From the editor
Judy Taylor
Welcome!
Hello to all our loyal readers and to any new joiners.
This has been a year of BIG weather. When we sent out the autumn newsletter the sun was shining and it persisted through October and into November. Then came the rain and it’s still not quite gone.
Thoughts go out to Sean, Matthew and Gina who have had to leave their beautiful home in Quarry Wood Road. So many members of the community faced waterlogged adversity, but through it all the strength and kindness of the community shone through.
The rain has affected our farming community too, and even our local shops and restaurants. On the bright side, the tyre companies are smiling as the potholes caused by such wet weather means many flat tyres!
Here's to the summer sun. Through it all, you’ll see that we’ve carried on with many great events and there are lots more to come. We have a full diary of wonderful opportunities to get together and we look forward to catching up with you all before our next edition in the Autumn.
Enjoy the read!
Judy
Our Chair’s Update
Sean Wheeler
Welcome to Spring at last ! ( hopefully)
I am delighted to report Bisham Church Friends is still going from strength to strength with our 4 goals continuing to drive our focus
Raise awareness of our beautiful church
Encourage new people through the door.
Raise funds for the church and local community.
Bring the community together.
Since the Autumn we have continued to host a number of our popular events such as the Quiz Night, our complimentary history coffee mornings and our church history tours all have received growing support so thank you
As always we continue to look for new ways to connect with the different generations in our community. The Jam Choir in the Autumn was a great success bringing many families and young people in and since January we have continued to develop our relationship with Bisham School by adding early morning end of term coffee stops for those dropping the children at school which to date have gone well, especially when a school service is included when we welcome on average 50 adults and 90 children into the church
We have also hosted our first Olive Oil tasting event with Olives from our very own priest John Smiths Olive groves in France. This was a great success so much so we are thinking of hosting another one in the Autumn if there is demand so let me know if you are interested in attending
Our Easter events were well received with 62 people in total from all different churches & the community attending the 6.30am Sunrise Service and 9.30am service and 25 children and 20 adults joining us for our annual Egg Hunt.
Most recently many of us enjoyed the BBO Big Band evening which as always raised the roof. We are hosting our annual Bisham Village event on Saturday 29th June from 1pm-5pm at Bisham school - celebrating the 130th anniversary of the Victorian Classrooms - as always everyone is welcome and there will be lots to for children and adults to enjoy including the great Marlow Ukulele Band back by popular demand - full details can be found below - hope we see you there
Last but not least we will be arranging our annual Friends Event to thank them for their continued support - the date is Thursday 15th August from 7-9pm at Bisham Church and will include a history tour of the church with wine and cheese - look forward to seeing you
Our New Friends continue to grow; welcome to:
Graham Barker
Stewart Featherstone Clark
Sadly, we have lost more of our dear friends so far this year - including Pam Harper and David Pascall. John Lambourne and Pete James are sadly no longer with us but are with us still in spirit. I want to thank them and their families for all their support of the church, the Friends and the local community over the years, they will be sadly missed.
I want to thank all our friends, volunteers and supporters for their continued support by attending many our events and for their generous contributions. We couldn’t do all the great activities we do without them.
The funds we are raising support the church and community, we continue to raise money for a new servery in the church to enable us and other users in the community space to better serve the people they are looking after.
Finally, All Saints Bisham continues to play a key role in the Village Community, so thank you again for your support and hope to see you at our future events.
Sean Wheeler BEM
Chair Bisham Church Friends
MONDAY 20TH MAY -10AM-12 NOON
COMPLIMENTARY COMMUNITY COFFEE MORNING – THE WILLIAMS FAMILY
Homemade cakes & fresh coffee. – history talks start at 10.30am with our local Historian Sheila
FRIDAY 24th MAY 8.30AM-9.30AM NEW
END OF HALF TERM - SCHOOL DROP OFF COFFEE
Change to meet up after dropping the children off - Bisham Church
FRIDAY 14TH JUNE - 1PM-3PM
CHURCH TOUR – BISHAM CHURCH - with Sheila our local historian
£5 pp includes Tea & biscuits. Book via Bisham Church Friends Website
SATURDAY 29TH JUNE 1PM-5PM NEW – EVERYONE WELCOME!!!!!
VILLAGE SUMMER EVENT – CELEBRATING 130 YEARS OF THE VICTORIAN CLASSES - BISHAM SCHOOL
OUTSIDE IF NICE/ INSIDE THE SCHOOL IF WET
BRING YOUR OWN AFTERNOON TEA – PLUS CHAIRS & TABLES IF OUTSIDE
AVAILABLE - CUPCAKES, TEA, COFFEE & SOFT DRINKS, REBELLION BEER & NON ALOCHOLIC PUNCH
UKELELE BAND - BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND & RAFFLE
CHILDREN - VICTORIAN FANCY DRESS COMPETITION, VICTORIAN CRAFTING & GAMES
GO BACK IN TIME IN THE VICTORIAN CLASSROOM & LEARN ABOUT THE SCHOOLS HISTORY
MONDAY 1ST JULY -10AM-12 NOON
COMPLIMENTARY COMMUNITY COFFEE MORNING – SIR HENRY & THE JUBILEE
Homemade cakes & fresh coffee. – history talks start at 10.30am with our local Historian Sheila
FRIDAY 23RD JULY 8.30AM-9.30AM NEW
END OF TERM - SCHOOL DROP OFF COFFEE
Change to meet up after dropping the children off - Bisham Church
THURSDAY 15TH AUGUST - 7PM-9.30PM
FRIENDS SUMMER EVENT – CHURCH TOUR WITH WINE & CHEESE – BISHAM CHURCH
SATURDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER – 11AM-4PM
NATIONAL HERITAGE RIDERS & STRIDERS OPEN DAY – ALL SAINTS BISHAM
CHURCH OPEN FOR SHORT CHURCH TOURS - with Sheila our local historian.
£5 pp includes Tea & biscuits. Book via Bisham Church Friends Website
WEDNESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER -10AM-12 NOON
COMPLIMENTARY COMMUNITY COFFEE MORNING – LIFE IN BISHAM IN 1900
Homemade cakes & fresh coffee. – history talks start at 10.30am with our local Historian Sheila
SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER - 1PM-3PM
CHURCH TOUR – BISHAM CHURCH - with Sheila our local historian
£5 pp includes Tea & biscuits. Book via Bisham Church Friends Website
FUNDS RAISED GO TOWARDS COMMUNITY EVENTS & NEW SERVERY AT THE CHURCH TO HELP HOST EVENTS/ DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, WE ARE THINKING OF HOSTING ANOTHER OLIVE OIL TASTING LATER IN THE YEAR – LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING US
OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE: CHURCH WARDEN, TREASURER, SECRETARY, MAINTANENCE & CLEANING VOLUNTEERS
Book / Contact via BCF website www.bishamchurchfriends.org/ Sean 07808094777
Sheila Featherstone-Clark visits Tingalpa in November 2023
Here is the story of her trip, written in her own words, edited for the Newsletter
As some of you know, Tingalpa is a little pioneer church in South East Queensland, Australia, founded by the Weedon family who emigrated from Bisham in the 1860s. It was celebrating its 155th anniversary and as I was planning to be in Australia staying with friends in Sydney, it made sense to pop up the coast to Brisbane to check out the Chapel as there is already a link.
Of course, distances are very different in Australia, so ‘pop up’ involved a two-and-a-half-hour flight and a one-hour time difference. The Queensland climate is also very different from Sydney. It was 8 degrees in the UK, 24 in Sydney and a tropical 32 degrees when I flew into Brisbane Airport and took the train into the city on Thurs 16th November 2023. The hottest day of the year! Unfazed, I headed to Southbank, home of the Expo 88’ which was changed to a beach in the middle of the city, full of people cooling off with a very nice ibis bird known as the ‘bin chicken’, it may become the symbol of the Brisbane summer Olympics in 2032. Watch this space!
Reliant on public transport, I took a bus to the suburb of Tingalpa (indigenous for the ‘Place of the Fat Kangaroo’) about an hour away from Spring Hill, where I had been advised to stay. Spring Hill is near the delightful botanic gardens by the river and other cultural highlights such as the stunning Brisbane Museum where I was able to study the Australian creatures, birds and fish, close up and stuffed.
I mistakenly thought that the chapel would be obvious and that the bus driver would know it. He didn’t, and neither did the locals. Having gone a stop too far, Donna, the burial warden at Tingalpa, said she would come and fetch me, which she did, in her pickup truck! 5 minutes later we drove through the opening in the white picket fence, through the graveyard, past the gleaming white weatherboarded Chapel on our left, arriving dead on time by the circle of life stones, to be greeted by the volunteer committee who care for this place. (Ray Pini -President, Donna Turner- Vice President, Malcolm Arnold- Treasurer and members Jan Phillips and Neil Thyer)
The Chapel stands proud and bright with its little bell tower alongside, having been recovered from another site. The mid-century silky oak pews were restored having been recovered from a local church selling items. We sat and talked about how the restored chapel provides space for many communities and private functions. They operate in the Franciscan way – open to all. Since the Anglican Church has recently decided to downsize its assets, the profile of the Tingalpa team has risen, to serve displaced groups who want space for reflection and sanctuary. A Spiritual Community hub in the making.
For the history lovers among you... It all started around 1842, when the councils were formed and 3 ships came from England (the river had to be dredged for them to get in). The area was cattle ranches and sugar cane plantations, worked mainly by pacific islanders and female convicts. Female convicts were housed at St Stephens catholic windmill close by. The St Helena prison at Morton Bay for violent men was established in in 1867 and there were wharves on the river, also abattoirs and sugar mills.
This was the sort of rough place the Weedons came to in 1860s from comfortable Bisham. They initiated the building of the ‘bush cathedral’ in 1868 with funds raised locally and significantly from the Bisham parishioners, more of whom were to come to Tingalpa.
In 1881 Fort Lytton was built to defend Brisbane; by 1920 there was an animal quarantine station here and an oil refinery on the river. Malcom from another pioneer family (Arnold) explained that the land was gradually sold off by his family for the Cannon Hill shopping centre and other uses. His family graves are here, and he knows there is a space for him which he finds strangely comforting.
The land with the chapel was originally twice the size but half of it was sold by the Anglican Church to Smiths, to build the crisp factory. Heritage listing in 1996 has protected this little oasis of calm which was de-consecrated that year.
Jackie Butler is credited with saving the chapel, which had already been destroyed or abandoned 3 times, forming a volunteer heritage group in 2002 . Licenced celebrants still conduct weddings and funeral ceremonies here, and it is perfect for small gatherings. For example, a recent Samoan wedding was a joyful affair with 6 hours of laughter, singing and dancing, for which the chapel was used. The space under the new awning and the circle of life stones created a sitting area with an impression of the local river in the paving and huge blocks of stone to sit on.
The Chapel is now held on a 5-year ‘licence to occupy’ through the Anglican church and as an historic building it is protected. It aims to be sustainable, with solar panels providing a passive income. The committee recruits volunteers, holds events to raise money and applies for grants to maintain the building and the land.
Donna negotiated for the Anglican church to pay the rates, they charge $500 per wedding and Momentum (a choir of about 25 members) practices regularly in the chapel. Anyone entering the front gates becomes part of the heartbeat of the community.
Tingalpa is unique in being deconsecrated yet still having an operational graveyard, a quiet, peaceful place behind the church shielded from the traffic noise. It was clothed in purple jacaranda blossom and scented with lavender. Donna explained that there are rules for burials: the Anglican brotherhood (entry aged 14) have priority, followed by direct descendants of the pioneer families.
Neil, a classic car enthusiast, has done an excellent job of tracing the pioneer families through the adopt a grave initiative, which has seen local people involved in renovating the plots and adding plaques showing information about the families and finding descendants. Also, the original grave-markers have been copied and reinstated where missing so that each plot has a number for ease of locating.
Just like Bisham Church Friends, the Tingalpa committee runs events to bring in the community and to help with the running costs. I particularly liked Noseworks the competitive sensory trail through the graveyard, for dogs that uses the space.
Decoration Day is an anniversary in October each year to celebrate the consecration of the site. The graves are decorated by families and the community. 155 years on since 1868, and it’s a big celebration for all, honouring the Jefferies family in 2023. A fun fete style event takes place with the locals attending, many stall holders, food trucks and the Koala Society exhibiting along with the Austin Seven Car Club, Heritage Motorcycles, and the Queensland Choir (over 26 vocalists performed) founded by R.T Jefferies, Pioneer family buried on site.
The Friends’ profile is rising after some years of hard work. Local dignitaries and politicians are discovering this little historic gem and its wonderful space. The Committee works tirelessly to bring in new (younger) volunteers, keeping an eye on finance and painstakingly cataloguing old records and photos for posterity. Jan Phillips, also by marriage a descendant of the Pioneers, has produced several versions of a beautiful pictorial history of the chapel to share the story.
Bisham is not alone in facing the challenge of preserving an old church and opening it to the community. I was made very welcome by Donna and the committee. If you plan to travel down under, do visit Tingalpa.
I still do not know why the wealthy Weedon family left a comfortable life in England for a rough pioneer existence in the sugar cane fields and cattle ranches of newly named Queensland. Perhaps Thomas wanted a new challenge after selling his 3 paper mills at Temple, even if his family were not keen to go. Other families from all over England joined them and the Weedon graves remain prominent in the middle of the graveyard. And the chapel still has more stories to tell. Donna says, ‘Her heart-beat lives on from History to Her-story’. Bless.
Visit of the Hoby family to Bisham Church
Sheila took the Hoby family around the church in early April. They were fascinated to see their family’s history
The reach of the remarkable Hoby family’s history was highlighted in April with the visit of 3 generations of the family from Australia.
Dr Mark Hoby brought his daughters and grandchildren to explore their roots. Their branch of the family, descended from another brother of Sir Philip, produced George Hoby I, the bootmaker in 1780s.
Maker of the Wellington boot for the famous Duke, he was the most fashionable bootmaker in London; by appointment to 4 royal Dukes by 1809 with the Prince of Wales, the aristocracy and officers of the army and navy patronising his establishment in St James Square, next to the Old Guards club.
He had started from nothing to build the business which employed 300 men, as his father, Richard Hoby of Mansell Lacey, had gambled away all the money. However, the family’s non-conformist beliefs lead to challenges in the early 1800s, resulting in grandson George Hoby III emigrating to New Zealand with his wife Hannah in 1851.
They sailed on the Fatima, settling in New Plymouth, Taranaki where George became a farmer and a military photographer. This line still prospers and Mark, who moved to Australia, is the third member of that family to make contact (he did not know the other two).
Imagine if they had been known about, they could have been living in the Abbey!
Welcoming Reverend Carol Cooper to our community
(This piece is an edited reprint of the one that appeared in the ASB March newssheet from John Smith, for those who missed it)
Hello everyone!
I’m Carol, and I’m married to Simon. We have two grown up children, Laura and Jonathan. Laura is married to Dean-Paul, and they currently live in Grand Cayman, but are moving back to the UK in September; they and we are excited to welcome our first grandchild (a little girl!) in June this year.
Our son lives in Bristol with his girlfriend. As a family we have travelled around quite a bit, living in Bracknell, Wetherby and Washington DC, before settling in Furze Platt, Maidenhead about 25 years ago.
Before I was ordained, I was a secondary school teacher, working firstly at Furze Platt Senior School, and then at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, so I’m quite familiar with Marlow, having frequented Burgers Coffee Shop on numerous occasions! I was also a member of Marlow Tennis Club for a while, and still play each week… I can’t say I’ve improved much over the years but I do love the game!
I spent some time teaching at Primary schools, mainly Furze Platt Junior and Courthouse schools in Maidenhead, before entering the process of discernment for Ordination. I was Ordained Deacon in 2020, which was a challenge as we were all locked down during the pandemic, and then Priested in 2021. I was a member of St Peters Church for 25 years, and served my curacy there, finishing in January this year.
During my time at St Peters, I think I pretty much had a go at everything, except Churchwarden! I was Worship Pastor for about 14 years in total. I ran a Toddler group, a House Group, Alpha courses and many other things!
I am looking forward to getting to know you all, as we look to Jesus and follow Him together in our everyday lives.
Every blessing
Carol
A Review of our Olive Oil Tasting afternoon (followed by wine!)
Shirley Jenkins-Pandya
Shirley says...
I must confess to slight trepidation on signing up to this event (surely wine tasting would be preferable!). I need not have worried - being greeted by the indefatigable Sean with a large glass of wine allayed any fears!
We were treated to a fascinating talk by our wonderfully avuncular vicar, John Smith, revealing his passion for olive trees and their history. With Van Gogh and the occasional biblical reference, he gave us a potted history and an explanation of how the oil is produced, made all the more interesting by having his own vineyard in Provence.
We then moved on to small tables for our blind tasting: we had to make tasting notes and decide which two were from John's vineyard, which was a supermarket best and which had been voted best in the world!
We were advised to swirl and sniff then sip and slurp with sliced apple available to cleanse the palate and bread on hand for those who preferred to dip. This led to lively discussion and was great fun. Tastes varied but many agreed on which was number 1 in the world!
Many thanks to all involved in the excellent organisation, particularly Sean and John. It was a most original and enjoyable fund raiser for our church Friends.
Jackie Marfleet is this edition’s HIDDEN TREASURE
Prior to becoming involved with Bisham Church Friends, Jackie acted as the Secretary for the Bisham Church Council, minuting the monthly meetings and preparing the written report for the Annual General Meeting, Together with her husband, Steve, she also participated in the Sidesman’s rota and took part in the Readings in church and at the Christmas service.
She helped with the marketing and promotion of church events, distributing fliers and promotional literature and even became famous, albeit momentarily, when she appeared on Marlow FM to promote the summer concert.
During COVID, she helped with the pastoral side of the church, phoning all members of the congregation to make sure that nobody felt left alone and helped with shopping and running errands where required.
Jackie never missed a beat as administrator for the Bisham Church Friends. She has sensibly led us in the right direction and is always smiling and helpful.
Sadly, she has decided to resign from the Friends Committee, and we’ll miss her on our team, but wish her well for the future and look forward to bumping into her when she’s back visiting.
In the meantime, here’s a ‘slice of her life’, showcasing wonderful Helmsley, to encourage us all to go and visit her!
Notes from the North
By Jackie Marfleet
I have been the Administrator for Bisham Church Friends for the past 3 years. Before that I was part of the Bisham Church Council and an active member of All Saint’s Bisham where my husband and I were married in 2016.
In September 2023 we took, what felt like, a very big step of moving to Helmsley in North Yorkshire. Helmsley is a small market town on the river Rye and is situated on the edge of the north Yorkshire moors. I know that I’m biased but it is an exceptionally beautiful part of the world. The centre of the town is a designated conservation area, and most of the buildings are built of a creamy coloured stone with pantile roofs. The Old English name for Helmsley is Elmeslac which means Helm’s forest clearing and pre dates the Domesday Book. The Vikings also left their mark on the town and many of the street names are derived from their Norse heritage.
Helmsley has many notable landmarks including a castle which was largely destroyed in the Civil War. The parliamentarians made sure to blow out part of the tower facing the town not only to ensure that the castle couldn’t be used as a stronghold again but also to ensure that the town knew just who was boss!
Helmsley also has a walled garden that featured in the filming of “A Secret Garden” and is home to Duncombe Park, the ancestral home of the Earls of Feversham who still own a significant part of the surrounding land. The National Birds of Prey Centre is located within its grounds which also host a diverse range of events from point-to-point racing, scout camps, a steam engine fair to an annual motor cycle rally attended by a lot of hairy bikers!
Helmsley has a thriving arts centre, an open-air swimming pool and a weekly market with a bread stall that sells the most amazing current teacakes! It is popular with tourists and walkers and the 108 mile Cleveland Way National Trail begins in Helmsley before winding its way through the moors and along the coast to finish at the seaside town of Filey. Just 4 miles along the trail are the impressive remains of Rievaulx Abbey, the first Cistercian Abbey in the north of England and one of the most powerful centres of monasticism in Britain in its heyday in the 1160s. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.
Helmsley is very popular with the grouse and pheasant shooting fraternity whose trademark black Range Rovers are frequently to be seen in the market square. It is also a favourite destination for the many touring motor cyclists who stop off on their way to the coast. Helmsley is surrounded by beautiful countryside which opens out to the moors which are splendid at all times of the year but none more so than in the summer months when the heather is in full bloom.
Helmsley was once the largest parish in England and is made up of four churches: All Saints Helmsley and the three hamlets of Rievaulx, Sproxton and East Moors. Helmsley’s parish church dates back over a thousand years with the present building having been dedicated in 1838. The interior of the church features a lovely mural in the north aisle which was added in 1909. The cemetery which stands a few minutes away is currently carpeted in snowdrops and is home to a very large rookery.
On Christmas day we went to the tiny church of St Chad at Sproxton. The church was built in the 1640’s and originally located elsewhere and, by the mid-19th century, it was used as a barn. The church was rebuilt and moved stone by stone to Sproxton in 1879. Inside, the church is very small and you walk past the organ when you enter through the front door! It seats at best 20 people and, when we entered, the vicar co-opted us into the service by giving us a reading. It was a good way of making us feel welcome.
Although I am now many miles away, I will always keep my links to All Saint’s Bisham.
Gina, our wonderful ‘Captain of Cakes’, shares a couple of recipes
Anybody who’s attended one or more of our events will be aware by now that we are known for the most delicious cakes, scones and biscuits. Marlow Riders voted us their favourite stop-off of 2023, citing the cakes as a massive draw. Anybody who bakes and would like to share a recipe with us all is very welcome. Send them in or bring them when you are next at an event and you never know, it may be in print next newletter!
From Gina...
Welcome to all baking enthusiasts and beginners. After such successful coffee mornings with our great bakers from the community, I thought it would be nice to share some of the recipes, two of my favourites being Ginger loaf cake and Fruit scones.
GINGER LOAF
(no picture, apologies)
Ingredients
100 g Butter or baking spread unsalted
225 g Golden syrup
50 g Light brown soft sugar
2 Eggs large
150 ml Milk either cow's or a plant based milk
225 g Plain flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp Ground ginger
2 tsp Mixed spice
For decoration (optional)
75 g Icing sugar
1 tsp Orange extract
2 tsp Milk
Crystallised ginger
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 150C Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3, grease and line a 2lb loaf tin
Melt the butter, golden syrup and light brown soft sugar in a pan on a low heat. Once the butter is fully melted, leave it to cool for 5 minutes
Add the eggs and milk to the pan and whisk in
In a mixing bowl stir the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and mixed spice together
Pour the melted butter and egg mixture into the flour and whisk until combined, you don't need to use an electric mixer for this, a hand whisk will do the job easily. If you need to use an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment on a low speed
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin
Bake for 1 hour or until it is a rich gold colour and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, leave to cool completely
To make the orange icing drizzle, mix together the icing sugar, orange extract and milk. Use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle it over the cake. Top with crystallised ginger
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Let’s go again with my fruit scones...
FRUIT SCONES
INGREDIENTS (Makes 12)
450g Self Raising flour
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
75g butter
75g caster sugar
100g sultanas
1 large egg, and 1 yolk
1 x 284ml carton buttermilk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7
Measure the flour, baking powder and butter into a bowl. Rub with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and sultanas.
Mix the eggs and buttermilk together in a jug and pour all but 1 tablespoon into the flour bowl and lightly mix together until combined - it should be a fairly moist dough.
Lightly sprinkle the worktop with floor and gently knead the dough until smooth and soft. Roll to about 2.5cm (1in) thick. Using a 6cm (2 and a half in) round cutter, stamp out 12 scones.
Arrange the scones on a baking sheet, and brush the tops with the reserved egg and milk mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 12/15 mins until risen and golden. Enjoy with fresh cream and jam
They freeze well once cooked.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY BAKING!!
Your Church Needs You!
John Smith is on the look-out for volunteers. I attach the call for volunteers that you may have not seen, or seen but not read, or read but not remembered!
John says....
At collective worship in our school in Bisham we use a programme based on Christian values. Over two years we seek to teach 12 values that enrich the child’s development and contribute to the health and well-being of the school community. The value that we are teaching as the children return to start their summer term is Service defined as:
Spending time on others
Enjoying giving help
Responsibility in action
Volunteering willingly
I second, you first
Committing to a task
Everyone offering their talents and gifts
This message is hugely timely as we are currently seeking volunteers to undertake some of the tasks that we have to do to keep the church functioning and growing as a community centre. The church is now established as a most welcoming social hub where those in the community can enjoy coffee mornings, music concerts, history lectures and other activities as well as the usual Sunday services, baptisms, weddings and funerals. In the last year several congregation stalwarts have sadly passed away leaving the church short of people to carry out some basic tasks that are not demanding in time commitment, training or skill level.
It is not a requirement to be a churchgoer to be a volunteer. We are already blessed by people helping who do not worship on a Sunday as long as they have a sense of community.
A last note from the editor...
To round up a great half year, here are some key facts and figures that demonstrate what a thriving community we are – and how we are growing.
Friends signed up to date
No of members to date – 138– including family members
New friends since last AGM – 12
Lost friends – 4 due to passing away.
Events – from AGM 23 – AGM 24
44 events have been held since the last AGM including. – increased by 19 since last AGM
1 Olive Oil Tasting – NEW
1 BBO Big Band Evening – fund raiser
1 Easter Egg Hunt
7 Community coffee mornings with History talks by Sheila.
10 Church Tours including private tours
2 Churchyard tidy ups with the BCC
1 Village & School Coronation Event – fund raiser
3 Marlow Riders coffee stops – fund raiser
2 Sunday Afternoons of music with Richard Brooman & The Jam Choir – fund raiser
1 Quiz Night – fund raiser
6 School church services / Plus coffee drop off mornings NEW in 2024
1 Bisham Friends thank you evening.
2 Newsletters
Events to highlight funds raised.
Olive Oil Tasting - £765
Marlow Riders £1546
Quiz Night £1000
Richard Brooman & The Jam Choir £1061
Coffee Mornings £496
Church Tours £853
Total number of attendees since last AGM
1808 people - All events have had good attendance. – since BCF events started in August 2021 we have had 3649 people attend our events
A parting thought....
Rather than a poem this time, I thought, in light of the struggles around the world, I’d print three wonderful quotes that are the wise words from one of the most famous Hindu positive game-changers, Mahatma Gandhi
‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world’.
‘An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’.
‘Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love’.
It seems our BCF community represents these beliefs...
It has grown positively, and the way the use of the church has evolved over the last few years without losing any sense of the building’s beauty, spirituality and purpose is testament our belief that we can be the change, in a small but significant way.
The community is warm, forgiving and inclusive. I hope everybody feels that at its heart is a sense of forgiveness and hopefulness. We give love through food, (great cakes!), humour, generosity, inclusion, kindness, a listening ear and in celebrating at every opportunity. Partnering more with our neighbouring school has enriched us further.
At the helm, Sean, John and now Carol have created an environment where everybody from babies to the village veterans can feel valued, loved and safe.
Judy
Thank you, Judy. An excellent newsletter, full of inspiring news and people making it. Best wishes to all Friends for the future. Su and Geoff