Issue 21 - Spring 2021

Winter 2020 Report

Again, it’s been a very strange few months and sadly as time marches on more and more of us in the community are being touched by this horrible virus. We need to remain positive that there is light at the end of the tunnel and we will get there. We just need to be a little more patient, stick to the rules and get vaccinated when it’s our turn. Our thoughts and prayers are for everyone who has lost loved ones.

Remembrance Sunday back in November was the day to remember those who had given their lives for us. Clearly the usual gathering was not possible so with a little imagination and a huge amount of work from Simon Jacobs, Reverend Daniel McCarthy and Rabbi Alan Garber we were able to produce a short film and a “live” stream on Remembrance Sunday itself. Thanks go to all those who took part, it was a great production that will now become part of the Shenley archives.

At the end of last year Hertsmere Borough Council finally adopted our Neighbourhood Plan so it is now treated a material consideration when they are assessing any future planning applications. Hopefully it is robust enough to ensure that we can maintain the character of the Village and preserve our greenbelt. We have now created and adopted a formal planning committee of the Parish Council and as such if you are looking at making an application in the future then please be aware that it will come before this committee for consideration.

We are delighted to be able to announce that we have been able to fund the remaining £8,000 of the money needed to build a new library for Shenley Primary School. The PTA has gone well on its way to raising the £12,000 needed for the project but unfortunately COVID got in the way. We are delighted that we are able to help make this project come alive. We want our children not only to learn to read but to enjoy it as well, hopefully this project will enable them to do so.

We were all a little disappointed with the Christmas lights this year. Unfortunately, when we were undertaking the safety tests involved in putting them up a large number of lamp posts along Porters Park Drive failed the testing and as such we were not able to attach lights to them. We have been promised new lamp posts and hopefully they will be in place by next Christmas.

Gristwood and Toms have been assisting us with the repair of the village sign and they have now found and kindly donated the timber and labour that is involved in putting it back up again and we hope to have this completed by mid-Feb.

Out volunteer team ‘Action for a Cleaner Shenley’ has been hard at work over the past few months keeping our village litter free and we extend our thanks to all of them who have undertaken not only this task but also for clearing the area in the Spinney which had got very overgrown.

We are really fortunate to be surrounded by such beautiful countryside and I think that the various lockdowns have enabled us to really appreciate the beauty of our Village and the surrounding area. It is a shame that those visiting from outside the area do not have the same appreciation as we do when leaving their litter and dog mess for us to clear up.

Once again I feel blessed to be living in such a beautiful village with such lovely people and if we all stick together we will get through this horrible time and come out at the other end all the more stronger for it.

I look forward to seeing you around the Village and stay safe

Regards,

Councillor William Susman
Chairman – Shenley Parish Council
william.susman@shenleyvillage.org

For further information on Shenley Parish Council, please visit Shenley Parish Section on website.

Please vote YES!

The Referendum version of Shenley Neighbourhood Plan was approved by Hertsmere Borough Council (HBC) at the full Council meeting on 14th October last year and on 4th December the HBC duly issued its formal Shenley Neighbourhood Plan Decision Statement (Regulation 18) detailing its intention to send the Shenley Neighbourhood Plan to referendum this year. Ross Whear, Hertsmere’s Head of Planning and Economic Development has assured us that prior to the Referendum they will give ‘significant weight’ to the Referendum Shenley Plan in the determination of all Shenley Parish planning applications going forward.

Please note that for the Shenley Plan to be given full weight rather than ‘significant weight’ we need to have a successful referendum. Covid permitting, the Referendum should take place on 6th May this year. We hope that when the referendum takes place as many residents as possible will vote to support the Shenley Plan. A large positive vote will confirm that residents are fully behind the plan and this will send a big and very important message to Hertsmere. View Referendum Version Shenley Plan

We recommend that you take a look at the Plan before May and we ask for your support on 6th May to ratify the Shenley Plan. The sooner it is given ‘full weight’ the better. Please contact us if you have any queries.

Many thanks.

Nicky Beaton
Chair Shenley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

Cllr. Rosemary Gilligan
Vice Chair Shenley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group
Chair of Shenley Parish Council Planning Committee

Planning Committee

Now that we have a Neighbourhood Plan and with Hertsmere’s new local plan due sometime later this year – which could result in a lot of new development – the Parish Council has decided to form its own Planning Committee.

Historically, there has been little new building in the Parish as being in the greenbelt, no new builds were allowed until the 1980s when the NHS decided to sell Shenley Hospital (now Porters Park). Until Porters Park was built we saw very few applications, just simple extensions. Now we are seeing a growth in development in the Parish and with the new local plan coming soon, we felt it was time to set aside a full evening for discussion of plans.

We are now meeting on the last Tuesday of the month, currently online via zoom, and everyone is welcome. We had our first meeting in November and the most recent one was on the Tuesday after Christmas. Amanda, our Council Clerk, will advertise the meetings in the normal way. We will allow 5 mins for someone to speak for an application and 5 mins for anyone to speak against an application. We will also allow a short time at the beginning of each meeting for the public to make us aware of any concerns with regard to planning issues in the Parish. The procedure is similar in format to the time allowed before the main council meeting.

Hertsmere is now deciding applications on the new design codes and priorities included in the Neighbourhood Plan so we would welcome early consultation by anyone planning to build in Shenley Parish in the future. This enables us to ensure that early in the design phase the plans are in accordance with the neighbourhood plan.

Cllr. Rosemary Gilligan.
Chair. Shenley Parish Council Planning Committee.

Usually Shenley is very fortunate to have the weekly services of the Community Payback scheme to assist in keeping Shenley a beautiful village. Unfortunately owing to Covid they have not been able to visit Shenley since March last year. A small team of volunteers now help every Tuesday doing whatever is needed and covering the work usually done by the Community Payback Team.

So far we have cut back all the overhanging trees and bushes on Porters Park Drive allowing pedestrians more pavement room … and no-one over 5 foot now gets decapitated!

We were asked to tidy up St. Botolph’s cemetery …. lots of weeds had covered many of the graves and in between the graves the grass was strimmed. We agreed to return in a few months so that the weeds are kept in check.

We have spent many weeks in the Spinney. The whole area where the saplings had been planted was sadly totally overgrown … when we started we couldn’t see the benches at the far end as the brambles were so high!

Everything has now been cut down and all the plastic tube protectors on the trees removed as being no longer necessary… our thanks to William and Natalie Susman for organising their collection. Where needed we tied any fragile trees to stakes. Aylett Nursery very kindly donated bulbs to plant in the area and the Parish Council also bought bulbs which was greatly appreciated.

Currently we are clearing the area opposite the saplings .. cutting back dead foliage, cutting off any side shoots from the trees that need pruning, clearing brambles and all the ivy which had grown around their bases and in many cases travelled to the top.

The Work in the Spinney is rather like work on the Forth Bridge …. never ending!

Big thanks to Nicky Beaton, our amazing“ Strimmerman” Chris Orme, Nigel Wright & Harvey Jacobs for all their help and to Guy Beaton for his help jungle clearing initially and in getting all the ACS equipment from the ACS storeroom and returning it after each session.

Phew!

Cllr. Annie Keen.

Shenley Remembers

By Cllr. Justine Ash

Owing to the Covid 19 Pandemic, Shenley’s Remembrance Sunday was never going to be a “normal” community event, although it has to be said that for all of us, there hasn’t been much “normality” for us here in Shenley this year past year.

In order to keep all our Shenley community safe and to adhere to the requirements of social distancing, the Shenley Parish Council produced a short film in conjunction with Shenley’s own photographer Simon Jacobs, Shenley Village Primary School, Shenley Cubs, Rev Daniel McCarthy, John Hayes and Rabbi Alan Garber# which was to be aired across social media platforms ahead of Remembrance Sunday, and which would then be followed by a live service from the Rectory on Sunday 8 November and which could also be viewed also on social media. See the service on YouTube. Members of the Shenley community were invited to leave poppy wreaths and tokens of Remembrance at the War Memorial in the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday.

Anyone who saw the video could not help but be moved by all those who spoke and what we learnt and especially the powerful images which were employed to honour Shenley’s fallen.

We learnt that the Shenley War Memorial was unveiled in 1920 and marked the names of several sets of brothers; William and Herbert Smith; James and Thomas Plumb, Bertie and Herbert Letch; Horace and Reggie Doughty; Carl and John Holzmeyer; Walter and Norman Hill. What was so startling was how many Shenley families lost sometimes not one but all of their sons in WW1, young Shenley villagers who had their whole lives ahead of them; Walter Hill had been a teacher at Shenley school; Norman Hill, an assistant Shenley baker – both gave up their lives in 1916 and 1917 age 24 and 20 respectively. Ernest Fitt, a gardener on Porters Park, killed in action in 1915 aged 24; Jeffrey Tidey, the youngest son of Shenley’s main grocer was killed in action aged just 24 in 1916; Alfred Lancaster, the son of a Shenley police constable, was killed in 1916 aged just 21. All of these men, inscribed on our War Memorial, are real people, real Shenley Villagers who gave up so much for us. Shenley Villagers who we should continue to honour.

Perhaps the most moving of all those who spoke during the film was the wonderful testimony of our very own Shenley resident Iris Osmond, aged 92, who was born here in Shenley on Porters Park, near the Walled Garden. Iris recalled going into the air raid shelter, night after night during WW2 and how she learnt morse code, map reading and how to apply a bandage whilst waiting for the “all clear”. Iris recalled being called to prayer regularly and the importance her faith played during this time.

United in greater numbers, we were all able to share the Remembrance Sunday and hear the Last Post, in memory of all those who shall never be forgotten.

We hope sincerely that we will be able to see you all next year at our Shenley War Memorial, to once again express our gratitude for all that our military have done and continue to do for us.

For those who sacrificed their tomorrow for our today, they shall not grow old and in the morning, when this Covid pandemic passes, and life returns to a semblance of normality, we shall remember.

Link to the YouTube video of service online

The Shenley Parish Council continues to work hard to engage and work collaboratively with both the local PCSOs and the Hertsmere Borough Council Community Safety Manager to ensure that Shenley remains a safe place for all residents to live. In addition, we have also had reason to call upon Hertsmere Borough Council’s expertise in relation to environmental matters where residents have raised issues around domestic/industrial waste and noise pollution.

Whilst lockdowns have meant that we are all spending more time at home, we have still seen issues arising with anti-social behaviour in relation to dangerous driving, speeding down Porters Park, Harris Lane and Black Lion Hill and anti-social parking on Porters Park and in the Village.  The police continue to monitor the speeding and issues in relation to anti-social parking and as such these issues remain priorities. Fly tipping has also been a problem and we are thankful to “Action for a Cleaner Shenley” or “ACS” for all they do every month to make Shenley a clean and tidy place for all of us. We continue to work with Hertsmere Environmental officers in this regard.

Owing to the pandemic, many of the face to face initiatives we had planned with the police, such as an opportunity to meet the PCSOs and knife amnesties were not able to go ahead or went ahead in a different form. It is very much hoped that 2021 will mean we can resume some of these face to face events as soon as it is safe to do so.

Whilst social media can be a great way to gain information, it is also very easy to misread tone and misinterpret information. Residents are gently reminded that to report a non-emergency crime in the first instance, residents should log on to:

Link to Report a Crime: https://www.herts.police.uk/Report/Report-Shared/Report-a-crime

Whilst not directly related to crime, we do receive a lot of enquiries about street lighting and pot-holes. Whilst it still gets dark early and the nights draw in, we want to ensure that where we live remains a safe place. Again, if you have a street light in your road that does not work or flickers, please feel free to report it directly to Hertfordshire County Council on:

Link to Report a Problem to Hertfordshire County Council: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/highways-roads-and-pavements/report-a-problem/report-a-street-light-or-pothole.aspx

As I said at the beginning of this update, the Shenley Parish Council works hard to engage with both the community and our local law enforcement teams to ensure that Shenley remains a welcoming and safe place for us all to live. For now, we must all play our part in washing our hands, wearing a face mask, maintaining appropriate distance, whether walking around Shenley or at the local Tesco Express in order to keep everyone safe and well.

Cllr Justine Ash.

Sponsored by Shenley Parish Council

I am delighted to report that ACS really is going from strength to strength.  We started 2020 with a team of 10 litter pickers and ended the year with a regular team of 24. The more people we have the easier the task becomes. There is a litter picking session every month on the first Sunday of the month between 10am and 12 noon / 12.30 with occasional ad hoc sessions happening on week-days in between. All team members are supplied with high viz. jackets, litter pickers and litter picking hoops and of course plenty of bags. If people want to litter pick but can’t come on a Sunday morning they can do a session the day before or on Sunday afternoon!

2020 saw an amazing total of 418 bags of litter collected plus all sorts of discarded items. It is amazing what people dump!  A year total of 347.5 hours of work.  28 bags of bottles and cans were recycled.

2021 has got off to a magnificent start. The first ACS session was on Sunday 3^rd January when a record total of 63 bags of litter were collected (a member who couldn’t join us on Sunday did hers on Saturday). What a great start. Unfortunately the amount of litter around seems to be increasing but we are determined to keep Shenley as litter free as possible.  January’s collection included people’s Christmas waste dumped in Mimm’s and Rectory Lanes!  Because the Rectory Lane fly tipped bags contained food waste the contents had been scattered everywhere, probably by foxes, and took nearly half an hour to pick up.

We look forward to the day when we can all meet at the start of the monthly sessions but for now we have to go straight to our allocated roads.  We usually have a Christmas get together which was not possible last year but hopefully this Christmas will be different.

Huge thanks to all team members helping to keep Shenley clean –:

Sam Bennett, Mary & Simon Button, Nicole, John and Emily Canuet, Gill & Amy Fotheringham & Kully Kuar, Jo Hall & Nigel Davies, Jo Headland, Sarah & Mick Hilton, Julia & Mick Hore, Harvey Jacobs, Annie & Peter Keen, Rosemary Mason, Keith McLeod, Joanna Vinacour, Darren Spevick.

Thanks also to the following who did many sessions last year:  Sharon Madsen, Brian & Olivia Page, David Cox and Matt & Dylan Finn.

Thanks also to my husband Guy who always helps me collect and take the many bags of litter to the Parish Council skip after our Sunday mornings work. He also stands in if my litter picking partner is not available!

If anyone is interested in joining ACS please contact me via email:  nickybeaton@aol.com or phone me:  07976 872668

Thank you.

ACS Co-Ordinator  Nicky Beaton

Happy New Year everyone!

At St. Martin’s even within the pandemic we have found ways to help and bless the community.

Remembrance:

It has been a joy to be involved in Shenley Primary school with their Remembrance and Christmas Celebrations. We have also under the guidance of Simon Jacobs had the honour of being part of Shenley’s Remembrance video which marked the occasion in an outstanding and moving way.

Christmas:

It has been a unique and special time at St. Martin’s as we reflected with gratitude the reason for the season. Social distanced carol services and nativity plays were very special in a candle lit atmosphere.

Reflection:

In this winter season, we as a church have had the opportunity to reflect and look at new ways in which we can share hope and pastoral care.

We have invested a lot of time on our social media and new website as well as keeping in touch with many face to face and on the telephone. Furthermore, with the Jewish community under the inspirational leadership of Rabbi Alan Garber we have been able to reflect and plan some exciting events for 2021 for Shenley. Watch this space!

Finance:

Thank you for all the donations so far. The financial situation at St Martin’s however is still in a dangerous place. We still have a large regular shortfall. This means your local church in the community may be under threat.

Our vision at St Martin’s is still to be a church in the heart of the community. We offer a place for everyone, young and old, faith filled and questioning. To put our vision into action we are aiming for 50 percent of all our activities to be out in the community because we believe everyone in Shenley matters. Always!

There are many ways to give.

1. Cheque: Payable to Shenley PCC
2. Text: SHENLEY 5 10 or 20 to 70450
3. Standing orders and larger donations: (sort code: 20-70-09)  (account number) : 8074678

To see what we are doing why not visit our new fantastic website:  http://stmartinschurch.co.uk or contact Daniel your friendly vicar on 07855 941184 or email on danielmccarthy7x77@yahoo.com

Many thanks.

Daniel.

Legendary, hit songwriter and a senior resident of Shenley, has died at the age of 94.

Michael Julien, the talented songwriter for Shirley Bassey’s 1958, huge hit record, “Kiss Me, Honey, Honey, Kiss Me” which stayed in the charts for 17 weeks and Lulu’s UK Eurovision Song Contest winner in 1969, “My Heart Goes Boom, Bang a Bang”, a hit that stayed in the charts for 13 weeks, also wrote the Cliff Richard chart-topper, “Constantly”, which became a global hit in six countries.

He was awarded the Ivor Novello award for songwriters and co-wrote many other hit records here and the USA, including what became a Vietnam War all time classic, “Let’s Live for Today”, a song that was voted by troops in the Vietnam War as their favourite song and is now a pop standard in the US.

Michael, a war veteran who received a commendation from the Queen for bravery, after surviving severe burns in a tank blast, was also a trained psychotherapist. He moved to Shenley from Essex some 15 years ago and first lived on London Road, later moving to Porters Park.

Michael was admitted to hospital prior to Christmas with an infection, but later became Covid positive and sadly died on 28^th December 2020.

Christopher Newell

Theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day is a UK national commemoration dedicated to the remembrance of those who suffered in the Holocaust under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. The date chosen, the 27th January, is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945.

The day is not just about remembrance, it is about thinking how we can build a better, more unified and loving society. The theme for this year is “be the light in the darkness”. This year in Shenley, Rev. Daniel McCarthy and myself have come together to run a joint zoom program where we interview Mr. Trevor Avery the curator of the exhibit “from Auschwitz to Ambleside”. The research for this exhibit became the basis for the film “the Windermere Children” which was screened on the BBC last year.

Both the exhibit and the film tell the story of over 300 young Holocaust survivors who were temporarily hosted in a field school by Lake Windermere in 1945. The film highlights the challenges faced by these young people in dealing with the immediate trauma of surviving the horrors of the holocaust. It also gives the message of light in the darkness; of the kindness of the local non Jewish and Jewish communities to reach out to this young people and by telling us how these children rebuilt their lives.

The message of “be the light in the darkness” is also a powerful message for the challenging situation we are facing together with the corona pandemic.

In the Jewish tradition, we have an annual cycle of reading the Five Books of Moses. At this time of year we are up to the stories of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt, the Ten Plagues and the Exodus.

The 9^th plague was darkness. Why was this chosen as the penultimate plague to be brought against the Egyptians? It would seem logical for the plagues to become progressively worse. However, unlike previous plagues, no Egyptians were killed and there doesn’t seem to be any destruction to their land or their property. The Egyptians were simply left in the dark for a few days!

There is a concept: “Joint suffering is half the consolation”. Knowing that others are in the same predicament  makes the suffering more bearable. During the first eight plagues, the Egyptians suffered together the afflictions of blood, frogs, lice etc. There would have been a sense that we are in this together! However, in the plague of darkness, each Egyptian was in complete isolation unable to see or hear anyone. It was essentially a plague of loneliness.

Being alone is indeed a terrible affliction. As we face the continuation of this modern plague and pandemic we each have the responsibility to be a light in the darkness. We are in this together. Let’s continue to give each other strength and friendship, and may G-d speedily bring healing to the world!

Best wishes.

By Rabbi Alan Garber

Shenley United Jewish Community, Jewish Chaplain for Northwick Park Hospital and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Shenley Methodist Church was able to open through September and October and then again in December for a service on a Sunday at 9.30am lasting no longer than 45 minutes in accordance with current guidance and restrictions. It has been so strange when gathered, having to maintain social distance, wearing a mask and most of all not being able to sing. We did manage a short service of prayer and carol music on Christmas Day before deciding that with the latest measures and announcements it was necessary again to suspend services and activities in the building. However we continue, even in lockdown, to be a caring and worshipping fellowship with a heart for the village. Members of the Church have had access to on-line services, and over Christmas we placed our Christmas tree in the porch so that anyone passing by might be able to see the comforting lights. We have continued to work closely with our friends at St. Martins delivering Messy Church to families and children in the village, albeit remotely.

This activity would normally take place once every month alternating between the Methodist Church and St. Martin’s. At the end of November over 50 children received an Advent Calendar and activity pack, and then later in the month a Christingle pack. This consisted of an orange in a specially wrapped box together with a candle, red ribbon, four cocktail sticks and some sweets. Making Christingles at or near Christmas dates back to the 18th Century and as a tradition has its origins in Germany. A red ribbon representing the love of God and offering of Christ on the cross is wrapped around an orange, which represents the world. The four cocktail sticks represent the four seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, as God’s love lasts all year round. The sweets placed upon the cocktail sticks represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). Finally, the candle pressed into the orange represents the light of Christ.

We are pleased to join all our friends of all faiths and none at this time of year in different ways of speaking of light which shines in the darkness. It has of course been a difficult start to the New Year with the latest lockdown measures and the continuing toll of the virus on people’s lives and livelihoods, but we stand side by side as a community, we find hope in knowing the vaccination programme is underway and in a God who is present in our midst, whose light is found in Christ, in faith, and in the loving of and caring for neighbours which lies at the heart of community. With the assurance of my and the Church’s continued support and prayers for everyone in the village and community at this time.

Rev Andrew Prout
Shenley Methodist Church
Tel: 01727 851834 / andrew.prout@methodist.org.uk

It has been decided by the Fete Committee that with the uncertainty with regard to how the situation with regard to Coronavirus will develop in the coming months we should sadly cancel this year’s Fete which was due to be held on Sunday July 4th.

We will however be continuing with our Raffle and our work on Sponsorship. Stella Larkin has very kindly agreed to work on the Raffle. At some time in the future you can expect Raffle tickets to be posted through your door, probably along with the next issue of Shenley Village Matters. The Raffle, along with our continuing Sponsorship requests this year should, we hope give us a healthy balance for our donations.

I mentioned in the Autumn Shenley Village Matters issue how remarkably generous Shenley Businesses and residents have been with Fete sponsorship in 2020, particularly as there had not been a Fete!

• A.T Bone (Farming & Construction Svcs)
• Bob Prince (Shenley Resident)
• Eddie McGuire (Shenley Resident0
• David + Lucy Wernick (Wernick Group)
• DGS (Chartered Financial Planners)
• Griggs Homes
• Gristwood and Toms (Environmental Svcs)
• Road Tech Computer Systems
• Statons Estate Agents
• Wood Hall Stud
• Barkers Estate and Letting agents have for many years provided, without charge, the design and the printing for all our Fete programmes.

One remarkably kind resident gave us £2,000 to donate to the Sir Richard Cox Charity which supports deserving Shenley families at Christmas.

Overall we raised £5,100.

I will shortly be contacting Shenley businesses in the hope they may care to make a contribution to our Fete funds in these uncertain times so we are able to make our usual annual charitable donations to deserving causes whether the Fete happens or not. The Raffle will supplement these efforts.

Several donations were earmarked last year for particular recipients by donors. These recipients were:

• The Sir Richard Cox Charity.
• Hedgehog protection
• de Havilland Aircraft Museum

In 2020 the Fete Committee donated money to:

• 1st Shenley Cubs
• Shenley Primary School PTA
• 1st Shenley Rainbows
• Hertfordshire Police Cadets
• Elstree District Explorer Scouts
• Watford Peace Hospice

Since 2008 the Fete has donated £57,325 with our emphasis always being on Shenley charities and local good causes. We hope to be able to continue donations this year in these difficult times.

Best wishes.

Guy Beaton
Chairman. Shenley Fete Committee.
email : guynicky@aol.com

The October meeting was on October 1st. via Zoom.

The meeting opened with the traditional singing of Jerusalem.  Members in their own homes joined in with the recording of Jerusalem at the Royal Albert Hall, at the centenary AGM.

Tributes were paid to Beryl (Peg) MacKay M.B.E. 1919-2020. Beryl (Peg) MacKay passed away in September, aged 100. Beryl was the oldest member of our W.I. and she was also the longest-standing member, having joined back in 1947. She overlapped with Shenley WI’s first President, Mrs Riches, by three years. Beryl was Secretary from 1949-1953 and President from 1968-9 and 1985-7. She was an Honorary Vice-President until her death. As a pillar of this community and the W.I. in particular, Beryl will be missed.

Anna Churnin & Susanna Hendry took their places as the Acting Joint Presidents and Anna ‘virtually’ presented Cathy with a present of a Periodic Table featuring Formula One names.

The speaker was a Shenley WI member, Barbara Sherling who spoke on her work with The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

The Gardens hold more than 6000species of plants in the largest labelled plant collection in Israel and in a normal year is visited by approximately 300,000 people a year. It offers 30 acres of tranquil green vistas, enchanted corners, water pools, planted beds and meandering paths. Its main objectives are conservation, education wellbeing, community integration and innovation. The Gardens are divided into six geographical sections showing typical regional plant communities. There are many other highlights including a path lined with plants named in the Bible and a large bonsai collection to name just two. The gardens are a centre for research, conservation, sustainability, and there are many projects on-going. In terms of education there are Jewish- Muslim co-existence programmes for school age children and chances for school visits and programmes for young people with special needs that can then move onto paid employment. Plus, many more activities and groups. There are scholarships awarded to gardeners from all over the world and annual volunteer working holidays. This certainly whetted many people’s appetites to visit the Gardens when we can travel again.

During Social Time Susanna presented a power point highlighting the vision for our future and ideas for involving members as much or as little as they wish using teams.

The November meeting was on November 5th, via Zoom.

The meeting opened with the traditional singing of Jerusalem. Members in their own homes joined in with a beautiful recording of Jerusalem with glorious scenes of the UK.

Anna & Susie accompanied by Nona had laid the WI wreath at the Shenley War Memorial before Lockdown 2 had commenced.

Refurbished Poppies: Hayley & Portia Nicholas-Jago had rejuvenated the poppy display from 2019.Many thanks to them for their hard work.

The speaker was Dr James Taylor who spoke on ‘Humorous Artist-Drawn Picture Postcards’.

James looked at the millions of the humorous postcards that were produced from the Edwardian era to the outbreak of World War II – not just for entertainment but to boost morale, to inspire, instruct, motivate and to persuade. James discussed the popular themes and some of the masters of the medium, showing also the reasons why their popularity with the British public eventually waned.

Some of the artists discussed were Fred Spurgin, Mabel Lucy Atwell and Donald Mcgill to name but three. We were educated into the morale boosting aspects of these cards during the two World Wars, the political aspects, with reference to the Suffragette movement and some of the saucier aspects of these cards.

This was a most entertaining talk and insight into a lost art.

During social time there were breakout groups where members shared their own postcards, pictures, or memories of holidays with each other.

The competition was a reprise for a 1950s competition and was for a telegram of exactly 10 words all starting with the letter B. First prize went to Jean Hoggett, second to Frimette Carr and third to Anna Churnin.

TheWorlds Oldest Postcard which sold for £31.750
The December meeting was on December 03, via Zoom.

Paul Griggs
The customary collection of gifts for the Salvation Army had taken place. Anna Churnin collected them and these were collected by Bill Hamilton for distribution via The Salvation Army. It was heart-warming that even under the restrictions we are living in 42 gifts were donated. The competition for best wrapped gift was judged by Anna and the prizes were awarded thus: 1st Margaret Chappell, 2nd Jean Hoggett, 3rd Brenda Needham.

The speaker was Paul Griggs who spoke on His Life as a Musician from Lonnie Donnegan to Frank Sinatra and Guys’ n Dolls.

This was Paul’s first Zoom talk (but it didn’t show). We were treated to an entertaining hour and Paul asked for us all to stay unmuted so that we could interject. Paul was and still is a huge Lonnie Donnegan fan and so obviously he first started playing skiffle. He first played professionally in the band The Cortinas which formed in 1963, they then became Octopus. He is however, best known as a member of the 70s chart group Guys ‘n Dolls.

He had turned down a place in Mud and to this day he doesn’t know why. Guys’n Dolls were formed by a record company and their first hit was actually recorded by session musicians. Paul gave us an oversight of the industry at that time and gave a potted history of the ups and downs of the group and how they went from 6 to 4 and the subsequent reunion. Although not a Sinatra fan a highlight was performing with him for a week at The Festival Hall in 1978.After their style of music ‘died’ in the UK Paul went to work in Holland and stayed there for 5 years. He then went into music publishing and another highlight was meeting Paul McCartney when Paul was the runner up in The Buddy Holly Song Writing Contest.

He is still performing solo gigs. His book ‘Diary of a Musician’ is available and in more normal times he would have had copies with him for us to purchase along with his daughter’s book ‘Visibility’.

During social time there were breakout groups where members played party games, as this would have been our Christmas party evening. Great fun was had playing games such as animal, vegetable & mineral, scavenger hunts etc.

All members that attended were issued with a free raffle ticket and during the meeting 10 winners were drawn via an electronic random number generator and Anna delivered the gifts on Sunday 06 December.

Our last meeting, via zoom was on 7th January 2021. The speaker was Marion Hill from Hertfordshire Archives. She spoke on Remarkable Women in Hertfordshire’s History. The competition was ‘Your Favourite Heroine & Why’ (20 words or less).

Hopefully, we will be able to resume our monthly meetings in the not too distant future and women of all ages are welcome to attend our monthly meetings on the first Thursday of the month (except August) in the Village Hall at 7.30pm.  Meanwhile members can refer to the monthly bulletin for information on all the current and new groups operating via Zoom and the various e-mail addresses for competition entries and groups.

Anna Churnin
annachurnin@me.com

Rain, Rain and more Rain.

This has got to be the quietest time in the allotment calendar when all that is left to do is enjoy the fruits of our labour that we have been able to store in a cool shed or fridge.

Hopefully, all the beds are dug over, covering them is optional and this keeps the spring weeds down, if not eradicating them altogether. Some gardeners frown on this practice and feel that the soil needs to be frosted while others (us included) are not organised enough in advance!

Broad beans are very hardy and can be planted straight into the soil this time of year.

We have had some extreme rainfall in the latter part of 2020 and apparently there’s more on the way. You only have to see the torrents of water draining/gushing from the fields and ditches along Woodhall Lane to appreciate how bad the problem is this year. Our plot is wet but nowhere near as bad as some of the others which are unfortunately completely waterlogged. This led to a debate about drainage at the last allotment committee meeting and there have been two attempts to drain the allotment field in my memory. Plot-holders vary in their opinion of the work, believing it solved some of the problems, others that it had made no improvement or even had had an adverse effect on a few of the plots. I seem to remember writing something commenting on how wet the plots were last year but this was followed by a glorious summer when we were soon complaining about the amount of watering that was needed. It has been said by some cynics that gardeners always moan about the weather conditions!!!

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns of the last year, many found they had more time to work their plots and it gave a great opportunity to be outdoors during what was fine spring and summer weather. It looks like we are going to be under some level of restriction for some time to come and allotments have become more popular. For the first time for some years all the plots are let and there is a waiting list of people wanting to join us.

Because of the high demand, we would ask people who are considering relinquishing their plot to let the Clerk know so we can relet them to other villagers who are eagerly waiting to get started.

We hope you are all keeping safe and well in these difficult times.

Cheers

Steve Bury.

“It has still been a busy time at Shenley Village Cricket Club since the season finished in September. Thanks to some generous help from one of our club sponsors, Motilal Books Ltd, the club have been able to carry out some much needed improvements to both the square and outfield on the Main Ground. It was a major project and involved the removal of the previous surface and subsequent reseeding to provide a fresh growth of grass. This should give the ground a new lease of life and enable us to reap the benefits of a better playing surface for many years to come.

It has been a difficult autumn and winter with Covid restrictions meaning that only a very limited amount of indoor training has been possible and it is unlikely the situation will change until we re-enter Tier 3 or better. With lesser restrictions anticipated for outdoor training it is hoped this will start during April with matches commencing shortly thereafter. Shenley runs a thriving junior section for ages 8 to 15 and runs 4 senior sides in the Hertfordshire League on Saturdays catering for all levels of ability.

Looking forward to the new season our Chairman Geoff Evans said “the past year has presented us with many difficulties but we remain strong as a club and well positioned to deal with the challenges ahead. We hope that the 2021 season will be a normal one so we can provide plenty of cricket for our members and supporters”.

Anyone interested in joining Shenley Village Cricket Club should contact Geoff Evans on mobile no. 07505 102152 or by email: geoffdevans1@virginmedia.com

Geoff Evans
Chairman
Shenley Village Cricket Club

Borehamwood 2000 FC is an FA Charter Standard friendly and competitive youth football club, serving girls and boys in the Shenley and Borehamwood/Elstree communities.

Formerly the junior section of the National League’s Borehamwood FC, we re-formed as our own club in the year 2000 and have been going strong ever since.

Our base for many years now is the renowned Pursley Playing Fields in Shenley, and we currently host five teams from here: Boys U10, U11 & U12, and Girls U10 & U18. Our registration and training fees are very competitive and as we have only a small number of teams we are able to ensure that every penny is directed to our most valuable assets – our fantastic kids!

We are also rather proud to be an Arsenal Women Sister Club.

As it has for many, the Covid era has strained the club’s resources with the previous season abandoned and important fundraisers cancelled. The recent theft of new maintenance equipment was a further blow. However, we’ve worked hard, stayed positive and with the support of our sponsors, Sport England, our County & Borough Councillors, Shenley Parish and Elstree and Borehamwood Town Councils, we managed to get our players back out training and playing as soon as restrictions allowed. Things are a little different to before, of course, with full adherence to Covid protocols for the greater good, however, nothing is insurmountable with good preparation and great staff, and our players were amongst the first post lockdown to get back to keeping fit, learning, engaging freely in a team sport and ethic whilst having loads of fun, all elements that are vitally important to a youngster’s physical and mental well-being.

Amidst another lockdown just now, we await its end with great anticipation and look forward to seeing our indomitable children roar back on to the pitch in what we hope will be a Spring bonanza! We are very keen to start up a younger girls’ side at U8 or U9, so, when lockdown ends, if you’ve had enough of sitting inside, have a positive attitude, seek a coaching challenge and want to help your local  community, don’t hesitate to get in touch via the club’s web resources:

Link to our Website: http://www.borehamwood2000fc/

Link to our Twitter account https://twitter.com/Borehamwood2000

Dave Makamian
Chairman
Borehamwood 2000 FC

Happy New Year

The Park is open as usual together with the play areas. For up to date information please check our website. It has been great to see so many people using the Park and enjoying all of the walks. We urge you to continue to follow current guidelines regarding mixing with other households and keeping a 2 metre distance from others. If the play areas are busy please consider a walk through the Fairy trail or around the Orchard.

Visit our website for newsletters about the Park. Follow our facebook page @ShenleyPark for latest news. Share your pictures with us on Instagram # ShenleyParkandWalledGarden.

If you are unable to access the internet please contact the office on 01923 852629 and we will arrange for a paper copy to be delivered to you.

Shenley Park is managed by the charity Shenley Park Trust, which is self financing receiving no monies from Shenley Parish Council, Hertsmere or Herts County Council. Visit our website for more information about the Park and how to donate if you wish.

Website www.shenleypark.co.uk

Email info@shenleypark.co.uk

Shenley Park Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ShenleyPark

Phone 01923 852629

This is remarkably like the last article as sadly we are still not able to meet in person.

However, although we are not yet able to meet up physically, we continue to meet on Monday mornings via Zoom and what a blessing this has proved to be.

We missed our customary Christmas lunch and lucky dip present exchange so we intend to do this on our first meeting back at the Tea Rooms.

Many of us log on at 10.30 promptly and an entertaining morning is spent chatting, crafting, and sharing. If anyone would like the Zoom code for these meetings contact me and we will make you as welcome as we would have done in the past, in person.

Although not an official WI group we have many WI members joining us.

I delivered two blankets to Shenleybury and they were gratefully received. At present I am finishing the edging on another blanket from the squares that Gail knitted and there are enough squares for another blanket waiting to be made up.

In my last article I mentioned that I was expecting a granddaughter. She was born on 15 December but is very poorly and is expected to be in GOSH for several months. Some of the knitted items I made were commented on by the staff and my son promised them blankets so that is my knitting taken care of for the foreseeable future.

Angela is using up her stash of yarn by also knitting blanket squares.

Everyone else is working on the usual eclectic mix of crafts and projects.

Once restrictions are eased and we can physically meet up, if anyone is having problems with a knitting pattern (or any other crafting problem) we are happy to try and help out just pop along any Monday morning (except Bank Holidays) between 10.30 and 12.00 to the Tea Rooms and join us in crafting and chatting.

We are not restricted to women only and male crafters would be most welcome.

Best wishes

Anna Churnin
annachurnin@me.com