K i n g s w o o d    G r a p e v i n e

Issue No. 131                                                                                                          DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009     

Editors: Diane White (843783) & Gill Hemming (842734)

                                                     D a t e s   F o r   Y o u r   D i a r y                                                        

 

Sat         6th       Dec                  Congregational Church Coffee Morning     School Room                                10.00am-noon

Tues       9th          “                    Mobile Police Station                             Chipping                                 10.15am-11.45am

Mon      22nd          “                    Mobile Police Station                             Chipping                                     3.00pm-4.30pm

Mon      22nd          “                    Christmas Carols                                   Chipping                                                6.00pm

Thurs      8th       Jan                   Mobile Police Station                             Chipping                                 10.15am-11.45am

Wed     21st          “                    Mobile Police Station                             Chipping                                    3.00pm-4.30pm

FEBRUARY  ISSUE  DEADLINE:                        FRIDAY  JANUARY  23rd

Sat       24th       Jan                   Burns’ Supper                                        Village Hall                               

Wed     18th       Feb                   R.N.L.I talk by Huw Cordey                     Cotswold Edge Golf Club                        7.00pm

Tues       3rd       Mar                   Village Association A.G.M                      Village Hall                                            8.00pm

 

Local Lyengar Yoga

The class is Tuesday evening 6.30 till 8pm at The Civic Centre in Wotton. Beginners are welcome. The class is taught by Tamara from Bristol's Yogawest Studios. I can be contacted on 01453 520074 or my website is www.yoga-glos.co.uk

VILLAGE QUESTIONNAIRES

All these have been collected. As usual there was an excellent response. Over 75% of households replied. Thank you everybody for doing so. That level of response cannot be ignored. Thank you, too, to the team that produced the questionnaires and those who distributed and collected them, 30 people in all. Rod Alexander 843398.

Burns’ Supper

Date for your Diary - Burns' Supper Saturday 24th January 2009. Tickets £16.00 will be available from 14th December. Contact Pat & Judith Harty 844016. Full payment will reserve your ticket(s).

KINGSWOOD VILLAGE ASSOCIATION (contact Sheila Alexander 843398 or sheilaplume@googlemail.com)

KINGSWOOD VILLAGE ASSOCIATION were very pleased with the success of the revived Gadabout held in October and will be holding another Gadabout on SATURDAY 7th  MARCH 2009.  Please put the date in your new diaries and await further details, which we will put through your letterbox in late January/early February.  We look upon this as a social evening - which could potentially involve the whole village - rather than a fund-raising event.  Our intention always is to provide village entertainment and, if we make any profit in doing so, we then give funding to village organisations to help them with special projects or to pump-prime a new village venture.  We also give a lot of pleasure to senior citizens and children by organising free events for their entertainment - invitations to the Senior Citizen's New Year's Eve Luncheon will be issued soon.  If you do not receive yours but are resident in the village and over 60 years of age on New Year's Eve please contact Sheila or Rod Alexander and request an invitation.  The same afternoon, we hold a free children's tea party with a professional entertainer (invitations will be in the school bags before the Christmas holidays start).   Our main fundraiser to pay for these activities is, of course, the annual village Showday.  All these things help to make Kingswood a very pleasant, active and social place to live but none of it can happen without your involvement, so thank you for all you do for this community.  

Another date for your 2009 diary - our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 3rd March in the village hall lounge at 8pm.  We would be delighted to welcome newcomers to the committee, so do come along and find out what we do and how you can help to retain Kingswood's reputation as a good place to live.
Do you have a spare room?

Could you give the gift of a home for a night? Do you have a spare room? Gloucestershire Nightstop is the safest emergency accommodation in the County for 16 to 25 year old young people. We are looking for more host families to offer a bed for a night at a time. Free training is given and expenses paid.

To find out more, phone us on 01452 331330 or email to development@gloucestershirenightstop.org.uk
Friends of St. Mary’s Auction of Pledges

Bidders enjoyed wine and canapés while auctioneer Mark Bowman took over the pulpit for the evening to sell 80 lots donated by local businesses and individuals, including car cleaning, decorating, babysitting, tickets for sporting events, gym membership, art, jewellery, antiques and a decreasing number of sermons! A luxury holiday for four on Royal Deeside fetched over £500. Over £3,000 was raised for the restoration fund and will help finance the long overdue restoration and refurbishment of the main body of the church.  For many of those who attended it was an opportunity to see the recently refurbished St. Mary’s Room for the first time. Grateful thanks to the many people who supported the event, by donating items and/or bidding.
FASCINATING RHYTHM close harmony chorus - Christmas Concert 

Don’t miss Fascinating Rhythm’s Christmas Concert featuring special guests: The City of Bristol Brass Band and the UK women’s quartet champions HAVOC. Friday 5th December at Castle School, Thornbury 8pm (bar open from 7.30pm). Tickets  £6 (under 12’s £4) from Brenda Roberts 01453 845456 and Emma Richardson 01453 845214

 
Wotton-under-Edge and District R.N.L.I

Anuta - a South Pacific Paradise.   Make a date in your diaries for a fascinating talk by Huw Cordey, a Producer from the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol who will tell us about his recent trip to the South Pacific to gather material for a new BBC television series starting in April 2009.   The talk will be at Cotswold Edge Golf Club, starting at 7.00pm on Wednesday 18th February.  Tickets are £15.00 each including a buffet supper and are available from the Golf Club, Gill Hemming, 45 Walkmill Lane Kingswood, or Andrew Harper, 21 Somerset Close, Kingswood.     There will also be a raffle with a fantastic prize - a copy of a BBC Planet Earth book signed by David Attenborough and the Production Team!    Numbers will be strictly limited to 100 on a first come, first served basis so get your tickets early.

Tickets available from January 1st (full payment will reserve ticket).  All proceeds will go to the RNLI. 

KINGSWOOD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.  (www.kingswoodcongregational.org.uk)

We have lots to offer this Christmas at the Congregational Church.  Starting on the 6th December with a Coffee Morning from 10am-12noon in the School Room, selling homemade items, cakes, etc. for Christmas.  On the 7th at 10.30am we welcome the Signpost Puppet Theatre, you may remember their wonderful performance on the Abbey as part of our 350th Celebrations.  In the evening at 6.00pm - Mr Peter Taylor.  The 14th at 10.30am - Children's Gift Service - donated gifts being given to Mullers Homes and at 6.00pm - Mr Steve Hutchinson from Scripture Union.  There will be a Family Service on the 21st at 10.30am and at 6.00pm - Lessons and Carols.  On Christmas Eve will be hold a short Family Service at 6.00pm and the same on Christmas Day at 10.30am.  On the 28th at 10.30am will be a Family Service and at 6.00pm - Open Hour a time to share and choose your favourite hymns.  We will hold a Watch Night Service at 11.30pm on New Years Eve.  A warm welcome is extended to everyone to come and join with us at this special time. 
                                        CAROLS ON THE CHIPPING WILL BE ON THE 22ND FROM 6.00PM.
Some food for thought based on 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
* If I decorate my house perfectly with strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator. * If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of mince pies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtimes, but do not show love, then I am just another cook. * If I work non-stop and give no time to my family it profits me nothing. * If I trim the tree with shimmering angels and tinsel, attend a myriad of parties, sing in the choir, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point. * Love stops the cooking to hug a child.   * Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.  * Love is kind, though stressed and tired.  * Love doesn’t envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linen.  * Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way.  * Love doesn't give only to those who are to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.  * Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  * Love never fails.  Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust.  But giving the gift of love will endure.
(Author unknown - adapted)  Love came down at Christmas its name - Jesus
                       The members and congregation hope you have a happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas.
In January our services will continue to be at 10.30am and 6.00pm during the morning service we offer a crèche and Kings Klub meet.  Zion Club will re-start after the Christmas break on 12 January and Z+ on the 16th.  Please check our website for any further details or ring Jennie on 842803

ST MARY'S PARISH CHURCH   Viv Kerner – 01454 261751

I cant believe I'm having to write about Christmas and New Year already.... it doesn't seem 5 minutes since I did this in 2007! The year has flown by and although we've done a lot, there's still a lot to do. The Auction of Pledges was a big event and thanks must go to all those who helped and supported it. Then we move on to the Carols on The Chipping again and during my travels in and around the village...not always on my Gladys Emmanuel Bike... I've come across people who said how much they enjoyed this new venture. Lets hope the weather's kind to us this year ... we don’t mind crisp and cold, it's wet we don’t like. We planned and enjoyed the usual things like Christingles and carol services and I make no apology for the same old same old...'if it aint broke then don’t fix it’ as someone once said. Christmas isn't really broken; it just needs dusting off and polishing so that we get back to seeing the real picture. As we move towards the end of this year we shall all, no doubt, remember 2008 for the financial ups and downs. Some of us will have memories of bad times before but others might find this a new situation. There are people around who can help with money advice if you need them... just ask. I will direct you to them. May you all have a Blessed time at Christmas and may there New Year be a fresh start for us all. Viv K.

Village Carol Singing.  Date: Monday 22nd December.  Time: 6pm until 6.45pm at the latest.  Where?  The Chipping.
To all members of the village, both young and old, start Christmas in the true spirit. Come and sing your favourite Christmas carols under the Christmas tree.  Once again the village children will help lead the singing to the accompaniment of a small group from Wotton Silver Band.
St Mary's Church extends a warm invitation to the Carol Service, which will be held on Sunday 21st December at 6pm.  Don't miss this wonderful service of readings, Christmas choral music and community carols, which will be followed by mince pies and wine or soft drinks.
Volunteers Required

The Day Centre for Senior Citizens urgently requires volunteers for a wide range of jobs. The centre runs every Thursday from 10am –1.45pm at the Civic Centre in Wotton-under-Edge. The Day Centre organises a range of activities and provides a happy, social setting for 20 or so senior citizens. Volunteer general helpers, lunch cooks, washers up (cooks do not wash up), tea makers and drivers would be most welcome – even for the odd hour or so.

For more information, please contact Lesley Holland on 01453 842004.

 

The Village Diary can be viewed on the Grapevine website. For an entry please email Grapevine or telephone Gill on 842734.