The Parish Magazine June 2024

The 

Parish 

Magazine 


Parish Te 

155 

The Parish 1869 Magazine - June 2024 1 

YEARS 

Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye 

2024 

The John King Trophy and Gold Award 

Best Magazine of the Year 2018 

National Parish Magazine Awards 

Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023 

Best Content 2016, 2021 

Best Editor 2019 

Best Print 2018 

Serving the communities of Charvil, Sonning & Sonning Eye since 1869 

June 2024 — D-Day 80 Year Anniversary 

Church of St Andrew 

Serving Sonning, Charvil & Sonning Eye 

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF 

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY

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Parish Te 

The Parish 1869 Magazine - June 2024 1 

2024 

Serving Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye 

The John King Trophy and Gold Award 

Best Magazine of the Year 2018 

National Parish Magazine Awards 

Best Overall 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023 

Best Content 2016, 2021 

Best Editor 2019 

Best Print 2018 

information — 1 

Contents June 2024 

THE VICAR'S LETTER, 5 

— For your prayers in June 5 

THE PARISH NOTICEBOARD 

— Thank You Molly, 7 

— STAY, 8-9 

— Why I am a Christian, 10-11 

— The Persecuted Church, 13 

— From the editor's desk, 13 

FEATURES 

— RSPCA 200 year anniversary, 15 

— Literacy, 17 

— My Dad, 17 

— D-Day 80 year anniversary, 19 

— Charvil artists, 20-21 

— Claude has a tipple, 21 

— FoStAC Music Evening, 22-23 

—around the villages 

— Sprituality in school, 24 

— Reading Offshore Sailing, 25 

— Me2 tree, 27 

— 100 Inner Wheel squares, 27 

— Toys and Teens Christmas, 27 

— Sonning village walk, 27 

— Me2 talent, 28 

— Sonning Art workshop, 28 

HOME AND GARDEN 

— A foot in the garden, 29 

— Your memory, 29 

HEALTH 

— Dr Simon Ruffle writes, 31 

— Watching birds is good for you, 31 

FASHION 

— Sustainable beauty, 33 

THE ARTS 

— J S Bach, 34 

— Trinity poem, 34 

— Book Reviews, 34-35 

— Poetry Corner, 35 

THE SCIENCES 

— World wonders, 37 

HISTORY, 37 

PUZZLE PAGES, 38-39 

children's page, 41 

information 

— Church services, 3 

— From the registers, 3 

— Local Trades and Services, 40 

— Parish contacts, 42 

— Advertisers' index, 42 

This ISSUE's FRONT COVER 

The 

Parish 


June 2024 — D Day 80 Years 

155 

Picture: Sonning School choir 

sing in St Andrew's Church 

EDITORIAL DEADLINE 

The editorial deadline for every issue 

of The Parish Magazine is 12 noon on 

the sixth day of the month prior to the 

date of publication. 

The deadline for the July/August 

issue of The Parish Magazine is: 

Thursday 6 June 

at 12 noon 

From the Registers 

YEARS 

the church of st andrew, SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF 

CHARVIL, SONNING and sonning eye SINCE THE 7 th CENTURY 

BAPTISMS 

— Sunday 14 March, Phoebe Louise Grace Wood 

The Parish Magazine - June 2024 3 

Services at 

St Andrew’s 

Sunday 2 June 

— 8.00am Holy Communion 

— 10.30am Family Service 

— 4.00pm Choral Evensong 

followed by Tea in The Ark 



— 10.30am Parish Eucharist with 

STAY and Sunday Club 



— 10.30am Family Communion 

— 3.00pm Messy Church 



— 10. 30am Parish Eucharist with 




— 10. 30am Parish Eucharist with 


— 5.45pm Sunday at Six in The Ark 

OTHER REGULAR SERVICES 

Morning Prayer is held in church 

every Tuesday at 9.30am. 

Mid-week Communion in The Ark is 

held every Wednesday at 10.00am. Tea 

and coffee follows the service. 

Home Communion at Sonning 

Gardens Care Home is held on the first 

Monday of each month at 11.00am. 

WEDDINGS 

— Saturday 20 April, Christos Takoudis and Sheila Devi Thangarajoo 

FUNERALS 

— Wednesday 10 April, Sylvia Woodford, interment of ashes in the churchyard 

— Wednesday 17 April, Brian Sidney Lamden, service in church and cremation 

at Reading Crematorium 

— Thursday 18 April, Hazel Anne Gordon, service infuneral service in church 

and burial in the churchyard 

— Wednesday 1 May, Grace Edith Jones, service in church and cremation at 

Reading Crematorium 

— Saturday 4 May, Theresa Ellis, interment of ashes in the churchyard


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The vicar's letter 

D e a r F r i e n d S, 

15 years ago I received a call from an elderly gentleman in Essex who asked if we 

had a Joseph Snowball on our WWII memorial. The week before we had held a 65th 

anniversary service for the D-Day landings and as Joseph was involved in the first 

wave, we had honoured him. 

The gentleman told me that Joseph was his platoon sergeant and he had landed 

with him on Sword Beach at dawn on the 6 June 1944. The scene he then described 

will remain with me forever. Only 20 minutes after landing, Joseph was shot and 

lay dying in this gentleman’s arms. I assured my caller that as I would be visiting 

Normandy the following month for a family holiday, I would visit Joseph’s grave in 

the War Cemetery at Bayeux. A few weeks later I had a letter from this gentleman 

telling me how helpful he had found it to talk about Joseph as he’d never spoken of 

it before our phone call. We found his grave and my then two year old daughter and 

I laid a special wreath from our parish. 

I have been brought up to believe that it is vital that we who were not there, and 

who have no memories of these battles, need to understand just what was done for 

us. It is right to proclaim that what they did, not only on the beaches of Normandy 

80 years ago this month, but throughout the long years of war, was of the highest 

worth, and we should rightly honour them, with full and thankful hearts. 

War gives rise to such hugely conflicting emotions. There is the strength of 

communal feeling; of communities being in it together, and, in the case of WWII, of 

a courageous nation, standing up to a seemingly unstoppable force of evil. As Jesus 

said, 'no one has greater love than this, than to lay down his life for his friends'. 

There is a nobility in this, but on the other side of the heroic and selfless 

patriotism, is the horror. The ugliness of violence and terror; the brutalizing; the 

inhumanity; the massacre of innocents, and the dreadful, sometimes lifelong 

suffering of the victims. 

Jesus said we should love our enemies and do good to those that hate us. 

However, Jesus didn’t live in the same world we now inhabit. Communications 

were almost nonexistent, whereas now we know of the appalling evils of the Nazis; 

of genocides; of the atrocious Hamas led attack on innocent civilians in the Holy 

Land on 7 October last year, and so much else besides. I would suggest Jesus was 

speaking in the singular. Do not resist one who is evil. There is no mention here 

of mass evil. When he found wrongdoing perpetrated by a large group, he had no 

hesitation in taking action, even in the temple, where he cleared out the money 

changers, turning over the tables. 

The root of war is the wickedness of humanity; it is sadly unavoidable, but 

we must strive to aim our sights higher. The ideal is clearly set out in the book 

of Isaiah: 

'they shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into pruning hooks; 

nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore'. 

This is surely the ideal shared by all who follow the Prince of Peace. Of course, 

it is an ideal that has not yet been achieved. Sadly, I just do not know whether true 

peace will ever be manifested in this world. However, what I do know is that when 

I vote in the General Election later this year, I will be able to because of Joseph 

Snowball, and the many millions of his comrades from all around the world who 

defended that right. I know that I am at liberty to worship in whichever way I 

choose, at least for now, to learn, to travel, to live in a more or less decent and 

fair society, all because good men and women stood up to those who would have 

trampled all over those rights. 

So, at this poignant 80 th anniversary, let us remember these 'defenders of our 

Christian civilization' (Winston S Churchill) and let us, in our own small ways, hold 

high the torch of decency, tolerance and freedom, which they can no longer carry. 

We will remember them! 

Warm wishes, Jamie 

NO GREATER LOVE 

For your 

Prayers 

in June 

– For surviving veterans of D-Day 

– For those taking exams 

– For the release of hostages held 

by HAMAS 

– For the work of the RSPCA

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the parish noticeboard — 1 

Thank you Molly! 

Over 200 family, friends and colleagues gathered in St 

Andrew's Church on Friday 10 May to say farewell and 

thank you to Molly Woodley who died on 6 April 2024. 

It seemed strange for everyone gathered there because 

it was usually Molly who, for as long as most people can 

remember, stood at the door for Church-related and 

many other social events to say goodbye, and to thank 

you for coming. 

Her most notable 'thank you' must surely have been as her 

Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II left a gathering of Maundy 

Money recipients in the Great Hall of Christchurch when 

she could not resist saying to Her Majesty 'thank you for 

coming Ma'am'. 

Molly served as a church warden of St Andrew's for 

many years. It was a post that she stepped down from in 

June 2019 and became 'deputy church warden emeritus' a 

position that she continued to serve in until her death. 

But it was not just the church Molly had devoted 

her life to serving, wherever there were social activities 

for the young and elderly she could be found on the 

committee helping to organise or raise funds for charity. 

The following are extracts from a family tribute by her 

children ... 

MOLLY'S GARDEN 

Molly was born in Tilehurst and raised in the Reading 

area. Her parents were Emily and Steven (Jack) Turner. 

She attended school in Tilehurst until she was 14 years 

old when she began working on the veterinary section of 

Boots in Broad Street. 

In 1955 Molly met and married Desmond Woodley, a 

policeman in Reading and they two children, Susan, and 

Jennie. 

Molly and Des loved their garden at their bungalow in 

Woodley, often working well into the dark to get it just 

right. Weeds were banned and it was always a credit to 

them. 

When Molly moved to Lyefield Court, having a garden, 

albeit a smaller one, was a must as she continued to 

develop both her own space — as well as the communal 

areas around the complex! 

There are many happy family memories of beach 

holidays in Devon and abroad. 

Molly returned to work a couple of days a week at 

Waitrose in Woodley, where she worked until retirement 

in 1992. 

TIME KEEPING? 

Her time keeping was always an area of discussion, and 

many locals will attest to her commute down the Reading 

Road on her trusty moped. 

When her daughters reached Brownie age, she became 

a helper at 5th Woodley Brownies, but soon trained to 

became a brownie leader as Tawny Owl. She also took on 

many roles, including being a trainer with Brown Owl— 

her great friend Judy Brown — a quarter master at guide 

camps, a district commissioner, and so on. When no 

longer an active guider she helped the Trefoil Guild. 

Molly proudly displays her Maundy Money. 


Molly was renowned for her smile, which she shared 

with many, and the welcome she would give everyone to 

her home, church or any gathering she attended. 

Molly and Des loved to travel with the local National 

Trust group, and on many self-navigated trips. They 

travelled throughout America and Europe, and loved 

cruising. She liked to collect treasures and memories on 

her travels, particularly Christmas decorations for her 

tree. 

Her idea of caring for others usually involved feeding 

you and so she catered for many different events — most 

people in the St Andrew's congregation will have been fed 

by her at some time! In recent years she also cooked for 

the MS Society drop-in centre in Reading. 

Molly's hospitality also extended to her generous 

measures from the decanters on her drinks cabinet. 

She moved to Lyefield Court a few years after Des died 

and soon developed a new circle of friends including Jim, 

who became her new travel companion, both in the UK 

and cruising abroad. 

Molly will be greatly missed by her family, and all her 

many colleagues and friends.

8 The Parish Magazine - June 2024 


St Andrew's Youth 

email or text me, Westy, for 

ideas, a chat or to encourage 

what we are doing: 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk 0794 622 4106 

STAY on Friday 

Our weekly Youth Club met three times since my last 

report because Easter Holidays took over the first two 

Fridays in April. 

With the lighter evenings we have had lots of outdoor 

fun with the volleyball net back up, the football pitch being 

used again and, of course, the ever popular basketball hoop 

being slam dunked. 

As 26 April was the fourth Friday we welcomed the 

lovely year 6’s and as always they fitted right in and were as 

keen as ever to get involved. 

On 3 May we again turned The Ark into a dodgeball 

arena and had great fun throwing balls at each other to 

knock one another out of the competition. Let’s just say the 

leaders love it as much as the youth do! 

STAY on Sunday 

Our fortnightly Sunday group met twice in April. On 14 

April we looked at being children of God and accepting the 

diversity of his people — the church. 

On 28 April we looked at God being the vine and us 

being the branches. We stopped to ask ourselves what 

things in our lives need to be pruned away? 

As one quote I found said, 'Have nothing in your house 

that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.' 

We related this to our recent family move to Charvil 

and how much stuff we had to throw away, a declutter, if 

you will. We thought about this quote, our house move and 

the passage in John 15 and how God wants to declutter our 

lives of things that aren’t of him and keep only the things 

which are useful and beautiful. 

STAY on Monday 

Our fortnightly Monday group met twice with one session 

at a young person's house doing a review of the group and 

how we can improve it. The other session was a social in the 

park so we could invite friends. This was a direct result of 

the question ‘how can we improve STAY on Monday?’ 

STAY in Schools 

Having had the Easter Holidays in the first half of April, 

the schools went back in full swing fairly swiftly with 

Corinne and I offering the ongoing one-to-one mentoring 

sessions, the Piggott Christian Union, assemblies to whole 

year groups or the whole school, prayer meetings and a 

value day at one of the primary schools. It always feels like 

such a blessing to be in the four local schools, offering help 

where it is needed. I take my hat off to teachers and school 

staff as they all do such an amazing job educating and 

teaching our local children and young people.


corinne@sonningparish.org.uk 0118 377 5887 

Sunday Club 

April has come and gone so quickly! Sunday 

Club is held in The Ark on the second and fourth 

Sunday of the month while the Parish Eucharist is 

being held in the Church. We join the congregation 

towards the end of the service. 

We talked about how we are still in the season of 

Easter, and are celebrating the good news of Jesus's 

resurrection. 

We learned about Luke 24:36-48, which tells 

how Jesus appeared to his disciples after his death. 

Because Jesus and his disciples shared a meal 

and ate fish together, we decorated some fish and 

talked about what meals we would want to share 

with Jesus. My favourite answer was chicken 

wings and we talked about how silly it would 

be to tuck into some messy chicken wings with 

Jesus! I hope he would share a wet wipe with us 

afterwards! 

At our second Sunday Club meeting, we learned 

about John 15:1-8 'The Vine and the Branches', and 

discussed how Jesus is our vine, who gives us life, 

and that we are all connected to him, being the 

branches, extending from his love and reaching out 

to others with kindness and inclusion. 

Messy Church 

At Messy Church — held at 3pm on the third 

Sunday of the month — we celebrated God's 

creation. Everyone's favourite activity is always a 

snack, and this time we decorated biscuits with 

blue icing, rainbow fizzy belts, and marshmallows 

to represent the rainbow in the story of Noah's 

Ark. During story time, we learned the creation 

story from Genesis through a story bag that works 

like a magician's scarf — I kept turning the bag 

inside out and with each turn revealed the next 

day of God's creation. It was a big hit! 

Additionally, I am still going into local schools 

to provide 1:1 mentoring with students, support 

student worship leaders in assembly prep, and I 

continue to lead collective worship assemblies. This 

is definitely a highlight of my ministry, and I enjoy 

chatting with and learning from the students!



NIGEL RILEY WRITES ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IN THE THIRD OF OUR SERIES . . . 

Why am I a Christian? 

's 

Because I need Jesus Christ! I could, and probably should, end right there! It is the 

best answer I believe I can give, but I will try to explain why I believe this. I was 

born and brought up in Leicestershire and I lived on a small council estate with my 

parents and four sisters. I am your classic example of a wasted youth, I had little 

direction or ambition and left school with very few qualifications. 

I worked in dead end, mind numbing, 

factory jobs and at the weekends, with 

my mates, I lived a wild and reckless 

lifestyle. The thrill of it dragged me 

into a drug and alcohol culture in 

nightclubs, pubs, and drug houses. 

I soon became disillusioned and 

depressed about the future of my life. 

At 20 years old, I had a serious 

breakdown and lost the sense of the 

value of living a life in a rat race. I didn't 

realise how damaged and depressed 

the alcohol and drugs were making 

me until I began reaching out to find a 

purpose for my life. 

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS 

While I had always felt God was the 

key to life, I had no idea about how to 

find the answers, so I began reading the 

Bible. I couldn't make sense of much 

of it and became confused and mixed 

up, especially with ideas in The Book of 

Revelation through which I developed 

an unhealthy interest in 'the end times' 

and 'the beast'! 

I knew I needed help when I began 

to have really bad nightmares and, 

because I was still using drugs, I had 

some scary hallucinations. I became 

paranoid and frightened. 

I spoke to a friend, whose family 

were the only religious people I knew. 

They were connected with the Jehovah's 

Witnesses and I arranged to meet an 

elder from the congregation a few 

times. 

I also reached out to another friend, 

who without me knowing, had spoken 

to someone from a local Baptist Church 

who sent a guy to my home to invite me 

to an outreach event they were running 

with YWAM (Youth with a Mission). 

I answered the door and he explained 

that he knew my friend and he invited 

me to a special event that Saturday 

evening. 

I politely explained I was seeing 

someone from the Jehovah's Witnesses 

and therefore wouldn't need to go, 

but he said something that absolutely 

resounded in my mind and heart: 'I'm 

not sure what the Jehovah's Witnesses are 

saying but if they are not telling you about 

a personal relationship with Jesus then 

they are telling you wrong.' 

I politely declined and said goodbye 

but I couldn't get those words out of my 

head. 'A personal relationship with Jesus.' 

I somehow knew that's what I needed. 

BATTLE 

That Saturday night I went to meet 

my friend from the Jehovah Witnesses, 

but as I was waiting for him, I cried out 

to God for help because I didn't know 

if I should stay with JW or go to the 

Baptists. 

However, the JW guy didn't show. 

It was in pre-mobile days so I had no 

way of knowing where he was or if 

he was coming. I decided to go to the 

Baptist Church and felt maybe God had 

answered my prayer. 

I was very nervous and hung around 

outside the church for a while but being 

so desperate to find help — to find 

God — I went in and sat at the back. A 

guy was speaking about Moses lifting 

up a bronze snake and the people who 

looked at it were healed. 

He said that it was an illustration of 

Jesus on the cross and how we can look 

to him for our salvation. At the end he


invited people to come forward and I 

just knew I had to, however, something 

very strange happened. I will let you 

make of it what you will. 

As I got to the front some people 

approached me and I suddenly fell to 

the floor and doubled over in pain and 

cramps! My fingers, hands, arms and 

legs literally rolled up, I was on the 

ground in severe pain, unable to move. 

RELIEF 

Some people around me tried to 

relieve my fear and alarm while telling 

me to confess my sins to Jesus. 

I tried to speak but it was very 

difficult, although I was able to tell God 

some of the sins I had made. 

I confessed to drugs, and other 

things I had done. When I confessed 

to lying my tongue tingled so strongly 

I knew something had just freed it. I 

realised that I was beginning to uncurl 

and my limbs were freeing up! 

Andrew, the leader of the meeting, 

joined me and he explained that I had 

confessed to Jesus who had died on the 

cross for me and that I must trust him 

to save me and forgive me. 

I knew this was all real and I cried 

out to Jesus to save me. Andrew said 

that as I had repented of sin and that 

as I trust Jesus for my salvation I am 

saved and safe with God. 

I was looked after and comforted for 

sometime and invited to return to the 

church. 

UNDERSTANDING 

The next day, as I walked to church, 

I stopped at the red phone box and 

called the guy from JW. He apologised 

for not coming and explained he was 

called away to an urgent situation, and 

he wanted to see me again. I explained 

that I had been to church and he said he 

wanted to see me as soon as he could, 

but I said that I felt God had really met 

with me and I would be going along 

to church and wouldn't need his help 

anymore. 

However, I went to church and 

continued to go as often as I could. The 

pastor and leaders spoke with me and 

set up some one-to-one meetings. I met 

with them for a few months and they 

helped me grow in my understanding 

of what had happened and what Jesus 

had done for me. I also had some 

extraordinary answers to prayer and 

even miracles happened! 

I once heard a pastor say God 

answers new born Christian's prayers 

to help them grow deep roots quickly 

and I wonder if that's what happened 

to me? 

I also had issues that needed 

healing from the damage done in my 

reckless life before my repentance. 

Again, I will say what happened and 

you can make of it what you believe. 

HE DID THIS FOR ME 

I was in my early Christian life 

attending any and everything my 

church was putting on. I couldn't get 

enough of hearing about Jesus and 

God's Kingdom. 

One evening, I was attending an 

outreach event where the Jesus of 

Nazareth film was being shown. 

I was watching the film on a big 

screen set up in a local school hall, and 

there were lots of other people also 

watching. 

At the point of the film when Jesus 

was being crucified and suffering on 

the cross, I said to myself, 'He did this 

for me'. 

A PLACE OF LIGHT 

It is hard to express the experience, 

suddenly I could no longer see the film 

or room but I could see light all around 

me and I knew I was in a place of light. 

I was aware of it for about 5 seconds, 

or so. I thought to myself, 'this is the 

glory of his sacrifice that he won for 

me.' 

I'm not totally sure where or what 

I saw but I knew it was a place of light 

that I was actually in, not just seeing, 

and it was because of Jesus' sacrifice. 

HEARING THE LIGHT 

Not long after, I was at home and I 

had still not grasped the full extent of 

God's grace in his salvation. 

I was praying about my fears that I 

would not last as a Christian and that 

I wouldn't be able to live the Christian 

life. I would fail. 

I was fearful I would not be good 

enough and that I would fall short. I 

was tearful and I said, 'God, I'm not 

going to make it.' 

At that moment I saw a light in 

my mind's eye and I received a clear 

message from the light! 

I didn't hear it audibly, I received 

it in my mind, my soul, and I was able 

to make sense of what had been said. 

I understood it as: 'You are not your 

salvation, Jesus Christ is your salvation.' 

For the first time I understood 

the full nature of Jesus' death and 

resurrection and how he alone is our 

salvation! My understanding was 

at a much deeper level than just the 

words I heard. I saw it and got it! Jesus 

is my salvation! I can add nothing or 

do nothing, it is not about what I do 

but about God’s gracious gift of Jesus 

Christ given to us to simply receive 

by faith. I was elated! I saw that I was 

saved! I saw that in Christ I am united 

with God and nothing, not even me 

could ruin that! 

SAFE AND LOVED 

I joined in with lots of the church 

community activities and services. I 

shared with people there what had been 

happening and I continued to receive so 

much love and instruction from them. 

I had been freed completely from 

smoking, alcohol and drug use and 

never felt a need to use or take them. I 

felt safe and loved. 

My anxieties and paranoia never 

bothered me again, I knew I was saved 

and that Jesus was who I had been 

looking for. 

I was excited about the future and 

what God had planned for me, and 

wondered and prayed about how I 

could serve him. I wanted to go to Bible 

College and even aimed for ordination 

and ministry. 

I went to college, then university 

and was delighted when I was offered 

a place at Oak Hill Theological College, 

through Middlesex University. I studied 

for my degree and went into secondary 

school teaching after becoming an RE 

teacher. 

I have been teaching for over 

20 years now and thoroughly enjoy 

engaging young people's minds with the 

questions of life, truth, meaning and 

purpose. I have also loved being part of 

a number of churches throughout my 

life and enjoy serving the people in the 

congregations and communities. 

God has blessed me with a 

wonderful family and a very special 

wife, who has to cope with five males in 

our home — we have four boys! 

God continues to cause me to grow 

in faith, in loving him and loving the 

people in my life. 

I am a Christian because I need 

Jesus Christ from first to last!


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parish noticeboard — 4 THE PERSECUTED CHURCH 

Ukrainians in Moldova need your prayers 

Sjankauskas, dreamstime.com 

This month, writes Colin Bailey, we look at Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, 

and the work of Barnabas Aid in helping suffering Christians from Ukraine... 

The former Soviet republic of Moldova is landlocked in eastern Europe by 

Romania to the west and, significantly, by Ukraine to the north, east and 

south. It wants to join the EU and has set 2030 as the target date for its 

accession. It has a population of some 2.5 million people. 

According to the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency 

(UNFPA), more than 116,000 Ukrainian refugees now reside in Moldova. Because 

the stress of war and displacement has increased the risk of premature labour, 

UNFPA has supplied seven perinatal centres and two specialised hospitals with 

life-saving equipment, including state-of-the-art intensive care units. 

The majority of the Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war who are now in Moldova 

are without an income and are living with host families or accommodation centres. 

Some struggle to find work although the income is often meagre. They depend on 

their savings and humanitarian support to cover their basic needs. The situation is 

exacerbated by high inflation. 

PRAYERS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT 

Barnabas Aid has been helping a church in the Moldovan capital Chișinău by 

offering comfort and spiritual support to Ukrainian Christian families. Most of 

the refugees are women and children: men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not 

allowed to leave Ukraine. Barnabas’s church partners said: 

'There are many children and they all yearn for simple human warmth and 

understanding. When they come to us, we see in their eyes that they desperately want us 

to share their sorrow and experiences, walk even a short part of their journey with them, 

providing support and comfort. We are grateful we can do that.' 

Please pray for the work of that church and for the Ukrainian refugees. Please 

pray also for the Ukrainian villagers living in conflict zones. 

Barnabas has been supplying food aid including tinned food and baby milk, 

hygiene supplies such as bandages, soap, toothpaste and sanitary towels, and 

medical aid including blood pressure monitors, walking aids, firewood and woodburning 

stoves to provide heat for cooking and warmth for their homes, and larger 

stoves sufficient to warm a church hall or basement where people shelter. 

If you would like to donate to Barnabas Aid’s project to help Christians suffering 

in Ukraine please call 0179 374 4557 or go to: https://www.barnabasaid.org/gb/ 

donate/ specifying project 96-1196 / Food and basic needs for Christians in Ukraine. 

References and further reading 

Wikipedia on Moldova: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova 

UNFPA news: https://www.unfpa.org/news 

Barnabas Aid on Ukrainian Christian refugees: https://www.barnabasaid.org/gb/magazine/foodcomfort-and-hope-for-ukrainian-christian-refugees/ 

Barnabas Aid appeal for food and basic needs for Ukrainian Christians amidst war: https://www. 

barnabasaid.org/gb/latest-needs/food-and-basic-needs-for-ukrainian-christians-amidst-war/ 


From 

the 

editor's 

desk 

Born in 1946, I am one of the 'baby 

boomer' generation that emerged 

after the end of the Second World 

War. According to the The Royal 

British Legion, around 4.2 million 

British servicemen and women were 

demobilised between June 1945 and 

December 1946. 

A direct result of demobilisation 

was a huge peak in the birth rate. It is 

estimated that live births in the UK 

peaked in 1947 at about 1 million. By 

contrast, the year with the least births 

was 1941 when there were only 695,000 

births in the UK. 

This birthrate peak has affected us 

baby boomers throughout our lives, 

with the result that we have lived in 

world where shortages have always 

been commonplace. 

Food rationing was part of my 

childhood, schools were overcrowded, 

the competition for college and 

university places was high, as was the 

competition for jobs, and housing has 

always been, and remains, a problem. 

And, without sounding too morbid, 

the final shortage that baby boomers 

face is that our graveyards are rapidly 

running out of space for us! 

REMEMBERING THEM 

Despite all this, being a baby 

boomer has meant that my generation 

has been responsible for a host of 

remarkable, and exciting scientific 

discoveries and technological 

developments that have universally 

changed the way we work and relax. 

Sadly, as baby boomers die away, 

the world could be in danger of 

forgetting the huge sacrifices made by 

the generation that created us when 

so many people died fighting for our 

freedom. It is important, therefore, to 

keep in our calendars reminders of the 

sacrifices our forbears made, such as 

the D-Day landings that we remember 

on page 19 of this issue and, of course, 

the annual Remembrance services later 

in the year, We will remember them!


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feature — 1 

SLAUGHTERS 


Could you be one of a million RSPCA members? 

To celebrate it's 200th anniversary 

this month, The Royal Society 

for the Prevention of Cruelty to 

Animals (RSPCA) has set itself a 

challenge: to recruit one million new 

members, writes Bob Peters. 

RSPCA is the first charity that I can 

remember being aware of — apart, of 

course, from the Church. 

It was in school and I was probably 

about six or seven years old when a 

visitor came into the classroom to 

talk to us about his work caring for 

animals and how important it was for 

us to treat them kindly. 

For me, the most exciting thing 

about his visit was that he invited us 

to sign up for a newsletter, and he 

gave each of us a copy to take home. 

I have to admit that it was not so 

much the content of the newsletter 

that fascinated me but it was the 

colourful design and layout. Probably 

among my horde of old newspapers 

and magazines, I still have a copy! 

We were also given an RSPCA 

badge, which I also probably have 

among my collection of badges! 

On 16 June 1824, a small group 

of people, who were determined to 

change the lives of animals, met in 

a London coffee shop, aptly it was 

called 'The Old Slaughters' Coffee 

House. 

Outside, cruelty to animals was 

Peter Rennie 

common and even acceptable to 

most people. Keeping them as pets 

was uncommon, they were used 

as working animals, as food, or 

for entertainment. While setting 

dogs on chained bulls or bears was 

considered a sport, for that small 

group of people who met in the cafe, 

things had to change. 

RSPCA IS BORN 

The first law protecting animals 

— the Cruel Treatment of Cattle 

Act, known as Martin's Law — had 

come into force two years before 

that coffee house meeting. Richard 

Martin who was one of the 22 people 

who went on to meet at the Old 

Slaughter’s Coffee House (pictured 

right) on 16 June 1824. 

With him was Rev Arthur 

Broome, credited as the founder 

The RSPCA Monument on Richmond Hill was once a fountain for cattle, designed by Thomas 

Edward Collcutt in 1891 Images from dreamstime.com: Monument: Hilsdon25, Dog: Nigel Hoy 

of RSPCA, and anti-slave trade 

campaigner William Wilberforce. 

Today, RSPCA is the oldest and 

largest animal welfare society in 

the world and in the UK has 137 

branches. 

Our 'local' branch dates from 

1864, making it 150 years old! At one 

time it was known as 'Reading with 

Berks, Hants and Oxon Border' but 

in 1908 this was changed to 'Reading 

with Oxon Border'. 

The Reading with Oxon Border 

branch is run by volunteers under 

the guidance of an annually elected 

committee that is always looking for 

The Old Slaughter’s Coffee House 

Wikimedia commons 

new volunteers to give their time 

and skills to help with fund raising, 

running the branch and finding 

homes for needy animals. 

NEW CHAPTER 

Just as I first discovered about 

the work of RSPCA through their 

newsletter, you can still today keep 

yourself up=to-date - as I do - with 

what they are doing to prevent 

cruelty to animals by subscribing 

to their free newsletter which 

arrives regularly in my email inbox, 

or visit their website. Here, for 

example, is what they say about their 

bicentennial achievements: 

'In two centuries, we’ve improved 

millions of animals’ lives by changing 

laws, industries and minds. Ours is a 

rich history, but we’re not just reflecting 

on the past. As the world changes and 

the threats facing animals mount, the 

RSPCA must rise to meet them. The 

times we're living through — climate 

change, factory farming, wars, and 

a cost-of-living crisis — demand an 

urgent response. 

That’s why 2024 isn't just an 

anniversary, it’s a new chapter in 

our story. This is our chance to work 

together, everyone for every animal. 

Let’s celebrate the bond between us and 

inspire more people to action. Because a 

world that’s better for animals is better 

for us all.' 

https://www.rspca.org.uk/local/readingwith-oxon-border-branch



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feature — 2 

Syda Productions, dreamstime.com 

Improving literacy is 

literally for everyone! 

Reflecting on its 30th anniversary, the National Literacy 

Trust (NLT) has concluded that as a nation, we should all 

be taking literacy seriously. 

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive officer of NTL said: 

‘Technology is changing what it means to be literate. Long 

periods out of school during the pandemic and the closure of 

many early years settings has had a serious impact on the early 

speech, language and communication development of babies 

and toddlers from disadvantaged communities. Child poverty 

is rising at the fastest rate in a decade, and we know that child 

poverty leads to low literacy.' 

However, the NLT report also reminds us that 

improving literacy is not just about teaching the young, it 

is something that all age groups need to take seriously. 

To combat what it sees as a growing crisis, NLT has 

devised a three year, targeted, campaign to empower the 

people who need it most with the literacy skills they need 

to succeed in life. 

LITERACY HUBS 

It involves directly supporting literacy skills and 

building confidence for everyone, whether it’s tips for 

a new parent on talking to their baby or working with 

schools to encourage teenagers, who find reading and 

writing boring, with a selection of appropriate books that 

will help to develop their interest. 

The plan also aims to inspire early years practitioners, 

teachers, librarians and tutors by offering them evidencebased 

approaches, training, free resources; and working 

with the criminal justice system to offer an adult without 

literacy skills encouragement and classes that will make a 

difference to their life chances. 

By 2027, 20 Literacy Hubs will be established in the 

places with the worst experiences of literacy and poverty 

in the UK. Local teams working in partnership with these 

communities will bring together businesses, education, 

community groups, health and cultural organisations to 

improve local literacy levels. 

The NLT report makes it clear that improving our 

literacy, and helping others to improve their literacy, must 

be taken seriously by us all, whatever our age, wherever we 

live, however healthy or wealthy we may, or may not be. 

My Dad 

By Angel Young 


In the realm of shadows, where pain resides, 

I walk this path, where sorrow abides. 

A tale of loss, a story so profound, 

As I navigate a world where silence surrounds. 

Cancer, the thief, with its merciless grip, 

It stole my hero, it silenced his quip. 

My dad, so vibrant, full of life's zest, 

Now a memory, forever in my chest. 

The battle waged, with strength and might, 

But cancer's darkness, it swallowed the light. 

Through endless nights, beside his bed I'd weep 

Hoping for miracles, as his soul started to seep. 

I watched him fade, like a flickering flame, 

His body weakened, but his spirit remained. 

Though his voice grew frail, his love shone bright, 

A beacon of hope, in the darkest night. 

Hi laughter echoed, a melody sweet, 

Now etched in my heart, symphony complete. 

His wisdom, a compass, guiding me along, 

Even in absence, his love forever strong. 

We shared our dreams, our hearts intertwined, 

Now I carry them forwards, in my heart, in my mind. 

Though tears may fall, like rain from the sky, 

I'll honour his legacy, I'll never say goodbye. 

For every sunrise, in each breath I take, 

His spirit lives on, never to forsake. 

Through the pain, I find strength to embrace, 

The memories we shared, each treasured embrace. 

So here's to my dad, whose love was profound, 

Whose presence, though gone, forever surround. 

In the tapestry of life, his thread will remain, 

A reminder of love that cancer wouldn't restrain. 

In the realm of shadows, where pain resides, 

I'll carry his memory, as my heart abides. 

Though the ache may linger, and tears may flow, 

His love transcends, forever to grow. 

Slobodyanyuk Lena, dreamstime.com



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feature — 3 

80 years ago, on 6 June 1944, the 

D-Day Normandy Landings took 

place. Over 160,000 Allied troops 

are estimated to have landed on the 

beaches of Normandy. The Battle of 

Normandy ended on 25 August with 

an Allied victory. 

The question of what 'D' stood for has 

never been determined: some say it 

stood for Day; others maintain it was 

Disembarkation, because it was an 

amphibious operation. 

What is sure is that there was 

a spiritual dimension. General 

Eisenhower, the commander of 

Operation Overlord, urged those 

taking part to 'beseech the blessing 

of Almighty God upon this great and 

noble undertaking', and President 

Franklin D Roosevelt wrote a prayer 

and read it over the radio to 100 

million Americans as the World War 

II invasion of Normandy unfolded. 

This was likely the largest moment 

of mass prayer in human history. He 

prayed: 

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our 

nation, this day have set upon a mighty 

endeavour. … Lead them straight 

and true; give strength to their arms, 

stoutness to their hearts. Amen 

SONNING SECRET 

General Eisenhower secretly lived 

at The Grove, Pearson Road, Sonning 

as he planned and supervised the 

D-Day landings. 

Before June 5 – the original date 

for D-Day, before bad weather forced 

a rethink – a massive and successful 

series of deceptions were put in place 

to make the Nazis think the invasion 

would come elsewhere. 

The Germans were certainly 

confused. Hitler, thinking the 

attack was a feint, refused to send 

reinforcements, and their strategy 

was hampered by the absence of their 

brilliant Commander Erwin Rommel, 

who was on leave. 

Nevertheless, the Americans 

suffered over 2,000 casualties at 

Omaha Beach, which was the most 

heavily defended, and it is estimated 

that over 4,000 Allied troops were 

killed, but about 156,000 successfully 

stormed the beaches, 

To mark the 80th anniversary 

of this remarkable historical event, 

1,475 silhouettes by ‘Standing with 

Giants’ have been erected at the 

British Normandy Memorial in 

Ver-sur-Mer, representing the 

number of fatalities under British 

command on 6 June 1944. 

This art installation is part of 

D-Day 80 commemorations at the 

Memorial and will be available to 

visit throughout the summer. 

'Standing with Giants' is a 

community project, set up in 2019 

by Oxfordshire community artist, 

Dan Barton, and a group of local 

volunteers to create large scale art 

installations using recycled building 

materials and provide meaningful 

spaces for people to visit and reflect. 

CRISP DROP 

Members of Sonning Parish 

Council and the Sonning and 

Sonning Eye Society have been 

working together to create a 

memorable community evening to 

be held on 6 June at the King George 

V playing field, Sonning. 

These will include: A flypast by 

a WWII Hawker Hurricane, a 'crisp 

drop' from a vintage aircraft when 

bags of crisps will float down from 

500 feet up in the sky! 

The timing for these are subject 

to operational availability and to the 

weather conditions on the evening 

of 6 June. 

As 6 June is also National Fish 

and Chip Day the organisers are 

incorporating this in their plans 

which include: a barbecue run by 

Sonning Scouts and Sonning Cricket 


https://www.d-day80beacons.co.uk/ 

Club will be selling both alcoholic and 

non-alcoholic drinks. 

Vehicles and crews from the 

essential services have been invited 

to attend to provide an opportunity 

for residents to meet them, hear their 

stories of service, and the challenges 

they face! 

The evening will run from 6-10pm 

with entertainment from City Jazz 

who will include wartime classics, 

and music for everyone to dance to. 

Other highlights will include: 

6.30pm: Ringing of the church bells 

from St Andrew's Church, Sonning 

9.00pm: The International Tribute 

will be read followed by the Last Post 

and a two minute silence. 

9.15pm: The lighting of beacons both 

in Sonning and around the country 

Tickets/booking are not needed. 

The event is free, however, there 

will be an opportunity to donate to 

charities supporting military and 

community support services. 

For further details: Trefor Fisher, 

trefor.fisher@sonning-pc.gov.uk. 

NATIONWIDE 

Nationally, on 6 June, The 

Royal British Legion is hosting a 

Remembrance service in the National 

Memorial Arboretum at 2 pm 

The Arboretum will be open to 

the public as normal on 6 June, and 

visitors will be welcome to watch the 

D-Day 80 Service of Remembrance in 

the grounds. 

For more details visit: 

https://www.d-day80beacons.co.uk/


feature — 4 

Did you know that Charvil is the home for 

A review of some of Charvil's talented artists by Sarah Swatridge 

Sammy Clements (née Ostrowski) grew up in Charvil and attended Polehampton Infant and Junior schools and 

then The Piggott School, Wargrave. This was followed by achieving a foundation diploma in Art & Design at Oxford Brookes 

University, and subsequently graduating with a BA HONS in Graphic Design from Norwich University. 

It was while studying, that she developed a passion for 

drawing animals in a realistic fashion — the above are 

two examples – and she began taking commissions for 

pet portraits. All her illustrations are drawn from scratch 

using a graphics tablet and pen connected to a computer. 

Sammy is employed as a full-time graphic designer, 

based in London, and uses her spare time to complete the 

pet and wild animal portraits — they can take between 

40 to 50 hours each. 

She likes detail, and using this medium allows her to 

expand the image to such an extent that she can draw 

individual hairs to create a lifelike image. Working from 

reference photographs she tries to capture the essence 

and character of the animal. 

Sammy was recently contacted by Twyford resident 

Elizabeth Burton-Phillips MBE, the founder and trustee 

of the charity DrugFAM, asking if she would support her 

charity with her artwork. 

DrugFAM is a local charity which supports families, 

friends and partners, affected or bereaved, by a loved 

one’s harmful use of drugs, alcohol or gambling. 

Consequently, in June, Sammy will be, very generously 

donating 20 of her prints to be auctioned at a fund-raising 

event being held in the newly refurbished Orangery at 

Blenheim Palace. Also included will be an auction of an 

especially drawn commission by Sammy of an animal of 

the bidder’s choice. 

Later in the year her work will also be displayed at 

a VIP reception in The Ned, a private members club in 

London, following a service of remembrance in St Paul’s 

Cathedral, again in aid of DrugFAM. 

She feels extremely honoured to be able to help this 

very worthwhile cause. This service marks the 20th 

anniversary of the death of Elizabeth’s son Nicholas 

Mills who died aged only 27 after becoming involved with 

harmful drugs. 

If you have children, of any age, it’s worth reading 

‘Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid?’ by Elizabeth 

Burton-Phillips. 

Sammy is not alone in Charvil, there are several other 

very talented artists at work here . . . 

HEATHER McATEER 

Heather has her own studio in Charvil and this year she’s 

a guest on the Whiteknights Studio Trail on Saturday 8-9 

June. She’ll be at Venue 2, Christ Church, Christchurch 

Road, Reading RG2 7AR. Her graphite drawings are very 

detailed and evocative. Look out for more of her work in July 

at The Turbine House, Reading (Bel & Dragon) as part of a 

group exhibition addressing the climate emergency.

some talented artists? 

ESTE MACLEOD 

Este Macleod is a textile artist with her own studio in 

Charvil. She runs several art courses — the current one runs 

for a year until the end of May 2025 — and retreats abroad. 

Visit https://www.estemacleod.com and you will get a good 

idea of her bright, bold and colourful work that is usually 

based around natural objects such as flowers, birds and trees. 

DENISE PAYNE 

Denise Payne generally works with graphite and pastels. 

She completed a Fine Art Degree as a mature student, then 

volunteered at Oxfam Reworked for a year during which 

time became involved with upcycling and has opened a shop 

at https://www.artdp.etsy.com 

It is definitely worth a look if you’re looking for original 

Tote bags, unusual lampshades, quirky jewellery boxes, 

Lino Prints and a host of amazing gifts at reasonable 

prices. It is great to support our local talent! 

LINDA SAUL 

Linda Saul's paintings and prints were on show during the 

recent Henley Arts Trail, which is always a very busy time for 

Charvil's local artists. 

She has recently been elected a full member of the 

Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and has a big exhibition 

in London in October. She, and three other RWS members, 

are sharing a gallery across the road from The National 

Gallery. 

In November Linda, and Heather McAteer, are taking 

part in the Five Open Studios. It will be an ideal time to 

think about Christmas presents! 

For more information on her work and future events visit 

http://www.lindasaul.co.uk 

LIS HOBDEN 

Lis says she’s really a musician by profession but has been 

painting seriously since she stopped singing when her 

children were born. Initially her passion was watercolour, but 

she developed a love for the rich 'butteriness' of oil paint. 

Currently, she’s fascinated by layering techniques, and 

the quick drying properties of acrylic and mixed media 

seem to suit that best. Exploring different processes 

is more important to her than subject matter, and the 

phrase ‘what would happen if ….’ often directs her work. 

During lockdown she developed an interest in fluid art 

and cyanotype and subsequently held a very successful 

solo show at the Old Fire Station in Henley. 

Her website gives a good idea of the sort of paintings 

she produces: http://www.elisabethhobden.co.uk 

She’s also on Instagram: lis.hobden 

The paintings she sells help to raise money for a 

wonderful project called Dwelling Places which rescues 

and rehabilitates street connected children in Kampala, 

Uganda. 

Lis has been supporting Dwelling Places for many 

years and, if you’re interested in finding out more about 

their work, you will find them at http://dwellingplaces.org 

Claude recalls 

his favourite 

tipple . . . 


Many years ago, one of my hobbies was creating my own 

beverages. I used to make homemade wine with all sorts 

of fruits, but found that my favourite combination was 

my ‘sea’ wine — sloe, elderberry and apple! 

I knew a good spot in which to collect the sloes and 

elderberries — a footpath just off Colemansmoor Road 

down towards the river — and the apples came from our 

garden. 

Once gathered, the fruit had to be mashed and 

squeezed through a sieve. Then it had to be fermented for 

weeks and weeks in the airing cupboard. Barbara was very 

gracious to let me take over this space! Although I was 

very successful, the trouble was that the fruit made such a 

mess that I moved on to something different. 

LEMONADE WITH A BANG 

Another time, I made lemonade which fermented in the 

Corona bottles that we hadn’t returned to the shops for a 

refund. These were kept in the cupboard under the stairs. 

On one occasion, I was out for the evening at a meeting. 

and Barbara and the children were sitting watching the 

television when there was a loud explosion! I must have 

used too much sugar and this set off a chain reaction of 

explosions! 

It made a right mess of glass and lemonade —although 

at least it was contained — and scared my family out of 

their wits! 

As you can imagine, this phase didn’t last long and it 

seemed too much hassle and far more dangerous than 

making alcoholic drinks! 

CHEERS VICAR! 

Making beer was much quicker and simpler, and more 

popular with the family! I used beer kits of 5 gallons — 40 

pints — at a time, and kept the beer making process in the 

garage. 

When I first made it, you can imagine how keen I was 

to drink it — I couldn’t wait! However, when I got towards 

the end of my first barrel, I realised that it tasted so much 

better when matured. The solution was to buy a second set 

of equipment which meant that while one was fermenting, 

the other could be drunk! I had quite a production line! 

In the barrel, there was a float to ensure the beer was 

only drawn from the top of the liquid. On top of the barrel, 

was a carbon dioxide cylinder that was needed as you got 

to the end of the barrel. It had to be turned on to increase 

the pressure in order to get the last drops of beer because 

the nozzle was half way up the sphere. I always liked to 

squeeze as much out as possible but had to be careful 

not to draw up the last bitty dregs! Again, I had quite a 

production line going so there was always plenty on tap for 

visitors — especially the vicar after Sunday church!


feature — 6 

FoStAC MUSICAL EVENI 

ASCOT BRASS BAND, SONNING CoE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHOIR AN


NG TO RESTORE WALL 

D SOLOIST CELESTE HEXTER HELP FoStAC RAISE OVER £1,200 

The performers taking part in the 'Grand Musical 

Evening' on Saturday 27 April in St Andrew’s Church 

were Ascot Brass, Sonning C of E Primary School 

Choir and soloist Celeste Hexter. For those of us 

fortunate enough to have been present, this was an 

evening of very enjoyable and varied music making, 

writes David Wilson. 

All pictures by Keith Nichols 

Of the 21 items, two thirds were played by Ascot 

Brass, who began with a sparkling opening item 

Rimmer’s 'Punchinello', filling the church with the 

sound of 31 performers playing fortissimo. In 

contrast, the softness of their playing of Mozart’s 

famous choral motet, 'Ave Verum' showed their superb 

control of dynamics. 

Mark Dallas, cornet soloist, displayed his amazing 

technique in a set of incredibly difficult variations on 

a well-known Neapolitan song. This band is as near to 

professional that you could expect from amateurs. 

Their second half included Leonard Cohen’s 

'Hallelujah', the theme tune from 'Chitty Chitty Bang 

Bang,' John William’s moving 'Hymn to the Fallen', 

Bernstein’s 'America', and Offenbach’s 'The Can-Can' to 

conclude the concert. 

EXEMPLARY 

The young singers of the Sonning C of E Primary 

School, confronted by a large audience, made a cautious 

start with, Gary Barlow’s 'Sing', but they sang Bruno 

Mars 'Count on Me' with a confidence that carried 

through into the second half with 'Try Everything' and 

Lloyd Webber’s 'Any Dream will Do'. They delighted the 

audience, especially their proud parents, and their 

behaviour during long periods of the concert when they 

were not involved was exemplary. 

Former head chorister at St Andrew’s, Celeste 

Hexter, is now in her second year at Cardiff 

University, studying Music. Her vivacious singing 

of Cherubino’s aria from Mozart’s 'The Marriage of 

Figaro' delighted the audience, as did Quilter’s 'Love’s 

Philosophy'. She later changed styles with Erroll 

Garner’s jazz classic, 'Misty' and was ably supported 

on piano by Ollie Dewar, St Andrew’s deputy organist. 

A final word should go to the conductor of Ascot 

Brass, David Rudd, for his excellent introduction to 

each item and his easy rapport with the young singers 

and the audience. He conducted expertly with a very 

clear beat and minimal gestures. 

The concert was performed to raise funds for 

the Friends of St Andrew’s Church and thanks were 

extended to Keith Nichols and fellow trustees who 

organised the event. Over £1,200 was raised to help 

fund essential repairs to the vestry wall.


around the villages — 1 

Sonning schoolchildren spend a day 

learning about their spirituality 

Phil Sherwood, head teacher, Sonning CofE Primary School, writes. . . . 

As a school, we aim to equip our children with the skills they need to make positive choices in 

everything they do. Like the wise man who built his house upon the rock (Matthew 7:24-25), our vision 

is 'building strong foundations for the years ahead'. 

Gisele Reid, KS2 leading teacher at Sonning School 

and organiser of the day, explained: 'Spirituality 

means different things to different people, whether 

they are religious or not, and some may have different 

spiritual needs at different times of their life. 

'For some, spirituality means mindfulness, total 

peace, feeling happy about what you do in your life or 

having a connection with a higher power. 

'During our spirituality activities, children were 

encouraged to think about what spirituality means both 

to them as individuals and how it links to our school 

values.' 

Year 5 and 6 pupils thought about what 

spirituality meant to them and how it helps to 

shape the people they are. 

They created spirituality vision boards using 

magazine clippings and the school's pupil digital 

leaders recorded interviews with children across 

the school. 

The children have been explaining what 

spirituality means to them and we have also 

been lucky enough to have some religious leaders 

from the local area to record their own views of 

spirituality and how their faith helps to guide 

them through challenging times in their lives. 

In Early Years, our children enjoyed asking 

some ‘big questions’ to their grandparents, and it 

was lovely to see that so many grandparents could 

make the afternoon session and engage with the 

pupils. They enjoyed tea and biscuits, while talking 

to the children about what spirituality means to 

them. 

INNER AND OUTER SELVES 

In Year 1 — Beech class, pictured left, enjoyed 

using our VR headsets to view scenes of the 

Northern lights, outer space and a range of 

animals up close. This was a great 'wonder and awe' 

moment for them! 

Children in Year 3 and 4 thought about their 

inner and outer selves. They considered how 

they looked on the outside and how their talents 

reflected what spirituality means to them on the 

inside. 

As a whole-school project, every child was able 

to plant seeds in our new sunflower garden. We 

hope that when they grow, the children can weave


around the villages — 1 around the villages — 2 

The best kept 

local secret . . . 

through the path and among them. The children 

can then take home some seed heads in September 

to plant, so continuing the cycle of life. 

BUDDIES 

Children were ‘buddied up’ and had the 

opportunity to write to a child in another class. 

Older and younger children met with their buddies 

to eat a picnic lunch together and get to know each 

other a little bit more. 

Eco leaders and representatives from each class 

planted a range of fruits and vegetables in our new 

planters. These will be harvested when ready in 

the summer or autumn. What a wonderful way to 

watch nature! 

CALMING MINDFULNESS 

Another awe and wonder moment was the 

inflatable planetarium that we had in the school 

hall. This provided a great chance to ask some 

really big questions, such as 'what is out there 

beyond space?', 'who made the earth?' and 'is there 

life beyond our planet?' 

Every class was able to enjoy time in the dome 

and even the adults had a calming mindfulness 

session in their lunch hour. 

Miss Reid explained: 'In a time where there 

is growing concern over children’s well-being, the 

pressures of modern technology, including screen time, 

research shows that spirituality can benefit mental 

health. Spiritual beliefs and practices can also foster 

connection and meaning. 

We wanted to provide some time for our children 

to reflect on their own spiritual needs guided by our 

school values of Love, Courage, Respect, Aspiration 

and Curiosity. 

We are proud to enable all children — regardless 

of their background, faith, race, ability or gender — to 

do their best and achieve well, so that they become 

confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy 

and fulfilling lives.' 

We would like to thank Corinne Robertson 

from St Andrew's Church, Rachel Argent, a long 

standing school governor who supports us in 

driving forward special days like this, and the 

many parents and visitors that helped, and 

of course our pupils and staff for engaging so 

completely with the day. 

. . . writes Commodore Jackie Bignell (above), 

is the Reading Offshore Sailing Club for sailors 

and anyone interested in sailing and water based 

activities. ROSC members sail in the Solent on the 

east coast and sometimes charter abroad. 

ROSC is a social club, with eight monthly meetings a 

year, usually on the first Monday of the month from 

February to November, excluding July and August. 

We hold local social activities and are lucky to be able 

to use the Upper Thames Motor Yacht Club premises 

on the waterside next to the Mill at Sonning. It's a 

delightful spot to socialise with like-minded folk, 

share our sailing experiences, and enjoy the beautiful 

surroundings. 

Other talks sthis year have been about historic 

boats and their intereting histories — namely 

Tenacious, Vasa and Yavari — and which have 

fascinating backgrounds. Our May meeting was 

about ‘Sailing Mishaps'. It was fun to listen to the 

experiences of others and realise we are not alone! 

The June talk will review sailing films, and there will 

be a quiz. 

https://www.readingoffshore.org.uk 

RNLI summer 

garden party 

A successful music night in February raised 

£1,632.93 for the RNLI's 200 year anniversary, 

and the organisers are now preparing their next 

event, the summer cheese and wine garden party. 

It is being being held by kind invitation of Mr & 

Mrs David Haldane at The Dower House, Pearson 

Road, Sonning on Saturday 8 June from 6.30- 

8.30pm. Tickets are £15 a from David Bates on 0118 

969 7376 or Lynn Woodhouse 0118 969 2206.



Homecare 

you can rely on 

Our local team of care 

professionals can help with: 

• Meal Preparation 

• Medication 

• Personal Care 

• Companionship 

• Help around the home 

• And much more… 

To find out more call or visit: 

01182 371 573 

goodoakshomecare.co.uk/ 

reading 

www.thebmgc.com 

10% of the value of your first order will be donated to the new community hall fund when you quote Ref: BMGC-CH 

• Pull-up banners 

• Point of sale 

• Window graphics 

• Vehicle livery 

• PVC banners 

• Posters 

• Corporate branding 

• Graphic design 

• Installation services 

• Shop signage 

• Exhibition systems 

• Signage for commerce 

• Bespoke wall coverings 

For cost effective, locally produced, quality graphics call us on 0118 934 5016 

The Homestead, Park Lane, Charvil, Reading RG10 9TR 

email: sales@thebmgc.com

around the villages— — 31 

Me2 Club's 20th 

anniversary tree 

Me2 Club celebrated its 20th 

Anniversary by planting a Willow 

Tree in Elms Park Wokingham. The 

act of planting a tree represents 

growth and celebrates the children 

and young people in Wokingham 

and Reading who have flourished 

with the club's support over the 

past two decades. 

Me2 Club said they look forward 

to continuing to create even more 

opportunities for growth, inclusion, 

and empowerment for children and 

young people with additional needs 

in Wokingham and Reading. 

Me2 Club is an inclusion charity 

for children and young people with 

additional needs and disabilities 

in the Wokingham and Reading 

Boroughs. 

The club helps children and young 

people aged 5-19 years to take part 

in mainstream leisure activities by 

recruiting and training volunteers 

to become one-to-one ‘buddies' with 

them (2:1 when required) so they can 

join in and have fun. 

With Me2 Club's help they can 

access a wide range of activities 

including sports clubs, uniformed 

groups and drama classes. 

https://me2club.org.uk/ 

Reading Family Aid 

seeks Christmas Toys 

and Teens sponsors 

Reading Family Aid is looking for 

sponsors for its annual Christmas 

Toys and Teens Appeal that enables 

them to give local under privileged 

children a gift at Christmas. 

They are looking for a commitment of 

at least £2,000, although this could 

be in toys or other services as well as 

cash. In return, Reading Family Aid 

will feature the sponsor in its Toys 

and Teens Appeal publicity, including 

social media, newsletters and blog 

posts. 

To find out more, or if know of a 

company that might be interested, 

email info@readingfamilyaid.org to 

arrange an initial chat or meeting for 

more information. 

Sonning and Sonning Eye Society 

has organised a village walk led by 

John Turney on 20 July, starting at 

10.30am at St Andrew's Church. 

During the walk, John will talk 

about the various historical 

buildings and the interesting people 

who have lived there. There is no 

charge but as places are limited to 15 

you must reserve yours by contacting 


100 squares for Inner Wheel's 100 years 

Members of the Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh welcomed 

Anthea Tilsley (seated), president of the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs in 

Great Britain and Ireland to their club’s annual district rally on 9 April. 

The blankets were knitted by club members for charity — 100 squares were 

knitted as part of the ‘100 for 100’ initiative to celebrate 100 years of Inner 

Wheel. The rally, also included a service of thanksgiving at St Andrew's Church 

before the members made their way over Sonning Bridge to the Mill for a meal 

and the cutting of a centenary cake. 

The Inner Wheel Club of Reading Maiden Erlegh meets at Sonning Golf Club 

on the third Thursday evening of every month and welcomes new members to 

join in the fun, take part in activities, raise funds for charity and support the 

local community. More from: https://www.innerwheelrme.org or iwcrme@gmail.com 

Village walk and champagne tea diary dates 

Tales of the River Bank 

Phil Mason 

Heather Kay 0785 177 5467 by text or 

telephone. 

On Sunday 28 July, from 3-5.30pm 

the society is holding a champage 

tea to be held at Gordon and Mary 

Jones, Acorns 2 West Drive Sonning. 

Tickets are £15 and are available 

through the Society's website or 

from Penny Feathers: 0118 934 3193 

or penny.feathers@btinternet.com.


around the villages— — 41 

Me2 Club 

rising stars 

Me2 Club's 'Rising Stars Talent Show' 

at 7pm on Wednesday 5 June in Christ 

Church, Woodley promises to be a 

great evening not to be missed! 

Me2 Club is an inclusion charity 

for children and young people with 

additional needs and disabilities in the 

Wokingham and Reading Boroughs. 

The club tackles the social isolation 

and loneliness experienced by children 

who ae not usually able to join in 

mainstream leisure activities. 

Proceeds from the talent show will 

be used to enable their teens to enjoy 

more fun activities. 

Me2 Club supports children and 

young people aged 5-19 by recruiting 

and training volunteers to ‘buddy’ 1:1 

with them — 2:1 when required — so 

they can join in and have fun. 

Tickets are £5. 0118 969 6369 

Pearson Hall AGM 

This year's Pearson Hall Annual 

General Meeting is on 20 June at 

6.45pm and yes, it is in Pearson Hall! 

Sonning Art Group's koala workshop 

When Jonathan Newey was welcomed back to Sonning Art Group for his 

latest workshop he taught the members about the many ways watercolour 

pencils can be used to produce interesting works of art. 

While most of the group owns some of these pencils few of them knew of the best 

ways to use them - until then! 

Jonathan provided a picture of a Koala bear for them to practice the technique 

and unusually they all ended up with very similar pictures! 

Jonathan exhibits regularly at Open Studio events and runs successful 

workshops, details of which can be found on http://www.jonathannewey.com 

His workshops cost £45 and over the summer include painting windows 

and doors, Spring in the Alps watercolour and white paint, and Impressionist 

Seascapes in Acrylics. 

Invite you to join us in the garden of 

West Drive, Sonning-on-Thames for a 

Garden Tea Party 

Sunday, 7 th July 2024 – 3.00pm to 5.30pm 

Planning Your 

Traditional Wedding? 

Then you might like to 

discuss the possibility of 

marriage in our ancient and 

beautiful parish church. 

If so, call the vicar, Jamie 

0118 969 3298 

He will be pleased to help! 

£20 per person 

Entrance by limited ticket only – reserved by payment in advance. 

Ticket purchase deadline: Sunday, 30 th June 2024 

To request a ticket and arrange payment, please contact Sally Wilson on: 

mustangsallywilson@gmail.com or 0118 9793328 or 

approach one of the FoStAC Trustees 

FoStAC Registered Charity No: 1101944 

In addition to the stunning and historic location in Sonning, 

we will work hard to provide you with a memorable and 

moving occasion. We can provide a choir, organ, peal of 

eight bells, beautiful flowers, over 100 lit candles set in 

ornate Victorian chandeliers and the use of our beautiful 

churchyard as a backdrop for your photographs. 



the church of st andrew SERVING CHARVIL, 

SONNING & sonning eye since the 7 th century

HOME AND Garden 

Afoot in the garden 

By Ray Puddefoot 

Roses are yellow or 

red and some roses 

are orange! 

Orange flowered roses were a 

crowning achievement for 20th 

Century breeders. 

The story begins in 1882 when 

Monsieur Pernet-Ducher started 

using pollen from the long cultivated 

rich yellow rose r. foetida —foetida 

meaning stinking. 

It intermittently sported to rosa 

feotida bicolour with petals yellow on 

the outside and orangey-red on the 

inside. 

Tradition has it that rosa foetida 

was introduced to Spain, from Persia 

in the 700s and after a thousand 

years of cuttings it was renowned for 

being infertile. 

That is until Mns. Pernet-Ducher 

spent almost a decade making 

crosses using pollen from r. foetida 

and eventually grew two seedlings. 

The first proved infertile, while 

the second led to the bright yellow 

and fiery red roses we know so well 

today. 

THE MIRACLE 

Initially buff and ambers roses 

varieties were bred then various 

shades of apricot, orange and 

brighter oranges that made the 

previous oranges look pink! 

Just as r. alexander did to r. 

superstar. Then. in the early 1990s, 

r. fellowship was introduced with 

its leaves thorns and flowers so 

reminiscent of r. feotida bicolour. 

Rosa Buff Beauty 1926 

Ksushsh, dreamstime.com 

JUNE TASKS 

It is a traditional time for pruning 

hedges. However, to avoid disturbing 

nesting birds, farmers and landowners 

are encouraged to prune 

later in the year. If it is a tight formal 

garden hedge then I think its OK to 

trim but please ‘with care’. 

Prune and feed spring flowering 

shrubs such as forsythia, ribes, and 

viburnums. 

Lilac trees can be cut back by a 

third after flowering. 

Wisterias can be cut back and 

side shoots trimmed to four buds to 

promote later flowers. 

Train and trim Japanese quince 

side shoots back to four buds to 

encourage flowers next spring. 

Dead head/summer prune, and 

feed roses. 

Sow hardy annuals and perennials 

like forget-me-not, aquilegia, 

campanula, foxglove, and scabious. 

Water and regularly feed summer 

pots. If you are away for a day in hot 

weather then watering and then 

feeding with liquid fertilizer shortly 

afterwards will help tubs and pots to 

stay moist for longer. 

JUNE TOP TIPS 

— Prune/feed spring flowering shrubs 

— Edge lawns 

— Prune and feed roses 

— Sow forget-me-not 

— Sow perennials 

Rosa Fellowship introduced in 1992 


Forgotten where your 

keys or wallet are? 

Yuri Arcurs, dreamstime.com 

It may be irritating, but don’t worry 

— it does not mean that you are 

losing your memory. 

Instead, it is merely your brain 

forgetting them on purpose, so that 

it can store other information. 

That is the verdict of two 

academics whose book The Psychology 

of Memory, sets out to explain why 

we forget some things that we 

assume we should always know. 

Dr Megan Sumeracki and Dr 

Althea Kaminske argue that storing 

and retrieving information is far 

more complicated than people think. 

Dr Kaminske of Indiana 

University School of Medicine 

said: 'Because we are most aware of 

our memory when we have trouble 

remembering something, our intuitions 

about how memory works might be a 

little biased. 

'For example, I spend an 

embarrassing amount of time looking 

for my phone, water bottle, and keys. 

You may be unsurprised to learn that 

our memory systems are not necessarily 

designed to remember where we put our 

phones. Or keys. Or water bottles.' 

Co-author Dr Sumeracki of Rhode 

Island College added: 'A degree of 

forgetting is natural to allow the brain 

to remember more general information. 

Memory does not work like a recording 

device, they say, but ‘more like a Wiki 

page’ because details can be edited.'


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numbers from when I as a teenager 

because we tend to only have a very 

few close friends. 

As group numbers increase 

differences appear, so to remain 

cohesive you concentrate on the 

similarities in thought and ideals 

that keep the group together 

excluding other groups who 

concentrate on theirs. Suddenly you 

have a tribe that is opposed to a 

neighbouring tribe. 

I do not need to explore what 

happens next. Survival is dependent 

on group harmony. 

Differences in ideology or the 

interpretation of religions, writings 

or individual clerics can cause sects 

within groups. These groups may 

shatter and become oppositional but 

still exist within the same tribe or 

they create new tribes. 


HEALTH 

Dr Simon Ruffle writes . . . about tribalism? 

In a departure from a purely medical 

topic I was alerted to thinking about 

tribalism. 

Recently I was at a football match. 

The end of the stand I was in were 

chanting some unsavoury words 

about the other team's supporters. 

The following week or so the same 

enemies were wearing a different 

coloured shirt and supporting the 

same national team together. 

Personally, I have always 

supported a team from London as I 

was taken there as a child and I am 

lucky enough to have a good friend 

who has season tickets so have seen 

my childhood team many times a 

year. 

However, I have also supported 

my local team, be that Maidstone, 

Wimbledon (when they were 

Wimbledon) and Reading. 

Imagine my internal conflict when 

as a season ticket holder Reading FC 

were promoted to the Premier League 

that they were to face my childhood 

club. My ‘passions’ were neutralised 

and was told I couldn’t be a real fan. 

STEREOTYPING 

My recent trip reminded me of 

my past conflicts: tribalism from 

anthropology and our desire to live 

in groups with strong bonds. This 

leads to favouritism, allowing us an 

identity — potentially at the cost 

of individualism. This also leads us 

to bias and thus stereotyping and 

eventually perceiving others as 

potential conflict. 

Human groups are interesting. 

You are an individual but team up 

with partner or close friend and you 

are a dyad. 

Allow a third into your close knit 

group and you are a triad. 

The dynamic has changed. Beyond 

this the groups enlarge. A very large 

group is when there are more than 

150 members. 

This doesn’t sound a lot of people 

but think about how many people 

you choose to be in touch with, 

family aside. 

I was going to suggest looking 

at your phone book but most of us 

have smart phones with hundreds 

of names, but few favourites. I can 

still remember my best friends phone 

SECTS 

Wrangel, dreamstime.com 

History shows us this with 

many examples of religious sects 

within the same original stem. 

So, is my simple analogy of a 

football supporter following their 

religion of football but their sect of 

‘Whatever FC’ while remaining part 

of an overall society that have more 

similarities than differences valid? 

Do we have a need to feel 

different but within an overall safety 

blanket? 

Could our groups expand 

outwards shedding the bias and 

stereotypes and thus losing the 

perceived threat from other tribes 

to make an incredibly large but 

harmoniously heterogeneous group? 

A naive hope but at the match 

I attended the two opposite tribes 

were able to all come together in not 

one, but two ways — we hate VAR 

and the referee has a very difficult 

job. So there is hope. 

BIRD WATCHING IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH 

So says a new study at North Carolina State University. Watching birds is even more 

beneficial than watching other forms of wildlife. The study found that birdwatchers’ 

‘distress’ levels dropped by 13.7%, compared to that of nature-walkers’ at 6.9%. 

It suggests that the reason may be that birds provide their own narrative and sense 

of drama, which can be enough to lift someone watching them out of the everyday. The 

author and presenter Kate Humble agrees.'There is something reassuring about life 

continuing and nature just getting on with it, even if it feels like the rest of the world is 

falling to bits. Birdwatching makes me feel part of a bigger, richer, beautiful picture.' 

'Birds give me an excuse to explore and find some solitude and calmness away from the 

bustle of life,' says James Lowen, author of 52 Wildlife Weekends. 'It helps put me in my 

place.' 

Tijanap, dreamstime.com


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FASHION BY HARRIET NELSON 

Which sustainable beauty product will you try? 

Wednesday 5 June is world environment day, and I've 

decided to dive into the world of sustainable makeup and 

how you can shop sustainably for skincare and makeup 

products to help our environment thrive. 

The fashion and beauty industry is among the world's largest 

polluters, and we need to adapt and change how we sell, create 

and use our beauty products. More specifically, how often 

we buy a product, what it's made from and whether it ends 

up in a landfill. Here are some beauty products and brands I 

recommend to help start a sustainable beauty routine. 

Chanel has recently focused on making its brand more 

sustainable by creating a fantastic range of beauty and 

skincare products. I use some of their skincare products, 

including their sustainable day cream and perfume. 

Chanel's revitalizing foundation's main ingredient is the 

red camellia flower which has revitalised powers that will 

smooth your skin and make you look forever youthful — well, 

that's what Chanel says! This beautiful foundation, over time, 

will work to prevent and correct the appearance of the five 

signs of ageing, restore signs of wrinkles and pores, and make 

your skin feel more comfortable and glow, giving you a natural 

shine to your everyday makeup routine, and it comes in 20 

different shades suitable for any skin tone. 

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS 

Another iconic sustainable product is Dior's reliable 

refillable lipstick, with couture colours! This refillable floral 

lip care has been enriched with red peony and pomegranate 

flower extracts using natural origins. It is a sustainable 

lipstick that lasts 16 hours and is available in 75 amazing 

colours, and refillable Dior packaging. 

If you're looking for a new mascara to lift your lashes, 

Elate's new original bamboo mascara will transform and help 

your lashes stay beautiful throughout the day. Its bamboo 

packaged formula is designed with organic white tea, water 

and sweat-resistant ingredients to help you create and build 

your perfect eye look. 

It's ideal for sensitive eyes. You can apply a light coat for 

a plump and lengthened lash look, or if you want a bold eye 

look, two coats will produce the desired extra lash volume. It 

has two lash colours. 

Online, Antonym's trending sustainable baked 

highlighting blush is all the rage. It's the perfect feature of 

your summer makeup routine for a healthy-looking glow and 

blushes for your skin! This gorgeous lily-soft pink is ideal for 

your subtle everyday makeup look and highlights your cheeks 

in the sunshine. A baked highlighting blush comes in three 

colours, making it perfect for various occasions. 

ZERO WASTE 

Ilia's stunning sustainable multi-stick is a buildable blush 

that gives your skin and lips a wash of colour to provide you 

with the perfect rosy lips or cheeks! Its creamy pop of colour 

comes in a twist-up stick for easy application to the face. A 

quick swipe, you can blend the blush into your skin to make 

you look refreshed and alive. It is available in natural and 

luminous finishes and has 12 stunning blush shades. 

If you're looking for a good brow gel, the brand Izzy has 

a great zero-waste brow gel designed to shape your brows 

sustainably! This gorgeous gel will thicken and hold your 

brows with a single swipe, making them stand out and last all 

day. It comes in various shades to colour and build your brows 

endlessly. The sustainable brand is cruelty-free and vegan, 

perfect for sustainable shoppers looking to maintain their 

brows in an environment-friendly way! 

CORPORATE GREENWASHING 

One of my favourite sustainable brands, Loopeco, has a 

beautiful, radiant face wash that's perfect for wiping your 

makeup off after a long day. The foaming face wash gently 

lifts away dirt while boosting cell renewal to reveal younger, 

smoother, and brighter looking skin. 

During my degree, I had the opportunity to interview 

the founder of Loopeco, when I was researching sustainable 

makeup and skincare products. 

I asked her why she wanted to create a sustainable brand: 

'We started Loopeco to bring the skincare industry back to its 

roots. An incubator for eco-ideas, where education, experience and 

community are as important as our products. It's no secret that the 

take-make-waste mindset has run wild for decades. Consumers all 

over the world are waking up to corporate greenwashing — and we 

stand by them.' 

She went on to discuss the brand's sustainable products, 

'Here at Loopeco we assess our entire supply chain of in-house 

products in standout eco design lead packaging and place 

emphasis on the education of the closed looped economy. Through 

our sustainable visionaries journal we look across the life cycle of 

a product from raw material production to manufacturing and 

shipping. We guarantee total carbon emission off-setting and 

continue to support community projects around the world by 

donating 20% of profits' 

It was wonderful talking to her about sustainability within 

the beauty industry. 

Many people think they have to give up their lifestyles 

to be sustainable, but it comes down to finding better 

alternatives using different, unique brands. 

Hopefully, this article convinces you to try a sustainable 

product. Which one will you try?


THE ARTS — 1 

The beauty, wonder and grace 

of J S Bach 

Rev Michael Burgess continues his 

series looking at great works of music. 

‘Surprised by Joy’ is the title 

C S Lewis gave to his spiritual 

autobiography. To him, joy meant 

not just the name of the woman 

he eventually married, but also 

an awareness of God’s glory and 

goodness. 

Like Wordsworth, it was something he 

experienced in childhood, and later in 

his thirties when his faith was relit. 

It was that experience of joy that 

Jesus shared with his disciples at the 

Last Supper, and it is a word that lies 

at the heart of the music of J S Bach. 

Johann Sebastian Bach, aged 61, in a 

portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann 

Public Domain, wikimedia.org 

Whenever he set Freude, the German word for joy, his music rises to a new level of 

movement and excitement. The joy is there, not just as a word set to music, but as 

the heart and life of all his compositions. 

Almost a thousand works with many for church worship: two Passions, three 

oratorios, six motets, a Magnificat, a great mass setting, nearly 200 church 

cantatas, 143 chorale preludes for organ, and dozens of other works — and that is 

just the music we have, for much has been lost. 

When Bach moved to Leipzig in 1723, he had the task as choirmaster of 

composing cantatas for each Sunday of the year for five years, as well as looking 

after the choir, teaching, an The Revd Michael Burgess continues his series looking 

at great works of music. d tending his own family. 

And all with a reduced salary and social status, dreary living conditions, and a 

choir that was ill-fed and badly housed. The miracle is that he produced work of 

such beauty and wonder and grace. There is a logic and a technical precision behind 

his music, but also a living pulse. One moment he can reach into the depths of the 

soul as it faces the realities of sin, death and judgment. The next, it is ecstasy and 

joy at the birth and resurrection of Christ. 

Then I see your Trinity 

By Rebecca Burton 

I lift my eyes to the hills and tors of the Moor. 

I wonder at its savage beauty that I can experience every day. 

I am thankful and then angry as my eyes turn to other places 

on your earth that are not peaceful. 

God, Allah, Jehovah, 

why is there such violence and genocide in your holy land? 

Why do the innocents, victims of being born in a blessed land, 

suffer such atrocities. 

Often perpetrated in your name. 

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani they cry as your son did. 

Then I see your trinity 

You suffer with them, if not more for them. 

You will not forget them. 

They are blessed by you. 

May my heart remember them and your suffering. 

And that you rose again to give us hope on Easter Sunday. 

Book Reviews - 1 

How to See Life: A Guide in 3 2 1 

By Glen Scrivener, 

10 Publishing, £8.99 

Perspective is 

everything. So how 

do you see life? This 

book is your chance to 

slow down, get your 

bearings, and look 

again at life according 

to Jesus.It is an introduction to the 

deepest Christian truths. It also works 

with 321, a free interactive course: 

https://speaklife.org.uk/321course 

Like or Follow: what every teenager 

needs to decide about Jesus 

By Dave Boden, 

10Publishing, £4.99 

Whatever your first 

impression of the 

most famous person 

in history, many 

young people claim 

He is still relevant to 

their lives today. This 

simple introduction to Jesus for the 

curious will help you to explore why so 

many people build their lives around 

his teaching. You’ll be introduced to 

the facts and evidence about Jesus 

and discover how he can reframe your 

world with hope and purpose. It is a 

great read for teens who may think 

they've heard it all before, as well as 

teens who haven't. 

Honesty Over Silence – it’s OK not to 

be OK 

By Patrick Regan, 

SPCK, £9.99 

This book talks about 

spirituality and mental 

health in a way that 

shows you that you are 

not alone. It tackles 

topics that many find 

difficult, such as trusting God when 

life is painful, dealing with anxiety 

and depression, learning to look after 

ourselves, developing our character, 

and living with thankful hearts even 

in tough seasons. It examines our 

strength in letting go of our need to 

be in control, as well as looking at how 

we can stop comparing ourselves to 

others, and instead live authentically 

and honestly as we grow into the 

people God has created us to be.

THE ARTS — 2 

Book Reviews - 2 

God Made Activity Book – Science 

activities celebrating God’s creation 

By Lizzie Henderson 

& Steph Bryant, SPCK 

£6.99 

This children’s book 

is a fun-filled science 

sticker activity book 

celebrating God's 

creation. 20 pages of 

scenes and activities 

engage children in celebrating the 

creativity and diversity of all that God 

made with over 30 large stickers of 

animals, planets and natural features. 

The 'God Made' series encourages 

young children to explore more about 

the world around them, and tells 

them about the loving God who made 

it all. Written in collaboration with 

The Faraday Institute for Science and 

Religion, it is an ideal way to help 

children engage with and celebrate God 

and his universe. 

On the Way to Work 

By Chris Gillies, 

BRF, £12.99 

Does your work give you 

a sense of purpose? How 

do you feel when work 

serves up difficulties 

and problems? Is there 

a God, and might God 

have something to say about how 

we work? Weaving together Biblical 

perspectives with academic research 

and his own experiences of working, 

Chris Gillies lays the theological 

foundation for work, then examines 

Biblical role models and concludes by 

exploring common issues we wrestle 

with in our work, from money matters 

or managing and leading others to 

knowing if we’re in the right job or 

doing the right thing. 

Beyond Disaster: A Survivor’s Guide 

to Spiritual First Aid 

Bible Society, £4.99 

A Bible-based resource, 

it is aimed at providing 

spiritual first aid to the 

people of Ukraine who 

have been affected by 

the tragedy. Free copies 

are available through 

the Bible Society if you are actively 

involved with refugees. 

Food for a Journey Bible Themes: 

365-Day Devotional 

Various Authors, Edited 

Elizabeth McQuoid, IVP, 

£25.99 

This book provides 

Bible readings for 

the whole year from 

trusted Bible teachers 

at the Keswick 

Convention. 

Featuring well-known speakers 

such as Alistair Begg, Don Carson, 

Jonathan Lamb, Peter Maiden 

and many more, it offers daily 

encouragement to draw closer to God 

through his word. 

The book is an omnibus of the 

Food for the Journey Themes series, 

with a theme for each month of the 

year. It features three brand new 

themes that are only available in this 

volume: Grace, Suffering and The 

Holy Spirit. 

Notes on Feminism – being a 

Woman in a Church led by Men 

By Lauren Windle, SPCK, £12.99 

Can I truly be a 

feminist and still go to 

church? 

As Christians we come 

to the conversation 

from a slightly 

different vantage 

point. For starters, we 

have the benefit of a 

personal relationship with our creator 

plus the ultimate handbook in the 

Bible to work out what is right and just 

when it comes to equality. 

So why do many Christians feel the 

Bible presents a barrier rather than a 

boost when it comes to championing 

equality between the sexes? 

Lauren Windle draws on her years 

as a journalist to weave together 

a range of voices on a subject that 

society has been wrestling with but, in 

the Church, few are brave enough to 

probe too deeply for fear of what they 

might find. 

It isn’t here to tell you what to 

think. It is intended to inform your 

opinion on key topics, including: 

defining feminism, the lessons 

we teach boys, female preachers, 

a woman’s place in the household, 

beauty standards and Church. 


Poetry Corner 

'So my tongue will sing to you praise' 

Gorodenkov, dreamstime.com 

Salvation Sure 

By Steven Rolling 

Psalm 30 v1-5 and v10-12 

Tune: Ode To Joy 

I will extol you, O Lord, for 

You have raised me up, ‘tis sure 

Not made my foes rejoice o’er me 

But your saving help I see 

O Lord my God, I to you cried 

You have healed me, not denied 

Brought up my soul from the low grave 

Kept me alive, me did save 

Sing to the Lord, saints, His people 

Give thanks for His mercies all 

Remembering His holiness 

He will look to us, us bless 

His anger endures a moment 

Holds it not e’er, does relent 

In His favour is life and grace 

His benefits we may trace 

Weeping may endure for a night 

But joy comes with sweet delight 

In the morning, the light does dawn 

Stay not ever sad or mourn 

Hear, O Lord, have mercy on me 

And too my strong helper be 

You have turned for me my mourning 

Into dancing, praise I bring 

You have put off my sackcloth dull 

I rejoice with all my soul 

You have girded me with gladness 

Are good to me, I confess 

So my tongue will sing to you praise 

Not be silent, worship raise 

O Lord my God, I will you give 

Thanks for ever, you e’er live


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THE SCIENCES 

Wonders of the 

Living World 

By Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, church 

engagement director at The Faraday 

Institute for Science and Religion, 

Cambridge asks: 

You might be used to hearing 

phrases like ‘your genetic blueprint’ 

or ‘survival of the fittest’, but are 

they helpful or even accurate? Some 

of these words fail to capture the 

wonder and joy of understanding 

something new about the nature of 

living organisms. 

I learned that one researcher was 

using the phrase ‘The Snuggle for 

Existence’ as a way to convey the 

idea, familiar to biologists, that 

cooperation is at the heart of the 

living world. 

For example, every cell more 

complex than a bacterium contains 

minute energy factories, each 

one containing their own piece of 

DNA – which makes them a sort of 

miniature cell, hidden away inside 

the larger host cell. 

These ‘mitochondria’, as biologists 

call them, turn raw materials from 

the host into chemical energy. In 

this way, everyone benefits: the 

mitochondria now have a safe a place 

to live, and the host receives the 

energy it needs. 

There are many more examples 

of organisms working together to 

produce something that is more than 

Please remember your 

donations for the 

Woodley Food Bank 

Please inside remember St Andrew's your 

Church which is open 

10am - 4pm every day 

donations for the Woodley Food 

Bank and place them in the box 

just inside St Andrew's Church. 

Thank you! 

the sum of its parts, where often the 

individual parts could not survive on 

their own. 

‘The Map of Life’ is a way of 

describing the regularities we see in 

biological processes. 

Eyes, legs and wings have emerged 

in the living world again and again, 

and why not? 

If the properties of light and 

gravity remain constant, we should 

expect living things to find the same 

solutions to seeing or getting around. 

When we look at these organisms’ 

family trees, we see they share a 

common ancestor that had no eyes, 

or no wings. 

EVIDENCE 

These structures have developed 

completely independently, or you 

could say that the paths of the living 

world have converged on the same 

solution. 

That’s not to say they had a 

conscious goal, but that the world 

has certain properties, and those 

properties have channelled biological 

processes in certain directions. 

None of these stories give us 

definite evidence for God. Science 

simply provides data, which can often 

be interpreted in several different 

ways. 

Perhaps the world just happens to 

be full of mathematical regularities, 

maybe there’s an over-arching 

physical law we don’t yet understand, 

or perhaps there are multiple 

universes and ours happens to be the 

one in which life has arisen. 

But I believe that the observations 

scientists make about the living 

world are compatible with the 

existence of the God described by 

Christian faith. 

More at: 

http://wondersofthelivingworld.org 


HISTORY 

Was it really? 

. . . 200 YEARS AGO on 16 June 1824, 

that a London vicar, Arthur Broome, 

and 22 of his friends, including the 

anti-slavery campaigner, William 

Wilberforce, met at Old Slaughter's 

Coffee House to found the first 

national animal protection society 

in the world. In 1840 Queen Victoria 

agreed that it to be was called the 

Royal Society for the Prevention of 

Cruelty to Animals (see page ?) 

. . . 150 YEARS AGO on 22 June 1874, 

that the first lawn tennis sets went on 

sale in London. They were designed 

by Walter Clopton Wingfield, who is 

credited with having invented modern 

lawn tennis. 

. . . 100 YEARS AGO on 8 June 

1924 that George Mallory, British 

mountaineer, disappeared on Mount 

Everest. His body was found in 1999. 

. . . 80 YEARS AGO on 6 June 1944 

that D-Day and the Normandy 

Landings took place. (see page ?). 

. . . ALSO 80 YEARS AGO in 1944 

that Germany launched the first V1 

flying bomb - doodlebug -attack on 

London. 


that George Orwell’s novel 1984 was 

published. 


that the Beatles’ first world tour was 

held. Over two months they played 30 

concerts in seven countries. 


that chemists at the University 

of California, Irvine, published 

the first report that warned that 

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could 

damage the Earth’s ozone layer. CFCs 

were widely used in refrigerators, air 

conditioning systems and aerosols. 


that the jihadist group Islamic State 

of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL 

or Daesh) formally changed its name 

to the Islamic State and declared 

itself a caliphate. It was formed in 

1999 as an affiliate of the terrorist 

organisation Al-Qaeda.


PUZZLE PAGE — 1 

BIBLE CROSSWORD 

Across 

1 Military tactic used by Joshua to attack and destroy the city of Ai 

(Joshua 8:2) (6) 

4 Place of learning (6) 

8 ‘When Moses’ hands grew — , they took a stone and put it under him 

and he sat on it’ (Exodus 17:12) (5) 

9 Unpleasant auguries of the end of the age, as forecast by Jesus 

(Matthew 24:7) (7) 

10 Stronghold to which girls in King Xerxes’ harem (including Esther) were 

taken (Esther 2:8) (7) 

11 Where Saul went to consult a medium before fighting the Philistines 

(1 Samuel 28:7) (5) 

12 Propitiation (Hebrews 2:17) (9) 

17 Turn away (Jeremiah 11:15) (5) 

19 So clear (anag.) (7) 

21 ‘I have just got — , so I can’t come’: one excuse to be absent from the 

great banquet (Luke 14:20) (7) 

22 Long weapon with a pointed head used by horsemen (Job 39:23) (5) 

23 Musical beat (6) 

24 What the Israelites were told to use to daub blood on their door-frames 

at the first Passover (Exodus 12:22) (6) 

Down 

1 Fasten (Exodus 28:37) (6) 

2 Art bite (anag.) (7) 

3 ‘The people of the city were divided; some — with the Jews, others with 

the apostles’ (Acts 14:4) (5) 

5 Contend (Jeremiah 12:5) (7) 

6 Possessed (Job 1:3) (5) 

7 Sheen (Lamentations 4:1) (6) 

9 ‘You love evil rather than good, — rather than speaking the truth’ 

(Psalm 52:3) (9) 

13 Large flightless bird (Job 39:13) (7) 

14 They were worth several hundred pounds each (Matthew 25:15) (7) 

15 ‘A — went out to sow his seed’ (Matthew 13:3) (6) 

16 How Jesus described Jairus’s daughter when he went into the room 

where she lay (Mark 5:39) (6) 

18 The part of the day when the women went to the tomb on the first 

Easter morning (John 20:1) (5) 

20 Narrow passageway between buildings (Luke 14:21) (5) 

Flower Verse Search by Ralph 

A 

N 

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K 

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Y 

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Ralph's ‘verse search’ grid above contains the names of 25 

flowers whose names begin: 2A; 2B; C; D; F; 4H; 4L; N; 2O; 

P; 2R; 3S; V. If you find all 25 you will also notice that the 

unused letters in the grid spell out a relevant verse from 

the Good News Bible. You might even manage to identify 

the verse. Good luck, and God Bless! 

Write your answers here . . . 

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH'S WORD SEARCH 

ARCHAEOPTERIX 

BANSHEE 

BASILISK 

BIGFOOT 

BUNYIP 

CHIMERA 

ELF 

FAIRY 

V 

A 

H 

I 

R 

H 

Y 

N 

O 

E 

U 

U 

F 

R 

N 

N 

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C 

A 

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F 

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G 

D 

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E 

S 

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O 

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S 

A 

F 

S 

A 

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A 

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N 

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C 

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T 

N 

A 

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G 

A 

L 

D 

H 

A 

S 

T 

S 

A 

K 

F 

G 

S 

U 

GRIFFIN 

IGUANODON 

KRAKEN 

LEPRACHAUN 

MERMAID 

MINDTAUR 

PEGASUS 

PTERODACTYL 

ROC 

U 

R 

O 

O 

S 

C 

T 

C 

R 

O 

S 

E 

I 

A 

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O 

D 

W 

Y 

T 

U 

R 

T 

U 

S 

O 

L 

P 

L 

T 

B 

Y 

R 

W 

B 

U 

I 

O 

E 

S 

C 

L 

A 

V 

I 

SAUROPOD 

SPHINX 

TRICERATOPS 

TROLL 

UNICORN 

VELOCIRAPTOR 

WEREWOLF 

ZOMBIE 

The hidden Bible verse was from Genesis 6:14 

(Good News Bible) 

BUILD A BOAT FOR YOURSELF OUT OF 

GOOD TIMBER 

W 

H 

O 

N 

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Y 

S 

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K 

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PUZZLE PAGE — 2 

CROSSWORD 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

7 8 

9 10 

11 

12 

13 

14 15 

SUDOKU 


answers in the next issue 

May Solutions 

CROSSWORD 

B U S T B L A C K E N S 

E E P A O N E 

G I N S E N G N O O S E 

R D R S U K 

U N S U S P E C T I N G 

D E Q I C G 

G E T V A U N T E L L 

E H E I U I 

M I S R E P R E S E N T 

C E A N Q T 

H A V E N B E C A U S E 

I E C U Y A R 

C I S T E R N S A L L Y 

18 19 20 

22 23 

24 

16 17 

Across 

Across 

- Mixing together (11) 

1 - Mixing together (11) 

- Sudden constriction (5) 

9 - Sudden constriction (5) 

10 - Marry (3) 

10 - Marry (3) 

11 - One of the United Arab Emirates (5) 

11 - One of the United Arab 

12 - Warning noise (5) 

Emirates (5) 

13 - Signs for public display (8) 

12 - Warning noise (5) 

16 - Astronaut (8) 

13 - Signs for public display (8) 

18 - Vaulted (5) 

16 - Astronaut (8) 

21 - Not illuminated (5) 

18 - Vaulted (5) 

22 - Eg pecan or cashew (3) 

21 - Not illuminated (5) 

23 - Entices (5) 

22 - Eg pecan or cashew (3) 

24 - Founded (11) 

23 - Entices (5) 

24 - Founded (11) 

21 

Down 

Down 

2 - Unconventional (7) 

2 - Unconventional (7) 

3 - Eg the Phantom of the 

4 - Approached (6) 

Opera (7) 

5 - Eg arms and legs (5) 

4 - Approached (6) 

6 - More recent (5) 

5 - Eg arms and legs (5) 

7 - Free from control (11) 

6 - More recent (5) 

8 - Forever (2,9) 

7 - Free from control (11) 

8 - Forever (2,9) 

15 - Beseech (7) 

14 - Levels a charge against (7) 

15 - Beseech (7) 

19 - Small dust particles (5) 

17 - Conduct reconnaissance (6) 

20 - Triangular river mouth (5) 

19 - Small dust particles (5) 

20 - Triangular river mouth (5) 

3 - Eg the Phantom of the Opera (7) 

14 - Levels a charge against (7) 

17 - Conduct reconnaissance (6) 

Each of the nine blocks has to contain all the 

numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number 

can only appear once in a row, column or box. 

WORDSEARCH FOR JUNE 

Erasmus, patron saint of sailors 

CODEWORD 

H U D D L E P M J 

O A S H A D O W E D 

T A N S R N J 

T C A R A F E A Q U A 

E E Y N R N 

R I D E R S T A C K E D 

V H S H 

M A N A G E R P Y L O N 

M C X G I O 

Z E B U A T R I U M T 

N A G A P H I 

E D I T I O N S E F 

S E N P O E T R Y 

SUDOKU 

WORDSEARCH 

CODEWORD 

8 20 11 3 12 11 3 8 13 10 3 12 

20 3 13 3 8 17 

10 18 23 12 16 20 10 22 2 

10 26 13 23 7 20 12 3 14 18 

8 20 3 3 18 9 11 3 10 

13 11 12 3 11 22 2 4 3 1 

11 10 10 13 2 11 

26 25 12 3 10 23 11 22 16 3 

10 8 11 20 21 18 3 26 12 

18 23 11 3 24 20 15 8 3 12 

4 20 5 7 21 24 2 22 3 

19 3 3 22 23 11 

6 20 23 26 22 13 2 23 20 7 3 10 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 

N 

F 

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 

M 

Do you like messing about in boats? If so, 

then you’ll have heard of St Elmo’s Fire. 

It is the light that is sometimes seen on 

mastheads of boats after storms at sea. 

St Elmo is another name for St Erasmus, 

a fourth century Syrian bishop who was not 

afraid of violent storms. 

Legend has it that one day when Erasmus 

was preaching outside, a thunderbolt hit the 

ground right beside him. 

That might have distracted modern 

bishops, but not Erasmus – he just kept on 

preaching. His courage won him the respect 

of sailors, who made him their patron saint. 

Erasmus finally died during the Diocletian 

persecutions in 300AD, and his feast day is 

2 June. 

BOATS 

ELMO 

FIRE 

LIGHT 

STORM 

SEA 

FOURTH 

CENTURY 

BISHOP 

LEGEND 

PREACHING 

THUNDER 

GROUND 

RESPECT 

COURAGE 

SAILORS 

SAINTS 

DIED 

PERSECUTION 

MASTHEAD 

BIBLE CROSSWORD



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0798 495 7334 http://www.berkshirestumpremoval 

HANDYMAN & DECORATING SERVICES 

Reliable and affordable 

Small jobs a speciality! 

Call Andy on 0795 810 0128 

http://www.handyman-reading.co.uk 

HANDY MAN & TV / SATELLITE REPAIRS 

Surveys on houses with a drone 

Most jobs undertaken 

Please call Phil on: 

0797 950 3908 

COMPUTER FRUSTRATIONS? 

For jargon free help with your computer problems 

PC & laptop repairs, upgrades, installations, virus removal 

Free advice, reasonable rates 

0798 012 9364 help@computerfrustrations.co.uk 

BIG HEART TREE CARE 

Reliable and friendly service for all tree care 

NPTC qualified — Public Liability of £10million 

0118 937 1929 0786 172 4071 

bighearttreecare.co.uk info@bighearttreecare.co.uk 

SMALLWOOD 

Landscaping, garden construction, 

patios, lawns, fencing, decking etc 

0118 969 8989 https://www.smallwoodlandscaping.co.uk/ 

office@smallwoodlandscaping.co.uk

CHILDREN'S PAGE 

The Parish Magazine - June 2024 41

42 The Parish Magazine - June 2024 Please mention The Parish Magazine when replying to advertisements 

information — 2 

Parish contacts 

Ministry Team 

— The Vicar: Revd Jamie Taylor (Day off Friday) 

The Parish Office, Thames Street, Sonning, RG4 6UR 

vicar@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

— Youth Minister: Chris West (Westy) 

youthminister@sonningparish.org.uk / 0794 622 4106 

— Licensed Lay Minister: Bob Peters 

bob@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 377 5887 

— Female Youth and Children's Worker: Corinne Robertson 

corinne@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

Churchwardens 

— Stuart Bowman sdbowman73@aol.com / 0118 978 8414 

— Liz Nelson liz.nelson1@ntlworld.com / 0779 194 4270 

Deputy Churchwardens 

— Simon Darvall sdarvall@businessmoves.com / 0793 928 2535 

— Terry Hunt terencehunt@me.com / 0773 470 7368 

— Sue Peters mail@susanjpeters.com / 0118 377 5887 

— Ruth Jeffery, ruth@jefferyfamily.net / 0797 101 8730 

Parish Office Manager 

— Hilary Rennie, office@sonningparish.org.uk / 0118 969 3298 

Parochial Church Council 

— Secretary: Hilary Rennie 0118 969 3298 

— Treasurer: Jerry Wood 0118 969 3298 

Director of Music, Organist and Choirmaster 

— Richard Meehan MA ARCO 

music@sonningparish.org.uk 

Safeguarding Officer 

— Nicola Riley: nic.nige@sky.com / 0742 517 3359 

Sonning Bell Ringers 

— Tower Captain: Pam Elliston 

pam.elliston@talktalk.net / 0118 969 5967 

— Deputy Tower Captain: Rob Needham 

r06needham@gmail.com / 0118 926 7724 

Advertisers' index 

ABD Construction 6 

Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society 6 

ACG Services Locksmith 40 

Active Security 30 

AMS Water Softeners 14 

Barn Store Henley 6 

Berkshire Stump Removals 40 

BHR Maintenance 40 

Big Heart Tree Care 40 

Blandy & Blandy Solicitors 40 

Blue Moose 14 

Bridges Homecare Meals on Wheels 12 

Bull Inn 32 

Canon Tree Care 30 

Chole Lefroy Counselling 40 

Clark Bicknell Bignall Plumbing and Heating 

40 

Computer Frustrations 40 

Crosfields School 32 

French Horn 4 

Gardiners Home Care 32 

Good Oaks Home Care 26 

Great House Sonning 12 

Handyman and Decorating Services 40 

Handyman and Satellite TV repairs 40 

Haslams Estate Agents 2 

Hicks Group 18 

Home Stair Lifts 18 

Kingfisher Bathrooms 30 

MC Cleaning 40 

Mill at Sonning 44 

Muck & Mulch 18 

Reading Blue Coat School 14 

Richfield Flooring 16 

Sabella Home Furnishing 34 

Shiplake College 16 

Smallwood Landscaping 40 

Sonning Golf Club 16 

Sonning Scouts 32 

Studio DFP 40 

Thames Valley Water Softeners 40 

Thames Chimney Sweep 40 

The Abbey Nursery 43 

Tomalin Funerals 14 

Walker Funerals 12 

Water Softener Salt 18 

Window Cleaner 18 

St Andrew's Church Parish Website 

http://www.sonningparish.org.uk 

The Parish Magazine: http://www.theparishmagazine.co.uk 

— Editor: Bob Peters 

editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 377 5887 

— Advertising: Harriet Nelson 

advertising@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0770 707 7773 

— Print and Distribution: Gordon Nutbrown 

classified@theparishmagazine.co.uk / 0118 969 3282 

The Parish Magazine is produced by St Andrew’s PCC and delivered 

free of charge to every home in Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye. 

The Parish Magazine is printed in the United Kingdom by 

Sarum Graphics Ltd, Old Sarum, Salisbury SP4 6QX 

The Parish Magazine is distributed by 

Abracadabra Leaflet Distribution Ltd, Reading RG7 1AW 

The Parish Magazine template was designed in 2012 by 

Roger Swindale rogerswindale@hotmail.co.uk 

and David Woodward david@designforprint.org

Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to this advertisement 


AB0049_The_Abbey_Little_Knellies_Ad_175x255.indd 1 06/03/2024 09:32


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6 JUNE- 13 JULY 2024 1 AUGUST - 21 SEPTEMBER 2024 

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On Wednesday Mornings, enjoy a magical 

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dressing up and colouring in activities in the 

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BOX OFFICE: (0118) 969 8000 

millatsonning.com

The Parish Magazine June 2024

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