Spring 2000             Issue 77

CHURCH NEWS

Sunday services:

Lent, Holy Week and Easter Discussion Group: Thursdays in March 7.30 p.m. in the church room (by church tower). Compline by candlelight: 9.0 p.m. on Wednesdays in Lent Palm Sunday 16th April Distribution of Palm Crosses at 10 a.m. service. 6.30 p.m. Choral Service with Readings Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week 17/18/19th April: Littlemore church: 6.30 Holy Eucharist with meditation. Maundy Thursday 20th April Lord's Supper 7.30 p.m. in Sandford church. Good Friday 21st April Silent Meditation in Sandford church from 12.0 - 2.0 - opportunity to drop in. Service of Devotions 2.15 p.m. Easter Eve 22nd April Littlemore church: 8.0 p.m. Easter Vigil with baptisms and confirmations. EASTER SUNDAY The Lord is Risen 8.0 a.m. Holy communion 10.0 a.m. Parish communion 6.30 p.m. Evening prayer

Holy Week and Easter

Beyond that, Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, 16th April, with distribution of palms at the 10.a.m. service and Choral service of Readings at 6.30 p.m. Maundy Thursday on 20th April, First Day of Passover, takes us to the heart of the Christian story, with the Last Supper at 7.30 p.m. 'in the same night in which he was betrayed'. That will be observed in the usual way in church, taking us to Good Friday. The church will be open for private prayer during the 3 hours from noon, and a simple service of devotion at 2.15.

Then Holy Saturday and Easter, for Christians the big day to celebrate and share: Christ is risen, alleluia. Now that we listen to music more than we make it many adults have forgotten how to sing as a group - or think they can't. But most of us can learn if we want to, and there are plans to make Sandford more musical. Spring is already here, leaving a wet February behind, and with it the horrific pictures of those who in Mozambique and elsewhere have suffered terribly. They still need our help, and Lent is a good time to think about that too.

Good Friday

But where we are in our life goes deeper. Some will share through their own hard times in the darkness of God. Some will experience the absence of God. And for many of us (including some believers) it will be business as usual. But for others meditating on Christ on this day, whether in church or at home, will lead to a sense of his presence and a hope for the future, which are part of what Easter and the resurrection mean. We learn to trust (faith), are given grounds for hope, and above all the example and inspiration of a love poured out, even to the end, and embracing us even to our end.

Sandford-on-Thames Women's Institute

Three days later we held our Christmas Party, with members and guests coming laden with food and drink for a friendly meeting in the Village Hall, including a couple of quizzes and a raffle, concluding with a buffet and seasonal socialising.

After all the excitement of the start of the new Millennium, our first meeting in the year 2000 proved to be a very interesting one. Our speaker, Felicity Wood, brought along a selection of baskets which she had collected during her trips to Bali and Japan, as well as some which were made locally. Felicity also showed some slides of her trips abroad, including some of the basket-weavers at work.

An Open Day at the WI's Denman College in Marcham was attended by three Sandford Committee members in February. It was a lovely Spring-like day, and we were able to stroll briefly round the grounds before lunch, and in the afternoon to have a tour of the College, which is the national training centre for the WI. A great day out.

We went Chinese for our February meeting. Samantha Jessel, a qualified acupuncturist, came along to talk about alternative Chinese medicines and treatments. Samantha explained how acupuncture was an ancient system of healing, written about 2,500 years ago, and how it can benefit anyone, not only those with specific ailments like back pain, arthritis and headaches, but also for the relief of stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. China tea and snacks associated with China were on offer during the evening, and even the raffle had a Chinese theme.

Youth Club

The 'A' team are back, following a successful visit on 8th March they are coming back on 3rd May and 14th June and there will be OPEN NIGHTS at Which other Young guests from the village are welcome The programme is developing well, with members' suggestions being included. Craft tables and cooking classes are projected New members welcome (7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Village Hall) and enquiries to Michelle at 748257, or Link office. The management team is meeting with local youth rep Jo Dover to explore what other facilities may be Possible for the older age group. Other Sandburgers wishing to be involved are welcome to get in touch.

The management committee also extends its thanks to the Parish Council for its strong support for youth activities in the village,

THE PORCH STEPPIN STONE CENTRE GARDEN TOOLS WANTED The Porch in St Mary's Road, Oxford is a well established centre for the less advantaged members of our society. Ambitious plans have been drawn up to expand the service to help users 'step out' of dependency and 'step in' to a new life; including a £200,000 scheme to establish a new centre. Alongside this are plans to create a number of activities for users that include taking on two allotments in Florence Park. This will enable them to organically produce some of the vegetables it uses and offer purposeful activity. Generous support from the Elder Stubbs Allotments Association has helped establish the project, which is in need of unwanted garden tools. If you have an old rake, hoe or fork in need of active service that you would be prepared to donate, please contact Nigel on 773569. [The Porch - more info]

Thanks...

Littlemore church thanks Sandford people who have generously contributed to their £100,000 church restoration fund. The target is now half met so all support welcome - see Table Tops.


Toddlers group meets Friday mornings from 9.30 in the Village Hall. Enquiries to Heather or Maria. Mothers who have not yet experienced parturition are also welcome along to meet those who have been there, doing that, and able to offer support and encouragement.

HAIKU DAY Saturday 1st April 2.0 - 7.0 p.m. at The Rivermead Centre, Abingdon Road. For anyone interested in writing haiku poetry. Beginners welcome. haiku workshop with Susumu Takiguchi, haiku poet and critic healing with haiku session free time to write your own haiku - with prizes! ginko (haiku walk) and kukai (creative feedback) party Waged £5, unwaged £1 - proceeds to Tandem, a befriending service for people in Oxfordshire who have become isolated due to mental distress. Tickets at the door, or from Prue Sykes (748848).

Local food for local people

In response to this much has been happening, not only nationally but also locally. Particularly in response to the crisis in farming and the increasing concern about the excessive distances food may travel between field and plate (called food miles), two ideas have been put into practice in Oxfordshire.

Firstly, there is now a local food directory, which lists a hundred local producers of all sorts of goods and shops stocking them. Products range widely from beer and wine to meat, bread, dairy products and vegetable box schemes all around the county.

Secondly, there have been Farmers' Markets in Thame since mid-summer which have been a huge success, allowing farmers and other producers to sell direct to the public. This is now being replicated in other places in Oxfordshire it's an opportunity to buy good fresh food, and, while doing so, to have an enjoyable time.

If you would like a free directory or to find out about Farmers' Markets, please ring lane Gilbert at Oxfordshire Rural Community Council on 883488.

MOBILE LIBRARY Alternate Thursdays at 4.0 p.m. outside the Fox

We can only hope that there may be a change of heart at some time in the future, and that in the meantime we may all be able to benefit from the permissive use of this footpath.

Tree-planting in the Village
Six new walnut trees, donated by Mrs McKisack, have been planted along the Church road boundary of the Recreation Ground, in line with the older tree which is a memorial to Mr Webber, formerly a prominent member of the Parish Council. Planting was undertaken on behalf of the village by Robert Yates, and it is now up to all of us to nurture them through the early years of their long life.

Plans are well under way towards the next tree-planting project for the village, which will be carried out along the boundary of the new Rock Farm development with Sandford Link Road. This has already been started by some of the local residents, and their initiative is now being supported by the Parish Council.

Millennium Commemoration Site
The creation of a Millennium commemoration site on the corner of Henley Road and Church Road is now going forward with the positive step of engaging landscape experts Robert Rummey Associates to draw up plans. Robert Rummey has been responsible for the layout of the Science Park, and has agreed to do this for the village for a nominal fee. Incorporated into the site will be stones from the old Mill Jock, which were rescued by the late Mr Ron Love when the lock was demolished, and have now been

The Young and the Very Young
The Parish Council has agreed to support the activities of the Toddlers Group and the Youth Club by paying the rental for their use of the Village Hall during the coming financial year. In addition, the expenses of the Youth Club leaders will be met, following the withdrawal of their grant by the County Council.
Parish Council Vice-Chairman Mick D'Arcy is also looking at ways to enhance and extend facilities at the Recreation areas in the village.

Editor for the Link supplement
If you want to receive the Link supplement on a regular basis will someone please come forward and volunteer to edit this newsletter, which aims to publish a news up-date four times a year, between issues of The Link? Contact Mike Inston on 715788.



Community Refuse Vehicle
The dates and times for the Community Refuse Vehicle being stationed at the Village Hall Car Park are as follows:

Tuesday 28 March 11.15 - 14.00	Tuesday 9 May 08.00- 10.45
Saturday 27 May 10.10 - 12.00	Tuesday 6 June 08.00- 10.45
Tuesday 1 August 08.00 - 10.45	Saturday 19 August 08.00 - 12.00
Tuesday 12 September 08.00 - 10.45

NB: the operator won't remove rubbish left on the ground, so please bin it.
(Apologies for the confusion of dates in February.)

ALAN BUTLER Your local maintenance man, builder, carpenter. Mature, honest and trustworthy - excellent local references. Sandford-on-Thames tel 779185. LET THE BUTLER DO IT

Rest in peace

Don began life in Cowley, then Littlemore and became a bugler with the Army Cadets (Sandford division!) - a gift that was passed on in the genes. At the age of 13 he was met outside the old Reading room by Peggy - and the rest is history. After National Service he became a tool-maker at Pressed Steel (designing parts for the MG Sportswear), retiring in 1987. He came to Sandford to marry Peggy, whose early death in 1982 was a huge loss and was remembered at the funeral and burial at St Andrew's on 8th February.

As well as motor bikes and veteran cars (with John) Don enjoyed his garden, photography and animals, so 'All things bright and beautiful' was sung, with '0 Jesus I have promised' and 'Abide with me'. Gina read the lesson and Emily a poem. The church was full with old friends paying their respects and affection. Many have joined in offering sympathies to Sharon and her family, and to John and Betty. A workmate summed him up as 'someone who even when under pressure never showed any anger and was always ready to help anyone'. He will be remembered with great affection.

In 1996 the family tradition was maintained when Dorothy came to make her final home with Jean and Ray. Like many of her generation who survived both world wars, she was very stoical and dignified during the advance of the indignities of old age - especially the cruelty of the Parkinson's disease she contracted and which held her prisoner. She kept her dignity, patience and quiet humour to the end, supported by the love and care of her family, grandchildren and great granddaughter.



Mrs Mary Rogers.
died on February 29th, aged 86. As wife of the previous vicar of Sandford she became a good friend to some of the parish despite living in Oxford. Her most dramatic returns were (twice) to preach the Alice sermon at the Lewis Carroll evensong (Whit Sunday), when her fine literary education (ex- Somerville) and Irish passion made a memorable impact She was a world expert on C.S. Lewis too. Our condolences to Val, and also to their daughter in Southampton where they were thankfully able to move last summer.



P.C. Lewis Waller. (died aged 83)
was a constable in Sandford for many years with Sgt Roderick, and has since been living in North Oxford. He was a former Sergeant Major in the Army, and a popular figure around the village.

Marriage at Sandford-on-Thames

The legal bit is simple and not expensive - about £65 - so no one ever needs avoid it for that reason. It's the optional extras that cost - and push an average wedding up to £8,000. We all like a party. But that's not actually necessary, and people can decide how they want to celebrate it. Church weddings do not have to cost more than Registry ones, and are sometimes less because vicars want to do their job and do not charge for most of it. (They would also waive fees rather than prevent a marriage by the £200 cost towards building and staffing). They see their main job in marriage preparation - helping couples to lay good foundations by talking through and sharing their human and spiritual values.

The words of the Christian marriage service explain what it means - far more than a legal contract. And the intention is that it should be 'till death us do part'. Failure is a fact of life, and one which Christianity with its talk of repentance and forgiveness takes on board and helps people to come to terms with. That is why current proposals about remarriage in church will probably go ahead with all due emphasis on the ideal and norm.

Marriage outside church is also possible in Sandford. One local man recently did it in the West Indies to escape the fuss. But it is possible to keep it simple in church too, for those who wish to make their promises to each other with prayers and blessings, in a place where God has been worshipped and still is. Or alternatively now at the Four Pillars - which is excellent for receptions. Contact Sharon, the wedding co-ordinator - reception £45 per head (compared with £75 at Blenheim Orangerie or cheaper in the Village Hall) plus you can for £475 or £515 extra do the ceremony in the comfort of the hotel.

Henley Road, Sandford on Thames, Oxford OX4 4GX Telephone: (01865) 334114 . Fax: (01865) 334400 WEB http://www.four-pillars.co.uk Email: enquiries@four-pillars.co.uk Set in 30 acres of glorious parkland on the banks of the Thames. Open to non residents for drinks, light meals and riverside dining. Carvery lunch on Sundays. Conferences, Weddings (including Ceremony) and private parties. Telephone 01865 334444.

Church Council

The P.C.C. also considered how it could support our neighbouring larger parishes of Blackbird Leys and Littlemore which have higher overheads than we do, and the schools in the area. Even as we look for a wider support base on the building it was insisted that worshippers' regular giving should add up to a budget which reflects the aims of the church as an organization which does not exist for its own sake but tries to reflect God's care for the wider world. Accordingly donations were agreed to the Lawn Upton School fund which enables all to benefit from facilities (extras) affordable only by some, and to the Porch in East Oxford (major building project to get people back on their feet).

001 TAXIS City centre waiting room 50 yards Carfax Central heating Light refreshments 24 hr service Zero meter No surcharge outside city Phone 240000 108 ST.ALDATES, OXFORD OX1 1BU (BEHIND BULLDOG PUB, OPPOSITE TOWN HALL)

The Inventory covers every conceivable type of memorial, from community crosses and plaques to building, gates, gardens, hospitals, church organs, chapels and windows. Although there was a surge of interest in the construction of memorials after the 1914 - 18 Great War, largely because the policy was not to bring home the bodies of the fallen, the inventory covers all war memorials, from the Roman occupation to the Gulf War.

The building of so many memorials in the 1920s was described as the 'biggest public art project in history'. The Imperial War Museum estimates that there must be more than sixty thousand memorials in the UK. Helped by local volunteers, they now have records of about thirty thousand, half of which (including Sandford's) have been placed on a computer database.

The National Heritage Memorial Fund has awarded the project a three-year grant, guaranteeing that there will be a database of fifty to sixty thousand war memorial records by the end of March 2001.

Everyone connected with the project would like to see a valuable resource made widely available, and the team already receives many local history research and family history enquiries. However, the entire national collection is not suitable for conventional publication, as it would be equal in size to several telephone directories. A regional approach may be adopted, with books covering particular cities or areas. Alternatively, the entire database could go onto a CD-ROM or made available through the Internet.

Do you know about a war memorial that may not yet have been recorded? The less well known are often found in offices, factories or schools. If so, please contact Jane Armer, Project Assistant, The National inventory of War Memorials, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ (0171-416-5281), or e-mail jarmer@iwm.org.uk

Sandford adult and children's choirs

Adult confirmation

The Dream