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If children live with criticism they learn to fight If children live with fear they learn to be apprehensive If children live with hostility If children live with pity they learn to condemn they learn to feel sorry for self If children live with ridicule If children live with jealousy they learn to be shy they learn to feel envy If children live with shame If children live with acceptance they learn to feel guilty they learn to love If children live with tolerance If children live with recognition they learn to be patient they learn it is good to have a goal If children live with encourage If children live with sharing ment they learn generosity they learn confidence If children live with praise If children live with honesty they learn to appreciate they learn truthfulness If children live with fairness If children live with kindness and they learn justice consideration they learn respect If children live with security If children live with approval they learn to have faith they learn to like themselves If children live with acceptance and friendship They learn to find peace and love in the world USEFUL CONTACT DETAILS Editor Sally Anne Jarvis Advertising Treasurer Justine Elmore Distribution Sally Anne Jarvis 0175 385 7403 0771 126 9545 0771 034 7484 he Editor During Revd Chesterfield Terry s Pastoral Leave please contact Area Dean Revd Canon Janet Binns Parish Administrator Churchwarden Churchwarden Treasurer Fiona Norton Elaine Eastham Sally Anne Jarvis Via Office 01753 681335 07917 565626 0175 358 0467 0796 085 9697 0771 126 9545 0175 358 0467 Datchet Parish Council Clerk all enquiries Currently vacant 0175 377 3499 2 Sa_j2 btinternet com justineelmore yahoo co uk Sa_j2 btinternet com revjanetbinns gmail com StMarysDatchetChurch office stmarysdarchet org uk ladypink_11 hotmail com Sa_j2 btinternet com office stmarysdatchet org uk clerk datchetparishcouncil gov uk

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The first part of Datchet s Oldest Shops in the previous edition of The Link focused on those around the Greens in the centre of the village That was where the earliest shops developed from about 1820 to around 1900 Part two firstly describes the old High Street shops none of which is so early as those in the centre Several which date from the 1880s and 1890s are examples of ambitious and fashionable shopfronts now protected as Listed Buildings and also within the Conservation Area Then the focus moves eastwards along Horton Road to the old Common area which was developing as an almost separate community from the middle of the village With its own range of shops including a Post Office it had become self reliant in many ways As its population grew so did the demand for housing and plenty of work was available for the numerous builders living here THE HIGH STREET Pipers and Hawes Bakery history of Datchet s Bridge House Trust which funded its maintenance Its name at the time Pillers Bridge suggests that the village s pillory was nearby where wrongdoers could be punished in full public view A much later account recalls the pillory as being near the Manor Hotel a location which was also not far from the end of that bridge Picture 1 Corner of Green into High Street Pipers or The White Hart old pub photo 1870s Picture 1 above might be familiar from a previous article in The Link on Datchet s Lost Pubs It shows part of the Manor Hotel on the left during its updating in the 1870s One section has a new brick fa ade while the other right on the corner is still whitewashed Then there s another whitewashed old building which is actually on the other side of the High Street from the Manor Hotel It s yet another lost pub but it appears in this article because it became and still is a shop In picture 1 the old Pipers alehouse looked very neglected indeed and it was not long before it was almost completely rebuilt From 1880 Lord Montagu Lord of the Manor of Datchet was reconsidering his property in the village including the development of Buccleuch Road on land which had previously been the village pound where stray cattle were held This site on the High Street corner was also his He had the building enlarged and remodelled as a shop seen in picture 2 as Hawes Bakery its lease dating from 1882 Architecturally it fits in well with the remodelling of the Manor Houses a decade earlier and its scale sits comfortably among the buildings around it As an alehouse called Pipers and later the White Hart it was mentioned in the records of the Manor of Datchet from 1565 The first name probably referred to its tenant or landlord although for long periods this pub was run by the same landlord as the Manor Hotel opposite Pipers was clearly catering for working men as it had a bowling alley at its rear while the Manor Hotel was aimed at those higher up the social scale In describing the building s location the records said it was at the end of Pillers Bridge This top corner of the High Street was where the bridge across the stream in the middle of the village would have risen So that phrase from the 1560s at the end of Pillers Bridge gives us the first evidence of the bridge s existence and ties in very well with the early Picture 2 Hawes Bakery High Street top corner west side Although so different Hawes Bakery occupied the same site as Pipers fitting tightly into the 4

corner and with a particular feature worth noticing here looking back at Pipers although the photo is so small its entrance door can just be seen as placed diagonally across the sharp angle of the corner In the 1880s rebuilt Hawes Bakery shop that diagonal doorway was retained as was the raised threshold with steps to enter the building The entrance to Pipers alehouse had almost exactly the same high threshold and access steps which can be seen in a larger version of picture 1 It was probably an original flood defence on that corner which was very vulnerable in major floods Picture 4 View down the High Street late 1800s Beyond the two tall gables of Hawes Bakery are numbers 6 and 8 High Street with awnings over their shop windows Also far left just before the level crossing is a partial view of the original Baptist Chapel with its tall windows Picture 3 Datchet Food and Wine late 20th century St Austin s As so often was the case the present day Lily s Nails and LA Clinic building had not begun its life as shops but as two dwellings under one roof The whole house was built by the Lord of the Manor in the second half of the 18th century It replaced a derelict house whose tenant had thereby forfeited its ownership the present house is known to have existed by 1781 The modern shop in picture 3 is the third building on the High Street s top corner site a remodelling of the previous 1880s shop rather than a completely new build Most noticeably its height was raised by another storey which extends further west under gabled roofs It is a much more invasive feature in the middle of the village than its predecessor was due to its scale plus the black and white mock timbering applied to the upper wall surfaces Its architect had taken on board the idea that mock timbering was a local style which would be acceptable to local planning officers in a Conservation Area but it seems overwhelming for its location In contrast the previous Hawes shop feels more human and comfortable both in scale and in its various locally appropriate brick and tile wall surfaces Datchet Food and Wine s building relies on this one design idea which actually emphasises its size and bulk within a protected area of the village Much the same could perhaps be said about the Manor Hotel although both buildings might be the inevitable result of a modern commercial need for more space and size than ever before As local shoppers will have found one feature here hasn t changed for several centuries that entrance which is still cut diagonally into the building s corner with steps up to the threshold making it difficult to enter for some customers However grab railings have been installed on the walls each side of the door to help ensure safe access Perhaps the raised shop floor might prove useful in some far off future flood Picture 5 Numbers 8 left and 6 right High Street In 1896 the Montagu family s auction catalogue described this property as a Comfortable Freehold Residence called St Austin s Number 6 on the right in picture 5 was let to Mr Stokes at 45 per annum and number 8 on the left was let to Mr Copeland a butcher on 21 year lease at 35 per annum Since the first years of the 20th century these two dwellings have also been landmark shops in the village Number 8 was into its second century as a 5

butcher s and number 6 survived as a dairy to about 1970 The butcher s shopfront had been added to the residential property number 8 in 1891 and that of the dairy to number 6 soon afterwards Previously number 6 had been occupied by the Corden family of painters to Queen Victoria who also painted views of St Mary s church and the village during the 1870s Both buildings and shopfronts are now protected as Listed Buildings and are within Datchet s Conservation Area Dairy Shop 6 High Street Butcher s Shop 8 High Street The forerunner of Datchet s much missed butcher s shop was Copeland s between 1891 and 1896 The 1896 auction catalogue described Mr Copeland s house plus butcher s shop in detail Ornamental modern elevation with Porch entrance and Balcony Top floor Front Sitting Room 2 Back Bedrooms 1st floor Large Front Sitting Room 2 Back Bedrooms W C Ground Floor Front Shop with Mosaic Floor and Plate Glass Shop Front Marble Slabs Scullery Wash House and Cellar As well as plate glass windows shop fittings such as a mosaic floor and marble slabs would not only have been expensive but at the height of modernity and of food handling hygiene The shop deeds show that the business passed to Checkley in 1908 and then to Augustus Harris in 1914 In 1937 it became Reeves Son of Staines Since then and for nearly 30 years until 2009 it was successfully run by Graham Russell picture 6 who will still be remembered by many local people Graham Russell told a Windsor Eton Express reporter I ve owned the place for the past 30 years and in that time I ve managed to build up a group of loyal customers who have been with me since the start Unfortunately it s a dying trade and with the rent being so high and the economic situation in the last year it s become impossible to keep going I ve been able to fight off Tesco and the like thanks to loyal customers but it s the sky high rent and the landlords collecting their money regardless that has caught up with the business in the end Picture 7 Kinross milk delivery vehicles outside Riding Court Park Dairy Number 6 is fondly remembered in the village as the Stevens family s dairy and tea shop supplied from their farm at Sumptermead near the end of Buccleuch Road That first appears in Kelly s street directories from the mid 1930s but previously since the early 1900s it had been the dairy shop of the Kinross family who were based at Riding Court and Ditton Park farms picture 7 This exceptional shopfront was built for the Kinross business in what had been the small front garden of the private residence St Austin s according to the 1896 sale plans Above its shop windows with flowers cascading over was the name Riding Court Park Dairy Light refreshments were also advertised The shopfront windows here are quite exceptional too being delicately engraved with decorations to illustrate its ownership by John Kinross of Scotland In 1894 John Kinross had leased Riding Court Farm from the Manor of Datchet and in 1912 he Picture 6 Butcher Graham Russell the End of an Era Windsor Eton Express photo 6 Picture 8 portrait of John Kinross date unknown

bought the estate outright He was one of many farmers from Scotland who injected new expertise and enthusiasm into English farms which had suffered during the agricultural depression of previous decades A powerful personality John or Jock Kinross became known to villagers as Squire and behaved as though he was their leader His farm s crops and produce won many prizes and he was much respected throughout Buckinghamshire Berkshire and beyond Picture 11 20 High Street The Hat Shop rafters Number 20 is still sometimes known as the Hall House but this is very misleading Picture 9 detail from Riding Court Park Dairy shopfront window In one of the windows picture 9 is an engraving of an unknown monument although it has been sug gested as representing Datchet s 1897 Jubilee Cross However that would not explain the word SICCAR which is above the image in the window Recent research shows that the image is of a monument in the town of Kinross and also the main feature of its Borough Coat of Arms picture 10 The word SICCAR as the town s motto set in a scroll over the cross is Scot tish meaning certain sure or secure It derived from the Latin securus free from danger or without care A perfect way for John Kinross to mark his place of origin in the village where he Picture 10 Kinross Borough Coat of Arms was so powerful The Hat Shop 20 High Street This complex building picture 11 has a clear traceable history back to the 1590s although parts of an even older house remain at its core From the early 1600s it was an alehouse or tavern at first called the Rose and then the Duke of Northumberland s Head By about 1750 it had become a butcher s premises as it still was into the 1970s It was one of the earliest butcher s shops in the village and seems to be the first one in the records In 1975 the property was sold to Charles and Jane Toller who were antique dealers They stripped out the interior cladding of the big 1600s barn and assumed they had discovered a medieval open hall house with one main room or hall open to the roof More recently under John and Margaret Partington s ownership as Elegant Hats for Hire the shop had been a landmark in the High Street and a magnet for all those near and far who needed hats for glamorous occasions Sadly the hat business was sold some years ago Margaret had stripped back the inside of the building again removing many of the Tollers additions and adding her own interpretations in the style of the 1600s in particular a minstrels gallery Picture 12 Mrs Margaret Partington owned Elegant Hats for Hire until recent years Previously from the 1750s 20 High Street had been a butcher s J W Gillett was the last of a long line of butchers to occupy the site picture 13 p8 He had added a small wooden shed like entrance to the front of his house but without the plate glass window displays which had become popular in other village shops The whole meat processing business took place within the property starting from the meadow behind the buildings where cattle grazed to the huge old barn in the centre where slaughtering took place Moving through the house to the main front block meat would then have been sold directly to customers Local people still remembered these processes when the shop closed in 1975 particularly the slaughtering on site By that time it must surely have been at least out of date if not actually against farming and food regulations of the time 7

William Hill Son grocery shop Picture 16 the Hill family s Grocery shop photo 1930s Picture 13 Gillett s shopfront photo about 1970 HORTON ROAD EAST Considerably less is known about early shops at the old Datchet Common area than in the village centre This is partly due to rebuilding and later development of housing but also to fewer photographs being taken here in the late 1800s and early 20th century The approach taken in this section is a virtual walk eastwards from the Ditton Road junction noting shops on the north and south of Horton Road which still survive or of which there are photos This very up to date 1930s shopfront with its plateglass window displays picture 16 was near the corner of New Road on the left northern side of Horton Road It is now home to Ocean Blue fish and chip shop picture 17 Gable End Stores Picture 17 the Hills grocery shop has been replaced by Ocean Blue Picture 14 Gable End Stores 1960s Gable End Stores an imposing house at the Ditton Road corner picture 14 existed before 1899 as it is shown on the map of that date Later by the 1960s a separate single storey general shop was built closer to the pavement Those premises are now in business as the Drunken Fish picture 15 General shop and draper s Woodland Villas This attractive terraced row called Woodland Villas picture 18 has a stone plaque on the wall in its central section giving the date as 1890 The last two units in the row on the corner of Penn Road and opposite the Rising Sun appear to have been added sometime later as shops to the original end houses Picture 15 the Drunken Fish Picture 18 A draper s and a general shop were at the far end of Woodland Villas in Horton Road 8

The Post Office Further east down Horton Road just past the Holmlea Road corner was Datchet Common s own Post Office It was located in the building on the right of picture 20 with ground floor windows painted white There is a Post Office sign above the entrance but it s illegible in this small image In the 1940s Kelly s directory lists Meadows Jn Chas grocer and provision and post office bread and cakes greengrocery stationery Horton Road Tel Datchet 27 On the opposite pavement there is also a bus stop what excellent services the residents used to enjoy here Picture 19 Penn Road corner and Woodland Villa shops during the 1947 flood Picture 19 shows two shops On the left with windows painted white is the draper s run by R J Ives Ralph and Miss Jessie which was listed in Kelly s street directories from 1932 until at least 1950 The corner shop with its angled entrance door has W Powley over the shop window William Powley is also in the 1932 and 1947 Kelly s as a grocer and general stores The painted advertising on the shop s wall picture 19 lists the following goods for sale in this extremely useful forerunner of a B Q or Homebase store hardware paints oils leather garden tools roofing felt nails wire netting etc groceries and provisions Picture 20 the Post Office near Holmlea Road corner Horton Road photo 1940s 9

The summer term has been in full swing at Eton End with the wonder and excitement of playing outside in the sunshine to numerous Bank Holiday celebration and school events for pupils parents and our wider community with and Open Saturday Afternoon our seasonal Stay Plays in the Nursery coupled with some exciting trips across the year groups out and about Eton End has now become one of the first schools in the UK to unveil a radical new whole school re design of their classroom layout which puts children s needs firmly at the heart of the learning experience Our new calm classrooms are a complete change from traditional school classrooms and have been designed and created by a team of professional child therapists based on research which shows that children learn best in a calm comfortable environment where they are not surrounded by noise bright colours and harsh lighting The emphasis of the new design is on neutral colours comfortable seating ambient lighting and a feeling of space Rachael Cox Head of Eton End said Since I joined the school back in September I have been conducting a listening exercise involving children parents and staff looking at how we can improve the school environment and helping me to understand what they liked and what frustrated them about the school When I spoke to the children about their learning environment the thing they wanted to change most of all was the chairs It sounds like small thing but it was obviously a big thing for them It made me go back and completely re think how we organise our classrooms and learning spaces I wanted to create an environment where our children were comforta ble and could concentrate on learning Recent academic research shows us that children don t learn well when they are bombarded with sound colours light and all sorts of unwelcome distractions so we decided to back to the drawing board With help from a team of child psycholo gists from TPC Therapy we have worked hard on this new layout to create an environment that will allow children to thrive and grow in a space where they feel relaxed and able to do their best All of our teachers have had training sessions on using the new space most effectively and they are very much on board with the changes we have made and looking forward to teaching in the new spaces And teachers are already seeing the benefits The calm classrooms are proving to be excellent environments to teach in The children are more focused and I like the way that the new layout has been designed so that the children are able to take control of how they learn The space is flexible so they can work on the large tables which encourage collaboration on the small round tables for group work or on the low tables or floor cushions for independent work and quiet reading This empowers the children to take ownership of their learning and choose the place that suits them the best for that particular lesson The flexible seating means that the room feels much more spacious and the neutral colour palette is calming No displays means no distractions It feels like a home from home and is a calm environment for them We are now ending the school year with celebrations including our Summer Fair sports days Prize Giving events and swimming galas we are always delighted with the progress our children make but surprised by how quickly time really does fly when you re having fun Abby Forster Registrar Rachel Cox Head of Eton End 10

THE EDITORS WISH TO NOTE THAT ALL IDEAS THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED WITHIN THE ARTICLES FOUND IN THE LINK ARE THOSE OF THE RESPECTIVE AUTHORS AND NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE EDITORS NOR OF ST MARY S CHURCH 11

Here is a story about learning to wait in a new way I guess we all have to spend time waiting at one time or another in our lives For my grandchildren s generation the definition of agonising levels of waiting is when you can t get something delivered the next day when you ve ordered it online I know I sound like a grumpy old lady when I say that But it does amuse me when they fling themselves around writhing and groaning tragically when their latest gadget or garment can t arrive within the next 24 hours That isn t really the waiting that I am writing about here The waiting I have been thinking about is the kind we have to do more and more as we get older that is waiting around in a medical context I ve spent a lot of time in the last seven or eight years waiting in clinics and surgeries of various kinds Don t worry I m not going to go into all the hideous details But I bet a lot of you have as well It is a very particular experience with anxieties about test results prognoses plans and roadmaps There is also the added spice of wondering whether after you ve been there a while your appointment has somehow disappeared off the computer and they ve forgotten about you altogether and then if you ever do get through the relevant door whether you re going to be able to articulate the things you need to say and to ask or whether you are just going to dissolve into a wordless puddle and leave with all your questions unsaid and unanswered And yet as you get more medically needy on the whole you get more socially invisible and it is very easy to feel as though you are going through the whole experience of waiting very much alone Except it occurred to me during one of my sojourns in a rather grim waiting room unable to concentrate on my book or on the out of date Magazines available so pre Covid then that we really are not alone at all At any moment where any of us is sitting in a waiting room millions of other people all over the world will be doing exactly the same thing They will also be feeling very similar things in all probability vulnera bility anxiety maybe confusion And so it suddenly occurred to me that I could try to sit quietly and connect with that great fellowship of people all going through the same thing as I was Amazingly it actually helps a bit If you want to try it next time you are waiting and worried just sit and be aware of your body in the chair take some slightly deeper breaths and then send your awareness out towards everybody in the great crowd of souls who are also waiting to see doctors or nurses or dentists or specialists or whatever You can imagine them everywhere everywhere in roughly the same time zone anyway You can feel their feelings and share their pain and if you are so inclined you can send waves of support in their direction or even if you are a person of faith you could pray for them I have been doing that exercise for many years now then I added another layer quite recently I had to have a nasty tooth extraction I knew it was going to be a difficult one the dentist told me so and I started to feel horrible as I drove towards the appointment I tried the connect with everyone else in the world going through the same thing thing and it wasn t quite enough to take the edge off the fear But then something else came into my mind which helped I remembered seeing on television ages ago somebody interviewing an elderly gentleman who had just had an ECT scan She asked him what we thinking about while you were in the scanner and he said my Lord The interviewer in complete and immediate empathy with him responded quietly your rock and he nodded So I thought okay that s what I need right now I need not just a sense of fellowship with lots of other people in the same situation I need to feel the presence of God How am I going to do that 12

It came to me in this way as I drove along I remembered the song that we sing Be bold be strong for the Lord your God is with you I remembered one of my daughters singing that song sitting on the very top of a climbing frame in our garden one summer evening years ago as the sun went down I remembered her singing at the top of her voice in that lovely free way that children have I am not afraid I am not dismayed This came to me as a really lovely and evocative and helpful memory But I couldn t remember the end of the song I pulled into the dentist s car park and started to frantically Google it on my phone It is extremely helpful if you are feeling fearful to sing yourself those lines I am not afraid I am not dismayed and it s even better when you remind yourself what the final lines of the song are It goes For I m walking in strength and victory yes I m walking in strength and victory for the Lord my God is with me Now anybody who isn t religious is probably in a state of complete cringe by now if indeed you haven t stopped reading already but bear with me if you can because I think you could apply the same principle without any religious content component in your relationship with music Think about your own playlist Is there music are there songs in there that make you feel any of these things not alone cared for stronger If there are these songs or these pieces of music might well work for you as good companions if you are waiting somewhere in trepidation It might be useful to notice what they are so that you can quickly call them up either on your headphones or just in your memory when you need them I really hope you don t have to do too much horrible waiting One of my daughters had to wait for 6 hours in A and E recently for help for a sick child She did it heroically and well Coincidentally or not she is the same person who was singing at the top of the climbing frame all those years ago But if you do find yourself sitting feeling scared and alone in a waiting room I hope it might help to remember that you can connect with the whole fellowship of scared and alone people who are doing exactly the same thing and I also hope it might help to identify music or song or whatever that makes you feel empowered and cared for After all who wouldn t want to take that feeling of vulnerability and walk in strength and victory Whether you believe in God or not there is probably a strong spiritual or emotional 13

Datchet Village Society s Annual General Meeting open to everyone each spring is always a great opportunity to share information about our lovely village This year Gareth Chaffey from Wessex Archaeology gave an overview of the astounding archaeological discoveries made recently at Riding Court in Datchet Kingsmead Quarry in Horton and Richings Park These sites provide evidence that people have occupied settled farmed and altered the landscape here since the end of the last Ice Age a period of 12 000 years Perhaps the most impressive find was the huge Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure at Riding Court where the archaeologists have been unearthing what Gareth described as a ludicrous amount of finds including weapons and tools animal and human bones pottery and worked flint literally by the tonne Visitors to the AGM were able to view a display about the DVS s own archaeological investigations at Southlea too A team of volunteers from the DVS began fieldwalking at Southlea in 1996 with some remarkable results producing finds from the Neolithic to the Roman period We are currently liaising with Windsor and Reading museums to organise a new display at Datchet Library of archaeological finds from Southlea and we hope to hold an event when that happens We also had an exhibition of prints on display showing the various ferries and bridges which historically crossed the Thames at Datchet as well as two of the oldest paintings of Datchet we have ever discovered one including the toll house and toll gate and the exquisite original artwork for the stained glass rose window at the Grade II listed Cemetery Chapel on Ditton Road What does the DVS do The DVS was formed in 1995 to help preserve the special character of Datchet and to encourage interest in its history and environment We organise talks guided walks exhibitions and visits to local places of interest and we produce regular newsletters for members with details of our discoveries The focus is primarily Datchet but also includes its locality and historical connections Last year for example we organised guided visits to the History on Wheels Museum at Eton Wick and to the Battle of Britain Bunker less than 10 miles from Datchet where the RAF s Fighter Command controlled operations throughout WWII In autumn Janet Kennish Datchet s local historian and DVS president led a walk and talk at St Mary s church focusing on its extraordinary stained glass windows This year Janet has already been back to tell us more about the memorials in the chancel at St Mary s the earliest dating from 1559 and last month we organised a private visit to Cumberland Lodge a 17th century former royal residence which was historically home to the Rangers of Windsor Great Park Support village events We attend and support local events often with a special display or exhibition We celebrated the Queen s Platinum Jubilee last year with photographs of royal visits to Datchet we re regulars at the St Nicholas Fayre at Christmas and in July we re hoping to be invited again to be part of the Ellis Journey event when the veteran cars return to the village in July to re enact the first recorded journey by a motorcar in the UK made in 1895 by a Datchet resident Evelyn Ellis Research local history Another important part of our work is research Janet Kennish has spent nearly 30 years researching the The archaeologists at Riding Court have been unearthing ludicrous amounts of finds Wessex Archaeology Trenches were excavated along the 400m perimeter of the Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure at Riding Court Wessex Archaeology 14

history of the village and we re adding to that knowledge all the time This work is proving invaluable for others too The DVS website is one of the first ports of call for anyone researching their family history in Datchet We have also produced reports for Datchet Parish Council on the listed Cemetery Chapel and to support the application to move the Grade II listed milestone to The Green for its own safety We are currently requesting permission to install a bronze pavement plaque in London Road to mark the original site of the 1768 milestone The Society s research into the histories of each of Datchet s WWI soldiers remembered on the war memorial led to the discovery of 11 servicemen whose names were originally omitted With the support of the Barker Bridge House Trust their names were added to the memorial in time for the centenary of the end of WWI A walking route around the village indicating where each soldier lived is available on the DVS website DVS also has an extensive collection of archive material including historic photographs paintings and prints and we record present day events for future generations We are also in the process of updating the images of Datchet s listed buildings on the Historic England website as part of their Missing Pieces project Planning issues DVS also monitors local planning policy conservation and development issues and takes a special interest in historic and heritage buildings and monuments Some DVS members have been closely involved with the Datchet Neighbourhood Plan which was successful at referendum in May and now sits beside the Datchet Design Guide which we also helped to compile One of the main objectives of both projects is to protect the character and heritage of the village which dovetails neatly with the DVS s own objectives and last year we led a walk around the village centre looking at the buildings and monuments named in the DNP as local heritage assets Publications Janet Kennish has written a number of books and booklets about Datchet including Datchet Past The Royal Stag St Mary s School History and St Mary s Church History and Guide which are available at The Bridge caf alongside various DVS leaflets and guides and also on sale at the DVS stall at local events Supported by members The work of the DVS is only possible with the continued support we receive from members Membership fees and donations help to fund our website and research and cover running costs such as insurance admin and newsletters These funds also allow us to organise events and visits publish cards leaflets and booklets and assist towards unique purchases for the village such as historic paintings of Datchet a medal given to schoolchildren for Queen Victoria s Jubilee a Datchet soldier s WWI memorial plaque and soon we hope a new pavement plaque to mark the original site of Datchet s milestone Further information The DVS always welcomes new members Details of our activities and how to become a member or make a donation can be found at www datchetvillagesociety org uk To get in touch please email info datchetvillagesociety org uk Janet Kennish s Datchet History website is at www datchethistory org uk 15

Parish Council Meetings are generally on the second Monday of each month Check the DPC Website Wow June 2023 is here already What a year it has been so far the Coronation of a King which saw a fantastic joint celebration for the Coronation event between the long standing Datchet Fete and Datchet Parish Council pulling together to put on a very successful event for Datchet residents An all day event held on the Recreational Ground on 7th May 2023 with hundreds of residents enjoying music local entertainment and raising 1 000 s for local charities and community groups Local Elections seeing the Ward of Datchet Horton and Wraysbury being represented by three Independent Councillors for the first time Can we welcome the elected RBWM Councillors Cllr Ewan Larcombe Cllr Jodie Grove and Cllr David Buckley to the community and we look forward to them working and supporting the Parish Council going forward for the next 4 years Then to cap the start of the year off we had one of the wettest months in history in March What a first half to the year it has been Datchet Parish Council has also seen many changes in the Annual Parish meeting in May seeing many roles in the Parish Council being dissolved while it tries to establish more support for the Council and what a great role it plays in the community As life sets us many challenges and the cost of living crisis bites home we see less residents being able to give their time voluntarily to community assets like the Parish Council and local community groups like the Fete and we all need to come together to support the needs of the community in so many ways After the elections on the 5th of May Datchet Parish Council welcomed back 10 out of 15 Councillors for the next 4 years We are seeking additional residents who would be prepared to co opt onto the Parish Council to contribute to the community If you would like to join the hardworking members of the Datchet Parish Council and add value to your community please contact the Clerk on Clerk datchetparishcouncil gov uk or call 01753 773499 We see the cost of living crisis affect us in many ways from people downsizing and moving away from the area to having multiple family members having to work longer or go back to meet the higher costs of mortgages rents food childcare and energy This may continue for a longer period than any of us wish to see and have life changing affects to many families So now is the time again that the great residents of Datchet need to pull together to meet these demands We showed this through the pandemic and now we need to look out for our neighbours friends and family members who may struggle both financially and emotionally over the years to come again I am confident we will show the same resolve and commitment as we did in 2020 21 and support our community out of this crisis We will see the Borough Council bring in new initiatives to help and support children families and the residents of Datchet who may need some support until inflation drops and the economy sees growth for higher paid jobs for all If you see or hear of anyone struggling please contact www rbwm gov uk here to help or call 01628 683800 Also remember our Datchet library offers a safe warm place where the community can access advice public access to computers and support from the library team Again if you wish to know a little about what Datchet Parish Council does Some of you may be aware that in 2021 the Datchet library was due to be closed by the previous leadership at RBWM but Datchet Parish Council stepped in financially for residents and kept the doors open This facility is now an important part of the cost of living crisis scheme Here tohelp which you will see mor eon in coming months and during the cost of living crisis There is always confusion on what the Parish Council s responsibilities are or what powers they have This is further complicated in Datchet as we have a Borough wide Unitary Council that is The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead that has overall responsibility on most matters that affect our day to day lives So I would like to add a link here to the Datchet Parish Council website that shows our responsibilities and duties in detail I hope you take the time to read what the responsibilities of the Parish Council are and how it can support your needs https www datchetparishcouncil gov uk Roles__and__Responsibilities_1735 aspx The responsibilities and duties of the Parish Council can be broken down simply as Give views on behalf of the community on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish Alert relevant authorities to problems that arise or work that needs to be undertaken in Datchet Help the other tiers of local government keep in touch with their local communities 16

Datchet Parish Council web site address www datchetparishcouncil gov uk We hope you are seeing the value of the Parish Council in Datchet grow in the village as we have seen public meetings in previous years on large developments or community concerns on the future of The Manor Hotel in Datchet The Datchet Parish council facilitated the get together of residents to discuss and debate these and many important issues that may concern them at Parish Council meetings where the public are welcome The Datchet Parish Council are responsible from the lovely grounds on the recreational area the memorial greens the cemetery and the Riverside We have seen an extension of the hanging baskets this year which brings a beautiful addition to village life and we hope to see these extended further in coming years so you can see them from any point as you enter the village We continue to see the improvements and maintenance to the number of buildings that the Parish Council own and maintain on behalf of the community From the library the cemetery the village hall centre the Bridge caf to the Doctors surgery and a number of other properties all maintained by the Parish Council on your behalf We hope residents will look to co opt and support the community as listed above and to help guide the village with its positive future A reminder is set out below of the serving Parish Councillors that have been voted into Lead member positions at the Council to support the community throughout 2023 Contact details of Parish Councillors can be found on the Parish Council website here https www datchetparishcouncil gov uk Your_Councillors_1733 aspx Or you can call the Parish office on 01753 773499 a FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Dissolved until further co option members can support additional roles b PROPERTIES Lead Cllr Denny Loveridge and Deputy Lead dissolved c GROUNDS Lead Cllr Ian Thompson and Deputy Lead dissolved d PLANNING Lead Cllr David Buckley and Deputy Lead dissolved e HIGHWAYS AND GENERAL PURPOSE dissolved f FLOODING AND DRAINAGE Lead Cllr Ian Thompson and Deputy Lead dissolved g EVENTS Lead Cllr Andrew Clemens and Deputy Lead dissolved h Chairman David Buckley and Vice Chair Cllr Ewan Larcombe We have welcomed Helen Broughton to the Locum position of Clerk RFO for Datchet Parish Council and we welcome her experience and regulatory guidance on all local authority matters This has seen the changes to the Finance roles in the council as to meet financial regulations with a change to Standing Orders that was agreed at the Annual Parish Council meeting in May 2023 Therefore officers will now work with Lead members until we have a higher number of co opted members We will look to reintroduce the Lead member of Finance and Administration role to add a further layer of financial scrutiny to the Council once Parish Council members and skills are increased We have seen the progression of one officer Mrs Sonia Masikito to Parish Clerk with training committed to a level of Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer RFO and we thank Sonia on making this commitment to the Parish Council and the residents of Datchet This is one of the key responsibilities of the Parish Council to maintain all the Parish Buildings and assets This is one of the largest expenditures of the Parish Council and the Lead member for Properties will continue to keep an eye on the quality and maintenance of all the Parish properties throughout the financial year within budgets and safety requirements A monthly report is sent to the Council with recommendations and updates on all work carried out or to be carried out by the Properties team This is posted onto the Parish website each month for public review or comment and presented to the Council to debate In the past year we have seen a requirement for maintenance on the village library roof which was finished in 2023 We have seen repairs to the village hall roof and continued maintenance of all buildings There has been and continues to be plans to see improvements made in the cemetery during 2023 Hopefully residents will see the benefits of these buildings being maintained on an ongoing basis We are fortunate to have some lovely buildings in Datchet and the Parish Council maintains its assets to add to that portfolio that makes our historic village what it is today We have experienced some emergencies on properties due to age and original build quality that have seen the Lead member of properties take the initiative and address these for residents and tenants to remove the risk and put in place long term solutions in a cost effective approach We continue to see stress from heavy goods vehicles and increased traffic being placed onto properties throughout the village and this is no different for Parish maintained properties we see a continuation of indirect repairs caused by the high number of vehicle movements throughout the village as well as increased maintenance costs This adds stress to the Parish Council budgets annually and causes unrecoverable damage to our many listed buildings over time We hope to support initiatives to protect our village life reduce traffic and pollution to improve the longevity of our properties and these will require support from the residents once a strategy is established GROUNDS This continues to be the largest area of work that the Parish Council are charged with and the ongoing projects are very large and time consuming We continue to make progress to progress and complete the projects to maintain and improve our village The ongoing inflationary pressures are being worked around by the Lead Member for Grounds to make the best use of residents and public money Some projects are being reviewed to reduce expenditure at these difficult times but as always maintenance of our beautiful village does not stop We have seen reduced projects being completed due to covid restrictions and now inflationary issues this continues as inflationary pressures continue The Lead member continues to balance these on a day to day basis to supply Datchet residents with a strong historic landscape open green spaces and continuous maintenance so residents can continue to enjoy its assets 17

The planning team continue to see lots of activity in the applications for development of existing and new properties in the Parish of Datchet and work to support residents on local knowledge and weighted recommendations to the RBWM planning team Through the years there is a reduced weight given to Parish local planning recommendations due to the National Planning Framework and the Borough Local Plan which have made more of the applications we see fall into Permitted Planning or to release building plots on Green Belt Flood zone like AL39 opposite the Datchet Cricket Club which we continue to object to on behalf if residents Public meeting held in 2022 We continue to add local input on behalf of the residents and bring your concerns forward to add more weight to guide RBWM planning officers decisions towards local needs Additionally we have seen the successful adoption of the Datchet Design Guide and the Datchet Neighbourhood Plan completing a referendum in May 2023 to adopt the Datchet Neighbourhood Plan which has been years in the making Once adopted both these two documents will add weight to any Parish recommendations and help protect the Historic and design of Datchet village for years to come This area can concern many residents and we hope to get a closer and stronger working relationship with officers at RBWM with the support of the 3 Independent Borough Councillors who wish to support the Parish Council and the residents as a priority We hope that soon more emphasis and weight will be given to local planning recommendations from the Parish Council on behalf of residents and the community to help maintain our traditions and quality of life in a rural village We must remember that good planning is also good for the community but poor planning decisions affect our community and us all We are seeing an increase in the need to engage planning enforcement as some developers and opportunists try to take advantage of the lapse in planning resources at RBWM and Datchet Parish Council have raised or supported a much larger number of planning enforcement matters in the past year This is an ongoing pattern as our Local Authority RBWM struggles to maintain an effective planning team to oversee Borough wide requirements We will continue to fight the good fight on behalf of residents to maintain improve and put Datchet first FLOODING Please support our efforts to get protection for your homes and families not just from the physical effects of flooding but the financial impacts on insurance safety home values and disruption to local businesses residents and commuters We need your support to safeguard residents our property values flood re is due to end in 2035 and the prosperity of Datchet is at risk due to the failure of the previous RBWM leadership that failed to fund the flood defences needed Please take the time to find out where you can get flood alerts or information on what to do if your home is threatened by flood water or what to do when a flood hits the village In particular if you are a new resident to the village it may be worth you getting in touch with the Parish Council Office to find out what to do in a flood event You can follow this link as useful guide in the meantime https www datchetparishcouncil gov uk Flooding_1592 aspx After another great event for the Kings Coronation Event on the Datchet recreational ground on 7th May 2023 we would like to thank everyone involved but also take time to thank the Lead Member of Events for Datchet Parish Council on continuing in his role as Lead Member and we look forward to celebrating altogether again in 2023 The Lead member of Events at Datchet Parish Council will set out his budget and events schedule for the year shortly and we look forward to more special and well organised events packages for the residents of Datchet throughout 2023 We hope that many if not all Datchet residents get to attend these events where we can all come together and celebrate the great community we have in Datchet We would like to encourage the community to contribute on an ongoing basis as to your needs in the village by coming to our monthly Parish meetings to engage and have input with the Councillors to discuss where you feel improvements can be made or what further positive steps could be taken to benefit the whole community However you can also contact or engage with your Parish Councillors at all times should you feel the need have a constructive idea how to improve the village and improve the quality of lives of the community We look forward to looking after your needs in the future As we come out of the spring season and look forward to the summer months we are grateful for another noneventful year on flooding but as we all know it is not IF but WHEN we get another flood season with climate change and the lack of maintenance to our waterways no maintenance for over 10 years A lack of new flood defences or maintenance of existing flood defences we see a greater need for the only real flood defence for Datchet the River Thames Scheme Channel One This would support ongoing insurance and residents property values at a time when a large flood event becomes all more likely soon The Lead member for flooding has reported recently that he is working with other Parishes that are affected by flooding to re introduce the local flood defence groups who work tirelessly to get the funding in place for RTS Channel One Can I say thank you to all Datchet residents on behalf of the Datchet Parish Council for your ongoing support and input throughout 2022 3 and we hope we can all continue to pull together this next year Cllr David Buckley Chairman Datchet Parish Council Email chairman datchetparishcouncil gov uk Email dbuckley datchetparishcouncil gov uk Email clerk datchetparishcouncil gov uk 18

Left George Scott who built and gave the WI Hall Right The WI thanks Mr Mrs Scott for giving Datchet WI their own hall Our Presidents standing in the WI Hall doorway with Rebecca Scott Harris MP and Mavis Scott Our 75th Anniversary Celebration Cake JOINT DATCHET WI PRESIDENTS BEVERLEY EDWARDS KATE RAYNER CONTACT DETAILS Email datchetwi berkshirewi co uk Beverley Edwards 01753 971938 Kate Rayner 07729 732710 Our foundation banner with our new banner awaiting their blessing at St Mary s Church Datchet 19

Update from Slough Foodbank Newsletter for The June LINK 2023 1ST QUARTER STATISTICS Since our last communication with you we have published our stats for the first quarter of 2023 and it is shocking to see a 54 increase in the number of food parcels provided versus the same period in 2022 These figures are stark and paint a picture of the harsh reality of those in food poverty crisis in Slough and the surrounding areas It s also a reflection of the number of families who are turning to us with a 60 increase in the number of children It s a pattern we don t want to see continue and one that puts huge pressure on us to meet the need in terms of volunteers and food donations required to provide the food parcels STATISTICS FOR THE 1ST QUARTER Jan March increase 2023 from 2022 Total food parcels 3 186 54 Adults Children 1 917 50 1 269 60 During the pandemic we noticed a 54 increase over 2 years from 2019 to 2021 so to see these increases in one quarter versus the previous year is extremely worrying It is no longer the pandemic having the effect but a deep rooted problem where for many they just don t have enough money coming in to cover the essentials they need That s why we re supporting the Trussell Trust s Guarantee our essentials campaign raising awareness that Universal Credit is insufficient to meet the costs of the essentials THE BIG HELP OUT On 8th May the British public were encouraged to take part in the Big Help Out to give back to their community At Slough Foodbank a team of our regular volunteers opened our distribution centre in Slough on the Coronation Bank Holiday Monday We want extend a huge thank you to all our volunteers who help week in and week out and of course our foodbank staff who work to help those in food poverty crisis Your community couldn t do without you We also encouraged the local Community to support Slough Foodbank during the Big Help Out by organising a food collection in their street Our foodbank depends on food donations organising a food collection can be done at any time not just for The Big Help Out If you re short on time and can t commit to a regular volunteer slot this is a perfect way to make a real difference Let your neighbours know you ll have a collection box and the items we need and then bring them to our warehouse Every month we update our shopping list of most needed items https slough foodbank org uk givehelp 2 foodbank wishlist Essentials Guarantee We re asking local councilors and politicians from all parties to commit to an Essentials Guarantee and work to end the need for food banks Poverty is an issue that needs action from all sides If we want to create long term change so that people are protected from needing a food bank in the future we need everyone whatever their political opinion to get behind the change that s needed Our social security system should support anyone in need of help but right now it s not providing enough income to cover the cost of life s essentials with most people at food banks in receipt of Universal Credit We re calling on the UK government for an Essentials Guarantee to make sure that the basic rate of Universal Credit is at least enough to afford the essentials we all need such as food household bills and travel costs You can support us and take action now and in just a couple of minutes you can email your MP and ask for their support for the Essentials Guarantee Together we can send a clear message to all MPs that the basic rate of Universal Credit must at least be enough to afford the essentials we all need to get by You can fill in the form to email your MP directly on this link https www trusselltrust org get involved campaigns guarantee our essentials BANKTHEFOOD APP We ve introduced an easy way for you to support us through Food donations meeting our urgent needs at that moment We are registered with BankTheFood App you can download this here https www bankthefood org downloadapp Once downloaded follow Slough Foodbank the app will send you a helpful ping with a reminder of our needs when you are shopping in your local supermarket You can then choose 20

exactly what you would like to donate and leave your donation in Slough Foodbank s box at the end of your shopping trip MESSAGE FROM SLOUGH FOODBANK MANAGER Finally a message of thanks from Laura Cole Slough Foodbank Manager I want to thank you readers of The Link for your ongoing support and interest in Slough Foodbank It s so important that the local community support one another and those less fortunate than themselves It s a sad reality that the demand for our services continues to increase but together I am confident we can make a positive difference in easing the suffering of those in food poverty crisis and work towards a future where foodbanks are no longer needed 21

Thank you to everyone who voted in the recent Datchet Neighbourhood Plan DNP referendum The results were 1014 yes votes and 127 no votes The next stage is for the Plan to be adopted formally by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead within eight weeks of the referendum The DNP will form part of the statutory development plan for our area alongside the Borough s Local Plan This statutory status gives neighbourhood plans far more weight than some local documents such as parish plans community plans and village design statements WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR DATCHET Datchet residents will now have more of a say in how our village develops in the next 10 years or so The DNP s planning policies must now be taken into account by RBWM when deciding planning applications These policies address the issues you raised in various village wide surveys and consultations and cover important topics such as flooding housing local character and heritage biodiversity and the environment air pollution safe walking and cycling community assets sustainable construction and more It is encouraging to note that RBWM is already citing the DNP in its decisions on planning applications along with the Datchet Design Guide which was also compiled with the help of the DNP team based on your feedback WHAT ABOUT NON POLICY ACTIONS A Neighbourhood Plan focuses primarily on the use and development of land but during the evidence gathering process you also told us about other things you d like to change or protect in the village Some of these issues weren t covered directly by planning and couldn t be included as DNP policies however they have been included in Chapter 10 of the DNP under the heading Non Policy Actions These are a series of actions considered by the community to be important matters to be followed up by the Parish Council They cover a variety of topics such as biodiversity and green spaces traffic transport and getting around heritage flooding and street furniture It s now up to the Parish Council to take these actions forward to discuss and act on your feedback and to review the non policy actions in line with the rest of the Neighbourhood Plan as part any subsequent review to take account of changing circumstances and community aspirations PLAN DELIVERY It is important to monitor a neighbourhood plan once it is made Planning applications in Datchet should be closely monitored and where necessary comments should be made in response to applications explaining how the DNP s policies relate to the proposed development Objections may be made where a scheme does not meet the policy requirements or supportive comments where a scheme does comply and helps to deliver the DNP s aims Subsequent decisions by the local planning authority should also be monitored to make sure the DNP s policies are being properly applied Most parish councils set up a Neighbourhood Plan Delivery Group to ensure the plan is implemented and to coordinate the delivery of specific projects or non policy actions which have been identified by the local community as being important At Datchet Parish Council s May meeting it was agreed to set up a Working Group to deliver the Plan and two councillors were appointed to the group The DNP team which comprises mainly residents is willing to support the group and help to familiarise it with the contents of the DNP which will have an impact on almost every aspect of the parish council s work It is usual for the progress and delivery of a Neighbourhood Plan to be reviewed each year at the Annual Parish Meeting 22

EXTRA FUNDING Having a Neighbourhood Plan will also mean more money for Datchet Areas with a Neighbourhood Plan in place are eligible to receive 25 of the Community Infrastructure Levy collected from development within the Neighbourhood Area This is 66 more than areas without a Neighbourhood Plan MORE INFORMATION You can read the Datchet Neighbourhood Plan and the Datchet Design Guide by visiting www datchetneighbourhoodplan org You will also find additional information there such as full details of the Non Designated Heritage Assets Local Green Spaces Character Assessments of all areas of Datchet air quality test results pictorial information for the Conservation Area Statement and survey results Copies of the Plan are also available at the Library and at The Bridge For more information about Neighbourhood Planning generally see https neighbourhoodplanning org 23

March was a very busy time for us as we were involved in three different services Firstly our branch organised the World Day of Prayer service on the 3rd March based on Taiwan and we wore red blue and white clothes which were the colours of their flag In the weeks before the service our congregation made various items such as paper lanterns fans and dragons after Church when we discovered some hidden talents amongst us Can you tell who these cute babies are today our notice board On some photographs it was difficult to work out who they were This is me trying to look like a local in front of our display board with the flag on top left corner The service was already planned by the Head Office so all we had to do was follow the instructions Firstly we had to assemble the pieces of the island of Taiwan from a cut out pictured left which Helen kindly organised and we eventually managed it The bowl of fruit in the picture represented all the tropical ones from that region and on the tree behind I hung pictures and descriptions from the booklet There were many pieces of information about the history culture education and the environment too Altogether 21 people attended the service with 9 from St Mary s Church and the rest were visitors They were very generous in their giving and I sent 138 in donations Pictured right are some of our congregation who helped out with the tea that we provided Here are some of the congregation at our Our final service was on 25th March which was the annual Lady Day date to which Gloria Pam Mary and I attended in St Giles Church Stoke Poges It is set in beautiful surroundings and a park dedicated to Thomas Grey the poet His most famous is his Elegy Easter was in April with a very busy weekend of Maundy Thursday Good Friday and a dawn service as well as a normal celebration at the usual time We prepared for the Coronation as there was going to be a Fair on the recreation ground It was a lovely sunny and warm day and I was grateful for the help of Yasser plus Richard for putting up our marquee kindly lent by Sally Anne as well as Irene and Eirian in setting up our stall Our next service was for Mothering Sunday on 19th March and we were remembering of Mothers and the help they provided during our childhood which was loosely based on the Princess of Wales project about the importance of the early years in childhood I asked the congregation to bring in their baby photographs and we displayed them on Successful Water into Wine tombola 24

Say hello to the fastest booking Physiotherapy We had knitwear blankets a raffle for both children and adults plus some plants to sell Stella kindly donated some full bottles and also helped out so that we made a grand total of 142 10 with 116 for the wine stall alone which was 50 more than last December There are 56 empties and 3 full ones for next time I have already donated 60 to one of our new charities Children Heard and Seen which seeks to help children of parents who are in prison and carries on helping them as long as necessary I will be donating the baby knitwear and blankets to another charity Baby Basics in two weeks time We are looking forward to a summer of activities including sharing a meal playing a game and joining together for coffee Jon Cooke MCSP SRP AACP Chartered State Registered Physiotherapist Health Professions Council registered Qualified Acupuncturist 6 yrs experience in Elite Sports Injury Treatment and Rehabilitation All Conditions Treated Appointments available locally within Thames Valley Athletics Centre Pococks Lane Eton Recognised by most major healthcare insurers Evening and weekend appointments available Please call 077 3333 5704 Truly excellent patient friendly helpful and a mine of 25

Wild ABOUT DATCHET Easy ways to make a difference for local wildlife H E Mo I Hedgehogs and other much loved species are under threat and need our support Every pollen rich native plant can help insects 26

WA D www facebook com groups WildAboutDatchet BAPTISMS MARRIAGES AND DEATHS AND SPECIALS CELEBRATIONS BAPTISM None CONFIRMATION None WEDDINGS Blessing of the Marriage of Brandon and Lizzy Jensen DEATHS Rupert Morley Robert Payne 27

We have had a very busy and happy season at The Bridge with a great many people coming to enjoy our low cost refreshments and meet up with their friends There is also lots of passing trade with tourists cyclists and people in the area for work We get many compliments for what we are achieving at The Bridge and visitors often say they wish they had a resource like this in their community The Bridge does enhance the village in that it provides an open house meeting place on six days a week and sometimes it feels like an all day party with the lovely flow of fellowship and chat among both customers and volunteers It can be a challenge to staff the coffee shop six days a week even though we have a lot of volunteers because they all have busy lives holidays appointments and many commitments have to be fitted in If you would like to join our team of volunteers either on a regular or occasional basis please call in at The Bridge and leave your name and contact details Alternatively do send me an email expressing your interest It is a great help to have the support of our Parish Council who take an interest and help us in various ways Denny Loveridge is the councillor in charge of looking after The Bridge and he is doing a superb job Our very ancient building throws up regular challenges so we are extremely grateful for the swift response we get when an issue arises It seems to be well recognised that The Bridge provides a great service to the village as a place which can enrich the lives of all those who volunteer or visit Please support The Bridge by coming as a customer or volunteering because although we are not for profit we need to generate sufficient income to cover all our costs carolineatrosecottage btinternet com Who doesn t love a pancake They are universally loved with every country having their own version and recipes and times for eating them the most famous being Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day here There are even some fascinating names for them like pfannkuchen the German word for Pancake literally or Dutch Baby a what Yes you read that correctly a Dutch Baby This tasty pancake is made from a water rich batter and cooked in a skillet or very hot oven It is very light and fluffy a bit like a fluffy cloud This is because the water evaporates quickly and that causes the batter to puff up The unusual name according to culi nary folklore has been credited to the daughter of a restauranteur in Seattle USA who had put Deutsch German Pancakes on the menu The girl is said to have mispronounced the word calling it Dutch The name stuck Later on in the life of the eatery when it downsized its portion size and served only single pancakes they became affectionately known as known as Dutch Babies 28

NUMBER 4 BIBLE STUDY CAROLINE COLE The group is ecumenical with members from the different churches We currently have members from St Thomas s Colnbrook Datchet Baptist Church St Augustine s and St Mary s We currently have 8 members of our Bible study group We are now coming to the end of a study using Reflections on the Psalms by C S Lewis The book has been a little unexpected in that each chapter includes a lot of interesting reflections that are not necessarily related directly to the Psalms C S Lewis s thoughts have led us into many worthwhile discussions and I think we have learned about the Bible in ways we did not expect This course of study has highlighted for me the importance of engaging in Bible study with other Christians as the Bible is an amazing collection of writings which cannot be grasped by just hearing the lesson read in church or even reading the Bible on one s own In April five of us went to Lee Abbey in Devon for a Renew Refresh Resource weekend Lee Abbey is a Christian Community situated right on the North Devon coast near Lynmouth The weekend was very worthwhile with inspiring teaching and a fabulous location for walks A visit there is highly recommended The next topic is a study on the Book of Acts using Acts for Everyone by Tom Wright The meetings are led by Richard Knight and Caroline Cole We meet at 4 Leigh Park on alternate Wednesday evenings at 7 45pm the evening involves Bible reading discussion prayer and Christian fellowship M IX AND M ATCH HOUSE GROUP ROBERT SPICER Mix and Match an ecumenical house group started around forty years ago recommenced its meetings again during Lent of this year and completed a study based on Jesus last prayers as he approached his trial and execution We have now started on a study of Acts a book written by Luke to tell the story of the early Christian Church as it grew and spread around the Mediterranean after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus two thousand years ago Firstly the story of how the close followers of Jesus came to a sudden understanding of the fact that Jesus had been given new life by God and then the story of how the Apostle Paul was converted to Christianity and then went on to found new churches around the Roman Empire Paul s teaching has come down to us through a number of the letters he wrote to those churches which have been copied and handed down to us Our study is one produced by Tom Wright an Anglican Priest who was until recently the Bishop of Durham and who is regarded as a leading theologian We have now completed the first three studies and are finding them stimulating as well as extremely challenging The group now has nine members but we would be very happy to accept one or two more from all of our local churches Please contact either myself or Stella Ayiku if you would like further information Robert Spicer Mobile 0771 542 4740 29

Sunday Trinity Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Sunday Trinity 1 Monday Wednesday Friday Sunday Trinity 2 Wednesday Sunday Trinity 3 Wednesday Thursday Sunday Trinity 4 Wednesday Sunday Trinity 5 Monday Wednesday Sunday Trinity 6 Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday Trinity 7 Wednesday Thursday Sunday Trinity 8 4th 8 00am 9 30am 5th 6th 7th 11 00am 11th 8 00am 9 30am 12th 8 00pm 14th 11 00am 16th 9 15am 18th 8 00am 11 00am 21st 11 00am 25th 8 00am 9 30am 6 30pm 28th 11 00am 29th 11 00am 2nd 8 00am 9 30am 6 30pm 5th 11 00am 9th 8 00am 9 30am 10th 8 00pm 12th 11 00am 16th 8 00am 11 00am 19th 11 00am 20th 21st 1 30pm 23rd 8 00am 9 30am 26th 11 00am 27th 11 00am 30th 8 00am 11 00am JUNE 2023 Holy Communion BCP Sung Eucharist Term STARTS at Churchmead School Term STARTS at Datchet St Mary s Primary Academy Holy Communion NO Service Sung Eucharist Rescheduled PCC meeting at St Mary s Church in the Community Church rooms Holy Communion Datchet St Mary s Primary Academy Marvellous Men Service in St Mary s Holy Communion BCP Lay Led Service no Communion Holy Communion NO Service Sung Eucharist NO Choral Evensong Confirmation Service at St Mary s Langley Holy Communion Eton House Service JULY 2023 Holy Communion BCP Sung Eucharist Choral evensong Holy Communion Holy Communion BCP Sung Eucharist St Mary s Church PCC meet in The Church Community Centre Holy Communion Holy Communion BCP Lay Led Service no Communion Holy Communion Term School Year ENDS Churchmead School Term and School Year ENDS Datchet St Mary s Primary Academy Holy Communion BCP Sung Eucharist NO Choral Evensong Holy Communion Eton House Service Holy Communion BCP Joint Sung Eucharist with St Thomas at St Thomas Colnbrook 30

Sunday Trinity 9 Wednesday Sunday Trinity 10 Wednesday Sunday Trinity 11 Wednesday Sunday Trinity 12 Wednesday Thursday Sunday Trinity 13 Tuesday Wednesday 6th 9th 13th 16th 20th 23rd 27th 30th 31st 3rd 5th 6th AUGUST 2023 8 00am Holy Communion BCP 9 30am Eucharist 11 00am Holy Communion 8 00am Holy Communion BCP 9 30am Eucharist 11 00am Holy Communion 8 00am Holy Communion BCP 11 00am Lay Led Service 11 00am Holy Communion 8 00am Holy Communion BCP 9 30am Eucharist 11 00am Holy Communion 11 00am Eton House Service TBC September 2023 8 00am Holy Communion BCP 9 30am Sung eucharist Term STARTS at Datchet St Mary s Primary Academy Term STARTS Y7 Y12 ONLY Churchmead School 11 00am Holy Communion 31

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