’t

want them - but don’t miss out on those things you really might find useful.

Mail the Scene for an invitation, or for verification and let’s all get connected!

Stebbing.scene@hotmail.co.uk

44

45

Polish Squadrons - Andrews Field

Thanks to Stebbing History Society for the following article from their archives. I have taken

the liberty of editing it slightly after following their advice to look at the website myself - it

was well worth it. - Ed

The internet is a place of constant surprises and the discovery of a website

commemorating the contribution to victory in the second world war that Polish

airmen made was to be expected - but the wealth of photos it contains, many

taken at Andrews Field, several in colour, was not. The Society has permission to

reproduce any of these photos.

Andrews Field was opened in April

1943, although the name was not

given until a year later, following the

death of Lt. General F.M. Andrews in a

Liberator crash. It was used first by

the USAF 95th Bomb Group, then by

322nd Bomb Group flying Marauders.

In September 1944 the 322nd

moved to France and the airfield

became a fighter base for several

squadrons of RAF Mustang III’s. In

fact Andrews Field contained the

largest number of Mustangs in the

world, around 100. Five Polish

squadrons were based there at one

time - Numbers 303, 306, 309, 313,

and 316.

There is a short film clip on ‘You

Tube,’ at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ea9-rUMi9_Y of RAF Mustangs

buzzing an airfield that looks rather

like Andrews Field?

Derek Towler

Ground crew changing engine in one of the

306 Mustangs III at Andrews Field

On March 6th, 1945, Polish brass, headed by General

Anders and General Mateusz Izycki, visited RAF Andrews

Field, home of the No. 133 Polish Fighter Wing.

RAF Andrews Field, sometime in 1945. A pair of silver

(no camouflage paint) Mustangs taxiing for take off

46

Did you know that this issue, and back copies, are available to download at

www.StebbingScene.uk

AFTERNOON CARPET BOWLS

THURSDAYS 2.00 - 4.30pm

at the Village Hall

Cost £1.50 including tea and biscuits

Newcomers welcome - Informal

instruction and encouragement given

Contact: Pat Hopwood 856183

BADMINTON

New members needed

Wednesday evenings 8pm-10pm (except 4th Wednesday of each month)

In the Village Hall, Mill Lane

Contact: Graham Phillips 856021

or Mobile: 07971573414

EVENING CARPET BOWLS

THURSDAYS 7.30pm

at the Village Hall

Cost £1.50, including tea and biscuits

Guidance, encouragement and a warm

welcome come free

Contact: Roger 856348 or Ann 856476

SAVE YOUR OLD STAMPS

Please save old postage stamps,

British or foreign, as I collect them to

help The Leprosy Mission, who are also glad to

receive old picture postcards of any kind. If you

have any, please drop them in to me at :

6, Oakfield, Stebbing - or phone me on 856325

and I can collect them.

Thank you, Anne Howard

WEST ESSEX JUDO CLUB

Class Times

Tuesdays

6pm – 7.30pm Novices & Juniors

7.30pm – 9.30pm Advanced & Seniors

Saturdays

10am – 11.30am Novices & Juniors

11.30am – 1.30pm Advanced & Seniors

Held at

Stebbing Village Hall, Mill Lane, Stebbing

Contact Faith on 07595331073, faithpitman@aol.com

or via Facebook

NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME YOUNG OR OLD!

WANT AN OUTDOOR EXERCISE

YOU CAN STICK WITH?

Nordic walking uses 90% of the body’s muscles A full-body exercise that is suitable for all ages

and fitness levels, Nordic walking provides fast

results and can burn up to 40% more calories

when compared to walking without poles.

LEARN TO NORDIC WALK

Dates to be arranged. Contact Sarah Bennison details

below.

REGULAR WALK

Mondays 2 hour walks from Stebbing, Felsted, Lindsell,

Rayne and surrounding villages.

Fridays 1 - 1 and a half hour walks from Felsted and

surrounding villages.

Enrol online at www.uttlesfordnordicwalking.co.uk

where you can register and book any of my

classes and walks I can also be contacted directly on

01371 870817 / 0770 332 5332 or

sarah.bennison@btopenworld.com

47

Family recipes

The idea behind this page is for readers to share recipes

from their own family records which they are still using. I'm

starting with one I got from my grandmother who, I think,

found it in the pages of a now long-defunct women's

magazine called Woman's Realm1.

Members of my family have used it ever since. It's light

and delicious and is also great for anyone who's lactose-

intolerant as it contains no cream. For my grandmother it

was also cheap; my grandfather farmed free-range hens

and so eggs were plentiful and readily available. It's best

made using an electric hand or stand whisk.

Lemon Mousse (for 4 to 6 persons)

1 sachet powdered gelatine

3 tablespoons cold water

4 large eggs

4oz (100g) caster sugar

2 large lemons

• Tip the gelatine into a small basin and pour the water over. Leave to soak until

gelatine has swollen.

• Finely grate the rind from the lemons and squeeze out the juice. Separate the

eggs.

• Whisk egg yolks, sugar and lemon rind until thick and creamy and the mixture

holds the impression of the whisk for 5 seconds (this stage is important).

Whisk in the lemon juice.

• Dissolve the gelatine over a low heat in a small pan or microwave in very short

bursts. Set aside to cool.

• In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff and standing in peaks. Stir the

cooled gelatine into the egg yolk mix.

• Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mix. Pour into large soufflé dish or small

ramekins.

• Put in fridge to set. It freezes well once it's set.

Jane Foster

1. It merged with Woman’s Weekly in 2001 - Ed

Please send your tried and tested old family recipes to stebbing.scene@hotmail.co.uk

48

49

The Scene Crossword - 143

Solution to Crossword no: 142

Across

1 Enquire on telephone for job (4)

3 Open University takes fright about Stebbing's struggle (3,5)

9 Name our disorder to inspire with love (7)

10 About 9, right next to the bull's eye (5)

11 Vital part of the body - I sat 1 on body like 17d (12)

13 A labyrinth dead overwhelmed with wonder (6)

15 A white mark burning? (6)

18 Eager for conflict - or selling it? (12)

22 Left university and ran back like the moon (5)

23 Drink fortified wine to hold up (7)

24 Nation to turn in written music (8)

25 It sounds like him to sing in praise (4)

Down

1 Arrange a hot cell in nearest pub (3,5)

2 Sang about Lucy's first piece of jargon (5)

4 Fun restored, though it shows discontent (6)

5 Coquet upsets trifle no end (5)

6 Go north, do 6th of scale in Venitian transport (7)

7 Inflated rubber ring found on coast below Sidon (4)

8 Softly add weight and spring upon prey (6)

12 Hen is about 8 so put it up further (8)

14 Silver rain has no right on street in opposition (7)

16 In that horrible Epson are short high pitched sounds (6)

17 International organisation put cones out after university entrance (6)

19 Timer is about to show worth (5)

20 Press 'Yes' if it means the contrary (5)

21 Baldrick's cunning one is a tailless aircraft (4)

Last quarter we were wishing

Little Harts a happy birthday.

This time the message you

will find in the solutions to

23ac, 3ac, 14d, 1d and 21d is

of a more serious nature.

The crossword however is

meant to be fun and I hope

you find it so.

RF

50

51

The Rodings and Surrounding Area U3A

The speakers for our August meeting were Martin Mulcahy and Barrie Thompson,

who went to Russia ten years ago as representatives of ‘Love Russia’, a Christian

charity based in the UK which strives to help disadvantaged orphans, orphanage

leavers and mums and their children in crisis. At the time, Martin was a Baptist

priest. Photographs helped to emphasise the contrast they described between the

poverty and squalor of the facilities for orphans in several homes in the area of

Moscow, and the vast amount of money spent on historical buildings in St

Petersburg.

A coach load of our members and also some from Dunmow U3A, enjoyed a day at

Sandringham Flower Show at the end of July. This event is only open for one day

and is very popular, especially as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall always chat

to some of the visitors. There was a certain amount of rain there that day, but it

did not dampen the spirits of the crowds. There are several other coach trips

coming up for RU3A members.

At the moment the Membership Secretary is busy renewing the membership of our

members as the new year for subscriptions starts on September 1st. So to get the

best value from membership, which has now been reduced to only £10.00 per

year, this is the time to join. There are around forty interest groups in operation,

and, when there is sufficient support for a new topic, the Groups Co-ordinator

often manages to start a second or third group for those members. She is at

present hoping to get a second Book Group up and running.

Obviously the summer holiday season is a quiet time as so many members are

busy with holidays and grandchildren, but we do not close over this period and

many of the groups continue to meet. Further information can be found by

googling, The Rodings U3A which takes you to our website... or you are welcome

to email ru3ainfo@yahoo.co.uk or telephone Louise Searl on 01277 362043.

Joan’s Answers - see ‘village house names’ on page 21

1) Chalks

3) Little Braes

5) Butlers

7) (The) Chestnuts

9) Humulus

11) Bishop’s Garden

13) Green Man

2) Troutbeck

4) Post Office house/ The old Post Office

6) (The) Red Lion

8) The ‘Yews’

10) Appledore

12) Martlets

14) Nutlands

52

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53

THE HUNDRED PARISHES SOCIETY www.hundredparishes.org.uk

In June, Society members visited Thaxted, one of the jewels amongst the Hundred

Parishes. Local historian Bruce Munro showed us around the guildhall and the

church, whilst Len Farren guided us through the windmill, which also houses a

museum of local artefacts. It was a most enjoyable and informative morning.

Even those who thought they knew Thaxted learned much more. Even without a

personal guide, we encourage you to visit this small, historic Essex town. They

welcome visitors with a free car park close to the centre and there are several

places to eat.

Bruce encouraged us to view a short pre-war film that is now available online from

the East Anglian Film Archive at http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/957.

I commend this as a wonderful look back at life in a rural community before most

of us were born. The film shows the labour-intensive harvesting process, with a

brief look at a harvest festival service conducted by Thaxted’s famous vicar,

Conrad Noel.

You can, of course, read about Thaxted and Conrad Noel on our website

www.hundredparishes.org.uk where you will find introductions to all our one

hundred administrative parishes and several local people of note. Opening times

for the windmill are shown on the What’s On page.

The Hundred Parishes Society

is a registered charity whose

aims are to promote

knowledge of the area and to

encourage conservation.

Through your magazine, we

are pleased to promote a fund

-raising appeal to assist the

restoration of another

windmill, the post mill at Great

Chishill. Great Chishill

Windmill Trust is seeking full

or part sponsorship for 150

new boards to be used for

external cladding. Each board

costs approximately £120. If

you would like to help, please

visit:

www.greatchishillwindmill.com/sponsor-a-board.html

Ken McDonald, Secretary

Chishill Windmill

54

55

It is so good to see that Dick has

been persuaded to step out of

retirement for this event.

Dick’s quizzes are not to be missed

- Ed

56

STEBBING VILLAGE HALL

Available for hire for all sorts of occasions

Family Events: - Birthdays • Funerals • Christenings • Wedding Receptions •

Quiz Nights

Village Clubs/Hirers: - Carpet Bowls • Badminton • Parent & Toddler Group Pilates • Judo Meetings: - Stebbing Ladies • Garden Club • Friday Morning Market • Over 60’s • Historical Society Why not start a new group? – Free slots are available in the main hall and the

Pelham Room for smaller groups – chess, bridge, music, dance, craft, floral etc.

Contact the Booking Clerk: – Donna, Tel 01371 855859

Garden Waste Collection

The green skip service will be at:

High Street Stebbing

(By the Downs)

10.15 - 11.15 am

Every Sunday

Until Sunday 10th December

57

Letters to the Editor

Community Speed Watch

Some of you will have seen the Community Speed Watch volunteers

operating in the village. They will be popping up in various places at irregular

intervals to remind you that there is a 30mph speed limit in the village. At the

time of writing four vehicles have been reported to Essex Police for exceeding the

threshold, don't let it be you.

Brian Martin

Stebbing Parish Paths Partnership (P3)

Recently we have replaced several way-posts and removed a fallen tree that was

blocking a footpath. By the time you read this we should also have cleared two

other paths that I discovered to be overgrown despite having been cleared once

already this year. If you find any problems on footpaths please do not hesitate to

contact me, we will do our best to keep the paths problem free.

Brian Martin 856664

Parish Council

Further to the Public meeting on 27th July 2017, an extraordinary meeting of the

Parish Council was called on Thursday 3rd August 2017. There were only 2 items

on the agenda for the full council to consider, firstly whether the Parish Council

should take the lead on the Fight against the proposed ‘West of Braintree’

development and secondly whether the Parish Council agreed to commence the

fighting fund with £2000 from its reserves. Both of these proposals were

unanimously agreed. Members of the Planning committee have also had a

productive meeting with SERCLE.

Donations towards the fighting fund have been coming in and it has got off to a

good start. The Parish Council has engaged the services of a Professional Planner

to look at the UDC draft local plan and advise on the comments it should make to

the regulation 18 consultation that closes at 5pm on 4th September 2017.

Further professional advice and representation will be required for both the

Braintree and Uttlesford Local Plans at later stages.

Lastly, the Parish Council would like to sincerely thank all those who have so far

donated towards the fighting fund.

Regards,

Greg King, Clerk to Stebbing Parish Council

The Old Stables, High Street

Stebbing CM6 3SG

01371 855805

See page 3 for details of how to donate

58

Stebbing Directory

AFSS/Stebbing School

Badminton

Beavers

Bell Ringing

Bowls Club

Brownies

Carpet Bowls

Church – St Mary’s

Church Flowers

Cricket Club

Cubs

New Dorcas Society

First Aid Training

Footpath Rep

Friday Morning market

Friends Meeting House

Garden Club

History Society / Archive

Guides

Guides – Senior Section

Judo Club

Ladies Group

Meals on Wheels

Medi-Call EMS

Minibus

Over 60s

Parish Clerk

Police

Rainbows

Scamps

Scouts

Stebbing Society

Tennis Club

Village Hall

Village Stores

White Hart

Office

Graham Phillips (eve)

David Arnold (afternoon)

Julie Yapp

John Gilbert

Pat Going

Loraine Irani

Pat Hopwood

Tim & Ruth Goodbody

Hazel Kerr

Adrian Farr

Maxine Walker

Rosie Pitkethly

Val Mulcare-Tivey

Brian Martin

Kim Matthews

Angela Newbrook

Jane Foster

Derek Towler

Clare Moreton

Sarah White

Andy Kiberd

Gina Going

Ann Howard

Val Mulcare-Tivey

Adrian Greenway

Eve Stephenson

Greg King

All non-emergency

Liz Hooper

Tim Goodbody

Andrew Lipski

Jenny Nichol

Erika Taunton

Donna Kiberd

Volunteer staff

Nick Eldred

856260

07971 573414

856271

07713 398903

856516

855 943

07788 412813

856183

856080

856993

856691

856232

856155

856935

856664

856112

856464

856466

856680

07704 101936

856032

811433

855 943

856325

856935

856892

856293

855805

101

856814

07708 660162

821671

856401

07841 904362

855859

856380

856383

Please help us to stay up to date - tell us about changes – Richard Foot 856122

59

A fond farewell to Mrs. Wallis At Stebbing Primary School’s music afternoon on the 14th July, the children played

and sang beautifully while saying a heartfelt ‘thank you’ and farewell to much

loved Headteacher, Karen Wallis. It was a bitter-sweet occasion in which the

sadness of Mrs. Wallis’s departure was matched by the secure knowledge that she

is leaving the school in good hands - itself a great tribute to the work she has

done in building such a strong, enthusiastic and capable staff team.

For the past two years Miss Mawson has been the ‘Head of School’, with Mrs.

Wallis as Executive Headteacher. She has done her job well and Miss Mawson now

takes the reins as Headteacher,

secure in the knowledge that,

thanks to Karen’s support and

guidance, she is more than

equal to continuing the school’s

upward trajectory.

Few who attended the

afternoon could be left in any

doubt about the affection and

respect the children have for

the staff - they really are a

bunch of kids to be proud of!

The children certainly left Mrs.

Wallis with no doubts about

their gratitude for all she has

done for the school.

RF

60

DISCLAIMER

The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate but the publishers cannot assume responsibility for errors. Stebbing Scene is delivered free to all Stebbing residents and its existence depends on our advertisers. However, the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for resulting transactions.

Stebbing Scene is your magazine and we hope that you enjoy receiving it each quarter.

Thanks to our advertisers, we are able to produce a professionally printed magazine, which is delivered free to every household in Stebbing. Our first priority is to entertain and inform village residents, but we hope that in doing so we can ensure that advertising with us is worthwhile. For most people in the village, when seeking local tradesmen or services, the natural first source of information is the Scene. If you own a small, or large business, why not place an advert in ‘Stebbing Scene’. Prices for 4 issues range from £30-£95.

We can only produce a magazine that meets the needs, and satisfies the interests of Stebbing residents if you continue to send us articles and reports of events and social activities in the village. We welcome photos, reports and announcements covering all aspects of life in Stebbing. Let us have your views on the magazine and on how we can improve and develop. If you have an opinion, a moan, or a suggestion then please contact one of the team.

Please send contributions to:

Richard Foot (articles, reports, and letters) stebbing.scene@hotmail.co.uk

Karen Howe (advertising) karen@howetraining.com

Jackie Kingdom (obituaries) jackiekingdom@btinternet.com

John Pitkethly (queries about delivery) johnpitkethly@hotmail.com

Copy date for next issue is 15th November 2017

All contributions are welcome. E-mail is preferred where possible, but even handwritten contributions are accepted (if we can read them).

Caption Competition? Another caption competition this quarter. The best entry (in the Editor’s opinion) wins the wine.

Please send entries to

The Editor: Richard Foot

stebbing.scene@hotmail.co.uk

Closing date is 1st October 2017

Winner of the Summer 2017 (#142) Competition

Jon Clark

Would I like a cold beer? Does a chair sit in the woods?

Although Jon won the competition only 18 months ago I’m

afraid the Editor had his fancy well and truly tickled with

this entry. Perhaps less is more and the first half could be

omitted but the second half is a nice tune on an old saw.