Return to flip book view

Photos courtesy of M.R. and S-A Jarvis.

2 Dear friends , Is it still 2020? I don’t know about you, but I feel like the days are dragging into weeks and the weeks dragging into months. It’s hard being under this continued sense of un-easiness and continued change and shift in rules and advice. When I last wrote for The Link, we had gone through the wringer with full lockdown, to church at home, to church in church but no people. Well I’m glad to say that (as I type, which could of course all change before publication) we are currently having services in church, with people present (it’s funny the phrases you never thought you’d utter). But of course this is COVID time so things are not like they were be-fore. The church is looking very different, if think back to how the church normally looks, there are rows and rows of chairs, all neatly together. Now we have singles, doubles, triples and a quad set of chairs, measured out and separated from each other. The service books are gone, instead a large projector screen displays the liturgy. Sadly we can’t sing, and this means that the choir aren’t blessing us with their wonderful voices. We sit in our bubbles with our masks on and it all feels similar but different. But the biggest difference for me is those who are missing. There are many of the regular congregation who for various reasons can’t physically join us, and this to me is such a shame as they are missed. During the time when I was al-lowed to hold services but not have people present I would preach to the camera (a surreal experience) but I would al-ways, in my head, imagine the congregation, those who had their regular seats, the faces and expressions that they would display, it made the process of preaching to a little webcam much easier (I have new respect for those who talk to camera for a living) but since we’ve been allowed back, it has been great seeing people, but I’m struck by who isn’t present. I’m reminded of what Jesus calls us to do. To look out for the orphan and the widow, for in 1st century Judea society re-garded children without parents and women who had lost their husbands to be 3rd class citizens and were generally ig-nored. It can be easy for us to forget those who are not visible. But Jesus goes out of his way to recognise that they are just as loved by God as anyone else. That in the eyes of God all are created equally, God is not interested in who is wealthy or who is poor, He loves and cherishes everyone one of us equally. So those who we cannot see must not be for-gotten or ignored, they are loved by God as much as anyone. As we keep changing with new rules and new requirements, it’s worth recognising that through it all we were created by God, we are known by God and we are loved by God. We in turn need to recognise that everyone we meet is a child of God and needs to be treated with the love and respect that God shows us; because Jesus didn’t go to the Cross to save some of us from our sins, he came to save us all. This virus is going to be with us for a while, sadly there is no getting away from this. Some of the congregation will not be able to join us physically for some time, until it is safe enough. But we will continue to stream services on Facebook and YouTube to allow those who can’t physically join us to do so virtually and spiritually. Planning is taking place to look at how both the Bereave-ment Service and the Remembrance services will look. Sadly it’s hard to speak with confidence as to what will and will not be allowed, but I will ensure that these are put out into the community as soon as we can. I would encourage those who are able to follow the St Mary’s church Facebook page for updates. If you would like to be included in the email listing please do send me a mes-sage and I will add you to the mailing list. God bless you and keep you, and make his face to shine upon you, this day and always. Fr. Darcy 07442 197 723 vicar@colnbrookanddatchet.co.uk I F YOU W O U L D L I K E TO J O I N US F O R S E R V I C E S T H E Y A R E ON F A C E B O O K AND Y OUT U B E AT 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday And 9 : 3 0 a m on Sundays ( 11am 3rd Sundays) https://www.facebook.com/DatchetStMarysChurch YouTube channel: St Marys Datchet and St Thomas Colnbrook https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOL0Nkc5vHN6OoXSRA_xUXw/featured?view_as=subscriber

3 I can hardly believe it is Almost September as I write. The year , despite the lockdown, seems to have flown by more quickly than usual . Although we have differ-ent things to help us mark the days and fill our diaries with. That said, it is good to see that there have been some positive changes to wards the freedom we were used to . The re -opening of the Pubs, and other places has provided a glimmer of hope that things will pick up. However the dreaded virus is still with us, and not everyone is able or confident to pick up at pace just yet. Those shielding have only had since the beginning of August , and many feel overwhelmed by the sudden remov-al of the government support that was in place: Despite the local lockdowns and the slow rise in cases again, we are all learning to manage much more effectively than we did in the beginning when everything was unknown and new— it shows how resilient we are when the tough times arrive. It also shows how caring and naturally drawn together to help each other ( on the whole) we become as communities. Datchet Corona Volunteers are still serving the Community , and looking at the possible future needs of Datchet - You can catch up on their latest update on pages 4 –5. Planning for this September edition has been a bigger than expected but also interesting challenge, so many of the regular contributors are not yet up and running again and have nothing to report. Many events can’t be planned - although some will go ahead, like Remembrance in some form, just what that will look like is not yet determined. I have been amazed at receiv-ing, yet again, a really positive response and pleased to report there is a full edition for you to peruse at your leisure , with a few different things. Ever wondered what happened in pandemics in the past? Janet Kennish has written a very interesting, and poignant ,piece on the children of the 19th and early 20th Century and on pages 10—13 . The Parish Council haven’t stopped working for you, and have moved to the world of technology to make sure they can main-tain the workload - the Newsletter is on pages 18 & 19 . The wildlife has taken advantage of the quieter and cleaner environment and people have been taking much more interest in bugs and birds and all things nature. Wild About Datchet share their news on pages …...14-16 . Still on the theme of wild-life or rathe the animal kingdom, Trading Standards have writ- ten about a new law - Lucy’s Law, you can find out what it is about on page 23. Want to know what is happening to the Bridge Coffee Shop ? Read their report on page 27. Matthew’s Objects with Tales is a little different this time - inspired by his reminiscing of Panto Dames and no it is not Panto ! In-trigued? Look up pages 28 and 29 to reveal the mystery ? If the sudden surge for big Government Projects made you feel a little nervous about how things will impact Datchet - read the Neighbourhood update pages 24 & 25, and please take their survey on pages 32 & 33—have your say. It can make a big difference . The more people taking part the better informed the future planning for Datchet be-comes . Eton End has shared a small peek under the blanket of what happens to ensure education happens with all the new rules , their story is on page 31. It is quite daunting for all the schools, and thoughts are with all the teachers and pupils at our three village schools in particular—the staff are HEROES! The needs of those struggling to find food and resources to live has not gone away and increased demand is being shown in statistics . Slough Foodbank share an update on their service - next edition we hope to bring you news about Windsor’s needs in this area too. There is lots more from the Thoughts and Prayers to Stir-ring Up for Christmas Pud, but you will find those smip-pets as you go though: Thank you for taking the time to read this edition, and please let myself or one of the Team know what you would like to see — maybe you’d like to write something or know of someone who you feel we should focus on ? Copy needs to be with me by 7th Novem-ber for December. We are always happy to discuss or even write for you ( with your approval ) I am delighted that we are able to consider returning to delivery The LINK as per usual, but mindful that it could change at any time we have developed an online version ( that flips the pages for you now) as well . The paper copy is always appreciated by many , and the LINK Team are really grateful to all those who do deliver it for everyone to enjoy, more so under the current nervous climate around the C 19 word . We WILL get to say a proper thank you but for the time being we can’t meet up as normal. However our, my, gratitude for everyone involved with The LINK is boundless. May the next three months continue to be as positive The Bridge Coffee Shop s planning to re-open on Friday 11th September And will celebrate by holding a Re-opening event on The Green opposite From Mid– morning Covid restrictions permitting

4 offer support to residents, local authorities and local ser-vices to the residents of Datchet. I would like to thank all the volunteers who have, are offer-ing support to the community as I know some of you are or have returned to work or have children going back to school soon or have other family commitments returning but they still offer support where they can and without these volun-teers we could not continue to support the residents, so thank you everyone, Please know that every time you help someone it is truly appreciated by everyone in the village. Finally, can I say a big thank you to all the people who live and work in Datchet. It is due to their strong character and resilience during the lockdown and as we open up their be-haviour in adhering to the guidelines that is supporting us being able to start to live with this pandemic and socialise again. Contact details for Datchet Corona Volunteers: Email: datchetcoronavolunteers@gmail.com Support line: 01753 905247 During the most recent months the Volunteers within Datchet are continuing to offer support to our 5,000+ residents. There is still a need to support individuals and families during self-isolation or even if some people are feeling anxious or nervous as shielding is lifted. Many volunteers have now or continue to return to work but are still offering support to residents as we learn to live with Covid-19. I say live with rather than after or state it has gone away. As we change our behaviour to live with the pandemic our resi-dents needs for support change and we still offer support to those who need it, as and when. Recently we supported the pharmacy in Datchet for a few local residents as the regular de-livery driver was not available and we were able to collect and deliver urgent medicines to these residents swiftly. As we adjust to the new way of life with the new risk levels, we will continue to see a need for the volunteers to some level. We will see self-isolation become stricter and affect many house-holds in Datchet. With self-isolation families that need support can still rely on the volunteers to support them over the next coming months. Obviously, there is still a risk to certain groups at a higher risk and we continue to offer support to these high-risk groups. So please do not worry about calling the group if you need support in any way. The support line will stay in place for a further 12 months as a minimum but if needed can and will be extended fur-ther. Our contact details are listed below. As we enter the next phase of the pandemic and we see the economy adjust to the effects of lockdown and ongoing re-strictions of social distancing we will see the highest level of re-dundancies and we hope this does not affect many households in Datchet but all the volunteers will be there as or if needed to

5

6

7 Physiotherapy Jon Cooke MCSP SRP AACPChartered & State Registered PhysiotherapistHealth Professions Council registeredQualified AcupuncturistAppointments available locally within: Thames Valley Athletics Centre Pococks LaneEton Recognised by most major healthcare insurers077 3333 57046 yrs+ experience in Elite Sports Injury Treatment and RehabilitationAll Conditions Treated Evening and weekend appointments available. Please call:18th Century Bible Cake A fun way to make a cake -To bake this one you have to look up the references in the Bible to find the ingre-dients .. But don’t worry the modern equivalent is also given on page 27. Try not to cheat and see if you can work them out first Method: 1. Grease and line a 20—23 cm deep sided tin. 2. Cream together the Nahum and Jeremiah 6:20 3. Gradually add Jeremiah 17:11 ( beaten) 4. Sieve the 1 Kings 4:22 with the Leaven ( Solomon) Leviticus, 2 Chron 9:9 and Judges 5:9 5. Fold the creamed mixture ( at 2) alternately with the Numbers , 1 Samuel 30:12, 1 Samuel 14:25, Amos & Judges 4:5 . 6. Mix well. Pour into the baking tin , smooth the top and bake for 21/2 hours at 150 C/275F/ gas Mark 2 Ingredients 4 1/2 Cupfuls 1 Kings 4:22 2 Cupfuls Jeremiah 6:20 2 Cupfuls 1 Samuel 30:12 1 Cupful Numbers 17:8 6 Tablespoons Jeremiah 17: 11 A Pinch of Leviticus 2:13 Season to taste 2 Chronicles 9:9 11/2 Cupfuls Judges 5:29 ( last clause ) 2 Cupfuls Nahum 3:12 2 Tablespoons 1 Samuel 14.25 1/2 Judges 4:19 ( last clause ) 1 Teaspoon Amos 4:5 Follow Solomon’s prescription for making a good boy Proverbs 23:14 and you will have a good cake

8 .Using funds raised by FOSM we were able to finance a new laptop, camera and microphone as requested by the P.C.C. to transmit services as an outreach to the wider community. We hope to bring back activities as soon as we are able. The Rose Cottage Bible Study is now The Number 4 Bible Study. We have moved house which is fortunate as we now have a large terrace where we can gather safely, keeping the required social distance. The group will be meeting soon to discuss the way forward for our Autumn meetings. I hope we will be able to resume our study of Matthew’s Gospel. We meet on alternate Wednesday evenings for Bible study and prayer.

9

10 : datchethistory.org.uk datchetvillagesociety.org.uk

11

12

13 To contact Janet :-  janetkennish123@gmail.com  07778 455706

14 picture, it's easier to work it out there and then. However, I nd with species such as ies and moths, it can take a very long time to identify them by book as many are very similar. Usually, when I am struggling I use Picture Insect App which you can use on Apple and Android phones. For this, you submit a photo of what you've seen and within seconds it identies the insect and few other similar species. However, for once when I spotted this sawy, (opposite page) it only appeared with similar species. If you also are strug-gling with identication, I recommend contacting the Royal Entomological Society as they replied to me with the exact cor-rect species, the very next morning after I sent the email. Otherwise, the classic 'Collins Complete Guide to British Insects' is always a safe ‘go to’. ( Editor’s Note: you can contact the Royal Entomological Society via their website https://www.royensoc.co.uk/identifying-insects) Summer Reviews Here's a few things to keep you busy while you're out sunbathing, travelling some-where or have a quiet moment, here are a selection of our summer favourites. Wild ABOUT DATCHET One of my favourite things about being a part of Wild About Datchet is the ow of pictures and questions on our Facebook page. This summer has been vibrant in Datchet and our newsletter has included lots of different things to look out for, current environmental events and a celebration of what residents have spotted. If you haven’t read our newsletter, here are a few snippets of what has been going on, and a way to sign up. Insect Identification When out and about exploring in the wild spaces around you, it is always exciting to spot something you've never seen before. For me, it was the blotched-winged honeysuckle sawy (abia fasciata), pictured below. In the UK there are 27,000 types of insects, and many look very similar. As I have found, it's always good to have a pocket identication guide while out walking, as if you can't get a Photograph by Rowena Mignot

15 Black Nature Narratives - This podcast explores black perspectives on issues relat-ing to the natural world and their relation-ships with nature. It's led by Beth Collier, the director of Wild in the City - a London based charity supporting well-being through nature. She interviews a range of fascinat-ing people such as Violet Matiru, a Kenyan zoologist and discusses issues such as the exclusivity of access to nature and environ-mental governance in Kenya. #BlackBotanistWeek #BlackBotanistWeek took place between the 6th-11th July. This was the founding month for the celebration and their website states it was 'First organized in 2020 to promote, encourage, create a safe space for, and nd more Black people (and BIPOC) who love plants!' Countryle - Charlecote Park - BBC iPlayer One of my favourite episodes of this summer - it includes the celebration of Nation Trust spaces reopening with a look at Charlecote Park, interviewing members in a working mill tackling the baking boom and a photography competition for an online livestock show. However, most importantly, they investigate the challenges members of the BAME commu-nity face while living in the countryside. It's an in depth look on something a lot of us will have taken for granted. Out and About - Night Explorer This is a part of the National Trust's book se-ries 'Out and About'. This is intended for young adults and children, and is a colourful guide to over 100 insects, animals, birds and stars. Prices average around £6.99. Spotify Podcasts Ologies - A science and culture podcast by Alie Ward, is one of my favourites. It has a range of 'ologies' like microbiology, ornith-ology or felinology - to the very niche like gelotology (laughter) and teuthology (squids). Alie interviews experts on each topic and they're so easy to listen to while still being very informative. There's a lot of episodes, so I'm sure you'll nd your interest. BBC Earth Podcast - These episodes are slightly more bitesize at around 30 minutes and suitable for all ages. The BBC Earth pod-cast dives deep into surprising stories from all around the world and even beyond with the episode 'The planet where it rains diamonds'. Photograph by Niamh Young Photograph by Matthew Jarvis

16 display, since it rst started 153 years ago in 1862. In an article for the Evening Stand-ard, Juliet explained the need for diversity in horticulture. “I don’t come across any other black garden designers when I’m out and about. But that doesn’t mean black people aren’t interested in gardening and design." “I think they do not culturally feel part of the horticultural scene. And you need condence, a network of contacts and a sponsor to pull off something like a Chelsea show garden.” Mrs Sargeant, a former chairwoman of the Society of Garden Designers, said: “There is a fabulous array of gardening programmes but they do tend to be very traditional white middle-class in their attitude towards gardening." Therefore, the celebration of #BlackBotanistWeek is in fact, very overdue. It’s important going forward to welcome diversity into our local communi-ties and come together to work on what we can do better. Furthermore, it details 'Black Botanists Week is a celebration of Black people who love plants. This plant love manifests in many ways ranging from tropical eld ecologist to plant geneticist, from horticulturalist to botanical illustrator. We embrace the multiple ways that Black people engage with and appreciate the global diversity of plant life.' It's a fantastic celebration but also it is des-perately needed. From May 2020 National Sta-tistics were released that stated 1 in 8 British households have no gardens. The percentage of homes without a garden is higher among eth-nic minorities, with black people in England nearly four times as likely as white people to have no outdoor space at home. In June 2020, the Telegraph released an article exploring the under representation in horticul-ture. This included a look at Flo Headlam - Gardeners' World's rst ever black presenter who started in 2017. This is nearly 50 years after the show rst aired. In 2016, Juliet Sargeant won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show with her 'Modern Slavery' piece celebrating the day parliament passed The Modern Slavery Act in 2015. Juliet was the rst black gardener to design a Chelsea Photograph by Cathryn Adams Photograph by Alison Crampin

17 How to sign up…. If you’re interested in reading more articles in-cluding butteries, poppies, dragonies/damselies, #30DaysWild, The Big Buttery Count, Bumblebee Aware August and many more pictures, then feel free to sign up! We send a newsletter monthly to your email address detailing all what’s been going on that month in nature and what to look out for in the future. You can send us an email at  wildaboutdatchet@gmail.com, visit  www.wildaboutdatchet.com/contact.html and enter your email in our website ‘Contact’ section or message us on Facebook Wild about Datchet We’re looking forward to hearing from you Photograph by Peter Firth A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!' While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again! As she ran she once again began to pray, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...But please don't shove me either!' A police recruit was asked during an exam What would you do if you had to arrest your mother ? The recruit replied: Call for back up !!!!!

18 ‘gone into hibernation,’ with the office closed, our clerk working from home for health reasons and no signs of normal activities, in fact behind the scenes there has been a lot going on, albeit in a very different way. Of course in Grounds even when things appear to be dormant, nothing really stands still. In fact, this was really brought home to us in the middle of July when we were surprised by Dave Stickland, one of our long-standing Grounds contractors, handed in his notice with immediate effect. One of his main jobs was grass cutting on the Recreation ground along with other Grounds work. Also not a good time with foot-ball just about to re-start with the slight easing of shutdown . An emergency meeting of the Grounds Team with the Clerk, Finance Lead and myself as Chairman was quickly arranged and it was agreed that we would make some immediate arrange-ments for the next three months and then have the time to plan for a more permanent and fixed arrangement over the next two to three years. We agreed that in the short term it would make sense to use contractors currently working for us in the village and whose work we trusted. Katy had already made enquiries of local contrac-tors, including from the Borough with little success, so we decided to go with contractors already known to us for this period of time. So we now have all of the routine grounds mainte-nance covered, which gives us some breathing space. Cemetery paths : These have been dug out and completely re-laid with new edging tiles fitted to secure the paths. This should make it much safer for people to walk on the paths, even if they need to use walking aids. The last time that I was writing to you, we seemed to be living in a very different world from now, but as with other organisa-tions, a number of structural changes in the way we need to work have occurred. Parish and town councils were established by the Local Government Act 1884, 125 years ago and changes to relevant legislation have since then, been slow. Before March / April this year, it was not possible in law, to have any council meetings held remotely. Everyone ‘summoned’ was expected to turn up at the appointed time and place, or to give apologies if this was not possible. Of course, in spite of this, life does need to carry on – bills and wages need to be paid, things that break down need to be fixed, and certain decisions need to be taken. So with guidance by Katy our Parish Clerk, an extra Parish Council meeting was arranged to establish using ‘delegated decisions’ to enable council business to continue. This means that the council will decide who – sometimes an Officer of the council (such as our Clerk) and/or a number of councillors will make decisions on be-half of the council. Agreement for decisions were at that time being made by email which was very cumbersome. As a local authority, we have in law to follow advice and proce-dures as laid down by NALC and BALC. These are the National and Berkshire Associations of Local Councils. Since these early days of the pandemic and lockdown, further laws have been made nationally to enable local councils to meet remotely, in-cluding for members of the public to be present and ask ques-tions if they so wish. You will be able to find the way to get into a meeting of the council when the agenda for that meeting is posted on our website. One thing we were able to do before the end of the financial year was to set up a temporary emergency fund to deal with any unforeseen situations that arise as a result of the pandemic. This has enabled us among other things, to support The Bridge Café when it could not remain open for a long time due to covid restrictions, by reducing the rent it pays the council for a period of time. So although it may appear that the Parish Council has almost  Datchet Parish Office 1 Allen Way Datchet, Berkshire SL3 9HR  Tel. 01753 773499  www.datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk CLERK TO THE COUNCIL: Katy Jones  Tel: 01753 773499 Mob. 07819 750924  e-mail: clerk@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk Council Matters Grounds Datchet Parish Council web-site address:  www.datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk

19 But problems remain in the café downstairs. The wall on the west side was found to have damp in and behind the plaster. Unfortunately the particular type of plaster needed for this job is both difficult to obtain and expensive, however, our Lead for proper-ties Cllr Monica Davies has managed to get some, and found a competent plasterer to do the job, which is now progressing well. We hope to be able to re-open The Bridge in the next few weeks! Some problems still continue. One is damage caused by lorries delivering goods to the Stag who come in off the main road and on a number of occasions have collided or scrapped past the side wall of the Bridge. This is not obviously very good for such an old build-ing. Electrical wiring in the Library This has been completed and quotes for replacement heaters should be with us soon. Our new lead for Planning, Cllr. David Buckley has organised an improved system for councillors and the public to be involved in reviewing planning applications for Datchet. Before council meetings he produces a report for each application including all the documents available for the public. These include plans, history of the property as well as previous applications and comments received by the Borough from others who have written in. He then concludes with his report on the application with his recom-mendation and comments to give to the Borough Planning Officer. This has made it easier for council-lors and others who are interested to be involved in the planning process. Linda O’Flynn Chairman Datchet Parish Council Riverside, There have been posts with ropes between them which deters the Canada geese from walking on the grass and so making it muddy. Unfortunately these have been destroyed, possibly by vandalism. There are plans to re-place the ropes with chains in the hope that it will reduce the risk of this happening again. Litter on the Rec. During the earlier part of lockdown before things started to ease, many people were using the Recreation ground and the Land at Mill Place to get out and enjoy the weather and the countryside. Unfortunately we found a huge increase in the amount of rubbish left in all these places, so extra visits were needed to do litter picking, as well as replacing safety notices that had been removed from the play equipment. I was disappointed to find this unaccep-table behaviour to treat facilities provided for all to enjoy – in safety. If you are able to bring a picnic with you, you should have less stuff to carry to your own bin at home so that we can all enjoy our open spaces without other peo-ple’s rubbish. The thoughts about and how to reduce the risks of these events, will always be in the minds of residents in Datchet and our neighbouring villages. The recent unsettled weath-er has brought about severe flooding of roads resulting from short but very heavy – I could say torrential - show-ers which obviously cause problems for people getting about. However, there has been some progress with finding out more about how flooding takes place in Datchet. I am referring to the Barrel Arch. This is a structure constructed by engineers in Victorian times to divert all the water which constantly flowed across the land where our village greens now sit. This water comes from drain-age of water from Slough Road through the centre of the village and then on into the Thames. This was causing many access problems, possibly to the church and other places. The barrel arch is situated underneath the village greens and is culverted (i.e. under ground) as far as the bridge near to the car park next to the doctors’ surgery, where it emerges into the ditch across the Rec. Maintain-ing this important part of our drainage system is the responsibility of the Borough Council, and they arranged for a survey of the barrel arch which took place during the lockdown period. You may have seen workmen on the greens lifting manholes to carry out the survey. Cllr Ian Thompson our Lead for Flooding and Drainage has been in touch with officers and members of the Borough, and he is expecting to receive a report once a structural engineer has inspected the results . 24 / 24a The Green Work is always needed here – often impeded by break-down in supply chains because of Covid restrictions. All work to the upstairs flat is, for the moment, complete. Planning Flooding & Drainage issues Linda O’Flynn Chairman, Datchet Parish Council e-mail: linda.oflynn@btinternet.com or chairman@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk

20 Christmas in September ? You ARE joking, right ? NO I’m not, read on to find out why this IS the right time to discuss when , and how, to make your Christmas Pud! Who remembers belting out the lines “ For we all like figgy pudding we all like figgy pud-ding we all like figgy pudding so bring some out here …..”? I certainly do ( and still do it, in Church , every Christmas!) and it has set me off on a journey down memory lane …. Such warm ones too! I won-der what your happiest child-hood memories are of the win-ter months and preparing for the Christmas Season? One of mine is carrying a candle lantern, juggling with mittens, scarf and books, (I was only 7 or 8) going around the village near to the RAF base we lived on, Carol singing with my fellow mischief- makers- looking -like -angels, beaming happily at the old Colonel ( always the last port of call on our rounds) as he handed out hot chocolate and really yummy treats – on the proviso we sing ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas ‘ with the enhanced, energetic gusto required at the ‘figgy pudding’ lines! He would then ask us all in side to stir his pudding basin, (some of us had to stand on tiptoes, some tried obtaining extra raisins, some - the older ones (the boys mainly) would try to grab a sneaky nip of the strong ‘preservative’ ( rum) . The adults with us would shuffle, embarrassed try and supervise us, discretely removing said rum from any sticky mitts that had managed to adhere to the bottle, at the same time not looking like they had sampled a very find sherry in lieu of hot chocolate themselves. It was a special moment in the run up to Advent and Christmas , a big occasion: , and encour-aged to be ourselves we relaxed our best behaviour considerably. We would be suitably exuberant all the way home and chattering for days about it and what we did at home …. As we set off a rowdy bunch, The Colonel would joke ‘ there! that’s got you all stirred up ready for Christmas! ‘ and put his fierc-est growl face on … we did know it was only pretend but it still had the power to stop us in our tracks of general childhood innocent mischief, and made us stop and think for a while. Stirred up? We certainly were, maybe not quite in the way in-tended but a jolt to new activity none the less. But what’s the connection to Christmas? We were excited, yes, but ‘stirred up’ implies more vigorous disturbance, like shaking the old ‘me’, my energy and thoughts and giving us a good shake down to awaken us for something – Christmas Day? Of course he was introducing us to the concept, but not in the way we as children were thinking . From the way the vicar spoke it was obvious (with ‘astute’ adult hindsight ) it was meant to be more about shaking us up from being stuck in a rut, and maybe start to think about the way we did everyday things, see connections and enable us to in-teract with family, friends – and even enemies with new –found Loving energy! how we thought of, and cared for, others; gave and shared without expectations, and tried hard on the bit about believing the Babe in the Cradle was going to return as a man. Making sure we were ‘ready’ to open the door to Him and build on our relationship. Whatever ‘ready’ meant to a child (or even an adult) When thinking about this recently, it brought to mind the many tales my grandmother (Nanna) told of her memories at Christmas as a Victorian child growing up in the crossover years between the Victorian and Edwardian eras . She passed these onto my father (who made the puddings, cake and dinner! ) and made our home magical with decorating each day of Advent etc. I now realise there was a much deeper Spiritual undercurrent to them all. Not unsurprising-ly, at the time, I hadn’t truly connected any of the family rituals around this time of year with either the stirring of the Colonel’s pudding ( or the one at home) or the long ser-mons, to the way the simple act of stirring up clears the blocks, generating a new energy and preparedness for what is to come. A part of the Advent countdown as necessary as opening doors on calendars and seeing the pictures of the Nativity Story unfold (no chocolates in those days ) but it did resonate with me on some level. I then discovered there was a very special day in the Church calendar – ‘Stir Up Sun-day’ ! What ? were we to make pudding in church ? How does that fit in for the Christian – the connection being made instantly to yummy Christmas pud, and very little to Jesus – way of welcoming Christ back and yet still looking to His new coming? To us children the excite-ment of making another Christmas Pud was soon doused, it all sounded very dull and bor-ing, and I am afraid we giggled naughtily in the choir stalls every time Stir Up was mentioned ! However, it does have interlinked connections that linger in the subcon-scious , working deep within our everyday interactions and thoughts – but, for me, this is a significant BUT, not in anyway like the normal lessons in church. Why not? - be-

21 cause it connected to something that was part of an everyday activity, stirring food , outside of services and readings and churchy things. It subtly helps to make other connections to how we live our daily lives; what we need to review and maybe let go off , and what we can see as new experiences, to grow in understanding. A way of ‘trimming the candle wick’ of our own internal ‘candlelight’ (Spirit) to help us shine more brightly and clearly. But without having to necessarily wade through Bible Studies and Liturgy – although both are useful tools and the Liturgy is the trigger on Stir Up Sunday for any who attend church! Stir up Sunday ( today often celebrated as Christ the King, is always the Last Sunday before Advent, and in 2020 it is November 22nd : It, and the traditions associated - both secu-lar and sacred, has roots as far back as the 12th Century . The famous Stir Up Collect (prayer), taken from the Book Common Prayer says it all It is there to remind us that we all can have the best, most honest and unselfish intentions, but without engaging the desire or will to follow through, then nothing changes. We get used to thinking ‘ tomorrow I will do this or that’ and a com-fortable lethargy exists preventing us changing gears and mov-ing. We happily pootle along, using up our energy and resources without stopping to ‘top up’ . Although slowed more recently with Covid, we live such a fast pace of life and in so doing we can miss the most poignant and incredibly beautiful moments life is placing in our pathway. By being complacent, we risk the danger of seeing them only on a superficial level, in the desire to see what tomorrow will bring. Stirring up in the Spiritual sense isn’t necessarily going to make life easier at first, like building a fire it takes time to start burn-ing. Getting out of the comfortable rut (even when that gives us nothing but thistles and thorns, they are familiar whilst the other option - to start o climb out is not. ) it takes time, thought and energy but it engages the ‘engine’ that makes us thrive . So, how did this scarily deep at times, refreshing at others, church tradition get to be so tightly wound and intertwined with the crowning glory of many a Christmas table fare – the humble Christmas Pudding? Read on, hopefully you will find out. Victoria and Albert are credited with introducing the traditional Christmas Pud, but it does go much further back and was origi-nally meat based, boiled with plums (or prunes) spices, with bread and eaten in the days before Christmas. It started to change in the very late 1 400s when the meat was dropped. It isn’t clear when it changed to the type of desert food we recognise as Christmas Pudding today, but it is known that George the 1st ( known as the Pudding King) brought the idea of a Christmas Pie across in the early 1700s and included dates, suet and glace cherries. It is around the mid – 19th cen-tury that we see the cloth beginning to be replaced by a bowl, addition of sugar and other fruits such as raisins and candied peel with bread crumbs, becoming the Pudding. It is thought ( but no one really knows) that the name Pudding was coined by Antony Trollope in his book ‘Doctor Thorne’ @ 1858. It also was around this time that the ‘stir up’ tradi-tion I had partaken with my friends at the Colonel’s house was probably begun. Christmas puddings take a long time to prepare and make. They are best made well in advance of Christmas , cooked for several hours and then left in a cool place to ‘mature’ , sometimes aided with a little ‘feeding’ of rum or such once a week and then re -wrapping tightly. Five weeks is the tradi-tional period of time to make it – and the trigger is …… oh you guessed? Yes, Stir Up Sunday being the fifth Sunday before Christmas makes it the perfect time to start the Christmas Pudding! Legend has it that the Stir up collect would jog the memory to start preparing the pudding and cake for Christmas, along with the children who attended church singing a parody of the collect So there was no escaping the chore of mixing the pudding. The custom of getting the household and others ot stir the mixture up is believed to go back to the 10th century, when-ever it was, the tradition of sharing the stirring up togeth-er as a family gives a warmth and meaning to the process, where everyone is a part of the whole : There’s an art to stirring the pudding properly, and this is closely linked to the Nativity. Each part is a symbol of the journey of that story .  Christmas pudding would traditionally contain 1 3 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.  The pudding represents the earth  It is traditionally stirred (while making a wish) by each member of the family from East to West, to remember "Stir-up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." “Stir up, we beseech thee, the pudding in the pot; and when we do get home tonight, we’ll eat the lot up hot.”

22 the Wise Men that visited Jesus in the Nativity Story.  The customary garnish of holly represented the crown of thorns. Warning! : the holly berry is very toxic, so instead adorn your Christmas pud with fake foliage!  Adding coins, originally charms, added to the pudding was said to bring luck if you found them in your portion on Christmas Day. This probably goes back to a 12th Night Lord of Misrule tradition in the medieval days where it is reported whomever had the bean was ‘king for the day’ . The traditional lucky charms for a more modern Christmas pudding were a silver coin for wealth, (often a silver three penny bit) a wishbone for luck, a thimble for thrift, a ring for marriage, and an anchor for safe harbour. However, it is not a good practice to include these today for many reasons, not least the small item being swallowed or breaking a tooth! Some people stick them to the under-neath of the plate or bowls  Using a wooden spoon – this represent the empty crib and preparing for Jesus  The Act of stirring it all up is to make new the soul ready for the coming of Christ On Christmas Day the pudding is brought triumphantly ( after being cooked some more ) wearing its Christmas finery – holly ( though best to used artificial holly as the berries are poisonous ) to the table where a smidgeon of warm brandy is poured over and set alight – I was told by Nanna, this repre-sents the Light of Christ, his Love and warmth spreading all over the earth This tradition is even men-tioned in Dicken’s Book the Christmas Carol when Mrs Cratchit is embarrassed to perform the ceremony at the table, in case something goes wrong All that for one humble pudding? How bizarre ,but also how amazing it is that the simple act of stirring [the ingredients] up brings about a shared achievement and tasty outcome Bit too churchy? Maybe for some, but the message is more about clear-ing away the lethargy, and re energising and reigniting the drive, of stopping to savour and of joining with others to do simple things ...

23 

24 Key movement routes A neighbourhood plan cannot cover highways design directly – it has to focus on planning – but it can identify ‘key movement routes’ to be protected and enhanced. These are the routes which most of us use to get to key destinations such as schools, railway station, shops and health centre, and this is where the DNP team needs your help. In our 2019 Clean Air Day survey, you told us some of your ide-as for making it easier to walk and cycle around Datchet. We now need to build on that information especially as, due to the pandemic, many of us have been walking and cycling more than ever before. Our Getting Around survey gives you the op-portunity to tell us would make it better for you, where cross-ings could help pedestrian safety, where pavements need to be widened or traffic calmed, where a dropped kerb would help with prams or wheelchairs, where planting trees and shrubs would help to protect pedestrians from car fumes, where public rights of way, if upgraded, could provide better pedestrian ac-cess, and so on. Improved cycle paths A neighbourhood plan can also support improvements to the connectivity and safety of cycle paths, recommend the provi-sion of cycle parking, and support the creation of cycle paths, including in new development such as the proposed new hous-ing site on London Road, if it goes ahead. We need your input on this, too, please, and have included specific questions in our survey. If we can make it easier and safer to walk or cycle, es-pecially on short journeys, it will help to reduce car usage and improve air quality. Progress update Like everyone else, the DNP team has been finding new ways of working during Covid-19 and we’ve been holding Steering Group meetings on Zoom. This has allowed us to progress with Datchet’s Plan. We’d very much appreciate your input, too, in the coming weeks. There are details of how to join our DNP fo-cus groups at the end of this article. Here are some of the areas we’re also working on: Housing and the built Environment Housing mix: During the DNP Character Assessments and Drop-in Sessions, you told us that you think the village is losing its stock of smaller houses, and houses on one level suitable for the less- mobile, because existing houses are being extend-ed and bungalows converted to two storeys. You also told us that there are very few properties suitable for down-sizing and, if there were more, this might free up some of the larger properties for growing families. We’re gathering evidence about how housing in the village has changed, interviewing estate agents and looking at the current provision of, and demand for, affordable housing in the village. This will help us to determine whether the proposed housing mix in the Borough’s Local Plan meets Datchet’s needs. Outdoor space: Another issue you raised during the Character Assess-ments, which has also been apparent during lockdown, is the lack of usable outdoor space in some housing develop-ments. While space is almost always allocated for parking cars, some devel-opments have little or no space for peo-ple to sit outside or safe spaces for chil-dren to play. We are investigating how the DNP can support the provision of outdoor amenity space. Alison Crampin reports on the latest updates CALLING CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS IN DATCHET!Datchet’s Neighbourhood Plan needs your help again, please. We want you to tell us how our footpaths and cycle paths could be improved. This is especially im-portant now that we’re using them more due to Covid-19. We’d also like to know what you think about the Borough’s ide-as for new cycle paths in Datchet. That way, if Government funding for new footpaths and cycle paths comes our way, we’ll know what’s important to you. Please visit www.DatchetNeighbo urhoodPlan.org and complete our Getting Around survey.

25 Boundary treatments: Changes to boundaries (such as fences, walls, railings, hedges and soft-landscaping) can significantly affect the character of an area and we’re investigating what the Neighbourhood Plan can do to encourage developers to follow the predominant pattern. This will also help to retain the green character of Datchet which you’ve told us is important to you. Outdoor storage: We’re being encouraged to cycle more but you’ve told us there is very little provision, if any, for cycle stor-age in new developments and flats. Also, where new develop-ment extends to side boundaries, removing access to the rear of a property, dustbins are sometimes left loose on the frontage which can impact negatively on the character of an area. The re-cently-adopted Borough Wide Design Guide supports the provi-sion of waste and cycle storage integrated into the development scheme to minimise its visual impact. We’re investigating how the DNP can best support this policy. The Environment Local Green Spaces and Open Spaces: You’ve told us how much you appreciate Datchet’s beautiful green spaces, the vil-lage greens, the Rec, the riverside, and surrounding countryside. A lot of Datchet’s green spaces are already protected by Green Belt designation but the DNP team is mapping and listing spaces which are important to the community but which do not have any protection currently. A Neighbourhood Plan can give special designation to important sites if there is evidence to justify this. The proposed sites have to meet various re-quirements set out in the National Planning Policy Frame-work and a lot of work is involved in describing their func-tion and importance, and what protection or enhancement is sought. We are also investigating ways to protect the quality of the landscape and your favourite views, such as those from the riverside. Local wildlife: Did you know that there are three Local Wildlife Sites in the vil-lage and a great many priority habitats for wildlife? The DNP can seek to ensure that their importance is recognised and that new development is sensitively de-signed with wildlife-friendly features. We are also working with local group Wild About Datchet to gather evidence to justify the identification of any ‘green corridors’ through the village to help support wildlife, and looking at the ‘blue environment’, our waterways, consider-ing how these could be enhanced. Sustainability and climate change Many of you have expressed concern about development in the floodplain so we’re also starting to look at how Datchet’s Neighbourhood Plan can help to ensure that new development is sus-tainable. There’s still time to complete the DNP Climate Change Survey, if you haven’t done so already, to tell us how you think new development should be adapting to the challenges of climate change. for details. please visit www.DatchetNeighbourhoodPlan.org Join a DNP focus group Could you spare some time to dis-cuss ideas with the Datchet Neighbourhood Plan team? Per-haps at a Zoom meeting, or by email and online surveys. If you’d like to be in-volved, please email your contact details to: datchetnp@datchetparishcouncil.gov.uk Please put ‘Focus Group’ in the subject line. If you don’t use the internet, we still want to hear from you, and can send out paper surveys and telephone you for your views. Please send your details to Datchet Neighbourhood Plan, c/o 4 Buccleuch Road, Datchet SL3 9BP.

26 “These are some of the prayers found on the seats in St Mary’s Church when it reopened for private prayer. Keep us Good Lord, Under the shadow of your mercy In this time of uncertainty and distress Sustain and support the anxious and fearful And lift up all who are brought low; That we may rejoice in your comfort Knowing that nothing can separate us from your love In Christ Jesus our Lord Amen Lord, Jesus Christ You taught us to love our neighbour And to care for those in need As if we were caring for you . In this time of anxiety , give us strength To comfort the fearful, to tend the sick And assure the isolated Of our love, and your love For your name’s sake Amen Merciful God We entrust to your tender care Those who are ill or in pain, Knowing that whenever danger threatens Your everlasting arms are there To hold them safe. Comfort and heal them And restore then to health and strength Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen When life is challenging you try calling these emergency numbers :- Emergency Call Reference When in Sorrow Call John 14 When you worry Call Matthew 6:19-34 When your faith needs stirring Call Hebrews 11 When you feel down and out Call Romans 8:31 When you need peace and rest Call Matthew 11:25-30 When the world seems bigger then God Call Psalm 90 When you are lonely and fearful Call Psalm 23 When you grow bitter and critical Call 1 Corinthians 13 If your pockets are empty Call Psalm 37 If you are depressed Call Psalm 27 If people seem unkind Call John 15 For how to get along with others Call Romans 12 When words fail and emotions are too fragile Call The Lord though His Prayer Our Father …..

27 DATCHET HELP POINT Is located at the back of the Tea Shop in The Bridge at the village centre. The services offered include  Photocopying at 10p per A4 sheet  Free telephone calls to the Borough  Datchet Parish Council information  Monthly Surgery with local Community Police Officer  Monthly Surgery with RBWM Councillor for Datchet Information and leaflets available on  Adult courses  Job searches  Tourist information  and bus and train timetables To speak to Help Point Staff  telephone 01753 544556 What a long time ago 19th March seems, that was the day we closed the doors at The Bridge at the beginning of the lock down period. Five months on and we are living in a different world. However, thankfully there are things that do not change, those of us who are Christians, and I'm sure people of other faiths too, have plenty to reect upon on that score. I am condent that the goodwill and friendship that has always surrounded The Bridge has not changed and the management group can't wait to get our lovely village hub and coffee shop opened again and serving all our loyal customers and visitors from far and wide. When we do nally open I hope that you will be pleasantly surprised. A huge amount of work has gone into renovating the building and redecorat-ing the coffee shop. This has been organised by Monica Davies from the Parish Council and it is no exaggeration to say she has worked tirelessly on sorting out one problem after another. The Bridge is a listed building and one of the great treasures of historic Datchet. The age of the building means that protecting it from damp and general crumbling involves complex intervention which goes far beyond straight forward redeco-ration. The Bridge should be open again in September; we need to thoroughly clean up after all the works and arrange the coffee shop in a way t hat meets health and safety regulations. The volunteers need to be up to speed with the new systems and learn how to use our new card reading machine for cashless payments. I also hope that we can begin showing lms again at Café Cinema, 'Mrs. Lowrie and Son' will probably be the rst one. Caroline Cole Chair of Bridge Management Committee Please support The Bridge and use the coffee shop; remember we can provide take away refreshments and there is a photocopier and small second hand bookshop in the back room. If you feel like joining our brilliant team of volunteers do email me : Carolineatrosecottage@btinternet.com however! we no longer live at Rose Cottage, we have just moved to another house very close by. Alternatively you can ring Gloria Thompson on 01753 548232. Gloria organises the volunteer rota and will be delighted to hear from you. 18th Century Bible Cake Modern day ingredients Bake and ENJOY! 625 gm Plain Flour 350 gm Soft brown sugar 350 gm Raisins 125 gm Blanched Almonds, chopped 3 Eggs A Pinch of salt 11.2 tsp Salt 1 1/2 tsp Mixed spice 350 gm Butter 350 gm Ready soaked figs 2 tbsp Runny honey 150 ml Milk 1 tspn Baking Powder

28 rests brain development and can even kill the user. ‘Kohl’ produced by industry now is generally derived from carbon. Lips could be coloured by squashing a few red beetles! Deadly Foundations: To cover up her smallpox scars Elizabeth I decides to follow an Italian makeup fash-ion. She plastered a ceruse foundation over her face: white lead, vinegar some-times arsenic, hydroxide and carbonate. It gave her skin a pale glow. Over time the lead would leach into her system po-tentially causing hair loss, mood swings and even paralysis. Unfortunately, many women and men also followed her exam-ple. During the 17th and 18th centuries elite men dressed up in long wigs with plenty of makeup to enhance their youth. Later in our history as queen Victoria took against makeup, it was little used by those who thought themselves to be re-spectable Reactions to makeup can be extreme: A law against obtaining husbands under false pretences, passed by the English Parliament in 1770, enacts-- ‘"That all women, of whatever age rank, profession or degree, who shall after this act, impose upon, seduce, and betray into matrimony any of his Majesty's subjects, by virtue of scents, paints, cosmetic washes, articial teeth, false hair, iron stays, bolstered hips, or high-heeled shoes, shall incur the penalty of the law now in force against witchcraft and like misde-meanors and the marriage, under such disbursement upon conviction of the offending parties, shall be null and void:"’ The Daily Dispatch (an American Newspa-per): August 27, 1861. Sorry it is an oft quoted untrue newspaper ller that has become an urban myth. Religion and misogynists have a shameful record of denigrating all makeup wearers as ‘Jezebels’ or sex workers. Hopefully now we can see that wearing makeup is an individual’s choice. Makeup is tricky stuff – having played a pantomime dame a few times. Lipsticks are a nightmare and usually end up break-ing in half. If someone is putting on Makeup has a long and often surprising his-tory. It is for the potential wearers to de-cide whether and how they wish to use it, which would be mainly women in the UK, but increasingly more men do e.g. ‘Manscara’ and ‘Guyliner’ products. Health and beauty prod-ucts are a 16-billion-pound industry in the UK, trying to powerfully sway people’s opin-ions that it is essential. I will limit myself to face products and decoration. The purpose of cosmetics is: 1. To cleanse, such as shampoo, body wash and face cleanser do. 2. They can be used to replenish and protect the skin, like toners, serums, moisturis-ers, and balms. 3. Or they can be used to enhance one's appearance, such as makeup. Although enhancing one’s appearance can also occur as a result of cleansing or healing the body. The use of makeup likely goes back a long way into the pre-history (the time before writing) of humankind, one archaeological nd found pots containing makeup from 50,000 years ago. Many of the essentials of the cosmetic industry today are found in use 4000 years ago in Egypt, as we can see in sculpture, grave paintings, makeup sets, polished metal mirrors, perfume vials and jars in tombs (with scientic analysis of the contents) and texts. The eyes of women and men were commonly lined by Kohl, not just for aesthetics, but to reduce eye infections (less attractive to ies), improve eyesight (possibly by reducing the glare of the sun) and also to ward off the evil eye, the design reects the eye of Horus, the falcon god. This Kohl was Stibnite (sulphide of antimony) which would start metallic grey but would turn black once oxidised. Galena (lead ore), lead sulphide, was used to colour the upper eyelid black and the ground copper ore malachite was used to colour the lower eyelid green. Unfortunately, there is a long history of people applying untested and dangerous makeup in the name of beauty right down to modern Botox injections. Lead is a dangerous substance, it penetrates the skin, poisoning the blood, body organs, ar-

29 makeup for you appreciate them and the way they look because its not easy to look good. The book “How To Wear Makeup” by Abrams Image is one guide. Wearing some kind of Base from the hardly no-ticeable to thicker Concealer can be useful in certain situations. I remember a friend at college who had a nasty facial scar from a bike accident, unfortunately human eyes seem to be attracted to defects. Concealer can help people get over some of the trauma of an accident or hide a birth mark they’d rather forget. The camera captures very ne detail in close-ups and makeup can hide unwanted sheen on foreheads and a light base can coverup inconsistences in skin colouration like dark shadows under the eyes. Such consid-erations are very important when your face is shown in full detail on a cinema or TV screen. Cameras can apply a ‘soft skin effect’, but it isn’t always enough, even though facial light and shade can be tweaked afterwards. Makeup can be your own facial lighting: darkening some are-as, highlighting others. But beyond that one can contour the face, create the appearance of ne bone structure with rosy cheeks. You can give the impression of larger eyes and lips, which may give a more attractive impression, but the un-skilled use of makeup may do he converse, so get some instruction. Professional makeup artists create amazing special fantasy effects. Makeup tends to smudge and run and often needs attention during the day. It is so nice to take makeup off and the cosmetic industry again is happy to sell you special cleansers. What a faff! The USA has stopped 11 of the more harmful chemicals being added to makeup, Canada 650, the EU with even tighter regulation has restricted 1300. There are denitely borderline harmful additives that are still out there. If you wish to protect yourself, there are apps like ‘Think Dirty (buy clean)’ (which you can download on your mobile) that ena-bles you to scan in your makeup, see its trafc lights rating - 10 worst to 0 best. It will also list all the contents along with any known risks’. In 2009, more than 25 million ani-mals in the United States were used in some type of cosmetic testing. I nd that horrifying. The EU, UK and California have banned animal tested cosmetics. Animal testing of cosmetics is not required in the USA, but it is not banned either so probably some still continues. As people age it pays to take care of one’s skin: protect your skin from sun burn with sun cream or cover up, moisturisers may help with dry skin or wrinkles, but paralysing areas of your skin with Botox is madness! “Maybe it’s NOT Maybelline. Maybe you were just born with it.” ― Mandy Hale Beauty is more than skin deep, though humans are notoriously shallow, so nd the beauty regime that suits you. Further reading: Painted Faces: A Colourful History of Cosmetics by Susan Stewart

30 still available for telephone or video consultations offering diagnosis, self treatment techniques, exercise and advice

31

32

33

34 To all readers of The Link, we thank you for your inter-est in and support of Slough Foodbank – it is so im-portant for communities to support those local to them who are in need. As you can imagine, it has been an incredibly busy time for us. We recently published our stats for the first full 6 months of 2020. For the 6 months 1 Jan – 30 June 2020 there has been an increase as follows :- The immediate future is still so unknown and we cont-inue to prepare for any outcome or increase in demand. We are also we are looking at ways of being able to get clients back into buildings, safely and distancing for when the weather changes. Slough Foodbank’s primary objective is to provide nutritionally balanced, 3-day food parcels to those in crisis suffering from food pov-erty. However, before the coronavirus, we were also able to sit and listen to clients, give them a warm drink and a biscuit whilst waiting for their food and point them in the direction of other charities and agencies who may be able to help them with their unique situation. We also provide ‘Fuelbank’ where we can provide elec-tricity and gas to enable them to cook the food we provide. We are keen to get back to offering all of these services as soon as it is safe to do so. I want to extend a huge thank to all of our brave vol-unteers who have been able to continue to volunteer and have willingly done so. We look forward to wel-coming others back as they end necessary shielding and isolating measures. All of our volunteers are im-mensely valued but a special mention should go to Richard, who has stepped up to cover 4 days of driv-ing duties, every week since lockdown, and enabled us to keep our distribution centres open, when all the other drivers had to stand down due to shielding or isolation. At Slough Foodbank, every day we see the real effect the Coronavirus is having on the people of Slough and the surrounding areas. It is not just a health issue but a financial issue that has exacerbated the dire situation many of clients were already in. It is baf-fling that whilst the government is keen to encourage people to start eating out again with their ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme, I question whether they have for-gotten that many cannot afford to eat at all and that until we all get a living wage or benefits sufficient to cover costs, sadly foodbanks will continue to pick up the pieces of a broken system. Through this pandemic, it has been wonderful to see the community pulling together – we’ve been able to pass on a kettle, bedding, towels, crockery, cutlery, Item Number % increase on same period in 2019 No. of vouchers 1578, 42% No. of adults 2182 51% No. of children 1269 72% Total No Food Parcels 3451 58%

35 Useful Contact details        –            tv, a grill, clothing and a sleeping bag. Whilst we cannot collect and store these items, we have been able to quickly source them through our volunteers and network of local contacts. So often people come to us without the very basics. We received some lovely feedback from a client in ur-gent need who we helped. He contacted us on a Friday afternoon when our distribution centre was closed. We managed to get an emergency food package delivered so he had food over the weekend. This person had been out of work due to the company he worked for having closed due to Covid-19. After 3 months without pay, there was no money to buy food and he was desperate for help. In addition to the food, we were able to provide information so he can get further help from relevant agencies. “I just received the food supplies and will last for a week, thank you again Miss Sue I have never felt so much kindness ever, God bless you and all your colleagues!” KC We have also received a Certificate of Recognition from the Mayor of Slough, Preston Brooker. The certificate reads: “This certificate is to rec-ognise the incredible work you and your teams have done to save lives, keep people safe, and stop the spread of COVID-19. On behalf of the resi-dents and councillors of Slough, we thank you for your bravery, selfless-ness, compassion, commitment and sheer determination to go above and beyond in this crisis. We commend you and offer you a heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for everything you have done. Your work now and in the future will benefit genera-tions to come and will not be forgotten. With best wishes, Councillor Preston Booker, His wor-shipful the Mayor of Slough.” Recognition like this makes our volunteers feel valued and encourages all of us to do what we can to help those less fortunate than us. Slough Foodbank is a char-ity founded on Christian principles that works with peo-ple of all faiths and none and is inspired by Jesus’words: “For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me”. Matthew 25: 35 & 36 Thank you for your support, which enables us to contin-ue to help local people in crisis. With Blessings,

36