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December 2 Corsley Litter pick 11am meet incar park opp. Royal Oak 2 CHRISTMAS CAROLS CORSLEY READING ROOM 7.00pm 2 Hedgerow planting. Meet at Brimhill Rise, 10am 9 Christmas Bingo Reading rooms Corsley. 7.30pm-eyes down 8pm. 9 Litter Collection. Meet at 12 noon opposite The Three Horseshoes 10 Corsley Festival Choir St Margaret’s Church 7.30 12 Carol Singing - Chapmanslade High Street - Meet at 6pm outside The Old Post Office 13 Corsley and Chapmanslade Churches Coffee Morning - The Barn, Thoulstone 10.30 until noon 15 Corsley Reading Rooms A.G.M. 7.3opm at Corsley Reading Room 21 Corsley School Nativity play Diary Dates 18.00hrs 28 A Christmas Extravaganza 8pm- 11pm. Chap Hall January 5 The Crafty Sew and Sews February 10 Quiz Night Chapmanslade Hall
Teenagers your space! First of all I would like to say thank you to Katy Davies and Lyn Mills for the great replies I got to last months page! They where both really interesting and I enjoyed hearing other people’s views. Oh and haven’t I got a treat for you this month, we have an article written by a local girl about an amazing trip she went on to a very far away place. CAMP KENYA 2006 As some of you will know I spent the summer of this year in Kenya. The idea of the trip was to do some community work, but while I was there I also had some time to myself to enjoy my amazing surroundings. The community work consisted of a marine survey, a beach clean up, building a compost heap, planting new trees for the elephant sanctuary, making some elephant dung paper for the locals to sell, mending holes in roads and building a house for the teachers in the village of Makongeni. We also dug holes for and built a fence to go around the grounds owned by the school. I enjoyed every minute of the community work and learnt a lot of new things including how to make concrete on the floor with just a spade. While out there I also completed my scuba-diving course, and went on safari. We also went to church on our rest day, which was an amazing experience that I will never forget as it was completely different to a traditional service we would experience in our churches. Thank you very much to everyone that assisted me in my fundraising to go on this amazing trip of a lifetime. It is greatly appreciated. Since returning from Kenya I have started doing my A-levels at Frome Community College. Hazel Lewis I am so jealous of Hazel I have to say, and wish I had gone! Ok so I’m sure you’ll all like to know it was my birthday on the 24th of November and as I was 17 I am starting to drive SCARY but I can’t wait, living in a little village like ours to be able to drive is a must at my age, and I cant wait . Thank you again to those who replied to last months topic it was appreciated! Verity Scheuber
TRADE ADVERTISING IN THE BRIDGE As our Trade Advertisers will be aware we have held our advertising rates unchanged for a number of years. Due to the inevitable rising costs it has become necessary to make a modest increase in the annual rates for trade advertisements. This change will take effect for new advertisements and renewals as from the February 2007 magazine. We hope that you will agree that our rates will still be very good value. The new rates are: ANNUAL TRADE ADVERTISEMENTS (12 insertions) 1 space (60mm x 30mm) £19.00 2 spaces (60mm x 60mm) £35.00 3 spaces (quarter page 60mm x 90mm) £48.00 4 spaces (120mm x 60mm) £60.00 6 spaces (half page 120mm x 90mm) £81.00 Geoff Sutton (Trade advert coordinator/Treasurer) Poppy Appeal 2006 The annual House to House collection produced £606.45. A wonderful result. Grateful thanks to all collectors and generous donors. Church collection to come! Shirley Chapman Local Honorary Organiser
Odds and Ends from Science : No. 13 Birthday of the Month : Charles Macintosh, born 29 December 1766 in Glasgow is best known for the mackintosh (with an added ‘k’ ) raincoat named after him. Before the age of 20 he was manufacturing chemicals and was one of the first to find a use for India rubber, a material known since the time of Columbus. He found that naphtha, one of the by-products of tar from gasworks, could dissolve India rubber and this led to his invention of waterproof fabrics. His original method was to paint one side of woollen cloth with his naphtha rubber solution and then place another layer of wool over it thus making a double- sided waterproof cloak.. In 1834 he founded his own waterproofing company but tailors showed little interest in his cloth. He moved his factory to Manchester and it eventually became part of the Dunlop Rubber Co. His process has been improved on many times in the more than 200 years since his original mackintosh cloak but the modern mackintosh raincoat is still based on his invention. A Festive Science Quiz. This Englishman, born on Christmas Day 1642, is regarded as possibly the greatest figure in the history of science. Best known for describing gravitation, having pondered why an apple always falls to the earth’s centre but never sideways or upwards. Who is he? The botanical names Ilex and Hedera refer to two plants whose common names make up the title of a well- known carol. Name the carol. This French biologist, born on December 27th 1822, is best known for a process named after him that prevents milk and wine from going sour. Name him. The Pacific Ocean coral atoll of Kiritimati, discovered by James Cook in 1777, was the site of the first British hydrogen bomb test in 1957. The island is also known by another name that relates to the day of its discovery. What is this other name? 5. Who, best known for his miner’s safety lamp said “on Boxing Day I was enclosed in an air-tight breathing box……twenty quarts of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) were thrown into the box……pleasurable sensations increased and I lost all connection with external things.” (Answers on page 44
Countryside Matters Once again we head towards the end of the year and a hard season for all those with animals to care for through the winter months. Most of the stock are housed and yarded during the winter months to ensure that the land is not poached during the wetter times and that the animals keep warm to help them keep condition. Did you know that a cow produces 3 – 4 tonnes of manure a year!! Horses produce 14 – 16 kg per day which all has to be manually mucked out and disposed of! If anyone needs some horse manure for their garden (it’s very good for roses!!) do please ring me – it’s free but will need to be given ‘rotting down’ time in the corner of your garden somewhere! Hopefully by the time this goes to press most of us will have had the hedgecutters around ensuring that we can get along the lanes easily! Hedges must not be cut between March 1st – 31st July, to comply with the terms of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 regarding breeding birds, although it is permissible to cut roadside hedges if necessary at any time if it is overhanging a highway and obstructing the view of drivers. Thinking of the birds, it is a great idea to feed them during the winter months, but it is important that once you start to provide a food source you continue to do so as the birds do rely on you especially in the worst of the weather. Just be careful that all food that is put out for them is out of reach of cats and other predators, and be careful not to just scatter food on your lawn as you might find you are very kindly providing food for rats!! It has been a wonderful year for berries and with Christmas just around the corner we should have some wonderful holly and mistletoe to brighten our festive season. A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!! Clare Bayman 832495
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS 2006 The theme for our Advent and Christmas celebrations this year is JESUS, LIGHT OF THE WORLD. The pattern of the seasons is comforting in its very predictability. There is something equally reassuring about the pattern of the church’s year. With the beginning of a new church year comes the opportunity to prepare again to welcome the Christ-child. Over the next few weeks, we shall hear again the amazing Christmas story, a story of love and commitment. We prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus, whose love and life give light to the world. I often hear people say ‘Christmas is a time for children!’ Such remarks make me feel rather sad. Are not all of us children of God? The Christmas message of love and hope is for us all, old and young alike. God’s coming to dwell with his people in the most vulnerable of forms surely cannot leave any of us unmoved. The story of the incarnation, of God becoming flesh and blood like us, stretches our human imagination to the limit. Sometimes we are tempted to take the story for granted. We easily fail to appreciate how amazing it is. It is not a fairytale. It impacts upon us now – if we let it. Nor is this a remote event, God sort- of ‘dropping in’ for thirty-three years or so and then leaving. God promises that He is with us until the end of time. We celebrate God’s presence with us in the Eucharist. As recipients of that gift, we become Christ’s presence in the world today. As Teresa of Avila said, ‘Now Christ has no feet but your feet, no hands but your hands.’ In the child in the manger, God’s story and ours meet. The days of preparation to celebrate the birth of Christ give us the opportunity to be Christ’s hands and feet, in remembering those less fortunate than we are. I do hope you will all, join with whatever way each church of the Team chooses, and add greetings to a Christmas card / display, and put the cost of one pack (or more) of cards into a collection for charity. Do it with thanksgiving in your hearts, thanksgiving for the fellowship we share as children of God, thanksgiving for the best gift of all. The card from the church has details of the Christmas services and some Advent prayers. Please place the card in your window. Please use the prayers through the days of Advent, and join us at Christmas as we welcome the Christ-child, JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A Happy and Peaceful Christmas to you all. Norma Payne
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