link - bunbury · robert shore and katie allbright ... be on 27 september, in the hall, with...

October 2014 1

The church should always be doing things that make no sense if God does not exist Justin Welby

October

2014

LinkFor the parishes of Bunbury & Tilstone Fearnall

Bunbury Mill gets an explosive gift

12

Beeston Castle Fete wins out despite weather

08‐09

Jambusters author Julie Summers gives us 2 minutes

05

Also in this issue…

Jambusters comes to BunburyTantalising glimpses of early episodes of Home Fires, the new title for Jambusters for local residents, as the ITV team works in Bunbury and surrounding areas, hiding the tell‐tale WW2 dates on the war memorial and transforming the chippy into a motor garage, the old Barclays Bank into a telephone exchange and the butchers' into the smaller butchers' shop it once was. As the actors moved in we stepped back in time to 1939.

2 www.stbonifacebunbury.org.uk

Who we areTIM HAYWARDVicar

St Boniface, St Jude’s,

Calveley

t: 01829 261511m: 07988 994481e: [email protected]

VERONICA GREEN ‐ Curatet: 01829 782281m: 07928 792337e: [email protected], for pastoral issues please call readers Peter & Kath Collinge on 260077

St Boniface Churchwardens

David Cox 261349

Jill Robey 260081

Youth Worker

Abby Cooper 07852 162239

Secretary

Jenny Brooks 01270 522214

Organist

Andrew Dean 261222

Treasurer

John Mason 733971

Flowers

Margaret Bourne 260944

St Jude’s Churchwardens

Elizabeth Marren 01270 528556

Vacancy

Secretary

Jenny Brooks 01270 522214

Organist

Ann Badrock 260343

Calveley Churchwardens

David Cox 261349

Jill Robey 260081

Secretary

Yvonne Wood 01270 528442

Organist

John Batchelor 261056

The Link Please contact us if you would like to

advertise your business or to send us

your news, views and pictures.

Advertising: [email protected]

Editorial: Joy Parker

t: 01829 260032

Graphic design: Jo Mason

e: [email protected]

You can also read The Link online at: www.stbonifacebunbury.org.uk

Community newsWe welcome Archie William Sharples, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth baptised 20 July, William Andrew Thrussell, son of David

and Jennifer, baptised 24 August (above) and Alice‐Mae Barber, daughter of Phil and Steph, baptised with her father, Phil Barber on 31 August (right), Isabelle Borrowdale, daughter of John and Abigail baptised 14 September, all baptised at St Boniface and Grace Louise Bates‐Davies, daughter of Gemma baptised at Calveley on 7 September.

Morgan Maisie, daughter of Sarah and Tony Nash of School Lane arrived safely on 13 August, at 8lbs 5oz.

Guy and Carolyn Johnson have a new grandson, George Montgomery (left), born on 31 August in Sydney, to Helena and Evan Mooney, a brother for Emily.

Congratulations to Victoria Thomas and Morten Olesen (right), married 26 July and Angela Crompton and Lee Gordon (below),

married 1 August.

Robert Shore and Katie Allbright married on 16 August, Scott Mattingly and Helen Mooney married on 25

August, Edward Harding and Francesca Jones (right) married on 12 September, all married at St Boniface and

Ricky Mort and Diane Chesters married at St Jude’s on 1 September. We wish them all much happiness and every blessing.

Bunbury School was very sad to say ‘goodbye’ to much‐loved teacher Vanessa Greenbury.

Congratulations to Revd Canon John Bowers, former vicar of Bunbury, who celebrates 50 years as a priest. At 82, he has just returned from a Rome to Assisi sponsored cycling pilgrimage, with son Chris, in aid of the Kenya Girls (rescued from genital mutilation and other abuse). They have raised over £10,000 and gifts are still welcome. (Cheques to Barnabas Fund, c/o The Revd Canon John Bowers, 2 Shalford Grove, West Kirby, CH48 9XY.)

Bunbury WI celebrates its 85 birthday this year. It meets at 7.30pm on the 2ⁿ Thursday of every month in the Pavilion. On 9 October Natalia Kirkham will talk on Herbs for Health and on 13 November Julie Summers will talk about her book, Jambusters. Call Lesley Moore 01829 262514, or simply come along.

A Remembrance Day Service will be held in Tiverton, at the War Memorial just before 11am on 11 November.

On 21 October Bunbury Gardening Club will have a talk on The Autumn Garden, by Richard Lewis, in the Village Hall at 8pm.

A new Farmers Market & Craft Fair starts in October every 3rd Sunday from 10am‐2pm at The Yew Tree Inn. Contact Tom Morrison on 01948 662822 for more details.

Amy Marsden is holding a Launch Evening of her new beauty therapy range on Thursday 9 October 5pm‐7.30pm at Lyndren, Wyche Road, Bunbury. Opening offers available on the night. Discounts on products and raffle in aid of Bunbury Aldersey Primary PTA. Contact Amy on 01829 260663 or 07868 563258.

Operation Christmas Child leaflets are available from Bunbury School, church or Jane Overy 01829 260294. If you are able to fill a shoebox with small gifts, it will be received with great delight by child in a war‐torn or poverty stricken area of the world.

Superfast Fibre Broadband ‐ work is underway and it will be operational in March 2015.

There is a Drop‐in Digital Workshop at Tilly’s each Wednesday for one hour from 10.00 am, with demonstrations from Microsoft ‘Help + Tips’. For more details contact David Donkin 07701 0370950.

The secret’s out – this year’s YC’s Panto will be Jack and the Beanstalk on 20‐22 November. Don’t miss it!

Friday at Tilly’s meets every Friday morning, 10.30‐12. If you know anyone who might like to come, but isn't mobile, phone Amber on 261437 and lifts can be arranged. If

October 2014 3

TIM HAYWARD

Your Vicar Take 2anyone is able to help with transport on a Friday morning, please let Amber know.

Bunbury Football Club (5‐11 years) meets on Saturday mornings, in term‐time, 9.30‐11am on Bunbury Jubilee Playing Fields. www.bunburyfootball.uk, [email protected] or 07901 954862.

St Boniface Harvest Lunch will follow the Harvest Service on 28 September. St Jude’s Harvest Supper will be on 27 September, in the hall, with catering by Mrs Harvey and the Harvest Service will be on 28 September at 9.30am.

Bunbury's Pudding Club thanks all who organised and supported this very successful and enjoyable event which raised £960 towards the Playground and the Church Fête at Beeston Castle.

A huge thank you to all who contributed to this year’s Beeston Fête and especially to those who braved the rain! We raised an amazing £3201.24 for church funds. This is significantly better than we achieved in 2012 when we had similar weather, so the hard work seems to have paid off (see p8‐9).

Hilary Watson completed the Great North Run ‐ in spite of it being very hot! ‐ in 2hrs 49mins. Hilary thanks everyone for their kind support and generous donations to Cancer Research UK, so far totalling £3,000.

At their recent tea afternoon, Megan and Roger Fairweather raised £350, divided equally between Macmillan Cancer Support and the Royal British Legion. Many thanks to all who gave generously in donations, cakes, raffle etc and the brilliant team of helpers.

The plan to build 34 houses on land at Bunbury Heath, School Lane, was refused by Cheshire East Council. A new application for 17 houses on land behind Bunbury Lane, off Oak Gardens, has been received by Cheshire East.

A tortoise is missing from a garden on School Lane. Please check flower beds and undergrowth as you clear for autumn. We are very keen to know what has happened to Percy. Tel 260487

The copy deadline for the November issue is Friday 17 October. The magazine should be in church for delivery on Friday 31 October.

Community news contd…

Did you see the gorgeous vintage Citroën van at the fête?

Kevin and Phillippa are joining with Jaana and Sami to extend what they do at Tilly's to cover events and private functions, and so the Vintage Coffee Company was formed. They didn't just want to do outside catering with a van, they wanted something eye‐catching and different. They knew that the Citroën HY converts well, and after much searching, and one false start, they tracked down a 1972 Dutch import and had it renovated and fitted out to their own spec, complete with Espresso coffee machine.

It has been sprayed a delicious‐looking mint green and will serve cakes, toasted sandwiches, soups and, of course coffee, plus something a little stronger ‐ Pimms, beer or wine at weddings.

It was rushed out for its first outing at Beeston Castle fête, but has been away having the finishing touches completed and is now fully up and running and raring to roll.

Tilly's rolls out new venture

Our prayers for October

We pray for all who are leaving home for university or work this month.We pray for all who are ill, especially Kath Collinge and Hilda Elsworth and for all who are mourning a loved one, especially the families of Brian Wilson, Bert Latham and Hilda Jones and John Atkins.

No doubt most of you will have heard about or encountered the team from ITV drama working in and around our villages these last few weeks. Some of you may have signed up to be a part of the production. I've seen friendly faces amongst the 'extras' as well as those gaining work experience behind the scenes. The scale of the project is striking, as is the attention to detail. I do hope the show is a success for all concerned, especially Julie Summers who appears later in this magazine in 'Give us 2 minutes'. It must be quite something for a book you have written to capture the imagination and to be turned into a TV drama.

Whilst they were filming in and around St Boniface I got the chance to speak to several of the actors, my favourite and most surreal moment was when I met the TV vicar. He was practicing some of his lines in the Ridley chapel and the costume department were delayed with his surplice and stole so he borrowed mine. What impressed me was his willingness to find out about my experience of being a vicar and his attention to detail. He was

determined to bring integrity to the role, and isn't that what all good actors do. They get under the skin of a character and you soon forget that they are only acting the part.

Another highlight was watching a wedding scene in slow motion on one of the monitors on set. The effect was magical, because the emotions were so tangible. It's something I tell all my wedding couples to do in real life: to hit the pause button because the day can be over so fast.

One of the production team later told me that after a day's filming (12 hours) the crew will be happy if they have captured 5 minutes worth of television. And it got me thinking about real life...

In my every day, what are the magic moments? Am I capturing them, treasuring them and making the most of them?

And perhaps, what are some of the little details I need to pay attention to at work or at school, at home or with friends, so that I can be true to myself, and be the very best I can be.

Ok. Take 2!


Tidying my rose bushes at the end of the season, reshaping them and cutting off the faded blooms, I remembered them full of beauty, scent and colour, giving such pleasure.

But now the time has come for them to go. So off they came, down to a strong, vigorous bud just waiting to grow.

They look much better with their new, elegant shape, full of promise and potential.

So it is in life. We have our season.

Time comes when we must change, too. Cut cherished but now useless things out of our lives.

Move on from past triumphs and disappointments And make room for new exciting things to happen.

Lord, give me the wisdom to knowWhen parts of me need cutting back.To leave room for others to grow.

Give me your grace and the courage to actWhen I need to move on to do new thingsSo that I may grow more vigorouslyIn your direction,And be a blessing not a burden.

Pat Edgley Ellis Reader

Eric WallingtonReader Emeritus

Flower power

As many of us remember, the 1960's were the days of flower power. 'All you need is love', the Beatles sang and, of course, there was much truth in their song.

The hippy movement was, I suppose, something of a protest against trying to solve the problems of violence by violent retaliation. It was also something of a kind of rebellion against stern puritan disapproval that takes away the joy and spontaneity from life.

But where have all the flower children gone? Some of them, very sadly, killed themselves with drugs. And, of course, love isn't simple: there are many sorts of love and theirs clearly lacked the element of self‐sacrifice that we need in caring for others.

Yet, I suppose, Jesus would have essentially agreed with the hippies, in theory at least. Jesus made it clear, however, that at the heart of law is love ‐ love God and love your neighbour. Jesus

respected the law, but he didn't stop there. He fulfilled the law by going to the heart of the law.

Jesus was an observant Jew, but he rejected tradition when the law was interpreted in an unloving manner. He overruled the law of the Sabbath if it was being used to stop people being healed on the Sabbath Day. (Judaism actually teaches that it is a mitzvah, a blessing, to help or heal someone on the Sabbath). He taught that God is interested in the way we treat each other. And at the end of the day, Jesus taught that love is a yardstick by which our actions are judged and that in a very real sense love can override the law.

There are, of course, different types of love ‐ some sentimental and maybe easy ‐ and some extremely demanding. Jesus showed the demanding sort of love in action; by laying down his life for his friends.

Wednesday 1 October

10.00am Holy Communion St Boniface

Sunday 5 October

8.00am Holy Communion

9.30am Family Communion and Sunday School

10.30am Family Worship

6.30pm Harvest Communion

St Boniface

St Jude's

St Boniface

Calveley

Wednesday 8 October


Sunday 12 October


10.30am Family Communion & Confirmation

6.00pm Evensong

St Jude's

St Boniface

St Boniface

Wednesday 15 October


Church diary for October

Sunday 19 October

8.00am Holy Communion9.30am Family Service

10.30am Family Worship11.00am Family Service

St BonifaceSt Jude’s

St BonifaceCalveley



Sunday 26 October


10.30am Family Communion

St Jude’s

St Boniface



Sunday 2 November


9.30am Family Communion and Sunday School

10.30am Family Worship


St Boniface

St Jude's

St Boniface

Calveley

Wednesday 5 November


October 2014 5

Author of Jambusters, currently being adapted for ITV with filming in Bunbury, Julie was born on the Wirral and grew up near Delamere Forest. After school she spent time in Munich, Vienna, Bristol, London, Cambridge and now

lives in Oxford. After 20 years in the art world she became a full‐time author. She has written about Everest, Shackleton, Commonwealth War Graves and the Bridge on the River Kwai but has focused recently on the Home Front because she is fascinated by how people coped for six years. She is passionate about research and writing but above all she believes in the importance of good story telling. In her spare time she loves rowing, walking, opera and spending time with her three lovely sons.

If you had a motto, what would it be?

Love life and share with others.

It’s a celebrity lunch – who would you like to invite?

Daniel Day‐Lewis.

What would you call your autobiography?

Just a Second...!

What was your first job?

Assistant to Norman Rosenthal at the Royal Academy of Arts.

What would you change about Bunbury, if you could?

Nothing, but I suspect the Art Director at ITV will ‐ but only temporarily.

What is the best book you have read to date?

Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens.

What is your biggest regret?

Not taking up rowing when I was at university.

If you were granted one wish, what would it be?

I wish my father‐in‐law were still alive to see what is going on with his family.

What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

I cannot make jam.

What would you like to achieve most over the next 12 months?

I would like to secure another book deal, spend a week in the Alps with my husband, race at the veterans rowing championships and see what ITV does with Jambusters/Home Fires.

What is your favourite place and why?

The Lake District. It is so diverse, so peaceful. A timeless place where I can empty my head, forget about what it is going on in the real world and concentrate on being, not doing.

How would you spend your ideal weekend?

Why, walking in the Lake District, of course. Or being at home with the family and cooking good food.

Give us Two Minutes…Julie Summers, author and historian

Before the regular service on Sunday 7 September, Revd Tim dedicated the new Calveley Chapel sign board in memory of Mary Williamson.

Walter had very generously given the board and his family came

to take part in the short, moving ceremony in brilliant weather. The board now enables us to keep locals and passing walkers informed of our services and events.

Calveley Church’s new sign board


Bunbury has been selected as a 'front runner' in the neighbourhood planning process for Cheshire East and Bunbury Parish Council have appointed a Steering Group to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish; residents will shortly receive a leaflet outlining the process and timescales for the production of the Plan.

A questionnaire will be distributed to everyone in the parish in September and a public consultation event will be held in the autumn. Once approved, the Neighbourhood Plan will be considered as part of the planning process. It is very important that the residents of Bunbury have their say in the future of the parish, and the Steering Group are keen to hear their views.

The Neighbourhood Plan is an important document different to and separate from the recently published Parish Plan, it will become a statutory planning document and all new developments in the parish will be assessed against the policies it will contain.

Regular updates will appear in various local publications, on the Neighbourhood Plan web site once this is up and running, on notice boards and the village web site.'

Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan front runner

The summer holidays are over and Abby, Bunbury’s Youth Worker, has returned from maternity leave. Old friends are catching up with each other in the various groups led by Abby.

There are new beginnings too. With new schools or new classes come other changes, and young people are also joining groups for

the first time. There are new members of YCs and good numbers of young people and children are in church joining in with Sunday Club. Looking forward, there are exciting events on the horizon, including panto. There are holiday activities and residential trips coming up, including a trip to Taizé, France, next summer.

What is there for you?

YCs is a youth group for ages 10+ Mondays 19.30‐21.00 at St Boniface (come and join us preparing for panto)

Year 6 Tuesdays 13.00‐15.00 Bunbury Aldersey School (class and individual support)

Biscuit Club Wednesday lunchtimes Tarporley High School (open to all ages: chat, eat, play games in a safe place)

Toasties for ages 11+ Wednesdays 18.00‐19.30 alternately at the Methodist Chapel or the vicarage (come and eat, chat and have fun).

Youth stuff…

The weekend of 6‐7 September was a busy weekend for the community, with Alpraham's Village Day on Saturday, followed by Sunday School at St Jude's on Sunday.

St Jude's Sunday School got off to a superb start, with ten children attending. The children enjoyed learning about the story of Noah, doing painting and craft work. To see such a happy band of children in St Jude's showing their artwork to the congregation was a special moment. Please join us for our next gathering of Sunday School on the first Sunday in October, and on the first Sunday of each month.

Special guests were invited to Village Day: two couples who live in Alpraham who celebrated their diamond wedding anniversaries this year and received special congratulations from Her Majesty the Queen. The couples are Mr and Mrs John France and Mr and Mrs Edward Parker. Congratulations to both couples. Unfortunately, John and Elsie France were unable to attend. Ted and Joyce enjoyed judging the 'Made in Alpraham' competition along with Tim and curate, Veronica. Such delights as chutney, jam, apples and sloe gin were all tasted!

By the time this is published, St Jude's Harvest Supper will have taken place. Many tickets are already purchased, it is safe to say that a good time will have been had by all (judging on past events). As ever, there is always a committed team behind the scenes who make events such as this happen, so thank you to those who always do make the harvest supper so successful. Thank you from us all.

News from St Jude’s

Archbishop Welby is seeking young people, aged 20 ‐ 35, with an 'adventurous' spirit seeking to explore a 'monastic' lifestyle in a new community at Lambeth Palace. He wants applications from people from "all walks of life, hungry for a challenging and formative experience of life in a praying community." It will be a radical new opportunity to go deeper with God, pray, learn and study together, leaving behind normal routines, but also be immersed in the modern challenges of the global 21st Century church, witnessing to the power of a pared‐back disciplined faith in managing the demanding business of contemporary hi‐tech life.

The newly‐formed Community of St Anselm will be formally launched with the first one‐year monks and nuns in September next year. Members will subscribe to a Rule of Life, covering all kinds of matters including money and relationships. Those who are single will be expected to be celibate, but membership is also open to married couples. The community will be ecumenical and cross cultural. There are no qualifications for joining except a longing to pray, to learn, to study together the things of God, and so to be stretched in body, mind and spirit.

Lambeth Palace is currently recruiting a Prior to lead the community and direct its worship and work, who will work under the leadership of Abbot Welby.

Welby offers radical challenge

October 2014 7

Melt the chocolate in a bain‐marie over a low heat, adding the cardamom when it looks smooth. Leave to cool for a few min‐utes.

Beat the egg white until stiff and gently fold in the chocolate mixture, being careful not to beat too much air out of it.

Whip the cream into soft peaks and gently fold into the mousse mixture. Spoon into serving bowls or glasses and chill for at least 2 hours.

To go with the mousse, Hannah recommends:

Lavender Shortbread Biscuits (these should be very delicate with a subtle flavour of lavender)

175g room‐temperature butter

75g caster sugar

175g plain flour, sifted

75g fine semolina or ground rice

1 tablespoon lavender flowers ‐ no pesticides or tough stems!

Preheat oven to 150°C

Beat the butter and sugar together into a soft paste, then add the flour, semolina or rice and lavender flowers and work to‐gether until you have a smooth ball of dough. Handle it gently! Turn out onto a board and roll thinly to about 3mm.

Cut out with a small biscuit cutter (I used one about 3cm diam‐eter) and transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Dust with caster sugar. Prick the biscuits with a fork to prevent rising and bake for about ten minutes before checking: when baked they are very lightly coloured. If necessary put back into the oven for a few minutes but take care not to overbake.

Cool and try not to eat them all at once!

Hannah Munro shares her Pudding Club winning recipe:

White Chocolate and Cardamom Mousse

175g white chocolate

8 cardamom pods, peeled and ground in a pestle and mortar, or 1 tsp ground cardamom

2 egg whites

225 ml double cream

It's been a busy month. One crop out, next one in. The barley and wheat have been harvested and both fields were re‐sown within 48 hours with stubble turnips and kale for winter feed. The harvest was delayed by the early August rain. The last of the grass has been cut for winter, now.

August, September and October are the months when most potatoes are sold. Richard's mostly go to chip

shops across the North West ‐ to Merseyside, Shropshire and Staffordshire. They will have dug up 65 tons of potatoes ‐ 2,500 bags.

As well as cattle, they will, for the first time this year, be fattening up sheep from off the high ground once the lambs have grown. These will be sheep not being kept for breeding next year.

350 new hens arrived the day of our picture, taking the total to 1000. They are being kept in, for now, and encouraged to put on weight to prepare them for laying the best eggs. They have to be trained to perch at night and will be trained to lay in boxes, to keep the eggs clean. Richard says they will even form a queue, if they all decide to lay at once. They will have extra light in the hen house to extend the daylight and bring them to point of lay, when they have grown enough. After three weeks inside, they will have free range outside. They will be in full lay for Christmas when, Richard says, "Everyone has a breakfast and everyone bakes a cake!"

Harvest on the Broster Farm

After much thought I have decided to retire from Save the Family, writes Barbara Croley. I have been involved with this organisation for many years, seeing it grow from a small group to a large caring concern. I don't know how many collections I have seen through. I have met many of the people you, as a kind caring church and village, have donated to ‐ from putting clothes on their backs to helping to furnish and make their homes more comfortable.

My time with StF has been both humbling and gratifying; I have seen many lives changed through this very worthwhile 'Family'. Young families have come to the centre broken into very small pieces and been put back together again and even, in their turn, stayed on to help others coming in similar circumstances. 'What goes around comes around'.

At the moment there are so many families being cared for they are full to capacity, which is excellent. However, it also means they are very short of storage space and so not able to take items donated by us, just now.

Our association at St Boniface and Bunbury Village has been much valued, so please don't let it fade. Small quantities, I think, will be welcomed, and you can make arrangements by contacting StF on 01244 333833. Wayne will be able to tell you what they need and how to get to them.

Barbara Croley

Save the family


A good time was had by all who came to the fête, but the weather could have been much kinder! All the hard work resulted in lots of vibrant attractions, from a chance to dress up as a Roman soldier to face painting, tombola, coconut shy and the great fun of the dog show. A band played and there was a violin and accordion duo, adding

to the atmosphere. Despite the rain, the football goal and bouncy castle were popular. Food and drink to suit all tastes, from delicious Pimms and strawberries to Espresso coffee from a vintage Citroën van, to the hot dog and burger stall and a full silver service afternoon tea were much enjoyed throughout the day.

Beeston fete a success…

October 2014 9

… despite the weather!

On the 5th Sunday in August, the congregation at St Boniface said farewell to Revd Sue at our joint service with our Methodist friends. She will remain the Methodist Minister at Kelsall but switches Bunbury for Tarvin.

‘We will all miss her, she has been a super colleague and a great help to me as I have begun my ministry here,’ observed Revd Tim. Revd Sue was also a keen supporter of Bunbury Aldersey Primary School and took regular assemblies and shared services with Revd Tim.

We wish her and her family every blessing and look forward to welcoming our new Methodist Minister Revd Denise Harding.

A fond farewell to Revd Sue Levitt


James Brian Wilson was born in Hatherton in 1924 and attended school in Stapeley before moving on to the Nantwich and Acton Grammar School where he rose to House Captain. During School hours, football and athletics provided enjoyment outside of books, but horses and hunting and the countryside were his real interests. These interests and family connection to veterinary

medicine shaped him from the start and, at the age of 16, Brian entered the Royal Dick Veterinary College, in Edinburgh. During his time at Edinburgh, Brian won the Triple Crown. No mean feat, as each of the three prizes were open to all the vet students of the five vet colleges in the British Isles. A brilliant academic, he drove himself very hard, but was equally modest.

After Edinburgh, Brian took a job in Loughborough, but he soon returned to his beloved Cheshire and joined his Uncle, Tom Wilson and his partner, Jimmy McWilliam, in a veterinary practice bought by his grandfather in 1877. Brian enjoyed developing the Wilson McWilliam practice into one of the largest in the country, with a centre of excellence in each of its separate sections. He never really retired, remaining involved with Nantwich Veterinary Group throughout his later years, relishing the chance to go back to the surgery to see the partners and staff he cared so much about. One of Brian's greatest joys, gained from a lifetime in veterinary practice,

were the friendships made and sustained within the farming communities.

Brian married Norah, in 1949. They celebrated 65years together and had three children. Anthony, Ros and Heather, followed by eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Brian loved his family, even more than his horses and hunting ‐ though it was a close call on occasion!

After some years in Nantwich, Brian and Norah moved into The Spinney at Haughton. He would refer to himself as a 'Large Animal Vet' or a 'Farm Vet', but really, he was a 'Horse Vet' and loved it. A talented jockey in his own right, he won many amateur races over fences and natural country.

Brian's other love was racing. He judged show hunters and acted as an expert witness in cases involving horses, but it was racing that really lit a fire. He would talk with great knowledge about breeding and bloodlines, trainers and jockeys. Brian acted as a course Veterinary Surgeon at Aintree for 35 consecutive years and for 25 years at Haydock Park as well as at Hunt Point to Point meetings.

He remained as sharp as a pin to his very last days but increasingly frustrated at his increasingly frail state. Brian relied heavily on Norah who looked after him with unwavering dedication. He remained interested in others to the last. Brian was gentle, generous, kind and quick witted, also thoughtful, firm, ambitious and conscientious. He was stubborn and dogmatic but that was part of his immeasurable charm. He would quote a poem from 'The Good Grey Mare':

"I have lived my life ‐ I am nearly done, I have played the game all around;

But I freely admit that the best of my fun, I owe it to Horse & Hound"

Brian Wilson ‐ Life's work well done

In tribute

John Blynold Atkins (as he liked to be known) was born in 1940 in Yorkshire and brought up in nearby Oldham and proud of his Lancashire roots. His later schooling was at Knutsford. After school he had employment with Avro the plane maker, Fyffes and Chuckie Chickens.

John met Alison on a ship when he was going to America for a holiday and she was on route to the West Indies. They subsequently met again in the UK and married and

settled in Newport, Shropshire. He developed his lifetime love of rugby by playing in nearby Wolverhampton. In the1970s they moved to Bunbury and the family settled with two daughters, Nicola and Stephanie.

Bunbury Locks provide the opportunity for him to set up the Dartline canal long boat hire business with partner John Dytch.

They took out a lease on the Bunbury boatyard. Starting with a single boat the business grew to 80 boats for hire, spread over five bases and included a successful boat building operation. This was the largest privately owned hire fleet on UK canals. The early days of the business required long hours with some business discussions extending to the comfort of the Travellers Rest, with financial support from David Brown! Business was hard with difficult dealings with the host ‐ British Waterways. At the height of the market they were able to sell the business and John retained his interest in canals as an enthusiast. John became President of APCO and a Trustee of the Dudley Canal Trust.

John will be remembered for his intimate knowledge of UK post codes, learnt whilst sending out Dartline brochures, a pub quiz question he was always looking out for! Business meetings were joint activities, with a parallel exercise in beer tasting.

In later years John had more time to focus on family life with his two, now married, daughters and five grandchildren and taking overseas holidays organised by Alison. But John still had time to watch rugby at the pub.

John Atkins ‐ A big man

October 2014 11

Hilda was born in a cottage in Sadler's Wells in 1920, one of seven children. She went to the girls' school near the church in College Lane. She married Frank in St Boniface church and not much later endured the tragedy of his death in the Sicily landings during the Second World War. During the dark

days of war, caring for her family was Hilda's first priority and she had to go out to work to keep a roof over the family's heads.

She found happiness again when she met and married John who was serving at RAF Wardle, the wedding again being in St Boniface church. Sadly cancer struck and once more, Hilda found herself widowed having cared for John for the last two years of his life. The loss of two husbands was not the only tragedy Hilda had to face ‐ her seventeen year old daughter

Jean died just before Christmas and was buried on Christmas Eve. Later in life, she also faced and conquered cancer herself. Somehow, through it all, Hilda managed and it seemed that the more difficulties she faced, the stronger she became.

Hilda's life was not all tragedy; she loved her life in Queen Street and Bunbury village community. She had her two other children Jan and Norman. She enjoyed line‐dancing, singing and the welcome in the Nag's Head. She was a member of the Wednesday club, and a dab hand at Whist, up to eighteen months ago. At home, sport was a firm favourite on the television and she loved football and snooker and she was a staunch supporter of Manchester United.

She had a wonderful reputation as a cook. Each year Hilda bought the Christmas turkey at Beeston market. One year the turkey was rather large and getting it in the oven was a challenge too far. Undaunted, Hilda sat herself down with a pale ale in front of the oven and kept the door 'to' with her foot. A turkey takes time to cook and as one pale ale followed another ‐ Hilda mellowed. By the time the turkey was ready, there was something of a debate as to who was done best ‐ Hilda or the turkey!

Her funeral was held at St Boniface in August and in recognition of her being the last WW2 widow in the village The Royal British Legion paraded and the Last Post was played.

Hilda Jones ‐ a BBB (Bunbury Born and Bred)

Reginald Herbert (Bert) Latham was born in Lach Dennis, but The Grange, in Wyche Lane, became his home when he was eleven.

Leaving school, he helped on the small‐holding ‐ collecting eggs and milking cows, but he was forced to grow up very quickly when he found himself on his way to Korea to serve King and Country. His

experiences in Korea made a deep and lasting impression upon him ‐ suffice to say they were not pleasant ‐ war seldom is, and at the conclusion of his service, he returned to Bunbury where he set about becoming what can only be described as one of Bunbury's more colourful residents.

His employment history is a bit vague, but he spent some of his time driving and heavy goods vehicles became one of his passions ‐ he could talk about them for hours and he

had a long‐held and unfulfilled dream to drive for Eddie Stobart‐ but then it seems that talking and telling stories, some of which might have been true, and some of which might not have been became something of a trademark for Bert. He was particularly fond of telling the tale of his trip with a friend to Buckingham Palace to deliver a Bentley and latterly, of his exploits as a jockey, a claim he embroidered by continuously wearing a pair of jodhpurs. Bert was fond of a pint or two and he was seldom seen without a cigarette on the go. He also had an eye for the ladies, but never had a lasting relationship. As many of you will know, Bert's final years at The Grange were not easy and he greatly valued the support of his neighbours and the weekly visit by his friend Dixie who would arrive with the Sunday paper and a supply of cigarettes.

With little or no facilities, Bert eked out a living at The Grange in conditions most of us would find impossible, until finally, he made his last move to Windmill Cottage, where Amanda created a home for him and his dog.

It was here, and with Amanda's patient help, that he re‐found something of his dignity and, to his great delight, he was able to begin to live something of a normal life.

Bert Latham ‐ The Lad


On 4 August Bunbury Church, dimly beautiful in the soft glow of candlelight, was transported back 100 years to commemorate the moment when World War One was declared and the world changed forever.

The vigil allowed those present to remember family members and villagers who gave their lives in the conflict. It was led by Rev Tim with contributions from members of Bunbury British Legion and numerous village residents, which consisted of poetry and soldiers' diary accounts of life in the trenches.

As the hour progressed, candles were gradually extinguished, to echo the lives lost. The roll‐call of the fallen was read by James Walton, Chairman of Bunbury Royal British Legion branch and young Tayte Healy, a member of Bunbury Scouts. British Legion member Ted Fowles and 11 year old Olivia Barnes combined beautifully to play The Last Post.

The proceeds from the sale of the special candles, made to commemorate the event, will go to support serving members of the Armed Forces, veterans of all ages and their families.

This memorable and poignant event was a fitting tribute to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Bunbury remembers 1914

When Pat Downes was five years old, a stick of bombs was jettisoned over Cockfield, Co Durham, where her father was a GP, by a retreating German bomber. They were mostly little silver incendiaries, about 30 cm long, designed to start fires, but 89 were, much larger, HE (heavy explosive) bombs. The men from the local working men's club

found one up on the fells. As they disturbed it, it exploded. Fortunately, no‐one was killed but there were quite a few hand and facial injuries and Pat's father was summoned to patch them up. They gave the tail fin to him as a 'thank you'. Pat has now passed it on to Bunbury Mill. The Mill is currently setting up a WW2 room, as they frequently have visiting school parties who are studying the war, so they were delighted with Pat's gift.

Pat has just moved to the East Riding of Yorkshire, nearer to her son and daughter. Pat's mother was WI president in Cockfield and Pat joined the WI in Hertfordshire, while she was a lecturer in Pharmacy at the Faculty of Medicine at King's College, London, and lecturing to the Pharmaceutical Society. She gave up work when she and Glyn went out to Zambia, with Glyn's job with Shell. On moving to Bunbury, in 1987, Pat joined our WI and in due course became president, introducing a number of competitions. Both Glyn and Pat were deeply involved in Bunbury British Legion. We wish Pat much happiness in her new home.

Bomb gift for Bunbury Mill

October 2014 13

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