Lambfold Newsletter May 2015

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LAMBFOLD NEWSLETTER

MAY 2015

Litchborough Adstone Maidford Blakesley Woodend - Farthingstone

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

16th May Barn Dance Rectory Farm, Maidford

16th May Bric A Brac Sale Blakesley Reading Room

16th May Plant and Craft Sale Blakesley & Woodend Village Hall

16th May Nearly New Clothes Sale Farthingstone Village Hall

23rd May Family Fun Day & Dog Show Blakesley Playing Field

6th June Farthingstone Foot Fest Farthingstone & Surrounding Area

13th June Maidford Church Fete Maidford

14th June Blakesley Open Gardens Blakesley

20th June Litchborough Open Gardens Litchborough

21st June Croquet Tournament Preston Capes

27th June Barn Dance Blakesley & Woodend Village Hall

4th July Litchborough Flower & Produce Show Litchborough

17th July Village BBQ Maidford Village Hall

18th July Picnic in the Park Farthingstone Joy Mead

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE E-MAIL VERSION OF THIS NEWSLETTER, PLEASE E-MAIL

[email protected]

REGULAR ACTIVITIES

Mondays 11.45am Yoga Farthingstone Village Hall

Mondays 7.30pm Yoga Blakesley & Woodend Village Hall

1st Monday 2pm Crafternoon Blakesley Reading Room

2nd Monday 2.30pm Womens Guild Blakesley Reading Room

2nd Monday 7.30pm Litchborough 2nd Monday Club Litchborough Village Hall

Tuesdays 2pm Blakesley Short Mat Bowls Blakesley & Woodend Village Hall

1st Wednesday 7.30pm Maidford in the Garden Club Maidford Village Hall

3rd Wednesday 7.30pm Blakesley-cum-Woodend WI Blakesley Reading Room

Last Wednesday 2.30pm Maidfordians Maidford Village Hall

Wednesdays 10am Tai Chi Farthingstone Village Hall

Alternate Thursdays 2pm Whist Drive Blakesley Reading Room

Last Thursday Woodend & Blakesley Welcome Club

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REVEREND CAROLYN WRITES It's a simple and haunting image. A doctor crouches in the rain, hanging on to a wall, grieving for a lost 19 year old patient. The snapshot was taken by a paramedic, with the doctor's permission. It was placed on social media and probably neither of them realised that it would reach a huge audience. It's rare to get a glimpse of a professional mask that has slipped and this image drew an overwhelmingly sympathetic response. People were reassured that behind the mask was passion and emotion. We want our professional caring people to care about us. In our churches we worship God in Jesus whose only mask was that He took on the life that we have, the physical body that we all have, and yet remained God himself. His care for us was demonstrated over and over again in acts of healing and love but all the while He knew that the deepest insecurity that we share, is that we are afraid of dying. In his death and burial, His perfect life was laid bare. Death could not contain him, and he came back to the living to announce that he had freed us from fear for ever. No-one else could do this for us. He laid down the mask of his humanity to show his love for us. The world holds many challenges for us all. Within each of our villages is a beautiful, ancient church which is only there at all because of Jesus. Each of us is known and loved by him. Come and join in our Easter celebrations. Thank goodness, the Lord is risen. With love and prayers, Carolyn Rector

HATCHES, MATCHES & DISPATCHES The funeral of Kenneth Ronald Jordan was held on Tuesday 31st March 2015 at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Farthingstone. 'May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Evangeline Wendy Mackellow Barkerwas baptised on Saturday 4th April 2015, at St Marys Church, Blakesley. Oliver William Grant Russell and Charlotte Elizabeth Dunford were married at St Marys Church Blakesley on Saturday 11th April, 2015. The funeral of John William Bodily was held on Friday 17th April 2015 at St Marys Church Blakesley. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

LAMBFOLD MESSY CHURCH Next Messy Church will be on Saturday May 16th, 2-4 p.m. in Blakesley School. Our theme is 'Pentecost'. Come and join us for crafts, fun and stories. Meet up with friends for a chat over some delicious refreshments. No-one is too old or too young! For more information contact Mary Barnett on 860585.

MOBILE LIBRARY VISITS

Farthingstone: First Thursday of each month - Kings Arms 17.25 to 17.45

7th May 4th June 2nd July

Maidford: First Friday of each month - Chapel Lane junction 16.45 to 17.10

15th May 19th June 17th July

Litchborough: Second Saturday of each month - Farthingstone Road 10.10 to 10.40

9th May 13th June 11th July

Blakesley: Third Wednesday of each month - Church St / The Green 16.30 to 17.00

20th May 17th June 15th July A new timetable will be available from August onwards. Free to join. Books for adults and children including audio books. Library shops includes puzzle books, cards, bags, stamps, DVDs and books.

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Blakesley Pre-School has recently announced that due to popularity it has extended its opening hours to

9am 3pm, five days a week.

A wonderful pre-school in a fantastic country setting, it has a group of highly experienced staff and provides children aged from two to four with a great start to their learning.

It also runs Rising Fives sessions to help prepare children for the transition to Blakesley CE Primary

School. Contact Katherine Harvie at [email protected] or 07530 433 515

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ADSTONE NEWS

2015 TOP CHURCHYARD MOWING ROTA Weekend Beginning

1st May Steve Lennon 15th May Lyndon Brooks 29th May Yan Lissillour 5th June Roger Smith 19th June Nick Shotton 3rd July Richard Hawkes 17th July Kevin Branson 31st July Richard Lawson 7th August Jem Philpott 21st August Conrad Dower 4th September Steve Lennon 18th September Lyndon Brooks 2nd October Yan Lissillour 16th October Roger Smith 30th October Chris Wright

The Church will now be open during daylight hours (10am to 8pm) starting from the Easter weekend through to the 25th October the end of British Summertime!

EASTER The Church for Easter was full of Spring; daffodils, primulas, eggs, chicks, lambs and a colourful Easter Egg Tree, much admired by children and adults alike. The well attended service was taken by Simon who administered Communion by Extension. Just needing to water the

flowers on Saturday night I returned to the church in the dark. "Must be sensible, you never know who is around" was my thought as I locked the door behind me. Did my jobs admired everyone's work and made to leave. Unfortunately try as I might the lock would not turn I was well and truly locked in. Now I knew how Helen Philpott felt because the same had happened to her. Panic kicked in. How long before my absence was noticed? Adoring husband was probably, almost certainly, enjoying the peace and quiet. Even if I owned a mobile phone it would be of little use, as there is no signal. The Church bell can only be rung from outside which just left the organ as a possible means to make a commotion. The huge disgusting cobweb hanging all around the archway cast a creepy shadow. We really must find an extremely long legged man with equally long arms to bring it down before Sam Spencer's wedding day, alternatively a working party could tackle it and other long overdue jobs. Hold on a minute there could be worse places to be incarcerated in. Now we have a boiler, hot coffee, biscuits and chocolates beckoned, with plenty of reading material to hand, even heating. Oh, and what is that a dead bird in the Nativity stable (this is true, there was a dead bird). Feathers off, matches, candles a BBQ in no time! Suddenly it's not so bad, but even better one more urgent try and the door unlocked.

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Arriving home, adoring husband looked up from newspaper and said, Oh hello, you've been quick."

LITCHBOROUGH NEWS

LITCHBOROUGH GARDENING CLUB At our April meeting we welcomed Lucy and David Tait who both gave a wonderfully interesting talk on 'Jobs for Springtime in the Garden.' Along the way we learnt how in the last 3 years Lucy and David met working at Wisley, have gone on to open their own shop (which has recently moved to the Heart of the Shires) and have had new baby daughter! Lucy and David shared lots of top gardening tips on jobs to be getting on with now in the garden, these included mulching, pruning and feeding (including the famous Chelsea chop!). Lucy did a great presentation on container planting. A container can become the showpiece of any garden, the trick is to change your compost every year, pack the plants into the container (these can include your indoor house plants and containers are great for rampant plants such as creeping jenny which produce a lovely cascade effect), feed regularly and keep moist especially in windy conditions. David took us through soil structure and the myth of using broken crocks at the bottom of your pots! Lucy and David have a wonderful selection of plants and gifts, please do go and visit The Artisan Gardeners at the Heart of the Shires. On Saturday May 30th we will be making our annual trip to the RHS gardens at Wisley, meeting at the village hall at 9am. On Saturday 20th June we have the Litchborough Open Gardens, more information is to follow. For more information about the activities and joining the gardening club, please contact Diane Shaw (831312) or Sheila Melville (831643).

2ND MONDAY CLUB - 11TH MAY 7.30PM

At our May meeting we're welcoming John Woolhett along, who has kindly agreed to come and talk to us about The Bird Ringing Scheme. Just having done a little research, here is a bit of a quote: 'Ringing aims to understand what is happening to birds in the places they live and how this affects population increases and decreases. This knowledge is vital for conservation. So many of us love feeding and seeing the birds in our gardens, we buy loads of bird food, do the Big Garden Birdwatch and I know I'm not the only one at this time of year, hoping 'my' housemartins will return in spite of the mess they create! So please pop along if you can, the usual 'rules' apply, free to members and 3 visitors, including a cuppa and biscuit(s). Really good to see so many at our April meeting, thank you for coming. Great to have a look around the MerriMen Brewery, plus a bit of a taste ... Look forward to seeing you on May 11th! C.H.

BLAKESLEY NEWS

BLAKESLEY CUM WOODEND WI The speaker at the meeting on 15th April in The Reading Room was Lynda Maude, who gave an interesting talk and slide show on Behind the Scenes of Milton Keynes Theatre. Our WI group has grown to 20 members, which after just four months is excellent. New members and visitors are always welcome. At our meetings we offer wine, for a small donation, as well as the usual complimentary refreshments and friendly banter. The next meeting, on Wednesday 20th May at 7.30pm is an update on the WI Resolution with a quiz, nibbles and natter.

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BLAKESLEY AND WOODEND VILLAGE HALL:

More events are being planned soon if there is anything you particularly would like to see please do get in touch.

Bookings To check availability click Village Hall to see the calendar on the Blakesley website at www.blakesley-village.co.uk - then ring Charlotte Cockerill on 07522 832824 to book.

BLAKESLEY GARDENS OPEN AND QUILT EXHIBITION SUNDAY 14TH JUNE 2-6PM

A reminder to come and enjoy the wide variety of gardens on offer, admire the quilts, (which will be displayed in the church) and round off your day with a delicious tea in the Reading Room: all this in aid of St Mary's Church, Blakesley. Offers of help on the day would be much appreciated, in particular, we are looking for help with the tea team. Donations of homemade cakes to either the Reading Room, from 1.30pm onwards, or to Maureen Wyman by midday, on the 14th. Plants and seedling to the Stewarts at The Manor House, High Street from 1.30pm onwards. Many thanks. Contact: Trish Osborne 01327 860406. Maureen Wyman 01327 860393. Charlotte Halford 01327 860456

BLAKESLEY READING ROOM The Trustees will be holding a Bric-a-Brac Sale on Saturday 16th May between 2 and 4pm in the Reading Room. Very many useful for items for sale at unbelievably low prices. Come along and have a browse, if only for a cup of tea and a chat.

SPORTING BLAKESLEY Thanks to everyone who supported the Duck Race and Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday. We raised over 200 which will go towards our Summer programme, which will include the popular kids football training sessions. Our next event is the Family Fun Day on Saturday 23rd May. Please come along and join us, we will be having a variety of family friendly games and sports which everyone is welcome to take part in. There will also be a Dog Show, refreshments, a kids tea party, and a pensioners lunch. The provisional programme is as follows:

10.30am Five a Side Football (minimum of 2 children per team aged 5 14) 12pm Pensioners Lunch 12.30pm Childrens Events including sack race, egg and spoon race

2pm DOG SHOW (entries from 1pm)

3pm: Tug of War teams of 8 4pm Childrens Tea Party (open to any village children & friends/family)

Other activities throughout the day include nearest the pin, crossbar challenge, penalty shootout and other stalls. Refreshments, BBQ and Bar all day from 10.30am. If you are a pensioner living in Blakesley or Woodend, and you have not received an invite to the lunch, please contact Kate Nash on 861293 or [email protected], and you can be added to the invite list!

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GREENS NORTON

FOLK DANCE CLUB

BARN DANCE

Saturday 27th June 2015 at

Blakesley & Woodend Village Hall NN12 8RN

7.45 11pm

Steve Pascoe with Long Odds

Guest Tickets 5 from

Phil Stewart (01327 351597) or

Catherine Moulton (01327 860788)

Light Refreshments will be provided.

Bar also Available.

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MAIDFORD NEWS

MOBILE LIBRARY The Mobile Library visits Maidford every third Friday of the month. It parks by the post box between 4:45 and 5:10pm. We are very lucky, still, to have this valuable service which is used by only a few Maidford residents. Please 'use it' or we 'lose it.'

CHURCH NEWS

May Flower and Brass Rota May 3rd Mrs Haynes May 10th Mrs Ward May 17th Mrs Godfrey May 24th Mrs Pike May 31st Mrs Wiffill June 7th Mrs Key

May 10th Teas in the Church Teas and Cake will be served in Maidford Church on Rogation Sunday May 10th from 2.00 5.00 pm. All welcome. To view the church web site, follow these links: Home page and internal page http://www.churchofstpeterandstpaulmaidford.com/#!services/c24jx http://www.churchofstpeterandstpaulmaidford.com/#!home/mainPage

MAIDFORD CHURCH FETE

Put the date in your diary! Maidford Church Fete - Saturday 13th June from 2.00-5.00 pm

at The Old Rectory, Maidford

With Morris Dancers, live music, and delicious afternoon teas, its a date not to be missed. There will be a wide range of stalls including a plant stall, a book stall, and a marvellous White Elephant stall plus a raffle, a tombola, and lots of fun and fabulous games for young and old.

Bring your family and friends for a great afternoon out!

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MAIDFORD VILLAGE HALL

Forthcoming events:

Barn Dance

This will be held in the barn at Rectory farm at 7.30 pm on May 16th. The band The Occasional Few (who played for the Jubilee Celebration Barn Dance) will lead the music and dancing, and there will be a barbecue and a bar. Come along and bring the family! Tickets are available from Ian Brown (860909) 12 for adults and 8 for children.

Village Barbecue July 17th at 6.30 pm

This is an event for all villagers, organised jointly by the Maidfordians and the Village Hall with an emphasis on welcoming the more recent newcomers to the village Entry by ticket only. Children welcome. More details to follow.

100 Club Draw 15 Karen Harris 10 Merrill Mayo 5 John & Janet Wilcox

Hire of Village Hall Maidford Village Hall is the perfect venue for childrens parties (toys available), birthday and anniversary teas and meetings of all types. There is a fully equipped kitchen and comfortable table seating for up to 42 people.

Morning session 9:00am to 1:30pm 20 Afternoon session 1:30pm to 6:00pm 20 Evening session 6:00pm to 11:45pm 30 All day session 9:00am to 11:45pm 40

There is a 20% reduction for the residents of Maidford. For more information contact Colin Ward (860165)

MAIDFORD FILM SOCIETY Although under the rules of our licence we are not allowed to show films to the general public it is very easy to join the Film Society: you can get in on the act by registering your free "membership" at [email protected] and receive regular information about our monthly forthcoming attraction, or just turn up on the night and join. Films are shown, without charge, at Maidford Village Hall usually on the 3rd Friday of the month. You are invited to bring your own drinks and refreshments. A raffle is held to defray expenses. All welcome. Forthcoming films include The Imitation Game on 15th May.

THE MAIDFORDIANS Wednesday May 27th Lacemaking in the East Midlands by Barbara Potter Wednesday June 24th The Radio War by Michael Kuchner Friday July 17th Village Barbecue at 6.30 pm

joint event with Village Hall to welcome new villagers (See above under Village Hall)

Details for all events will be on the monthly posters around the village. Any queries please contact Virginia Pike (01327) 860742

MAIDFORD IN THE GARDEN On 1st April, Tony Clear gave an interesting talk/demo on Pots & Patios. He covered the history and many other points on this subject. Many people will have pots/patios in their gardens and hopefully, we all gained some useful knowledge on the subjects.

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Our next meeting is on Wednesday 6th May when have a lecturer coming from Moulton College, Northampton to talk about Pests and Diseases. This is a subject that we hope will prove interesting to us all, as to whether it is black spot on our roses or caterpillars on our vegetables. Please come along with questions/queries for him to answer.

INTER VILLAGE QUIZ On Wed 15th April our team, although enthusiastic, came fourth but they still had an enjoyable sociable evening. This was the last Quiz of the season.

PARISH COUNCIL

Historical documents The Parish Council has recently been given two documents relating to the history of the village: - Maidford 1718 - 88 - The effects Of Parliamentary Inclosure on Life in a Northamptonshire Village - The Manorial Lordship of Maidford Halse Both of these documents can be borrowed from Trevor Key (860025) if you are interested.

FARTHINGSTONE NEWS

ST MARY THE VIRGIN FARTHINGSTONE Service Times Please see back of Newsletter

Lottery Winners 21st March Steve Batterby No 30 28th March David White No 48 4th April Jennie Miller No 43 11th April Dorothy FitzGerald No 19 18th April Sara Bodkin No 10

FARTHINGSTONE FOOT FEST - CALLING ALL WALKERS AND RUNNERS FOR SATURDAY

6TH JUNE The Farthingstone Foot Fest is a charity walk organised by Farthingstone Foot Fest Committee in accordance with the guidelines of the LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association), starting and finishing at Farthingstone Village Hall. Our first Foot Fest was in 2008 and, with more than 200 participants in previous years, we are looking forward to an even bigger event on Saturday 6th June 2015. Two optional walks or runs are available:-

The Challenge is a walk or run covering just over 26 miles and consists of two loops forming a figure of eight route almost entirely on footpaths and trails with minimal road usage. Walkers start at 8:00am and runners start at 9.00am

The Half Marathon is a circular walk or run forming part of the 26 mile route. Walkers and runners start together at 10.00am

The routes cover significant stretches of the Macmillan Way, Knightly Way and Midshires Way with connecting footpaths through the wonderful rolling countryside of Northamptonshire. Entry Fees are 26 Mile 11.50 (12.50 on day), 13 mile 8.50 ( 9.50 on day). Your entry fee includes:

A Pint of Beer A meal, pudding and hot drinks at the finish for all

Certificates for all finishers and a prize list for the fastest Veteran and overall Fastest

Results mailed or e-mailed to you

We will have a First Aider in attendance.

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Proceeds from the event will go towards village charities. Sponsorship forms are also available with this years Charity nominated as Macmillan Nurses so an opportunity to also support this very worthwhile Charity. To find out more and for enrolment forms please visit the Farthingstone website www.farthingstone.org or contact Paul Allinson on [email protected] or phone 01327 361681.

JOY MEAD JOY MEAD SPRING TIDY-UP THANKS FOR YOUR HELP What a beautiful morning on April 12th and how great to see such a good turnout for our Spring tidy-up. Thank you to those who came - it was lovely to see you and you did a fantastic job! Those who came were: John; Paul and Alison; Peter and Sue; Graham; Sarah; Ian; Tony; Peter and Linda; Katrina, Monty and Connie; Charlie, Izzy and Emily; Colin; Chris and Dorothy; Tony and Debbie. Thank you - and enjoy the summer in the Joy Mead!

PICNIC IN THE PARK SATURDAY 18TH JULY FROM 4PM Back by popular demand, Picnic in the Park is happening from 4pm on Saturday 18th July 2015 in the Joy Mead Gardens, Farthingstone. This year we have booked a professional duo called Smudge who do a variety of songs from the 50's to the 00's, and have performed at Silverstone Circuit. We have also arranged for a DJ, Hand Bags and Glad Rags, to play in between sessions. Entry is by ticket only and these are available to purchase NOW from Becky Chambers (01327 361435), Laura Davies (07793 001014), Melissa Summers (01327 361382) or Paul @ The Kings Arms, Farthingstone (01327 361604). Ticket prices are 12.00 for adults and 7.00 for School aged Children.

FARTHINGSTONE ENTRY FOR THE CROQUET TOURNAMENT Robert Spokes and Harry Brown have stepped forward to represent Farthingstone at the Croquet Competition to be held in Preston Capes on Sunday 21st June and would welcome your support on the day, details below.

Preston Capes Croquet Tournament

Preston Capes will be staging a 7 point golf Croquet Tournament on Sunday 21st June

(rules The Croquet Association - Founded 1897; Patron: HM The Queen) -https://www.croquet.org.uk/golf/

This will be a Fun day where people from the surrounding villages can play, relax and get to know each other Spectators will be warmly welcomed and feel free to bring a picnic

There will be a pay Bar and BBQ available all day.

We are looking for 12 teams of 2 people. There is an entry fee of 10 per team to cover costs (all spectators - free)

Each team will play a minimum of 2 games each + a final for the Top 3 teams

Would you like to enter a Team and represent your village? Contact [email protected] to register your interest

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KIDS SUMMER FOOTBALL FUN SESSIONS

BLAKESLEY PLAYING FIELDS

ALL AGES WELCOME!!

Saturday 30th May, 13th, 20th & 27th June 10.30am 12.30pm

(Further dates in July tbc)

Please make sure your children have appropriate footwear, shin pads and also refreshments for drink breaks. A donation of 1 per child will be welcomed at each session. All donations will go to Sporting Blakesley who have kindly funded all the equipment. For further information and to complete a registration form please email [email protected]

To ensure we have enough help for each session, please make sure you complete the registration form and where possible notify us in advance of your childs attendance.

Name of Child(ren)

Age(s)

Contact phone number__________________________________________________

Email address__________________________________________________________

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St Marys Church, Farthingstone

Quality \ Nearly New Clothes Sale on Saturday 16th May 2015

Time: 10.00 - 14.00

At Farthingstone Village Hall

We all have shopping errors, unwanted gifts or just items that we dont wear taking up valuable wardrobe

space. Worn once or not at all, if you dont wear it donate it to The Farthingstone Church Quality \ Nearly

New Clothes Sale. Ladies, Gents and Childrens Designer Labels, Day and Evening wear, Casualwear, footwear

and accessories. Any unsold items will be given to The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance

raising further funds for a worthy charity. So if you could find a little time to review the contents of your

wardrobe your donations will be very welcome. We are also looking for volunteers to help with this venture.

We are happy for any donations to be dropped off at the church as from 1 May, alternatively collections could

be arranged. Many thanks and do please come on the day to make purchases.

Enquiries to:-Sue Doust Tel: 01327 361482 or contact Betty Ore and Linda Mayne

Farthingstone PCC

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Thank you for your continued valued custom.

We have really enjoyed meeting you all over the last few months and look forward to serving you in our new shop opening hours. Your warm welcome has meant a lot to us all, and has pushed us to increase our product range and develop the services we provide. We look to further improving and adding more services to your local shop and would appreciate your

continued support.

Post Office format You may be aware that the new local format has been installed in the shop. This means we now have a very useful Post Office which is now open all day - 7 days a week! The biggest increase of usage is the cash point facility at the post office and the fact you can post your

items on the way to and from work no more queuing at lunch time!

Look out for our fantastic New Offers every month

New Bakery We now stock a range of the brilliant local bakers. To avoid disappointment please come in and reserve your selection now! Also, we have added a new line of freshly made sandwiches

that are delivered every morning.

Shop Opening Hours Mon - Sat: 6.30am to 9.00pm Sunday: 7.00am to 7.00pm

Post Office Hours

Its open when the shop is!!! All day every day!

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Fernhill Lodge, Everdon Road, Farthingstone, Northants NN12 8HB

E-mail [email protected]

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DO YOU LIKE TO SING?

PERHAPS YOU'VE JUST RETIRED AND NOW HAVE TIME TO JOIN A CHOIR

OR MAYBE YOUR CHILDREN HAVE JUST GONE OFF TO UNIVERSITY AND YOU'D LIKE A

SOCIAL LIFE OF YOUR OWN AT LAST

THE LAMBFOLD BENEFICE CHOIR COULD BE JUST WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR

We meet every Thursday at 7.00 pm, in the Reading Room, Church Street, Blakesley

Interested?

Then contact Meg Pike

on 01327 860186

email:[email protected]

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HEALTH CROSSROADS

TAKING YOUR FIRST STEP Do you know what drives me mad? Those little inspirational mottos that keep cropping up everywhere - on the Internet, on Facebook, in gift shops, on the back of packets of tea. Everywhere you look, someone is trying to tell me how to run my life. And of course, even though, when you read them you might think theyre a piece of good advice, you forget about them within 10 seconds. I know a woman who had a big poster in her living room that said, Dont weather the storm, learn to dance in the rain. But did she take that advice when the storm in her life came? No she did not. Theres another one thats been around for years. Someone told me that the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, originally said it Im sure youve heard it. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Now, I dont know why, but that IS one that Ive taken to heart, simply because in my own life, Ive seen the truth of it. Every January, like thousands of others I have to do my tax return. I could have done it the previous April but I keep putting it off and putting it off. But then on January 31st when I know Im going to be fined if I leave it another day, I start. I take the first step. And do you know what? It isnt all that bad. The second step is a bit easier and the third a bit easier still. But its that first step which is the all-important one and THAT never goes away. Let me give you a couple of examples. I am a keen cyclist and in order to keep up the standard Ive reached I have to practise at least five times a week. And mostly I do it in the morning. But its always that first step thats the most difficult. Its so easy to stay in bed and think, Oh Ill give it a miss today, Ill do it tomorrow but I know from experience, doing that is the start of a slippery slope. My colleague IanS says its exactly the same with him. Hes a keen yoga practitioner and does a practice six times a week in the morning. But taking that first step is the most difficult one of all once youre up and doing, its much easier. We both have strategies to help us get over the first step. I meet up with a friend three times a week and we cycle together. IanS keeps a yoga diary, which he shows to his yoga teacher every Friday at the start of his lesson. He says that knowing hell be shamed in front of his teacher if he DOESNT do his practices helps to keep him on track, helps him take that first step every morning. And helping you take those first steps is what we do at Wellbeing Fitness. When you come in for the first time, you are met by a friendly trainer who takes you into the fitness studio and devotes their time to you alone for an hour. Thats a First Step. When the session is over you have another appointment to keep in a few days time, so that is another First Step. During the appointment they will have discussed with you ways of keeping your fitness levels up during your everyday time at home or at work, and when you come next time, theyll talk to you about it. So that keeps you accountable to somebody and helps you to take First Steps for yourself during the time between appointments. We have FOUR WAYS in which you can take your First Step to health and fitness. Have a look at our advert in this magazine. Theres a special offer there to give you that gentle push for you to take your very own FIRST STEP.

Ian Ryves Wellbeing Fitness, Unit 4, Lucas Bridge Business Park, Old Greens Norton Rd, Towcester, NN12 8AX. E-mail: [email protected] Tel:01327 351110

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CHURCH SERVICE TIMES

3RD MAY 10TH MAY 17TH MAY 24TH MAY 31ST MAY

5th Sunday of

Easter Rogation Sunday

7th Sunday of Easter

Pentecost Trinity Sunday

Adstone

All Saints

9.15 Matins

10am Service

9.15 Holy

Communion

9.15 Matins

NO SERVICE

Blakesley

St Marys

10.30 Matins

10am Service

10.30 Holy

Communion

10.30 Family Service

LIVE BAND

9.30 Benefice

Communion

Farthingstone

St. Mary the

Virgin

NO SERVICE 10am

Service

6pm Holy

Communion (said)

6pm Evensong

NO SERVICE

Litchborough

St. Martins

10.30 Holy

Communion

10am Service

10.30 Holy

Communion

10.30 Matins

NO SERVICE

Maidford

St. Peter & St.

Paul

9am Holy

Communion

11.15 Service

9am Matins

9am Holy

Communion NO SERVICE

14th May Ascension Day 7.30pm

Holy Communion Farthingstone

Midweek Services of Holy Communion Tuesdays 9.30am Woodend 5th

Blakesley 12th, 19th, 26th

USEFUL CONTACTS

Name Telephone E-mail

Kate Nash Editor

01327 861293 [email protected]

Reverend Carolyn Oley 01327 860507 [email protected]

Simon Forster 01327 860376 [email protected]

Dorothy FitzGerald Farthingstone Entries

01327 361646 [email protected]

Mary Brown Maidford Entries

01327 860909 [email protected]

Date for last entries into the Lambfold Benefice Newsletter is 12 noon on the 20th of each month. Contact: [email protected]

Advertising Prices: 5 per month quarter page - 10 per month half page - 20 per month full page