TULIP TREE 27 15th november 2020

From 5 th November Government Guidlelines state

Places of Worship will be closed, unless they are being used for:

Funerals To broadcast acts of worship Individual prayer

Formal childcare or where part of a school Essential voluntary and public services,

such as blood donation or food banks Other exempted activities such as some

support groupsSadly therefore for the English Churches in our Benefice all Public Worship is cancelled until the beginning of December. We hope the next service will be our advent service with organist Stephen Bell on 6th December at 11am.Please see separate leaflet for the service for Sunday from Penny. Please also include in your prayers our friends who have asked us to remember them at this time: Norman and Celia, John and Jenny, Wendy, Carol and Robin.

Belated Birthday Greetings to Mary Shaw who celebrated her birthday on 10th November.

Remembrance Sunday 8th November 2020

In Whitchurch Jill led our service and wreaths were laid on behalf of St Dubricius Church, The Parish Council, The Fire Service, Whitchurch School and the Scouts, outside the Whitchurch and Ganarew Memorial Hall. 23 people were present and we kept to social distancing very strictly.

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FROM SUE   -  Life in a village.Last week, we lost one of our great ladies from the village, Margaret Cave. Tributes have justifiably been pouring in. She was a real lady with a smile to greet everyone; family, friend or visitor.

Margaret was a lady with so many talents and interests and she was a stalwart of community events. I expect many of you can picture her at the door of a function, raffle tickets in hand and twinkling eyes pointed your way. How could you say no to her requests?People in the area were stunned by her death. She had the sort of indomitable character that you thought would go on forever. We all feel cheated because we haven’t been able to pay proper respects to her at her funeral because of restrictions.

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I know that her family have been overwhelmed by the messages of condolence they have received. We know why those messages are justly deserved.In St. Dubricius, we each have special memories of Margaret, from her role of Verger where she was often called upon by nervous bridegrooms and ushers to fit their button holes, to others who required some words of comfort. Her Christian life was very important to her.Margaret enjoyed living in the village. Because she had worked in the local school, she had watched families grow up. Local children were welcomed into her home to play with her own family, with kindness and love.  She had taken an active role in village events over the years and she recognised the need to support each other in times of joy and sadness. She was a font of knowledge about the area and about local families.

What makes living in a village so special?Margaret often told me how much she loved Whitchurch and had been glad to have had the opportunity to bring her family up here.A friend living in Cwmbran once asked if people living in a small village were more nosey than those living in a town. Perhaps we tend to like to know what is going on, but certainly we do try to look out for each other. Having lived in Cwmbran, I know how unfriendly it can be. We had neighbours who had never spoken to anyone else in the street. How sad!

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During this pandemic, it has been comforting to know that we can call on neighbours when required. People have generously offered their support and time to help. Simple words of kindness or a friendly phone call has meant so much to people. As we know Margaret was always happy to phone someone for a cheerful chat.We are so fortunate to have Lucy in our village and she has been a tower of strength for us. Woods of Whitchurch is a beacon of help, care and thoughtfulness during these strange times. Aren’t we lucky to live in such a beautiful area? With stunning countryside and good friends …we’ll survive this turmoil.And now to end, our thoughts and prayers go to the families of Margaret and Bill Gee, who also died last week. As we remotely come together to mourn our friends, we must also celebrate their contribution to life in Whitchurch.

Some of the many tributes to Margaret we have received this week.

A really lovely lady who will be sadly missed.I can’t be sure just how long ago we met Margaret, though Madeleine and I have been in the village for forty-two years. Always very friendly, thoughtful and

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helpful (e.g. community lunches). She darned Madeleine’s socks once. Always willing to stop and chat, she had a very good sense of humour.  We were so pleased to be invited to her 90th birthday party in the village hall.

Our first memories, as newcomers to the village, were of Margaret being involved in so many fund-raising activities. Later, our daughter recalls of her quiet and calming presence while she was school secretary. Our personal recollections will always be her witty responses and reminiscing the history of the village and the characters within it, of which, she was undoubtedly one. She will be sadly missed.Our daughters had great affection for Margaret in their primary school years, "firm but fair" sums it up..There must have been many times when her patience was tested ! We later came to know her as hospitable and generous with her time and talents. A very gentle lady, her devoted family is testimony to the love she inspired in so many people and our community is much the poorer for her loss.

Margaret was devoted to her family and they were devoted to her. She supported many good causes, among them the British Legion, the Parents’ Association of Whitchurch School and St Dubricius. Until recently, when her hands became too stiff, she knitted tirelessly for premature babies and other children who needed her help.

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She was a faithful worshipper and she was always active in many aspects of church life.At any fund raising event, there she was, welcoming all comers with her warm smile as she took entrance money and sold tickets for the raffle for which she had donated many of the prizes, amounting to thousands of tickets and hundreds of prizes over the yearsShe was much loved by people of all ages who were privileged to know her and she will be sadly missed. We are all sorry that Covid restrictions prevent us from gathering to honour her memory but we shall all be praying for Margaret and her family in their sad loss.

We feel privileged to have known Margaret. Although she had lived here so long, she welcomed us as newcomers and always had a cheery word and sweet smile. She was loved and respected by everyone and continued to serve the church , latterly acting as Verger until lockdown. Her meticulous attention to detail, seen in her immaculate appearance and her work for the church was impressive. A truly inspirational lady whom we will sadly miss.

Margaret was your first point of contact if you wanted to know anything that was happening at school. She was so helpful and kind to me and I know many others. She was a big part of our village and was involved in many activities. She wasn’t a

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push over and wouldn’t be put on! Saying that she would help anyone that needed it

I have known Margaret since I started at Whitchurch Primary in 1968, I became great friends with Nige and have been so, ever since. I spent many a good time at 11 Ridgeway Crescent and always felt at home. Marg was the most warmest lady you could ever wish to meet, whenever I saw her, I would always give her a cuddle and a kiss. I was so pleased to be invited to her 90th birthday party and you could see what such a popular lady she was, she was surrounded by her lovely family and you could see how much that she meant to them. It is a very sad time, but she is now reunited with George (Old Hereford)

We remember Margaret as someone who was always there when we were in church, unless she was ill. She was a quiet lady who always liked to talk, with a twinkle in her eye. She would always be helping whenever she could. Church will not feel the same without her.

Margaret greeted me with her warming smile. Later, she sympathised with my family’s difficulties, which brought me great comfort. I will always remember her consistent ability to make me and my family feel so very welcome. A very special lady who touched our hearts.

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Much loved by all her family, a good friend to many, so highly thought of in the village - will be sadly missed always.Margaret will be brought back home prior to leaving for her final journey to the Church at 11.40 am on Thursday. Due to current restrictions a private family service will take place at 12 noon on Thursday 12th November at St Dubricius Church.

Those wishing to pay their respects are welcome to stand along the route. Regrettably it will not be possible to gather in the churchyard because of current Government rules about gatherings, track and trace and social distancing. The church service will be followed by a service at Yew Tree Brake Crematorium at 13.30. This will be live streamed. Family flowers only please. Donations are welcome for The Royal British Legion (supported with dedication by Margaret for 56 years by selling poppies)and may be forwarded to William Bevan Funeral Directors, Tel No.01989 562092

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Have you watched our new video by Christine Cattanach yet? It is on YouTube following this linkhttps://youtu.be/H03WHkTKOv8

Christine hopes to produce another video for us about looking forward after The Flood.

News from Carol and Robin Moulton

We are keeping well, and busy with Travelling Light projects. We do not have details of a possible Zoom retreat yet. We are working on a possible YouTube presentation, a new booklet, and of course the next newsletter is due out before Christmas.We also have a new Website (www.travelling-light.org.uk)

PRIVATE PRAYER IN ST DUBRICIUS

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We are not open for Private Prayer on Thursday 12th November because of Margaret’s funeral, but will be open on Thursday 19th at 11am.

We always enjoy hearing from our friends who live in other parts of the country. Christine and Andrew sent us this new poem by Pam Ayres...now 73 years old. It made us smile!

Ode to Coronavirus...I'm normally a social girlI love to meet my matesBut lately with the virus hereWe can't go out the gatesYou see, we are the 'oldies' nowWe need to stay insideIf they haven't seen us for a whileThey'll think we've upped and diedThey'll never know the things we didBefore we got this oldThere wasn't any FacebookSo not everything was toldWe may seem sweet old ladiesWho would never be uncouth

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But we grew up in the 60s -If you only knew the truth!There was sex and drugs and rock 'n roll The pill and miniskirts We smoked, we drank, we partied And were quite outrageous flirts Then we settled down, got married And turned into someone's mum, Somebody's wife, then nana, Who on earth did we become?We didn't mind the change of paceBecause our lives were fullBut to bury us before we're deadIs like a red rag to a bull!So here you find me stuck insideFor four weeks, maybe moreI finally found myself againThen I had to close the door!It didn’t really bother meI'd while away the hourI'd bake for all the familyBut I've got no flaming flour!Now Netflix is just wonderfulI like a gutsy thrillerI'm swooning over IdrisOr some random sexy killerAt least I've got a stash of boozeFor when I'm being idleThere's wine and whiskey, even ginIf I'm feeling suicidal!So let's all drink to lockdownTo recovery and healthAnd hope this awful virusDoesn't decimate our wealthWe'll all get through the crisis

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And be back to join our matesJust hoping I'm not far too wideTo fit through the flaming gates!

Dr Simon Lennane is a GP in Ross-on-Wye, and Clinical Director for the South and West Primary Care Network. He shares his experience of Covid-19 from the frontline and explains why it is important to wash your hands and wear a face coveringWear a face covering! This is the single most important thing you can do to reduce the chance of getting Covid-19, so always wear a face covering when near people from other households. It is going to be a difficult winter for the NHS and we will need

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everyone to pull together to get through this safely. If you were previously shielding, it’s important to reduce your potential exposure wherever possible. If you do see people from other households, wear a face covering and try to meet outside, or keep windows open if indoors.

From our Ward Councillor Yolande WatsonLockdown Restrictions: The government has introduced national restrictions to limit our contact with other people and control the spread of coronavirus. From Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December, you must: • Stay at home except for specific purposes, such as for childcare and education, or to shop for food and medicine. You must work from home where possible. • Avoid meeting people you do not live with. You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble, or to provide informal childcare for children aged 13 and under. If you experience any one of the following symptoms, you must book a test and self-isolate with your household until you receive the result: • A persistent, dry cough • A high temperature • A loss or changed sense of taste or smell Book a test by calling 119 or online at www.gov.uk/coronavirus Am I allowed to see my friends and family? Mixing between households is seen as a key driver of transmission of the virus and socialising has been severely restricted under the new rules.  You are not allowed to visit people in their home, unless you are providing childcare or other support.  You are not allowed to meet people in their private gardens either. You are allowed to exercise or visit

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a public space with one other person from outside your household or support bubble.  Government guidelines say public places include: parks, beaches, countryside, public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them),allotments, playgrounds.

+We still have some cushion kits left if anyone would like one!!+

Please continue to support our local businesses

WOODS OF WHITCHURCH 01600 891021-take away and free local delivery in lockdown. Christmas Shop now set up inside so you can buy presents locally.

Spice Tandori ; take away 01600 890808

Congratulations to Tori and Jono at The Old Court, celebrating 14 years with us and hoping to be able to re-open for the 450th Birthday celebrations.

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