Oxenhope, West Yorkshire - St.Mary the Virgin - Outreach Magazine

The Outreach magazine is written by people with associations with either the Church or the village. It is produced three times a year and is delivered free to every house in Oxenhope. The majority of Outreach published in September 2000 is replicated below;

The Vicar writes ...

WHAT LINKS THE MILLENNIUM GREEN, NEW SCHOOL BUILDING, CHURCH REFURBISHMENT, A WEB SITE and THE WAR MEMORIAL? - IT'S DEDICATION.

As we look forward to our Parish Church Dedication Sundays, October 8th &. 15th it's good to reflect on the dedication shown by people in Oxenhope to our community. Here are five examples:

On October 11th, the Parish Church celebrates the151st. Anniversary of its dedication. Generations of Oxenhope people have cared for the building and have worked to keep it beautiful and useful for all our church activities and worship. We believe it should not just be for those who worship there each week. It also exists to provide a place for organisations to meet, for weddings and funerals, and for people to visit when they need a quiet space to think and to pray in

Come and give thanks for the dedication shown by others for us all and come and rededicate yourself to serving God and to serving others on SUNDAY 8th. and SUNDAY 15th OCTOBER. On the 8th there will be a FAMILY SERVICE led by our music group at 10 am and a FAMILY COMMUNION at 6pm.

On the 15th there will be a FAMILY COMMUNION at 10 am and CHORAL EVENSONG at 6pm.

Thank you, Jean Dunn for your work as coordinator of our editorial team since OUTREACH started and Jackie and Michael Cope for organising the layout. Ray Belsey has taken over responsibility for layout. Enjoy our new look magazine!

Guiders trip to Mexico - February 2000

We left Leeds/Bradford Airport full of excitement. We did not really know what to expect from our trip to the Guide Centre in Mexico. After one and a half years planning we were as prepared as we could be. There were eight guiders in my party, mostly from the Worth Valley district including three from the Oxenhope Units.

Our first night was spent in Mexico City before moving on the next day to Cuemavaca. This city is located about two miles drive from Mexico City. We spent 10 days here in the Guide World Centre. We met leaders from all over the world, and spent time sharing ideas and problems, learning new crafts and being introduced to many new cultures, and visiting all the local tourist areas.

The shopping trip to Taxco (the silver capital of Mexico) was one trip not to be missed, with bargains galore in the silver factory and the visit to the old city of Tepozylan to see the very old cathedral was captivating. Perhaps the highlight of this part of the trip was the two day trip to see the Monarch butterfly sanctuary - a very exciting but exhausting experience. The most memorable part of the trip for me was sharing our Thinking day with people from

around the world. (Thinking day is the day set aside for the Guide Association to remember our founders Lord and Lady Baden Powell) On this day we arc asked to think about our sisters in Guiding throughout the world.

We returned to Mexico City to spend the final few days sightseeing, visiting the floating gardens, the Pyramids, the area of three cultures and numerous cathedrals. Everyone in the group had a wonderful time, and have memories they will treasure for a long time.

There are guide centres in India, Switzerland, Mexico and London. They are places where Guides and Leaders can go to have fun and friendship and meet friends from other countries. Guiding is not just weekly meetings with children entrusted in our care, but it also allows adults to make the most of opportunities presented to them. Just like the opportunity I provided for the members of the group I took to the world centre.

We can do it!

A phrase I kept repeating after I agreed to do a sponsored event to raise much needed funds for 2nd. Keighley Scout Group, where I am the cub scout leader. It was the enthusiasm shown by the others at the meeting that made me agree to do it (I think).

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, a mere 26 miles including over 5000 feet of ascent covering Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in under 12 hours.

The first training session saw me trudging up Pen-y-Ghent, red-faced, out of breath and absolutely exhausted. How was I going to complete all three when the time came I had no idea. However after a few weeks of Sunday training it wasn't too bad at all - a peak at a time that is. At last I was able to do two of the peaks in one day without being completely exhausted and I managed to persuade my brother to come with me on the day.

The event was organised by the Yorkshire Dales Caravan Club with official check points and food stations on the way.

130 walkers set off on a Saturday morning in September. The weather was just right and we were feeling great. The group thinned out as we went up Pen-y-Ghent and by the time we were coming down we were walking by ourselves with other groups to the front and to the rear. We had no problems until the marshy bit of ground at Black Dubb Moss. I led the way across and suddenly found myself up to my thighs in the bog. After Paul had managed to recover from his laughing fit, he helped me out of my predicament. I walked to Ribblehead slightly bow-legged in an attempt to dry my trousers off.

After a food stop at Ribblehead we tackled Whernside. At this point the weather was very fickle. One minute it was raining heavily, the next, sunshine. By the time we got to the top it had decided on driving rain, which didn't stop until we got to the check point just before Ingleborough.

Part of the path up Ingleborough is made of tarmac duck boards which always make me think of "Follow the yellow brick road". At the top the fog came down and made it difficult to see more that 10 yards in front of us. After our record cards were punched we made for home and the last check point.

We completed the challenge 11 1/2 hours later, still smiling. I raised over 130 for the Scout group funds and Paul raised funds for the British Epilepsy Association.

A Millennium tribute to Armistice Day

REMEMBER ALSO THOSE KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN
THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 - 1945

JOHN ANDREWS	FRANK HEATON	JACK RUSHTON
GEORGE BOTTOMLEY	JACK MAINWARING	EDWIN W. J. SNEED
CLAUDE BRADBURY	ANGUS MARTIN	HAROLD TYE
HARRY CRABTREE	EDWARD MARTIN	ROY WHITAKER
FRANK CURRY		THOMAS S.H.WHITEHOUSE
EDWARD HARRIS		WILFRED WORMALD

R.I.P.

THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED BY THE COMMUNITY OF OXENHOPE
AS A MILLENNIUM TRIBUTE ARMISTICE DAY - NOVEMBER 2000 -

(Note: Owing to the vagaries of formatting pages on the Web, the above may not be an accurate representation of the corresponding memorial)

It is 60 years since the Battle of Britain and 55 years since the end of the Second World War and now, literally just in time for Armistice day in the Millennium, we are in a position to erect a fitting memorial to those from our village who were killed on active service. This is entirely due to an amazing response from the whole Community who have contributed or pledged a total of 1086.73. Together with the Parish Councils' original fund this gives a working total of just over 1200. The Parish Council and the PCC have agreed the wording and, after much research, a group representing Parish Council, Churchwardens and a local Mason, advised by a Diocesan officer have selected appropriate materials and agreed a style sympathetic to the present WW1 memorial which was designed and Grafted by William Morris and Co. in the 1920's. The new memorial will be positioned below this after the present 'memorial case' is lowered.

We have decided on a York stone foundation (from Gilsons) a 'Salome', grey/red marble border from RC Marble, Ovenden and a personally selected silver green slate tablet from Kirkstone Quarry in Ambleside. The whole effect creates an inverted match for the marble and alabaster plaque of the existing memorial. The locally sourced materials will be crafted by Oxenhope Mason Gerald Kershaw who has undertaken to complete the work by the end of October. - He has already provided samples in the proposed materials and has gone to some lengths to match the style and quality of the existing memorial. The bill for the work matches almost exactly the fund available 1150. (If any money is left over it is hoped to replace the small corner disc from the WW1 memorial, which is missing.)

Can you help? - If we had left this memorial any longer it is possible that living links with those who died would have been hard to establish. There are however still relatives of those commemorated living in the village and many of those collecting their pensions remember the 'older boys' going off to the war. Some memories are still vivid -to the extent of remembering the exact circumstances of telegrams arriving and the shock to the community as news of bereavements were received. In order to bring the history of our village alive the school hopes to link their current National Curriculum history work with research and display of any information given by friends, acquaintances or family of those commemorated. If you know anything at all about any of the above names please record it before the memory goes. A pile of post card sized cards will be left in the post office -if you collect your pension, or collect a pension on behalf of an elderly friend or relative, please take a card and write any information you can think of-where people lived, where they worked, where they fought and if you know, where they died. The school would also very much like to contact people in the hope that small groups of supervised pupils could speak to relatives or friends of those who died. -Please add your name address and telephone number to the card if you would be prepared to do this. (Leave them at the post office) Mike Wragg the Headteacher will then contact you.

What do we know? Notes -The war graves commission has strict guidance on die recording of names on war memorials. Any one killed on active service usually has a war grave or an official record of death on a cemetery register. Norma Mackrell has managed to trace about 80% of these and we have service numbers and grave details for the majority of names. Two war graves are actually in our own cemetery -they can be identified easily by shape -narrow, with rounded top.2119924 Claude Bradbury (d-29.6.42 aged 30) and 1877025 Edward Hams (d.3.10.40 aged 24). Frank Healon, (Bents) who died on the Burma Road, is recorded in Hawksbridge Chapel book of Remembrance. One of our postmen Roger Whittaker is the nephew of Roy and has provided photographs, original telegrams, letters, and cemetery and campaign details. Lindley the brother of Wilfred Wormald (Chinditz d. Burma 43.) has telegrams and the original letter sent by the commanding officer to the family. Mrs. Whitehouse, nee.Annie Breer still lives in the village. All original material provided will be carefully copied and returned. Some details are known- Jack Rushton (Best lane) was a paratrooper killed on a raid at Dieppe. Some details however are sketchy. We think G. Bottomley was a rear gunner who lived in Apple St.? Harry Crabtree, RAF, shot down? Angus Martin was a painter? Edwin (Bunny) Sneed was lost in action? -no known record.? Frank Curry -The Doll Leeming ?

Some soldiers known to villagers died just after the war from natural causes or moved from the village before they died and are recorded on other memorials others have no certified proof of death. Careful research into these cases might alter slightly those proposed names above.

Commemorating a new primary school

By the time you read this the new extension will be nearly complete. we have been promised a 'handover' date of 16th October 2000. There will be many new schools completed in this first year of the new Millennium, but perhaps none with such a sinking Commemorative stone - the letters have been hand cut from York Stone and can be clearly seen from Cross Lane.

Many villagers will have watched with interest as the new extension developed over the summer holidays - perhaps trying to guess which stone outlines represented which classroom. In last months site meeting, the engineers commenting on the size of the boiler referred to the school as 'just a big bungalow' .In fact the budget of just �273,173.08 has provided far more than this.

We are lucky to have three classrooms not the two which initial plans and budgets dictated. We have a much larger reception facility and outside play area than our original plans specified and by designing in a link which means the extension will be 'freestanding' we saved all of the VAT which enabled us to retain the full use of the present reception classroom to use as a resource and library area. The 'flexible room' is a facility gained by governors by the insistence that the corner of the building be 'squared off' thus gaining about 10 square metres.

The school would like to thank all of the architectural team, engineers, planners and contractors who went to great lengths to meet our requirements - to the extent of marching stone and slate samples and ensuring our building was flexible enough for further development.

The Parish council also deserves thanks for their great efforts in securing provision for safer routes to school. The traffic calming and safety bollards are a great improvment.

We wish Mike Wragg. all his staff and the full complement of pupils our very best wishes for the start of 'The New School.

If Noah lived in Oxenhope today

Now the Lord saw that the Earth was corrupt and full of violence. But Noah was a righteous man. And the Lord said to Noah, 'I have had enough; I am going to send flood waters to cover the earth in one years time and I want you to build an Ark to save all the righteous people - I don't think you will need many cabins - and all the animals two by two'.

And after one year the clouds began to roll up and the winds started to blow. The Lord returned to find Noah weeping in front of a few planks and ribs of timber. 'Forgive me Lord', said Noah, 'but I need much more time'

'Firstly I have run out of money. The tax inspectors have advised me that. as there was a previous ark, I am altering a previous structure and must pay V.A.T. The employment officials insist I must pay my sons the minimum wage with benefits and now they are all on paternity leave. Enghsh Heritage insist that I stick to the original specification and use gopher wood which is pretty hard to find in the Pennines.

And there are my supply problems. The Friends of the Earth will not let me fell the gopher trees. My timber merchant is being taken to court for supplying me in cubits instead of metres. The council won't approve my boat yard as they are not sure if the ark is for industrial or recreational use. The Equal Opportunities Commission is forbidding me from discriminating between the righteous and the unrighteous as it is deemed inappropriate in a multi-faith, multicultural society.

Customs and excise have noted that the ark was last seen on top of a mountain in Turkey and are all over the place looking for drugs.

The Department of the Environment have asked for an Environmental Statement and produced an injunction against the flood. I have told them that they cannot control the Almighty but they say that the only almighty they know is the European Court and anyway how many lawyers does God have on his side? ('Very few, that's true', interjected God)

And then there are the troubles with the animals. The RSPCA won't let me capture birds of prey. The pig- pens don't meet with MAFF specifications. Every time I capture a mink the animal rights people release it. And to cap it all the Archbishops' Council has established a commission to determine what form of divine worship we should have on board and they don't report for three years'.

Then the sky began lo clear and the wind dropped. 'Does this mean that you are not going to destroy the Earth Lord'? Noah asked. 'No', said God 1 don't have to bother, your rulers are doing it already' 'Are we then condemned to that dread place where the eternal flames flicker and bum'? asked Noah anxiously. 'Fraid so' said God 'and it's even worse that you think ...

Canon Gee writes to tell us about WORKAID

When we retired to live in our small house in Glusburn in 1992, I no longer had the space to store my late father's tools, especially a large drilling machine. Around that time there appeared in 'The Church Times' an article about Workaid and the need for more tools. My response to that appeal marked the beginning of my association with Workaid as they asked me to be one of their area collectors.

Workaid began back in 1976 when Bob Geldorf spoke to an ecumenical group of older church people about the needs of the Third World. The response was simply, "He is actually doing something about it so must we!" So a dream was born.

But before it be came a reality they asked missionary groups working overseas what kind of help poor people needed. The answer came back, "basic tools so that we can teach them the skills to help them make better use of their

meagre resources." For example, a sewing machine is pure gold to a mother struggling to support her large family. And so Workaid took off. All sorts of people, mainly retired and between the ages of 60-80 began meeting in a garage in Amersham to renovate and recondition old tools they had collected. They also invited donations to help defray the cost of transporting the tools overseas. Several companies offered freight space in their large containers and individuals travelling overseas carried small boxes of tools with them as part of their baggage allowance. Thanks to a generous Christian benefactor, Workaid now has a brand new warehouse-workshop and a new transit van which travels the country picking up tools from people like me.

So many of us have tools we no longer use, we may even have more than one of a particular type of tool, and many of them have been superceded by electric models. Sewing kits with needles and scissors, chisels, gardening implements and lots of other items surplus to our needs, all these Workaid need to help someone far away.

In 1992 my wife and I visited India and Nepal. One day we watched a man sitting on the grass verge by a busy and dusty road making children's clothes on an old Singer sewing machine. People were queuing with their children waiting to have them measured, nothing more than a quick glance, and in no time he produced a finished article for a smiling child and mother. I reflected how wonderful it was that an old redundant machine, renovated in Amersham, had been given a new lease of life and was now providing a livelihood for this man and his family, and cheap clothing for children.

This is the kind of harvest you and I can help provide by supporting Workaid. Tools must be capable of restoration, and metric if possible, at present we can't cope with any more typewriters but we do need everything else including knitting machines and of course gifts of money please. And do remember please that the work is an on-going business needing your help and support throughout the year.

Oxenhope Online

Oxenhope Outreach - September 2000

The Vicar writes ...

Guiders trip to Mexico - February 2000

We can do it!

A Millennium tribute to Armistice Day

Commemorating a new primary school

If Noah lived in Oxenhope today

Canon Gee writes to tell us about WORKAID