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I always enjoy those bible
passages which talk of people going up into the mountains and gaining
inspiration in the high places. At this month's evensong we heard how Moses
went up onto the mount and heard the voice of God, and then how Jesus took the
disciples up into a high mountain and was transfigured, his face shining in the
sun, and Peter, dear human Peter, said ‘Lord it is good for us to be here’.
Well, there are no mountains in Warwickshire for us to climb but I do remember
that the late Joe Steele who farmed for many years at Walton Farm, told me that
when he felt overwhelmed by life's problems he would walk up to the top of Red
Hill and look back down over the valley and over towards Wellesbourne, and
everything would fall into place and he would feel refreshed and restored. It
was probably as if a voice said ‘Be not afraid’, as Jesus said to the disciples.
Joe was a successful and much
respected farmer as well as making his mark as a Councillor, becoming Chairman
of the Warwickshire Education Committee. I am sure that there were problems in
both those areas of his life, and certainly farming is never an easy option
when no two years bring the same pattern of weather. Fifty years ago there was
still a dairy herd at the farm and the cows would come and go at set times.
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Those were the days when
‘strip grazing’ was in fashion and the electric fence would be moved so that
the next strip of grass could be grazed down in the fields below our house.
Farming practices change and
life is very different from the way it was fifty years ago, but we can still
rely on the fact that the spring will eventually come and certainly the last
two days of brilliant sunshine after frost seem to suggest that this
exceptionally long winter is nearing its end. Particularly beautiful at this
time is the brilliant yellow-green of the willows mirrored in the glassy waters
of the lake down at Walton Hall, where a great clearance operation is in
progress on the island which will look wonderful when the trees come into leaf.
The first wedding of the year
has already taken place and we wish all the brides and grooms a happy day - a
high point in their lives that will always give them inspiration when they come
down into the valley of everyday life.
EH
I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure.
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Wellesbourne/ Kineton
Community Forum
Around
forty people attended the March meeting at Wellesbourne School. The police
reported success on the targets agreed at the last Forum. Reducing speeding on
Kineton Road (Wellesbourne) and Banbury Road (Kineton) and tackling anti-social
behaviour in Lighthorne Heath, all had some positive results. Considerable
time was spent on the lorry traffic on Loxley Road which is using it as a
rat-run or have missed the turn into the Distribution Park. The speed
limits on Loxley Road also raised critical comment.
Jane Turvey explained the ‘First Responder’ scheme to help people with a suspected
heart attack even before the arrival of the professional medical services. She
asked if Wellesbourne people were interested in setting up a volunteer group.
Officers of the local councils talked about the budget cuts which will soon affect us all.
There were several presentations including a charity offering Sunday afternoon
company and tea to lonely elderly people, how the heath service will be
organised with GPs having the control that is currently held by the Primary
Care Trust, and re-addressing the core strategy to decide where new houses should be built.
In May there will be a special Forum for the County Council to explain the library
changes following the budget cuts. Watch the local notice boards and next
month's WWNews for the date and place of the meeting.
David Close (Wellesbourne), Chairman
Robin Hammond (Lighthorne Heath), Vice Chairman
Wellesbourne Library
For those of you yet to pay us
a visit, Wellesbourne Library and Wellies Children's Centre are now open for
business. With 4 PCs for public use, new books for all ages and access to local
information via the internet and our community information folder, the library
is here for everyone. Regular favourites such as Rhyme Time for 0-2 year olds
and Silver Surfers have been joined by fortnightly Story Stomps for 2-4 year olds.
Other Children’s Centre activities include
groups for grandparents, childminders and families with twins. The health
visiting team are now holding clinics at the centre on the 2nd & 4th Mondays
of the month and Adult & Community Learning recently ran a “big chef,
little chef course” where parents and children enjoyed cooking a healthy lunch together.
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