Welcome
We said goodbye to Tom, Jenny, Michael and Ella de Jonge and welcome to Teresa who has moved into Stoneleigh in Church Street. We hope you will be very happy in the Village.
Kathy Rhind-Tutt (nee Rose)
It was with sadness the Village learnt that Kathy had passed away on 22nd October, peacefully, at her home in Wilton. Kathy was the eldest of six Rose siblings born to Albert and May in the village in 1927. She attended the village school until she was 11, before moving on to Shrewton school. Kathy married David Rhind-Tutt from Stapleford in 1953 and moved to London, where David, with three brothers, ran a family building business in Paddington, whilst Kathy ran a corner shop next to their home in Acton. Most weekends they returned to their house in the village which the family still own to the present day. The funeral service will be in Stapleford where she will be reunited with David. All our thoughts are with sons Simon and David and their families, Kathy’s remaining brothers, Laurence and Colin, and everyone who knew her at this sad time. IW
Harvest
A huge thank you to everyone involved in decorating the church – it looked magnificent! If you weren’t able to get to the church, there are some photographs on the Winterbourne Stoke Facebook page. We had quite a few visitors from other villages in the Benefice and people from the campsite. It was lovely to see the church filled with flowers and vegetables on every ledge and windowsill.
Christmas Wreaths
Due to the second COVID Lockdown, we have moved the Christmas wreath workshop from November and will be holding 2 sessions: Friday 4th December at 10.30 and Sunday 6th December at 2.30pm. There are still a couple of places, so let Olivia know if you’re interested. More details about this are on the Facebook page (Winterbourne Stoke Notifications Group) and Village Notice Board.
Carols in the Village
Saturday 12th December – 5.00-6.00pm
We will be singing Carols round the village with some of the children dressed up and telling the story of the Nativity as we process round the village (there may even be some animals joining us)! Due to COVID regulations, we will have to be in socially distanced family bubbles and wearing masks. However, we do hope you will come to your doors or garden gates to join in. The programme will be as follows:
• Meet in pub car park at 4.55 – first Carol.
• Gather at the top end of Church Street at 5.05 – 2nd Carol
• Gather in Brook Close 5.15 – 3rd Carol
• Gather on Bridge 5.25 – 4th Carol
• Gather in Meadow View at 5.35 – 5th Carol
• Gather in St Peter’s Close at 5.45 – 6th Carol
• Gather at the Church at 5.55 – 7th Carol
If you’d like to join the group as we process through the Village, you are very welcome! There will be mince pies, sausage rolls and mulled wine in the churchyard at the end to look forward to! Please let Olivia or Dee know if you/your child(ren) would like to take part and need help with costumes.
Comfort and Joy
Christmas can be a lonely time for those living alone or unable to get out. The past 9 months have taught us all the importance of caring for everyone in our communities and how even the simplest gestures can spread kindness. With many facing tough times due to the pandemic (whether financially or feeling isolated), please let the churchwardens (Olivia and Dee) know if we can do anything to help you or a neighbour. It may be a case of quietly dropping off a food parcel – no-one else needs to know; helping with shopping or with something that needs to be done in your house. Let’s make sure that the message of Comfort and Joy reaches everyone this Christmas.
Activities
It’s been a challenging year for many of us, so it’s nice to find an outlet for a little fun and frolicks especially at Christmas and even better if it can be kept within the rules! So this year something a little different:
Father Christmas is to visit Winterbourne Stoke
This year because of COVID, Santa has decided that it might be better to visit the children at home. He will be taking a ride around the village delivering his presents and popping them on the doorstep. He will be visiting over the weekend of 19/20th December, keep an ear out and wave him on his journey, he may even bring some of his pesky helpers with him. Keep an eye out on Facebook and notice boards nearer the time to see his planned route around the village. If the village children could hang a red ribbon or bell on their front doors it may help Santa find the right house.
Secret Santa/sending presents to neighbours
For a little bit of fun it would be nice to hold a Village NO MONEY Secret Santa. Ideas for this could be homemade cakes/jams/chutneys or a cutting or seeds from a favourite plant etc. If you’d like to take part, please contact Teresa or Sarah Holtby.
If you would also like to send a private gift to a neighbour by more magical means please also let us know and Santa can deliver it for you.
Christmas Festival of Lights
Following on from the great success of the scarecrow trail earlier in the year. We would like to start a village festival of lights. It would be lovely to take an evening walk about the village to see houses, trees and maybe window decorations. It would also light up the road for Santa on his travels.
Children’s Christmas Craft Bags
The Village Preservation Society are putting together Christmas craft bags for the children to do over the Christmas period. Full details will be posted on Facebook and notice boards when they are available to purchase for £3.50.
Worldwide Christmas Eve Jingle
On Christmas Eve at 6pm local time people are asked to come outside and ring a bell for 2 minutes to spread the Christmas Spirit and to help Santa fly his sleigh. It aims to create a wave of bells across the world. After a tough year it will be a lovely memory for the children and community and we can end 2020 with a bit of magic, hope and togetherness.
The Village Telephone Box Book Swap
The book swap has a range of festive Books, CDs, and DVDs and for both children and adults to get you in the festive mood and enjoy on the colder days. Please feel free to come and browse, donate or take away books.