Parish of Mickleham: News & Parish Notes February 2012
updated 31 Jan 2012

The Rectory, Mickleham
for February 2012

Dear friends

By the time you read this we shall have entered a new year with all its opportunities and challenges. Let us hope it is a year that is marked by increasing peace in our world, and a fairer sharing of the world’s resources. So many of you attended our Christmas celebrations in church – more than ever before. Maybe we are all beginning to rethink our values and priorities in a fast-changing world, where the speed of that change can cause considerable insecurity.

I suspect many of those attending church did so because it has an unchanging air about it, giving a much needed sense of security. There is nothing wrong with that, provided we also realise that a strong element of challenge accompanies the Christian gospel: a questioning of the direction that some aspects of society have taken. Recently I heard an interview of one of the country’s most successful businessmen who said ‘good fortune brings with it considerable responsibilities, not least of all for those at the opposite end of the economic spectrum. Until we all realise this, our society will become increasingly divided.’

Most of us in this community fall into ‘the fortunate’ bracket. Let us hope we can play our part in decreasing social tension, and raising the prospects of those in greatest need.

This year St Michael’s will host a Confirmation Service for the surrounding parishes in what we call the Leatherhead Deanery. The Bishop of Guildford will be the presiding bishop. Hosting a Confirmation Service may only happen at St Michael’s every seven years. It is an opportunity for anyone, teenager or adult to think seriously about committing themselves to the Christian church. Confirmation involves taking on the promises made at baptism, and receiving in return the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and support you in your pilgrimage through life. If you would like to find out more, then do let me know so that I can organise groups for both teenagers and adults. You will never regret taking this next step, but it may take courage to do so!

Meanwhile a reminder that our Sundays at Seven season of recitals continues with a song recital on Sunday 29th January with Emily Heuval and friends – all of whom are studying music in London. These short recitals are proving increasingly popular, providing us with the opportunity to hear first class performances without having to travel great distances to do so. Please give them your support.

Finally a brief update on the organ refurbishment. We are hoping that work on the existing organ will begin after Easter, provided our organ builder is able to complete a previously delayed contract. The funds have now passed the £50k mark, which is a quite remarkable reflection of your generosity. Thank you for your concern and patience.

Kindest regards
David Ireland

Parish Notes including items of ongoing interest
February 2012

Lessons and Carols
The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols held on 18th December at St Michael’s church heralded in the penultimate week of Christmas. On a cold wintery evening the church was packed to the rafters – quite literally, as the gallery was fully occupied. The church decorations of candles, holly, Christmas tree and Christingle oranges created a wonderful atmosphere as lights were dimmed and the choir proceeded up the aisle following Georgie Kennington’s opening verse of Once In Royal David’s City.

After the bidding prayer, the first of the Lessons began, detailing the fall of mankind from the book of Genesis. The nine lessons are readings taken from Genesis, the prophetic books (Isaiah and Micah) and the Gospels which narrate the progression of the human story, promising God’s redemptive plan in the form of the Messiah. Interspersed between each of these readings the wonderful and well-known Christmas carols were sung with much enthusiasm by the choir and congregation under the superb direction of our new organist, Christopher Connett. Yet further accolades must go to the choir who sang five additional carols beautifully and created quite a spine-tingling effect over us sitting in the pews. Quite simply as we stood to hear the closing lesson, which reveals the great mystery of the Incarnation (John 1:1-14), and sang our final hymn O Come All Ye Faithful it felt that we, the community, had been part of something very special that evening.
Mandy Jillings

John Banfield Honorary Canon
Many congratulations to John Banfield who was installed as an honorary canon by the Anglican Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, The Right Reverend Michael Lewis, at a special service in St Christopher’s Cathedral, Bahrain last December.
Since living and working in Cyprus in the 1980s John has given support to the diocese as financial consultant and serving on the board of trustees of the Diocesan medical clinic in Aden, which does vital work among locals and Somali refugees.

Lent Groups
This year’s Lent course, entitled Handing on the Torch explores the reasons why Christianity continues to spread at an immense pace, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America, but struggles to grow, and perhaps even survive, in the West.

We shall consider some of the reasons for this and what it might mean for individual Christians, and for Western Culture in a world where alternative beliefs are increasingly on offer.

You can join one of the two groups for the five-session course on Thursday mornings 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or on Tuesday evenings (starting Tuesday 21st February).

The course is suitable for believer and enquirer alike. No church attendance required as a prerequisite!!
For more information contact Anne Weaver, Amanda Wadsworth or David Ireland.

Fair trade in Mickleham Update
Amanda Wadsworth and I would like to thank everyone who has supported the Fair Trade stall which is held in St Michael’s Church on the first Sunday of each month (except January and August), particularly all those people who bought Christmas cards and gifts recently.

In 2011 we sold goods to the value of just over £1,200 and ‘earned’ a small commission amounting to £63.72 which the young people of St Michael’s Crew who help run the stall will shortly be donating to a charity of their choice. This is an additional benefit – the main benefit being to the producers around the world who benefit from access to a wider market and a fair price for their goods plus the expertise and support which Traidcraft provides.

If you have not already visited the stall please do consider coming to look at the goods on offer which are of very good quality. If you cannot get to church there is a catalogue which shows the wide range of gifts available as well as all the foodstuffs (spare copies are in the back of the church to borrow and we should be happy to deliver one to you) or you can browse and order on-line at www.traidcraftshop.co.uk
Info 01372 374663, 01306 743164

No Tea@3 in February
Newcomers welcome: Transport can be arranged if needed

Crib Service at Bethlehem Barn
Westhumble Chapel of Ease provided the starting point for our annual Crib Service on Christmas Eve. The late afternoon weather proved unseasonably mild and the crowd escalated to more than 250. As twilight fell we made our way across the fields to ‘Bethlehem Barn’. A very young Laura gave an excellent performance as the baby Jesus - by sleeping soundly all the way through. Five former ‘manger’ babies were also present.

We would like to thank all those involved in arranging this delightful event: Amanda Wadsworth and Isabel Bathhurst, who organised the cast, costumes and practice sessions with help from Emma Blackmore and Ben Wadsworth on the day; Lucy Adshead and Linda Graham for preparing the mulled drinks with help from Sue Kelly who warmed the mince pies during the performance; Jonathan Blake for setting up the Star of Bethlehem and power generator with help from Ben and John Wadsworth; marshals John Banfield, Alison and Thomas Wood, John Wadsworth and Ian Woodall for guiding the children safely over the bridge; Juliet Hornby for playing the keyboard; and David Ireland for conducting the service.

Especially, we thank Anne and Gerry Weaver for the considerable amount of time and effort they spent beforehand, collecting equipment, arranging the lighted path across the fields and for the use of their barn. Not only that but after clearing up they drove all the way to Derbyshire to cook Christmas lunch for their extended family. What dedication! Thank you. Stephanie Randall

Carol Singing in the Chapel Ruins, Westhumble
Enticed by the prospect of this first-ever event in our 12th century chapel ruins, around 60 of us congregated to sing carols on the evening of 21st December. No doubt, the promise of refreshments afterwards at Chapel Farm added to the allure. David Ireland, our pastoral leader, had apparently had words with his higher authority which secured a dry, mild evening. As we approached, the Chapel ruins looked majestic, illuminated with flood lights thanks to Jonathan Blake. David invited random spontaneous requests for favourite carols from the assembled crowd and thoughtfully gave us reasonably low starting notes so that we were able to sing out with gusto (and even subtlety, where appropriate!). I felt deeply moved by the whole atmosphere when it occurred to me how many centuries must have passed since such a gathering had last taken place here. It was a very special occasion.

After ten or so carols and with the onset of thirst, we wended our way across Chapel Lane to Chapel Farm at the kind invitation of Liz and John Absalom. With Away in a Manger still ringing in our ears, we were all moved by the sight of two horses peering at us out of their boxes, inquisitive of this sudden crowd emerging out of the night. Even more poignantly, we then espied a standard and a miniature donkey in their own stable, setting off the Christmas scene perfectly. An intoxicating aroma led us to another part of the stables where we congregated to enjoy a glass (or two!) of hot mulled wine accompanied by Liz Absalom’s scrumptious mince pies. And to add to the success of this lovely, informal evening, over £180 was collected for the charity, Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.

Many thanks to Liz and John for providing us with such an inspired and enjoyable Christmas occasion, and to the National Trust for allowing us into the Chapel ruins, having organised a prior working party to clear the undergrowth. While not wanting to be presumptuous, let’s hope we may be able to do this again. Liz Weller

Barbara Goodall writes…
Having come out of hospital I was absolutely delighted to learn that Mary Banfield had arranged a rota of volunteers to provide me with a hot meal every day. This has been tremendously appreciated and I would like to thank all those who participated in providing the very generous and delicious meals over a period of several weeks to tide me over until I felt able to fend for myself. Thank you all so much for your generosity and kindness. I feel extremely fortunate to live in such a caring community – you have been brilliant.

Christingle Workshop 2011
The Christingle Workshop this year was quite different from last year’s as there was no snow on the ground and St Michael’s School was fully open – just as well as a record number of 73 children attended! Despite the huge number of children, the atmosphere has never been calmer – a tribute to the careful planning on the part of all those in charge of activities.

As always, the main activity was the making of the Christingle oranges for the service the following day in church. Once again Nikki MacPherson’s parents, Warren and Jenny Prestwich kindly donated the oranges and the noble Calum delivered them to the Rectory the day before. Mary and Eric Flint organised the activity and the children enjoyed assembling the different parts of the oranges, especially the part which involves adding four cocktail sticks, each laden with sweets and raisins! One of the attractions of the Christingle service in church is probably the opportunity to eat the sweets once the candles have been lit (and extinguished!)

A stunning altar frontal was also created by the children, overseen by Jenny Davies, who is fast becoming our ‘creative consultant’ although she may not be aware of this! In addition to looking beautiful, it operated rather like an Advent calendar with doors to open each Sunday during Advent, with the final one concealing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus to be opened on Christmas Day. Children also wrote their own prayers on star shaped pieces of card which were attached to a ribbon and hung around the pulpit, creating another addition to the Christmas decorations provided later by the adults.

The children also went home with badges or key rings, Christmas biscuits, Christingle cards, jewellery, lanterns, tree decorations, Christmas stockings and reindeer food as a reminder of their very productive morning. Well done to all the helpers and the children! Angela Ireland

A Pastoral Messiah
The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible is one of Handel’s most powerful arias at the best of times but seeing it sung in St Michael’s Church on Sunday over an infant-sized coffin, with magnificent trumpet accompaniment, was an unforgettable and almost unbearably moving experience.

On Sunday 20th November Mickleham Choral Society joined forces with a small and innovative opera company, Unexpected Opera, to present an inspirational semi-staged interpretation of Handel’s Messiah, set in an early 19th century village with a plot inspired by George Eliot’s Adam Bede. Directed and conceived by Lynn Binstock, the cast of five soloists: a young squire, village parson, milkmaid, carpenter and female Methodist preacher, were backed by a semi-chorus which included our very own Annie Dennis, while the power of Mickleham Choral Society lifted us out of our seats in the big choruses. Juliet Hornby, who had prepared and rehearsed them with her customary skill and rigour, handed over the baton on the night to young conductor Mark Austin, whose current and future engagements indicate a flourishing career ahead. The audience were invited to join in four of the choruses although it was only in the Hallelujah Chorus where they finally managed to let go of their inhibitions - even those without a score had no difficulty with the words!

The story is of a young squire who upsets the social balance and loses the trust of his community by making a milkmaid pregnant. A visiting Methodist preacher, female as in Adam Bede, revives their faith and restores the balance through teaching understanding and forgiveness. Lynn Binstock ‘s seamless matching of this to Handel’s exquisite music and the story of Christ’s own birth, agony and redemption is inspired. The action took place throughout the whole church, with the semi-chorus kneeling in the aisle for The Lord Gave The Word and at one point embracing the audience between the two choirs at front and back in He is the King of Glory to create a powerful stereophonic effect.

The quality of singing from the soloists was quite outstanding, most only just embarking on their careers from the Royal Academy of Music Opera Course and other conservatoires. The palpable tension created by the rich tone and impassioned acting of young mezzo-soprano Katie Bray as the Milkmaid and the fervency and beauty with which soprano Lisa Swayne as the Methodist Preacher sang I know that my Redeemer Liveth were for many the highlights of the evening.

The glorious setting of St Michael’s could not have been more appropriate for this work. This was Messiah performed in a style reminiscent of a Mediaeval Mystery play – creative, inspirational and deeply powerful. Its message is undoubtedly relevant to a 21st century audience and few can have left the church unmoved. Anne Hornby

St Michael’s Community Nursery
Before I deliver January’s news please can I just bring you up to date with some of last term’s highlights? Where to begin? The children and the nursery team, judging from the photographs, loved the book Aliens Love Underpants – the title tells the story really. I think there were lots of acting out bits from the book. Hilary kindly sent me a corker of a picture of my Rose - something to bring out at the 21st birthday party. As if we would ....

The children also discussed such lofty topics as space, the planets and the stars, which all led very nicely (clever Hilary and her team) to the giant star of nativity.

The village hall was packed to the brim – I’m sure you could hear the whirl of video cameras half way down Dell Close and the collective sighs of ‘Ahh’ a good deal further, as the little darlings filed out. All the key players were there: angels, shepherds, wise men, not forgetting Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, as well as a herd of outstanding camels led by Humph.

Mums, and perhaps some dads too, baked cakes, and along with all the tea and coffee sipped, helped raise £300 during the performance. And thank you everyone who visited our Christmas fayre notching up a further £1,100 for the coffers.

And while we’re talking hard cash, thank you all who took part in the Parish Magazine’s Christmas Card fundraiser. We have just received a cheque for £200. Once again thank you.

So what of January? Again where to begin? Perhaps with a huge welcome to nine new children (and their families) who started nursery this month.

Hilary and the team have so much planned for this term I think it best just to mention some of it briefly now and fill you in as it happens over the next few months.

This term the Nursery’s overarching theme is The Wizard of Oz – chosen because so many of the children love the story. So we’re talking yellow brick roads, meeting the characters and a rainbow or two.

The children are going to be learning all about weather – and let’s face it they’re bound to see a lot of it in the next few weeks. The children have already made windmills and have tried them out on a windy January walk.

Diana and Snowdrop are the only two of our chickens who are laying at the moment. Worry not. Apparently (you can tell my half dozen are shop bought) chickens can stop laying in the winter months.

I’ll keep you informed on any possible developments in the chicken run. I think that’s what’s known in the writing trade as the jeopardy.....Until next time then. Lisa Hazlehurst

St Michael’s Crew
Last term was very busy for Inters/Seniors members of St Michael’s Crew. We have an excellent group which meets regularly on a Friday evening, but we are always looking for new members. So if you are interested give us a ring or turn up and try a session – no obligation – see page 22 for further information.

The autumn term started on 16th September with the Crew having a campfire and learning how to light fires without matches up at High Ashurst Outdoor Activity Centre thanks to Rob and Nikki Fidgett. It was dusk when we arrived and by the time we had walked into woods beyond the new accommodation blocks it was dark. Luckily we had torches which pierced the darkness and showed up small twigs which we collected on the way. In the woods was a large camp fire hearth with an old parachute as a shelter. We all had a go at creating fire without the aid of matches. Our flames were used to light the main fire which held off the darkness and cold. And the aroma of toasted marshmallows tantalised the taste buds.

In October we had a Tramp Supper, strolling between houses for each course. We started at the village hall and swiftly moved down to the Orton’s where the starter was laid out: a selection of nibbles which quickly disappeared, then on to the Wood’s where the delicious smell of hot dogs met us as we entered the house. There was time for a chat while we devoured these and then we headed for the Ayton’s for dessert. Despite consuming quite a lot for the first two courses we found room for the wonderful homemade cakes. The challenge then was to walk just a short distance to the Knight’s where we had drinks before going home somewhat plumper than when we started. Thank you to all who entertained us during the evening.

As you can see food plays a big part in our activities. On another Friday evening had a great time and made a huge mess while cooking chocolate muffins, mini mince pies and jam tarts, which we then eagerly polished off.

Bowling at the Spectrum in Guildford is a popular activity which gives members a chance to show off their bowling skills. The hour’s session seemed to disappear in an instant as everyone attempted to get the perfect strike, with several succeeding over the evening.

We had a joint end-of-term party with the Juniors which included traditional party games, a quiz and FOOD - parents enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with each other. After the Christmas break, the leaders are revived and ready for a new term. Looking forward to seeing everyone for a fun-packed new term.
Jonathan Blake

please click for the latest news from:
St Michael's CofE (Aided) Infant School
Young People page

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from the Dec 2011/Jan 2012 magazine
The New Organist introduces himself
I have been asked to write a few words to introduce myself as your new organist. First, I want to thank everyone for the wonderfully warm welcome I have received. It is rarely easy to move into a new situation in any walk of life, there is so much that is unknown and which must be quickly learnt, but on this occasion people have been so kind and helpful that I could not have wished for an easier induction.

I grew up in Exeter and had my first organ lessons at the Cathedral there. For those of you who only know Devon in the height of summer, it is, I believe, the second or third wettest county in the country, and if you like wide open views, as I do, the only satisfactory place to be is on top of a hill! So I was very happy to move to Lincoln to begin my teaching career. Lincolnshire has wide open sky-scapes, and everything is bathed in a gentle pastel light quite different to the light of Devon, and it is much drier! I loved it. Lincoln itself, of course, has a magnificent Minster where I sang in the choir and continued with organ lessons.

Like most people these days, I guess I have moved about a bit: Lichfield with its lady-like spires, north London, Malvern with its views across the Severn Plain and its friendly hills and their echo of Elgar. I moved to this neck of the woods in the mid-’80s and for fifteen years taught at Reigate College. I live in Dorking.

I am so looking forward to contributing to the musical and worshipping life of St Michael’s. The choir’s enthusiasm is an inspiration in itself, and I thank them for it. The sense of a community pulling together and caring about one another is palpable, and I know that I am going to be very happy as part of it, privileged, too.

Finally, I gather it is a tradition for the choir to be swelled by guests and friends at the Nine Lessons and Carols which this year is on Sunday 18th December. I am very happy to continue this tradition. Rehearsals will be from 3 to 4.30 p.m. on the three Sundays preceding 18th December, i.e. 27th November, 4th and 11th December. I look forward to seeing you then.
Christopher Connett

from the November 2011 magazine
Our new Pastoral Assistant Louise Davis writes…: Having been asked a while ago to write something about the role of the pastoral assistant, I have finally managed to get some words on paper. A bit about me first for those of you who do not know me. We once lived in Elm Cottages and my heart has never really left Mickleham, but I actually live in North Holmwood with my two children – Sophie and Hannah. Sophie went to St Michael’s School, as did Hannah initially where they had a great time. Hannah is now at St Paul’s in Dorking and Sophie has just started at The Priory School. Having worked in various areas of nursing I now specialise in working with people with eating disorders.

My faith has grown over the years and last year I found myself feeling that there was something else I should be doing with this. Having read a book I found at the back of the church and discussed it with David, I found myself doing the pastoral assistants’ course. It was an intriguing year, meeting many interesting people, but not without its frustrations which were useful in helping me to understand more about both myself and my faith.

The course involved a lot of reflection about our own faith, communication and listening skills, team work, prayer and a residential weekend. We also had input from clinicians working in both mental and physical health areas and considerable help from our incumbents (David in my case).

St Francis’ prayer asks for us to be made channels of His peace and I suppose this sums up the role of not only the pastoral assistant but of all of us. Having acquired a ‘title’ really makes me no different from anyone else. I think we have a great community at St Michael’s and that we do share God’s love amongst ourselves in many different ways already. My role involves putting this into practice by, I believe, being guided into where I can best be a channel for God’s love. As always guidance involves communication, which in turn needs accurate interpretation of needs – I am leaving this bit to David (he has a more direct hotline to the above!).

If I can be a source of inspiration or encouragement to others then I feel I will be fulfilling my role. Many thanks to you all for your support over the last year. I feel very privileged to be part of this community.

from the November 2011 magazine
Farewell to Barry Williams
On Sunday 18th September, we said farewell to Barry Williams as our organist and choirmaster at St Michael’s. He had been with us since his predecessor, Robert Leach, left after Easter last year. Barry is not only an outstanding organist, as all the congregation (and visitors during his ‘Heritage Weekend’ recitals) can testify, but also a perfectionist as a choirmaster. He confessed to the choir that Robert had had a bet with him that he would leave after only two weeks. Well, we must have done something right, because he stayed for almost 18 months, thereby matching Robert’s tenure as organist and choirmaster!

The choir have learnt a great deal from Barry. He has taught us a lot about voice production and articulation in choral singing – did you know that church choirs have different spelling rules from those we all learned at school: ‘Lord’ is sung as ‘Lhawd, ‘praise’ as ‘prayz’, and ‘blessed’ should be pronounced ‘blairssed’, after a Prime Minister that some of us would prefer to forget!

We have promised Barry that we will continue to observe our enjambments: these are not (as some might suppose) architectural embellishments, but describe the situation where the sense of the verse continues, without punctuation, from one line to the next – never take a breath at an enjambment, or you will be in deep trouble with Barry! Above all, Barry has stressed to us the importance, for worship, of good hymn singing, and has taken great care to rehearse us for the hymns each week. These rehearsals have always started with a series of vocal exercises, which must have taken some passers-by by surprise on warm summer mornings when the church doors have been open during choir practice – strange sounds have emerged as throats have been cleared, soft palates raised, diaphragms rediscovered, and lungs expanded by a range of arpeggios and Italianate vowels. They have certainly caused some amusement to David and our churchwardens!

We are grateful to Barry for arranging the harmonisation and organ accompaniment, by his friend Jonathan Williams, of Bernadette Coote’s setting of the Communion Service, now known as ‘The Mickleham Mass’, which has added a new dimension to the sung parts of the service. He has also introduced us to some wonderful anthems, such as Orlando Gibbons’ Drop, drop slow tears, and Thomas Attwood’s Teach me, O Lord.

We are also grateful to Barry and his wife June for arranging two inspiring choral workshops last autumn – and to June for providing delicious ‘picnic’ lunches to keep us going during what were energetic and enjoyable days. It was great to have June, who is a very talented singer, join us in the Choir on these and other occasions – most recently singing a solo at a wedding in September.

Barry – who amongst his many other talents is Diocesan Organ Adviser for the Diocese of Oxford - has masterminded the organ rebuilding project, working tirelessly to design and agree the specification for the Organ with our organ builder James Richardson-Jones, and corresponding with Guildford Diocese to obtain the necessary Faculty (or permission) to carry out the works. He has very kindly agreed to continue to supervise the project to completion, and we look forward to inviting him to give a recital when the works are complete.

Barry will also be playing at weddings later this year – so it is definitely not ‘farewell’, but ‘au revoir’. We thank Barry for all he has contributed to music and worship at St. Michael’s, and wish him all the very best for the future.
Richard Siberry, Welsh Tenor Section, Mickleham Church Choir

Barry Williams writes…
Dear friends,
It was kind of you to mark my last service at Mickleham with a generous voucher for a meal at The Grumpy Mole – a most welcome and attractive gift – and a book token from the church choir which enables me to purchase the new biography of Charles Marie Jean-Albert Widor. I greatly appreciate, too, all that David and Richard said about my work at Mickleham over the past eighteen months.

This will be the first time in over thirty years that I have not had a regular organist’s post, so I shall be enjoying church music from the pew rather than the organ bench – perhaps all organists ought to do the same. However, I hope to be in touch to supervise the rebuilding of the organ and, if invited, to give a recital on it. I am sure it will be a spectacular sound, for you have a fine organ builder and an instrument that is worthy of restoration.

June joins me in sending best wishes.

from the October 2011 magazine
Heritage Days: Following last year’s successful Heritage Open Days we decided to open our doors once again at both The Chapel of Ease and St. Michael’s Church, over the Heritage Weekend. The theme this year was ‘Work, Rest and Pray’.

I must confess I felt a little uneasy at the planning stage as it seemed all too simple. The organisation for the weekend appeared to be going too well. Only two short meetings were held beforehand simply endorsing that what worked well last year could easily be repeated with a few additional items. So what did we offer to over 350 visitors between both sites?:

• A church trail for children (of all ages) produced by members of Betchworth and Dorking Decorative and Fine Arts Society.

• Tours around the church

• A guide to Mickleham Churchyard ( the stories behind the graves compiled by Carole Brough-Fuller)

• Flowers displays

• A variety of information guides including potted histories of the church, chapel, bells and carved pulpit

• Short film of the bells and clock mechanism courtesy of Martin Cox

• Refreshments

• and, by popular demand Bell Ringing!!

St Michael’s is lucky enough in having an organ of good pedigree. Sadly it is in need of some TLC. This is not surprising as it was built in 1873. The makers J.W.Walker & Sons were amongst the top rank of Victorian organ builders. It is now time for its failing mechanism to be replaced. It therefore seemed appropriate that, during the Heritage Days, Barry Williams, our esteemed organist, sadly leaving us shortly, managed a 2-hour recital on each day. These were well-balanced and appropriately informal, allowing all the other activities to continue alongside. He even took requests. The two performances of Widor's Toccata, and without music in front of him, were just great. But the Tuba Tune (Lang), was also wonderful, even without the Tuba stop on the organ. There was Bach, Franck, Rheiberger and Mendelssohn, and some lighter and more recent stuff. Stephanie Randall's page turning was also staggeringly good!

Accompanying Barry was a vast basketful of Neil and Michaela's world premier Organzola Cheese, which sold like hot cakes, well more like cheese, actually. But it’s a smoked blue and delicious, and will be a regular in Rose’s Stores for the next few months. All proceeds to the Organ Fund. (If you would like to know more about the Organ Fund Raising please contact Mark on 01372 373594)

It takes a great team to man a weekend such as this so my thanks to all who helped and to Amanda and her band of helpers at The Chapel.
Jenny Hudlass (with some additional thoughts from Mark D)

from the July/August 2011 magazine
The Third Order of the Society of St Francis
Mary Huggins and I were guests at Jennifer Louis’ profession into the Third Order of the Society of St Francis on 4th June at St Mark’s Church, Wyke, near Normandy in Surrey. Jennifer had been preparing for this step since 2008 when she became an Enquirer without Commitment. She then progressed to Aspirant, then Postulant and finally Novice – all stages of the monastic tradition. At the service, Jennifer made vows of life-long commitment and has now become a Tertiary of the Order.

St Francis did not want his followers to abandon their families and work, instead he directed them to follow his simple, humble and prayerful way of life within their existing communities.

The Third Order of the Society of St Francis is an Anglican religious order. Its members (male and female) follow their ordinary professions, but feel called to dedicate their lives to the service of the Lord. Their aim is that by word and example they will make Christ known in their own immediate environment.

If you would like to know more about the order, we would be pleased to hear from you. 01306 883460.
CBF

from the July/August 2011 magazine
HMS Mickleham Bell
The bell is now hung to the left of the pulpit at St Michael’s and was dedicated during the service on 29th May. The donor, Jonathon Head and family, were present. Jonathon is the son of ex-Commodore Maurice Head, who acquired the bell after the sale of the Minesweeper in 1966, and was a chorister at St Michael’s in the 30’s. The service was also attended by Bob Dean, Chair of the Inshore Minesweepers Association. A sumptuous repast was enjoyed after the service, courtesy of Mary and John Williams, through whom the original family connections were made. Thanks to all involved. Mark Day

from the July/August 2011 magazine
LIMITED EDITION – WORLD DEBUT!
MICKLEHAM ORGANZOLA CHEESE
Michaela of Norbury Blue fame, is in the process of producing a brand new cheese – a limited edition smoked blue cheese in support of St Michael’s Church Organ Fund. This new ‘MICKLEHAM ORGANZOLA’ will be on sale from around 9th July, initially at the Village Show and at Rose’s Stores. (Possibly on Ebay, if I can find the correct category.) ALL proceeds to the Organ Fund. Huge thanks to Michaela and all of the Norbury cheese organisation. Also available direct through Mark Day (01372 373594) and John Banfield (01372 373912), and at other forthcoming local events. BUY, BUY, BUY! while stocks last. No animals have been hurt in this production.
Mark Day

from the July/August 2011 magazine
Mickleham Church Organ Sponsor a Pipe Appeal
Have you chosen your pipe(s)? To date over 200 pipes have been sponsored – only 800+ to go. Please send your form to John Banfield a.s.a.p.
Lost your form? Spare copies at the back of the church.

from the July/August 2011 magazine
Sundays at Seven
A review of this year’s concert series in St Michael’s Church

It has been a fantastic season. Ten concerts were performed and I thank everyone for their enthusiasm in attending and supporting the performers and the various charities for which we raised funds.

Georgina Kennington began the season showing her versatility singing a mixture of songs to suit all, ranging from Italian arias to light jazz. The evening raised over £240 for ‘Dependable Strengths’ in South Africa, an organisation set up for training people in how to apply for jobs and working on their individual strengths. Each course costs £60, so the evening funded four people for a weekend course.
On 22nd November, just when the weather was turning into long, and extremely cold, snowy days, Thomas Leate gave a great violin recital including the famous Franck Sonata in his programme. He played with great dedication and musicality. Many thanks to all who braved the weather.

In January, Andrew Armstrong accompanied by Caroline D’ Cruz gave a very commanding performance of baritone arias by Keel, Vaughan Williams and Lear. He then donned appropriate headwear to narrate Poulenc’s Babar the Elephant with Caroline accompanying on the piano. That evening raised £134 for Hands of Compassion, a charity working in Ndola, Zambia, providing schooling and help for children of all ages orphaned through Aids.

For the February concert Caroline D’ Cruz returned with her piano trio: Edward Adams (clarinet) and Stephen Latham (cello) who played a very enjoyable programme of Beethoven, D’indy, and Muczynski.

On 6th March Lynda Chang and I gave a piano duet recital, which we found very enjoyable to prepare and perform. I hope the audience enjoyed it as much as we did. [We did! Ed.] We raised £350 for Hands of Compassion.

There were two concerts in April. The first was given by the very talented Dewar String Quartet, featuring local violist Elliott Perks, all from Royal College of Music. It was a fantastic evening. I think we were all on the edge of our seats watching their meticulous precision and enjoying their clear musical virtuosity. And on 17th April we had the Pergolesi Stabat Mater performed by Charlotte Collier (Contralto), Emma Smith (Soprano), the Olivier Quartet and Caroline D’Cruz on continuo. It was a fabulous evening. It is such a beautiful work and the church was the perfect setting both acoustically and visually. The singer’s voices soared over the rafters.

On 1st May, Clare Kennington and Thomas Leate gave a wonderful pre-performance concert of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for solo violin and viola with piano, before playing it with Norfolk Mozart Orchestra the following week in Cromer Church. They then treated us to an electric performance of Passacaglia for solo violin and viola by Halvorssen.

Clare performed again on 22nd May with her MA final recital programme with Daniel King Smith on piano. She played the Fauré Sonata, with the lightning fast third movement, Vernal Equinox by Elena Firsova showing what altitudes of harmonics a violin can reach and the deep sonorous Nocturne and prestissimo Tarrentella by Szymanowski. This recital was in aid of Leatherhead Night Hostel and we raised £140.

The final recital of the season was given on 5th June by very talented flautist, Samantha Pearce who has just graduated from the Royal Academy of Music. She gave us a stunning performance of her final recital programme of Bach, Schumann, Chopin, Widor and Saint-Saëns. Her recital raised £240 for Addison’s Disease Self Help group.

I should like to say an immense thank you to David and Angela Ireland and Jonathan Blake for their fantastic support in all the concerts.

We are already planning the next season and looking forward to the start of our next programme in September.
Tracy Kennington

from the July/August 2011 magazine
St Michael’s Community Nursery
Outstanding Ofsted report!
We are delighted to formally announce that St Michael’s Community Nursery received an ‘outstanding’ grade in our recent Ofsted inspection. This is the highest level a setting can receive. Parents and staff are obviously thrilled. It is a real accolade for Hilary and her team, who continue to work together to ensure that our children receive the best standard of preschool experience possible.

Here is an extract from the OFSTED report: The nursery is extremely well organised and thoroughly supports the needs of individual children and their families. There is a lively, positive atmosphere within the setting and an excellent level of opportunity for child initiated learning which is constantly and effectively supported by staff’. The manager is an excellent leader who has vision and is excited to share and bring about change, she leads a team of staff who are all very motivated, enthusiastic and passionate about their work with children.

If you would like to read the full OFSTED report, a copy is available on St Michael’s website www.stmichaelscommunitynursery.co.uk
Our recent Fashion Show on 10th June – a joint fund raising event organised by both the nursery and St Michael’s School – was a huge success. Thanks to a Nursery parent’s ‘new’ idea for raising vital funds, a company based in Surrey set up a catwalk in the village hall and basically sold clothes from the high street at up to 50% off. There were lots of bargains. The large crowd cheered on the brave mums who kindly modelled some of the goods on offer and afterwards there was time to search the rails for just the right outfit. Wine and nibbles were available, as well as a raffle. Over £900 was raised - to be split between the nursery and school. A huge thank you to the organising committee and of course to all our supporters!

Thank you to everyone who has given us their supermarket vouchers. This year we are going to use them to purchase some new aprons and cooking equipment.

The Nursery’s Sports Day will be on Tuesday 19th July and the children are busily learning songs for their end of year show, the ‘Gingerbread Man’. Soon, it will be time to bid farewell to our older children – we wish them all the best in their ‘big’ school. How time flies! Kerry Evans

from the June 2011 magazine
Sponsor an Organ Pipe – St Michael’s
The organ in St. Michael’s Church was built in 1873 by J.W. Walker and Sons and apart from minor restoration in 1910 and 1973 has not been given a thorough overhaul since it was originally installed. There is urgent need for repair and a project is already underway to rebuild the entire organ and at the same time add some extra capacity. The result will be a very high quality instrument suitable for professional recitals and hopefully fit for purpose for at least another hundred years. The cost of the work will be about £70,000 and the project should be completed during the first half of next year.

Organs are complicated instruments. There are actually three organs within the one instrument Great, Swell and Pedal. When the work is finished there will be 33 stops controlling over 1100 pipes with names like Lieblich Bourdon, Open Diapason, Salicional, Echo Gamba, Clarabella and many more.

A significant part of the cost of this project will come from existing PCC funds but there will be some fundraising activities. So whether you feel great or swell or just pedal along or want to pull out all the stops or simply want to be a little trill we need your help in funding part of this project. We are looking for sponsors for the 1100 organ pipes at £20 each for adults or £1 for little trills (children up to 10 years old).

There is no limit on the number of pipes you may sponsor and the application form gives the opportunity to apply for multiples of one, five and ten pipes. UK taxpayers may also sign a gift aid declaration allowing tax paid on the donation to be reclaimed so further increasing the value of your sponsorship.

Once the project is complete the names of all the sponsors will be recorded on a roll displayed in church.
If you would like to help please complete the sponsorship form included with this magazine or available at the rear of the church. If you have any questions call J Banfield on 01372 373912.

from the June 2011 magazine
Mickleham Parish Magazine Annual Report
The magazine continues to flourish with copies running out long before the end of the month and requests for additional magazines for ‘outsiders’ involved in village activities. We have therefore decided to increase the print run from 600 to 650. In response to a 7.5% increase in printing costs (due primarily to paper cost increases) we raised the advertising charges accordingly and this revenue continues to cover printing costs. A big thank you to Kate Warren who looks after the advertising accounts.

Magazine finances remain sound. Again this year gave a cheque for £200 to St Michael’s Crew. This sum included £150 from the MPM group ‘Christmas card’ and an additional £50 from magazine funds. In addition we gave donations of £50 to both St Michael’s School and St Michael’s Community Nursery’s building funds. Our thanks to Mary Banfield who looks after our accounts.

We are very grateful to Peter Boag who looked after our mailing list for well over a year. Linda Boyle has kindly agreed to take over the task of sending out magazines and collecting money from our subscribers (presently 38).

Many thanks to everyone for their continued support. Special thanks to Charlotte Daruwalla, who edited half the issues, to Stephanie Randall our expert proof reader and to all the other members of the editorial panel – Val Selwood, Sue Timms, and Liz Weller. We have benefited greatly from Mark Day’s increased contribution. Recently Jenny Hudlass became our parish news co-ordinator which has improved the collection of copy. We are always looking for new writers and additional help with magazine production. Last year’s appeal for volunteers wishing to develop desktop publishing skills has gone unanswered. None of us is getting any younger; the long-term survival of the magazine will depend upon new people coming along to help.

Finally a big thank you to our distribution team headed by Mary Venning ably assisted by Ray Wilson, David Kennington, Mark Day and 28 deliverers.
Sue Tatham, Editor

The overall credit for the magazine must go, of course, to Sue herself, without whose hard work none of it would happen. Many congratulations to her. She organises the whole team and keeps her ear to the ground for what needs to be covered each month. Some people have learned to avoid her eye at local events lest they might be asked to ‘write it up for the mag’, but others are still willing to do this, and many enjoy the experience!
Producing the magazine is a big task, and as Sue makes clear, some new blood would be welcome.
Charlotte Daruwalla

from the May 2011 magazine
Reverend Mary Cruddas
Mary Cruddas, originally from Truro, Cornwall, came to the church of St Mary and St Nicholas, Leatherhead in September 2005 to train as a Curate under David Eaton. Her training took the form of a ‘mixed mode course’ which at that time was relatively new, particularly here in Surrey. She came to Leatherhead from Epsom where she had been a member of the parish of Christ Church. After two years of training-on-the-job and attendance on a block release basis at a theological college in Nottingham, she was ordained in Guildford Cathedral on Sunday, 1st July 2007, having previously been Licensed as an Accredited Lay Worker in 2006.

Mary completed her training a year later and was priested on Friday 27th June 2008, again in Guildford Cathedral. Over her three years at Leatherhead she was much appreciated for her warm hearted and dynamic ministry.

Leatherhead, and occasionally St Michael’s in Mickleham, were lucky to have Mary’s services until January this year when she was appointed as a Team Vicar with the responsibility for the parish of Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire which includes three very different rural churches in Waddesdon, Over Winchendon and Fleet Marston.

Mary was Licensed at St Michael and All Angels Church in Waddesdon on Friday, 4th March 2011 and by now will have served her first month as Team Vicar. We remember her with affection from the occasions when she stood in for David at our St. Michael’s and send our best wishes to her and her husband Tony for this next stage of their lives. Carole Brough Fuller

from the May 2011 magazine
HMS Mickleham Bell
There have been previous articles about the RN Inshore Minesweeper, HMS Mickleham, built on the Hamble and launched in 1954. The ship’s bell has now come to light, having been ‘rescued’ by Commodore Maurice J Head RN. His son, Jonathon Head, has kindly donated the bell to St Michael’s and it will be formally handed over and dedicated during the 10am service on Sunday 29th May.

from the Mar 2011 magazine
Celebration of Life at St Michael’s
St Michael’s Church has been very fortunate to welcome many new young members to its family during the last two years; 30 children have been baptised! To celebrate this joyful fact, an informal Celebration of Life Service was organised for them with their respective parents, grandparents, siblings and godparents on the afternoon of Sunday 6th March. The aim was to re-emphasise the meaning of baptism, to connect the children and families with each other, and give them a sense of belonging to the extended family of God.

It was a lovely and lively occasion. The short service was led by David Ireland. The creation of a Prayer Tree was supervised by Jennifer Louis. Carole Brough Fuller and Eva Dillon helped me lead the singing and dancing, accompanied by Barry Williams who was assisted by some of the children with their musical instruments. Afterwards there were tea, cakes and biscuits. It felt like a true party inside the church! Afterwards there were many happy little faces as the children went home clutching balloons and party bags. It was a very successful exercise – well worth repeating!

Many thanks to everyone who contributed the delicious cakes and all the other kind helpers during this Celebration of Life: Angela Ireland, Marianne Sunter and Jenny Hudlass. Ingrid Plowman

Editor’s note: Special thanks to Ingrid who masterminded the whole event.

from the Apr 2011 magazine
Which one is Judas?*

In this Easter issue it seems appropriate to take a closer look at the reredos in St Michael’s. Reredos (literally ‘rear back’) is the name given to a fixed backing to an altar. Ours features a stone relief of the Last Supper. This was carved by G A Paulin RSA and given to the church in 1938 by Lucie Gwendoline Fosbery in memory of her mother, Sarah Evans. When the chancel carpet was removed during the renovations a few years ago Sarah Evans’ brass memorial plaque was revealed set in the floor next to the altar, as was the dedication plaque for the reredos.

We based some of the questions in the Church Trail on the reredos, asking the children to count the disciples and to identify which one is Judas*, telling them that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Artists depicting the Last Supper usually indicate which disciple is Judas by making him different from the others, eg with a money bag, placed at the edge of the scene etc. It is an interesting exercise when looking at other pictures of the Last Supper to work out which is Judas. Sue Tatham
*Judas is seated at the far left with a money bag.

from the Mar 2011 magazine
The Travels of a Cat
By now, you will be aware that the church organ is in need of some TLC and we need to raise some money to pay for it. Well, the church cat is very enterprising and adventurous. It has set off on a journey with nothing in its travelling bag but a couple of single-use cameras, a note book, some self-addressed post cards, and its address tied to its collar. The cat has its own email address, written in its note book, so that any of its helpers can let us know where they are, and we can let them know when the cat gets home.

Let me reassure you that this is not a real cat. It is a ginger striped soft toy with a tiny silver star on its paw. The idea is that the cat will be passed from traveller to traveller until it returns to Mickleham in the autumn. I have no idea where it is going, who will be kind enough to take it on the next leg of the journey, nor even if it will get back to us. However, I am relying on the kindness of strangers to bring it home. It started its journey by going to Kathmandu but where it is now, I have no idea.

How is this going to help the organ fund? Firstly, there is the opportunity to guess the name of the cat. There is a list of fifty names to choose from, at £1 a guess. Once all the names have been sold, I will open a sealed envelope to reveal the name and the person who chose that name will win £10, with the remaining £40 going to the fund.

Secondly, when, and not if, the cat returns, it will be auctioned with its photos, souvenirs and any postcards that have been sent back from around the world. All proceeds from the auction will go to the organ fund.

If nothing else, I hope that this has fired your imagination into finding other ways to raise money towards keeping the music alive in the church.
Anne Weaver

from the Mar 2011 magazine
Sundays at Seven Concert 6th March
Quattro Mani (or what manic feats!)
Let me declare straightaway (before I deteriorate into speculation) that this concert was quite the most exciting concert of piano music which I have been privileged to attend. If you missed it, you missed the keyboard concert of the decade. I cannot make up my mind whether I admired more the feats of co-ordination achieved by Lynda Chang and Tracy Kennington on the little ivory keys or the choice of programme which built up the excitement to a magnificent climax in Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 2.

My enjoyment was complete because I just sat there in the pew and allowed the music to flow around me. But there is no pleasure without pain – which came in the form of a request after the event from the lady of the cuddly smile and pleading eye to write up the concert for the parish magazine. Where was my copy of the programme? What could I remember – bearing in mind that such musical knowledge as I have of is of choral, not piano, music.

This concert was a visual as well as an aural feast. The two pianists are well matched physically and were in glorious contrast to the tall statuesque figure of the honorary page-turner (and modern muse) Tracy’s daughter Clare. A further contrast was between the hand movements of the two pianists. There is not much room on a single piano keyboard, however grand, for four hands and it was joy to watch Tracy’s nimble fingers fitting under the high stepping style of Lynda’s delicately flowing wrist movements. Or so it looked from the body of the church.

What particularly fascinated me was the way that one pianist’s hand picked up a piano-wide run down the keys at the halfway point and delivered it seamlessly back to the other’s hand. Nor could I work out whose tiny feet were on the pedals – or even whether the music was printed for each of them on separate pages of the score. Somehow these speculations did not detract from (but added to) the enjoyment of the music.

Such is my ignorance of piano music that I was failed to realise that the four sections of Debussy’s Petite Suite were not movements as such – with the result that the Hungarian Rhapsody was upon me before I had stopped listening for Benjamin’s Jamaican Rumba. But the Rhapsody is quite unmistakeable with its succession of well-known tunes. So for me the Rhapsody followed the Petite Suite. Quite right really – what better description of our two sweet petite pianists who delivered rhapsody to a full church in a cascade of silver spoonfuls. Barry Moughton

from the Mar 2011 magazine
The New Graveboard
Inscription reads – Here lie the remains found in unmarked 18th and 19th century graves disturbed during building work to the vestry in 2009. They were reburied here on 24 May 2010.

The discovery, archaeological evaluation, removal and reburial of the remains of 17 bodies discovered during the work to the vestry in 2009, have been set out in previous magazine articles. Reburial in the churchyard close to the lych gate took place on 26th May 2010. Given the date of the original burials (late 18th-early 19th c.) it was decided that a wooden graveboard would be appropriate. The French oak marker with hand-carved inscription was made by NPW Joinery, near Brighton. A fitting memorial to those reburied here.

from the Mar 2011 magazine
Organ Transplant update
This magazine will report regularly on the progress of the organ work and the associated fund-raising.

The necessary faculty from the Diocese is expected very shortly: this is needed for any significant work to the Church. At that point the works fall into our hands. In the meantime, there have been more detailed technical evaluations of the works proposed, resulting in improvements to some of the organ pipe components, and refinement of the optimum timing and schedule, taking into account church demands. There has also been some change to the contractor’s availability, which was a major determinant of the rapid start set out previously.

The outcome is that the major works can now be started later and the timescale modified to be a bit more flexible. The new timings are intended to reduce the length of organ ‘downtime’ by enabling the off-site works to be largely completed before the organ is decommissioned, and to work around ‘peak periods’, as far as possible. The on-site work is now scheduled for January 2012 until April, avoiding Christmas, and completing prior to the important Deanery Confirmation in May.

This will also allow the necessary fund-raising to run ahead of, or in parallel with the work. The final schedule is imminent, as is the signing of contracts. The Organ Donor Card scheme will be launched in the next magazine. Costings remain as set out in the previous article.

from the Mar 2011 magazine
A Celebration of Love
It was a pleasant surprise to receive an invitation in January to a special Family Service in St Michael’s Church entitled ‘A Celebration of Love’. All those who had been married or had their marriages blessed in St Michael’s over the past two years were invited. Jim and I were married on 4th April 2009, a beautiful and sunny, magical day.

The idea of such a service came to David Ireland when he was discussing the forthcoming marriage preparation day for this year’s wedding couples.

Altogether 29 couples were invited and 17 of these were able to accept. Four couples due to marry this year were also able to attend. Those who were unavailable were pleased to be asked and genuinely disappointed that they could not be there - some were working, others had moved away or had other prior commitments.

Although it was grey and windy on Sunday 6th February the church was packed and filled with a special atmosphere for St Michael’s first Celebration of Love. The organ music and hymns were chosen from wedding favourites, starting with Pachelbel’s’ Canon in D before the service. The first hymn Morning has Broken was a very popular choice - it was sung at my first wedding. The Gospel reading Matthew 5: 13 - which includes ...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven was preceded by the epistle read most beautifully by Torna and Robert Burton (married 4th September 2010).

Understandably, David’s theme for his sermon as ‘love’ - not just married love, but love in all guises: parental, filial, and that between friends and neighbours. He called upon the congregation to suggest meanings for the word ‘love’ and also what love needed to survive.

During the marriage ceremony at St Michael’s the bridal couple light a candle as part of the service. This wedding candle, printed with a verse from I Corinthians, their names and the date is given to them to light on their anniversary or other important occasions to help them remember their special day.

David lit his and Angela’s wedding candle and asked the congregation what the flame needed to stay alight. He concluded by bringing together all the answers to show that both love and light needed many of the same components to survive. Plenty of food for thought.

Another couple, Elizabeth and Howard Gilbert (married 2nd October 2010), led intercessions with their thoughtfully composed prayers. The last two hymns, again from the wedding ‘top of the pops’ chart: Love Divine and Praise my Soul the King of Heaven, brought back happy memories to many present. The banns were read for the first wedding of this year (on 12th March) between Joanna Norminton and Christopher Olive. And the service ended with organist Barry Williams pulling out all the stops for Widor’s Toccata.

David thanked everyone who had made cakes to go with the tea and coffee after the service. He also paid special tribute to Mary Flint, Wedding Co-ordinator, for her hard work in liaising with the couples and helping to make the event such a success.
It was a very moving service and I felt privileged to be part of it, and I am sure many of those present felt the same. Carole Brough Fuller

from the Feb 2011 magazine
St Michael’s Church’s Organ Transplant
St Michael’s is lucky enough to have an organ of good pedigree, as set out by our organist, Barry Williams in the November 2010 magazine. He also indicated, however, that it was in need of some significant TLC. This is unsurprising given its age (1873). The makers, JW Walker & Sons, were among the top rank of Victorian organ builders, and alterations and restoration works were undertaken in 1910 and the 1970s – some of which were not to the organ’s advantage. At no time in its 130 years has there been a thorough evaluation and overhaul. Further, our demands on the organ have increased materially, even in the last decade, both in terms of the frequency of use and our quality expectations.

Those readers who were present at services over Christmas will be aware that the organ itself made it clear that it did not like the cold. We had a ‘cipher’– a stray, unwanted, continuously sounding ‘G’ – thus the piano accompaniment for the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols. This was a timely nudge, although the PCC had already responded to Barry’s earlier advice and had set up an Organ Sub-committee to evaluate options for improvement and to secure the organ’s long-term future. Even before the ‘Christmas incident’, the options had been identified and evaluated, and organ specialists approached for their views and cost estimates.

Did you know that while the organ belongs to the parish, any material improvements or alterations have to have the approval of the Guildford Diocesan Organ Advisor, The Reverend Dr Nicholas Thistlethwaite, and formal approval for the ‘faculty’ has to be granted by the diocese? Barry is organ advisor to the Oxford Diocese and his knowledge of ecclesiastical law and procedures, and of the technical organ matters has enabled a good rate of progress, such that we have been able to compare options, obtain costs, select a preferred contractor and put together an outline schedule for the work, which will be carried out in the middle of this year. The Diocesan Organ Committee has recommended approval of the proposed works and the conditional Faculty approval is anticipated in the next few weeks.

THE PROBLEMS & PROPOSALS
In brief, the present organ mechanism is gradually failing. The tracker action is abnormally heavy and the sound chests are set below the level of the casework, inhibiting tonal egress. Restoration or replacement of the existing layout/mechanism would be prohibitively expensive, and would not give a material improvement in the tone. The electric blower (air pump) is located in a small frame in the churchyard and is of dubious safety. The organ chamber is cramped and maintenance difficult and for some components access is impossible without dismantling much of the remainder.

The proposals:

• address the failing mechanism, by replacing the outdated mechanical tracker action with a modern electric one, with state of the art electronic switching;

• improve the poor internal layout, providing a new frame and relocating the chests within the chamber, improving the overall sound;

• ease the current difficulties of play-ing the organ, by providing modern thumb and toe pistons;

• extend the limited tonal properties by adding extra stops – soft and loud –.and electric coupling to others. One quiet stop removed in the 1970s will be restored, a chorus reed added in the Swell Organ and a Mixture stop in the Great Organ. Forty two new pedal pipes will underpin the chorus.

The new layout will ensure proper access for maintenance and will meet health and safety requirements. The blowing mechanism will be brought in from the churchyard, but the appearance of the organ will be visually unchanged. Audibly, however, its sound will be extended and improved, and it will be much easier to play.

THE CONTRACTOR
On the basis of technical abilities, submissions, timings and cost, James Richardson-Jones has been selected to do the work. Importantly, he is well known to Barry and they have joint working experience on projects of similar type and magnitude.

James operates from Farnham and has had his own business for 10 years. Prior to this, he worked for NP Mander Ltd, a leading UK organ builder. He has worked on several major instruments, including St Ignatius, Loyola, New York (the largest tracker organ built in the UK and the largest such organ in New York) and, more locally on historic organs at Emberton, Iver and South Leigh. He is an accredited Business Member of the Institute of British Organ Building. He has substantial workshop space which will enable much of the work to be done off-site and with lower overheads. His quotation was best in cost terms, but the scope of intended works has been checked to be in compliance with the brief and directly comparable with other higher estimates. His quote also offered a substantial VAT advantage.

TIMING & TEMPORARY PROVISIONS
Timing, duration and disruption have been as important a consideration as cost. There is no ideal time for this major project and some change and disruption is inevitable. Subject to funding [see below] and other outstanding details, the work should begin in March and finish in September. A construction management plan is currently being prepared in order to better anticipate and respond to issues and ensure optimal continuity to church services and activities, and to deal with the health and safety issues. As stated above, the ability to remove components for work off-site will assist. But there will be sheeting, scaffold, and on-site dismantling, plastering and woodwork etc.

Arrangements are in progress to obtain a small electronic organ to be used for the period of the work.

COSTS & FUNDING
From the quotation accepted with allowances for extras such as the temporary organ, ancillary work and a contingent sum etc., a budget of £70,000 has been assigned for the transplant. The other quotation was considerably higher.

The ‘lion’s share’ of the costs will be met from existing resources and endowments, and from fresh and project-specific sponsoring individuals or institutions. However, the organ is very much a community resource and its repair and improvement will have benefits during our lifetimes and for several generations of church users and other residents. It is thus intended to raise a reasonable part of the sum from community fund-raising initiatives. The community funding element has a target of £25,000.

Various fund-raising initiatives are under consideration, and further suggestions are invited from readers. These will all be brought together under the umbrella of a ‘Mickleham Organ Donor Card’ or the like. A firmer plan will be set out in the March magazine. A central plank will be the sponsorship of the organ pipes – in all there will be 1116 of different sizes, functions, pitches and locations. Pipe sponsors will be able to identify to which pipe or group of pipes they have contributed and to inspect their own pipe(s) during installation.

The prime rationale for these improvements to the organ relate to our ongoing worship needs and, importantly, to important family events such as baptisms, weddings and funerals. The will also enable high-quality recitals and, potentially, recordings. The new sound should be stunning.
Mark Day and Barry Williams

from the November 2010 magazine
Fair Trade Stall in St Michael’s, one year on
For the past year the Intermediate group of St Michael’s Crew (young people in school years 7 to 9, 11-14 years old) have been running a monthly stall in church after the Family service on the first Sunday of each month. This is for the sale of Fair Trade products such as tea, coffee, biscuits, dried fruit, nuts and also handicrafts, Christmas cards and delicious chocolate. The tea, coffee and biscuits served in church after the Sunday services are also Fair Trade.

The purpose of the stall is to promote and increase the purchase of Fair Trade products in this area, for the benefit of the producers in faraway places. The young people in both Junior and Inter Crew were privileged to learn more recently about what Fair Trade means to the farmers from Moyna Bridge from Opportunities Through Trade, a voluntary organisation which helps local churches by supplying Traidcraft goods on a sale-or-return basis.

Moyna showed the crew just how much of the cost of a £1 chocolate bar went to the supermarket, in tax and transport and all the intervening stages of production, leaving the cocoa farmer with just 3 pence for all his labour, which is not enough for him to send his children to school. By paying just 1 ½ pence more on the price of a bar, his children would be able to go to school and the village might be able to build a clinic. The point was not that we could eliminate the middlemen as that is not really possible, but that by paying just a little more for a product with the Fair Trade symbol we can be confident that more money will go directly to the producer to enable him to improve his life and that of his family.

Moyna showed photos and spoke about her visits to villages in Kenya where she had seen at first hand the difference it can make to a community to receive a fair price for their work. It is usually the difference between having a school for the children and a clinic for medical care, and not having such things: the school and the clinic may be very basic by our standards but they are of huge importance to the local people.

Obviously the realities of international trade are a complex matter but Traidcraft, the best known supplier, has been around since the early 1980’s and the Fair Trade movement has grown considerably over the past thirty years. Tate & Lyle have pledged to ensure that all of their products will carry the Fair Trade symbol soon and you may be surprised at how many of the products already in your local supermarket do likewise. You can give further support by buying online from Traidcraft at www.traidcraft.co.uk or we can provide you with a catalogue and deliver your order if you live locally. Buying through us helps raise a small additional amount by way of ‘commission’ (we get 5% on all sales) and this money the Crew donate to their chosen charity: last year it was given to the hospital in Cambodia where Emma was working.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported the stall over the past year. Through your generosity we generated sales of over £2,000 which means that producers around the world found a market for their goods here in Mickleham and Westhumble and received a fair price. The next stall at church will be after the 10 a.m. Family Service on Sunday 7th November but we will have samples of the very wide range of lovely Christmas cards and catalogues in church every week between now and early December so we can take your orders. Or if you would like us to drop a catalogue in to you please telephone us - A Wood 01372 376443 or A Wadsworth 01306 743164

from the November 2010 magazine
Is ‘M-Theory ‘Impossible to Test’?
After reading David’s piece in the parish magazine about Stephen Hawking, science and religion, I felt compelled to comment on a few points.

Science, unlike religious belief, requires no ‘leap-of-faith’ to propose a theory. It is merely a model put forward for testing, based on the best present understanding available. I also question how anyone could imagine that M-theory is ‘impossible to test’. Consider, for example, how aspects of Super-Symmetry (a direct prediction of Super-String Theory) are currently being tested at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. M-theory, if proved positive, will simply be the rules that unite all the string theories together to create a TOE (a theory of everything – that which Einstein was hoping for). Much research is still to be carried out, but for anyone to make a definitive statement on the possibility or impossibility of the outcome, is surely both premature and presumptuous?

We are a long way off any kind of TOE, but science is above all humble and never professes to know things which it cannot yet know. Scientific proclamations, unlike religious ones, base themselves on truth via evidence, and must continually stand up to the rigours of peer review to keep them honest.

I also question another definitive statement. That science, ‘cannot tell us why we are here or how we should live’. Consider what humanity would be like if we were starved of the knowledge and understanding brought by the enlightenment and the scientific revolution. As we understand more about ourselves and our surroundings, we surely make better decisions about how to live?
Chris Dyson

from the November 2010 magazine
St Michael’s Church Trail for Children of all Ages
Some readers may not have heard of NADFAS – the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts – which aims to promote art appreciation, education and conservation. Locally there are Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (DFASs) in Betchworth, Bookham, Leatherhead and Dorking. Members enjoy lectures by art experts as well as visits to exhibitions and galleries, and guided tours. In addition NADFAS promotes Young Arts projects.

Many societies have a group which makes an extensive record of a local church’s furnishings. Dorking DFAS completed the record of St Michael’s in 1989 and St Barnabas’, Ranmore in 2009. They have just started recording St Martin’s in Dorking, which may take up to four years to complete.

A recent NADFAS activity which encompasses elements of both Young Arts and Church Recording is the development of Church Trails. These aim to encourage children to look more carefully at items in a church and to help them to appreciate their heritage. It has been found that adults also find that using these trails is an interesting way to look around a church – thus the reference to ‘children of all ages’.

On behalf of Betchworth and Dorking DFASs, Sue Timms, Frank Warren and I, with the help of Emma Blackmore, have designed a trail for St Michael’s. The trail questions are printed on two sides of an A4 page and it is intended that the child is accompanied by someone with an answer sheet. Our trail was successfully piloted over Heritage Weekend. After a few adjustments we hope to have copies of the questions and the answer sheets available at the back of the church for future visitors.
Sue Tatham

from the October 2010 magazine
Heritage Days
It seemed like a good idea at the time and although St Michael’s Church opens to the general public 52 weeks of the year, this would be a new initiative to open our doors at both St Michael’s and more unusually the Chapel of Ease, over a two-day period.

Ideas were mooted as to how we might involve visitors of all ages, but at the same time guiding them into all the corners of the church and chapel with factual and anecdotal evidence of our colourful heritage. With the risk assessment /Health and Safety/Disability Access forms duly completed we were ready for the planning.

So what did we offer to over 400 visitors between both sites during the weekend period?
• A Church and Chapel decked out in flowers
• A church trail for children (of all ages) produced by members of Betchworth and Dorking Decorative and Fine Arts Society
• Guided tours around church and chapel
• Display of ‘Mickleham Past and Present’ with photographs from the archives and the recent unexpected discovery, during the vestry extension, of burials consistent with the late 18th/early 19th century
• A short guide to Mickleham Churchyard: intriguing stories behind the graves (compiled by Carole Brough Fuller)
• Bell ringing sessions (sorry neighbours)
• A variety of information guides included potted histories of St Michael’s, and its Chapel of Ease, a closer look at the carved pulpit, the clock tower and its bells.

The bells proved a good focal point. Grown men turned back into children at the prospect of making a loud noise and the whole thing proved very appealing!

Martin Cox had produced a fascinating short film of the bells and clock mechanism, which (apart from displaying Mark Day’s hitherto undiscovered bald patch) was widely viewed. Film maker and winner of most of the Village Show silverware, on the same day. Phew!

What would be the lasting impressions of the two-day event?

The joy of hearing and reading visitors comments about the beautiful church /chapel we perhaps take for granted, the teamwork it takes to put on an event such as this, for which I say a huge thank you to everyone involved, the tables set up in the chapel garden for tea and cakes and finally Mark Day and Richard Siberry’s excitement at unearthing the overgrown grave of Emily Rogers, relation to William Skeet (1777-1827) much to the delight of 465 bus passengers and The Runners!
Jenny Hudlass

from the October 2010 magazine
A truly special family wedding and a meeting of cultures
Rev Mary Cruddas, from Leatherhead Parish, was delighted to have the pleasure of marrying her son John to Hiroko at St Michael’s Church.
Mary Cruddas writes:
‘John met Hiroko 8 years ago while teaching English in Japan. Hiroko lived with me for a year while she learnt English at a language school in Wimbledon. They were married under common licence at Mickleham on the 22nd May with 11 members of Hiroko’s family flying in from Japan for the wedding. While John and Hiroko lit their wedding candle, Helen Whittington sang Schubert: Ave Maria. Although there was no congregational singing during the service, at the reception Hiroko’s aunt and uncle sang a duet, which encouraged members of John’s family to sing solos. We were all taught a Japanese love song by one of Hiroko’s brothers. A true meeting of cultures.’

from the October 2010 magazine
The Organ in St Michael’s
The organ in any church is invariably the largest and most expensive piece of machinery, yet it is often taken for granted.

The present instrument in Mickleham Church started life as a two-manual and pedal organ in the mid-1860s, having been built by J W Walker. In 1910 it was enlarged by Norman & Beard (of London & Norwich) at a cost of £249 and was given its rather beautiful case which has the most lovely carving. Several stops were added at this time. Apart from two small tonal alterations in the mid-1970, it has had no major work done on it since, despite debris falling on it from the roof.

Not surprisingly, it is showing signs of its age, so in June an organ builder was asked to undertake some maintenance work, with a view to ensuring that everything was working for the immediate future. In the course of examining the instrument the organ builder discovered that for many years a water engine pumped the organ. Some of the apparatus is still in place, though the electric powered air pump (‘blower’) is now situated in the churchyard. It is possible that the electric blower was installed just over fifty years ago.

Water power was quite common in Victorian and Edwardian days. Indeed, one London hospital had, until quite recently, water powered lifts. Almost certainly the organ was powered by ordinary mains water with the used water going straight into a drain. The water engine was switched on and off by a pedal which is still on the right hand side of the organ console. Regrettably, the original water engine has long since gone.

There is other evidence of antiquity: the holders for the organist’s candelabras are still on the console and the remains of the device to let the organist know how much air (‘wind’) he had in the bellows are still visible.

Our organ builder is doing his utmost to get the organ into full working order, while proposals are made for a proper overhaul.

Here are a few facts and figures:
• Two keyboards for the hands (manuals) and one for the feet (pedal board)
• The manuals have 56 notes each; the pedal keyboard has 30 notes.
• There are 814 pipes, mainly of a lead/tin alloy. Some collapsed under their own weight, but the smaller ones have now been repaired.
• Some of the pipes are made of wood
• The largest pipe is just over eight feet six inches from top to bottom. It is on the front of the organ and is part of the Open Diapason stop. The smallest pipe has a speaking length of just under three quarters of an inch.
• The pipes of the upper keyboard are contained within a wooden box with Venetian shutters, so that the overall sound of those pipes can be made louder or softer by operating a pedal.
• The musical range of the organ is just over eight and a half octaves. (Rather more than a piano.)
• There are sixteen speaking stops and three couplers. (There are actually twenty stop knobs; one of the stops draws in two sections, which is very old-fashioned.)

Detailed information on the organ is on the National Pipe Organ Register: www.npor.org.uk
Go to the top left hand button 'NPOR' and choose 'Search by address' - there is only one Mickleham!
Barry Williams Organist & Choirmaster

from the October 2010 magazine
Students Launch Nationwide Campaign To Remember 10 Years In Afghanistan
A national appeal to raise over £350,000 for those affected by the war in Afghanistan will be launched in London this October. Hannah Brewer, 19, of Chapel Lane, Westhumble, joins an ambitious team of students from the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in leading the ‘DecAid’ campaign, which will honour the decade long contribution of British Armed Forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

The official launch in 7 Rifles Barracks, Davies Street, London, will be supported by DecAid’s patrons; Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Parker KCB CBE, Deputy Commander of ISAF Forces in Afghanistan; Hamish Clark of ‘Monarch of the Glen’; the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, and sponsors; Exeter University Innovation Centre; Plymouth University; and NRG Direct Mail.

DecAid’s latest patron, former BBC war correspondent and independent politician, Martin Bell, comments ‘I find it most heartening that these young people, on their own initiative, are doing so much to support our soldiers in Afghanistan. This is not a celebration but a show of solidarity.’

DecAid proceedings will dominate 2011 in a coordinated year-long campaign. The opening ceremony, a spectacular ‘Massed Pipes and Drums’ event, on 26th June 2011, will see 2,011 musicians march along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, in conjunction with the Armed Forces Day events.

The appeal has set a series of extreme physical challenges which will involve several thousand people nationally, including ex-servicemen, their family and friends. The challenges include; The ‘Munro Mission’, in Scotland, which aims to conquer 283 mountains in 45 days, climbing the height of Mount Everest every three days; ‘The Ride 2 Remember’ static bike race from London to Kabul, ‘The Big Tow’, in which vehicles, will be towed around Rockingham race track in a tri-service competition; and ‘Stretched to the Limit’ where 30 teams will attempt the arduous trek up Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales, carrying a heavy stretcher.

The DecAid enterprise, which will donate to three service charities; ‘Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association’ (SSAFA); ‘The British Ex-Servicemen Association’ (BLESMA); and ‘Talking 2 Minds’, is the brainchild of Rupert Laing, aged 23, a 2009 graduate from The University of Exeter.

Laing comments ‘we feel passionately about the cause and hope to encourage support for the physically wounded, the bereaved families, and those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.’ Laing leads the DecAid Team which is made up of current and former members of the Exeter University Officer Training Corps (EUOTC).

As well as its own proceedings, DecAid will oversee individually organised events which can be advertised on their website www.decaid.co.uk. All of the money raised will go towards helping those affected by the decade long conflict in Afghanistan.
Hannah Brewer http://www.decaid.co.uk/

from the September 2010 magazine
Sunday Club - What a great year we had. We have moved from the Village Hall into the Ranmore Room which is bright and warm and not too big. It has meant that we can be with everyone else for a few minutes at the start of the service each Sunday and then slip out through the north door to start our activities. In this way everyone in Sunday Club feels a part of the wider church family. We usually return in time to join with the Lord’s Prayer, and then we can go for a blessing to the communion rail with everyone else.

There have been lots of stories, cutting and sticking, colouring, and games. Every Sunday all the children have had something to take home – perhaps a picture or something they had made, and there was always the story to talk about. We try to link the story and the activity with the theme of the main service, especially the more important days throughout the church year. Our final Sunday Club this summer took the form of an outdoor picnic with games.

Sunday Club meets in church every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. during term time. On the first Sunday of the month everyone stays for the Family Service, but on the other Sundays the children and helpers leave after a few minutes in order to start the activities. This term we shall be listening to some of the stories Jesus told as well as celebrating Harvest, and marking Remembrance Sunday in our own particular way. On ‘Stir up’ Sunday we will meet in the Village Hall a little earlier than usual, at 9.45 and will stay there rather than come back to join the main service.

If you would like your child to be a part of Sunday Club, please come and join us in church one Sunday morning. Our first meeting of the autumn term will be on 12th September. We ask that if you are the parent of a child under three, please stay with them so that they feel secure. This will also give you the opportunity to get to know other parents and their children. Anne Weaver

from the September 2010 magazine
The bells… the bells
Previous magazine articles have explored the history of the church clock, made around 1850 by Hawley & Co, Regent Street. A very good firm, making everything from turret clocks to watches.

Less has been told (!) of our church bells, which have an equally good provenance. The current complement of six bells dates from 1916. There is a plaque at the back church on the which confirms that the four larger bells completing the peal of six, were given by Lady Elizabeth Lawrence, to the memory of her husband Sir James John Trevor, Baronet KVCO, of Burford (died 22nd December 1913). Each of the new bells also carries a Latin inscription to this effect.

There was clearly a complete revamp of the church bells at this time. The new bells were made by the Taylor Foundry in Loughborough, one of two surviving bell foundries in the UK. Taylor’s was established in 1784 and has been at Loughborough since 1839. The same firm produced the UK’s largest bell, the 17-ton ‘Bourdon Bell’ in St Paul’s Cathedral. The Mickleham bells are modest by comparison, but the largest (tenor) bell weighs in at some 1300lb, with a 3ft 4in diameter.

A very nice man at the Taylor Foundry has provided the original quote, dated 1894, for the ‘new’ bells. Clearly, there were changes to the specification until their final installation in 1916. The original quote was for £244. 8s. Of this a total of £7.19s was budgeted for the cost of the transport of 2 ¾ tons of metal to and from Dorking station and Loughborough. At current Royal Mail rates this sum would allow for 5kg to be sent second class parcel post. A photo shows the bells outside the church during this exercise.

The service of dedication took place in the evening of 21st June 1916, presided over by the Bishop of Stepney. Lady Lawrence had by then passed away, but the Lawrence family was represented, as was the foundry, by Mr J H Taylor, no less. According to press coverage at the time, at the end of the service, ‘Mr H Withers, private carilloner to Mr Cadbury of Bourneville, rang a short peal and played a few well-known hymns’. Mr Withers was a significant person in the bell world. He was a pioneer of the instrumental way of bell ringing – similar to organ music – which he learned during a trip to Bruges Cathedral. By the 1930s there were 15 carillons in the UK. HMV recorded Withers playing at Bournville during WW1 and he apparently played on the top floor of Harrods for the wedding of Princess Mary in 1922.

Before 1916, however, there were three bells at Mickleham:

• Treble (smallest), cast in 1850 by C&G Mears, now the Whitechapel Bell Foundry – the other surviving bell foundry – where the original US Liberty bell (1752) and the 13½ ton Big Ben (1858) were cast. Given the date, it is likely that the same people would have been involved with the Mickleham bells.

• Second (to which the peal was tuned): inscribed ‘BRYANNUS ELDRIDGE ME FECIT 1624’ (Bryan Eldridge made me 1624). The Eldridge Foundry was on the Bourne at Chertsey. This bell still forms part of the current six-bell peal (the second bell).

• Third. This old third bell, the largest, could not be re-used due to ‘faulty harmonics’. Nearly 100 years on, it still sits in St Michael’s gallery. It is inscribed ‘WILHELMUS CARTER ME FECIT 1610’ (William Carter made me 1610). The date connects the bell with William Carter, one of the earliest recorded founders at what is now the Whitechapel Foundry.

The Mickleham bells are also mentioned in Stahlschmidt: The Bells of Surrey (1884) which in turn refers to the 1552 ‘Inventory of Church Goods’, which lists Mickleham with:

• A sacring bell – rung during communion.

• ‘Tellers’ – when there was a death in the village there would be three chimes of three for a man, and three by two chimes for a woman, thus giving early notice to those in the fields.

The current bells are hung ‘dead’ due to unspecified structural problems, mentioned in the dedication service addendum. The older bells were hung for full circle ringing, and the 1894 quote provided for the same, for six bells. The structural problems may have been a reason for the delay between the quote and the date of completion.

The current complement of bells is as set out below:

• Treble – recast: note E 2ft 1¾in diameter, 375lb.

• Second – old: note D 2ft 4¼in diameter, 487lb.

• Third – new: note C 2ft 6in diameter, 605lb.

• Fourth – new: note B 2ft 7¾in diameter, 758lb.

• Fifth – new: note A 2ft 11¼in diameter, 991lb.

• Tenor – new: note G 3ft 4in diameter, 1283lb.

Mark Day, with acknowledgement and thanks to Mike Boyle, and George Dawson, Archivist at the Taylor Foundry

from the July/Aug 2010 magazine
The Reverend David Ireland
On Pentecost Sunday 23rd May we gathered at the 10am Family Communion Service to hear David, during his sermon, express his joy in celebrating the 40th anniversary of his ordination as a priest in the Church of England. This had followed a twelve-month period as an ordained Deacon, during which he was not authorised to officiate at a communion service, but on the 24th May 1970 he was ordained a priest at Ripon Cathedral – and at that service he was challenged ‘to go into the world and make all people Church disciples’ – a huge undertaking!

After the Family Service we were invited into the Rectory garden for a celebration drink and to bask in the hottest sun we have had in our area for many a long time – just the right day! It was a very happy occasion!

Since becoming our parish priest in 2005 David has been our church leader and has been involved in many activities: chaplain to Box Hill School (until recently), deputy chairman of the governors of our own St. Michael’s School where he takes assembly every Monday morning, and, of course, helping people in our parish whether churchgoers or not. I think we all agree that he is a great wit and finds something amusing on many different occasions!

I thought I would try to find out more about his past, starting from his birth in Rochford, Essex on the 18th May 1945 when his father was Vicar of St Augustine’s in Thorpe Bay. He was educated at Rossall School, Lancashire and later at Merton College, Oxford and Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxford.

He was a full-time clergyman in Chapel Allerton, Harpenden and Clifton during the years 1969-1984. And then he was appointed Chief Executive for the Markfield Project and Appeals Director for Trinity Hospice, in Clapham, and Seeability in Leatherhead and held this position until 2004. During this period of 20 years he was the Non-Stipendiary minister at St. Mark’s Tattenham Corner from 1991 – 2000 and then with us here as a Non- stipendiary until 2004.

After leaving Seeability he joined us here as a non-stipendiary parish priest.

He has three sons and one daughter and four grandchildren of whom he is very proud. I understand his hobbies are travel, gardening, and music.

So David has had a varied life in the ministry of the church and we are fortunate that he is our priest and although now 65 years of age, we are delighted to learn that he expects to be with us for sometime yet, together with Angela who is a great help to him and all of us. Jack Richardson

from the July/Aug 2010 magazine
Reburial of Post-Medieval Remains At two o’clock on Wednesday 26th May a small congregation gathered for a short service and interment of the remains found during excavation work for the new vestry. The plaque on the coffin reads MAY THE SOULS OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD REST IN PEACE
In his short introduction, David Ireland mentioned what a historic occasion this was, bringing the past into the present and at the same time giving our forebears the respect they truly deserved. It certainly was a memorable occasion and full of that respect.Val Selwood

from the June 2010 magazine
Solution to a riddle in the vestry: The source of the text for Andrew Tatham’s picture Fear no Evil is Psalm 91 as indicated by the Roman numerals XCI in the centre of the picture. The letters should be read across the picture starting from top left thus: HE WHO DWELLS IN THE SHADOW OF THE LORD.

from the May 2010 magazine
Annual Parochial Church Meeting Financial Review 2009
In January 2009 the PCC received two further generous donations from the Ranmore Charitable Trust. The first was a gift of £100,000 to the Buildings Fund. The second was a donation of £600,000, to establish the Mickleham PCC Expendable Endowment Fund – a Fund held by the PCC on trust (1) for the upkeep and repair of the fabric and contents of the Church, Chapel, graveyard and Rectory, and the maintenance of services in the Church, and (2) for such other charitable purposes as the PCC may from time to time in its absolute discretion determine. The income from the fund may be used for these purposes, and 20% of such income may be used by the Parish Priest, at his discretion, for the benefit of the needy of the Parish. The capital in this Expendable Endowment Fund may also be drawn down by the PCC for the stated purposes if the need arises.

The additional donation to the Buildings Fund has enabled us to complete the Vestry extension and other major projects. Expenditure on projects in 2009 has totalled just over £228,000. Of this total, £176,820 has been spent on the Vestry extension and related works. Other major items of expenditure were £18,873 spent on investigations of and improvements to drainage, £14,045 for the coffee cupboard, table, and associated works, and £9,288 for works at the Chapel of Ease. An additional £7,631 has been paid in 2010 for completion of the carpentry works in the Vestry.

Income from planned giving, collections, tax recovered, and the wall safe, totalled £53,425 – an increase of about £4,000 over the previous year. Fund raising on events such as ‘Love Hurts’, the Summer Party, the Sheree Valentine Daines Masterclass, and the Remembrance Sunday Concert, totalled £9,474. The other main source of income this year has been net Parochial fees totalling £8,599, and including the fees for the 14 weddings (and blessings) celebrated in the course of 2009.

‘Unrestricted Fund’ income for the year (including income from the Parish Magazine) totalled £82,415.
‘Unrestricted Fund’ expenditure, including Parish Magazine expenditure, totalled £80,937, and so the PCC had a small surplus for the year, of £822. As always, the most significant item of expenditure was the Diocesan Parish Share, of £36,678. The Parish Share for 2010 is £34,274 – a reduction of 6.6%! Outward giving for 2010 totalled £3,934, including special collections. We have a policy of making outward donations of 5% of our receipts from regular giving and collections, excluding special collections.

The year-end balance carried forward on the Unrestricted Fund, including the balance on the Parish Magazine Account, was £62,039. The year-end balance carried forward on the restricted Buildings Fund was £57,522. The capital on the Expendable Endowment Fund remains intact.
Richard Siberry, Hon Treasurer

from the May 2010 magazine
News of the Harkins Many readers will remember the Harkin family. John became Priest in Charge at St Michael’s in September 1993 and it was not long before he and Sue and their children James, Katie and David became immersed in the life of our community. In 1998, the family moved to Jersey where John took up the post of Rector of St Ouen. In 2009 John was made an Honorary Canon of Winchester Cathedral and on 30th April he will become Vicar of St Mary’s Church, Andover and Area Dean of the Andover Deanery. He and Sue will be making the move back to England on their own as James is now in the Royal Navy, Katie is teaching in Milan and David is remaining in Jersey. We send them our love and very best wishes for their new ministry.

from the May 2010 magazine
A Riddle in the Vestry Hanging on the wall in St Michael’s new vestry is a picture by Andrew Tatham, entitled FEAR NO EVIL. At first glance it appears to be a picture of bright green foliage, but closer inspection reveals sinister faces. And what about the lettering? Can you work out what it says?

Andrew Tatham writes ... In May 2008 I was driving through Aylsham when my eye was caught by a brilliant carpet of pink petals that had fallen across the road. I stopped to take some pictures and while I was there with my camera out, I thought I’d have a wander and see what else might catch my eye. There were some black railings woven with ivy, yew and other many and various leaves. I took a few shots and moved on. When I got home and started playing with the pictures in Photoshop, as is so often the case it wasn’t the picture that first caught my eye that had the most lasting effect. Making a mirror image with these railings and leaves produced a striking pattern, and like many mirror images, faces appeared along the join – faces that seemed to stare straight at me. I played around with the image proportions until it seemed to balance, but still there was something missing without which the picture was incomplete. It just so happened that at that time I had been reading through some material connected with the First World War group photograph I have been researching. In particular there was a letter from a father to his son out in the trenches. He had signed off with the words ‘Psalm 91 be with you’. I, in my ignorance, did not know Psalm 91 so looked it up. [click the image for a larger version] image © Andrew Tatham

Now nearly two years later I can’t remember which version of the Psalm I found (and there are a few), but in my mind it connected with the picture I had just made – something about shadows and the presence of evil in the world and the faith and strength to face it – and I worked with the words to find something that would fit with the picture. I didn’t want it to be obvious lettering with the message staring you in the face and overwhelming the visual elements of the picture. So that’s how it came to be as it is – the meaning is not at first obvious but nor is it too complicated – and with a little application you can work it out for yourself. I took great joy from watching people at an exhibition up here in Fakenham as they puzzled with this picture and then suddenly had a lift as they got the message.

from the April 2010 magazine
And it’s goodbye from him
On Easter Sunday I finish my period as locum organist at St Michael’s. After playing for a few services in 2007, I agreed to be a locum organist for four months - and stayed for nearly three years. Now I believe it is time to move on, starting with a complete break from regular organ playing. There are several reasons for this decision, including the fact that I live 11 miles away in Ewell. I ‘commute’ more than 1,000 miles a year.

For me, music and Christianity are inextricably linked. I became a Christian in 1967 solely as a result of my involvement as organist. I have subsequently done other Christian things, such as being on General Synod and chairing The Church of England Newspaper; and I have done other music things such as playing in a dance band and in orchestras. But at the organ, these two important aspects of my life come together.

Being an organist is the best job in the church. Everyone loves music. It reaches the soul in a way that words alone do not.

The church is said to be ‘holy’. That means set apart from God. For this reason, the church has its own style of music. This is really several different styles rolled into one, and is still evolving. It combines both the vast wealth of traditional forms with the relevance of the new styles. My own background is from the evangelical end of the churchmanship spectrum, where well-performed styles of holy music are always needed.

Being a dance band pianist means I have few hang-ups about the more modern forms of church music. Yet curiously, I found Mickleham very conservative in its musical tastes for such a populist church.

The church choir is one of the most pleasant groups I have worked with. It is good to see them now confidently singing everything from Palestrina to modern worship songs. David Ireland also ranks as one of the most easy-going and accommodating clergy I have known. I was surprised when David suggested that I introduce the anthems myself. Yet the feedback I have received about this has been positive. It is most welcome to share some of the stories behind our church music, and to show its relevance in our worship.

Yes, there are things that could be better. For example, the organ needs attention. Such concerns are always with us. They should be attended to, but not allowed to blind us to the good things that are happening. The spiritual life is a journey which we travel with others for various periods before moving on. I have no regrets at having travelled with you for the last three years. I shall remember my time at Mickleham with affection. I wish you all every blessing and happiness as you continue your own spiritual journeys. Robert Leach

from the April 2010 magazine
Farewell to Robert Robert came to us as organist and choir master in September 2007 following a period when we had no resident organist – a number of organists filled in after Bernadette Coote left us, but there was no stability, and choral activities were limited. Robert soon changed that. He produced the Mickleham Easy-Peasy Anthem Book which contained 26 pages of short anthems, old and new, which were within the capability of the now expanding choir – as we sang these anthems each week more singers were attracted to join us.

In due course Mickleham Easy-Peasy Anthem Book 2 followed with more suitable anthems for all occasions. Robert introduced the anthem from the chancel steps, always telling the congregation the composer and date, sometimes telling an anecdote about the composer and often linking the anthem to a reading or the sermon.

Robert was a strict timekeeper and expected us all to be ready to start choir practice at 9 a.m. prompt. This gave us time to rehearse the hymns for the day as well as the anthems for the following few Sundays. The early arrivals in the congregation got used to hearing our final run-through of the anthem for the day – perhaps they even came early so that they could enjoy it!

He also took 10 members of the choir to a Choral Festival day at Guildford Cathedral. Morning and afternoon rehearsals culminated in a fine Choral Evensong with choirs from all over the Diocese – an exhausting but inspiring day. Robert worked us hard, but I like to think he felt we were worth the effort. We wish him well in his ‘retirement’. We will miss him. Elizabeth Moughton, Choir Fixer

from the April 2010 magazine
A Celebration of the Completion of Building Works at St Michael’s
In the December 2006 issue of the MPM John Banfield reported:

A subcommittee of the PCC has presented a preliminary report outlining a detailed programme of work for the next few years. Most of the proposals will require Diocesan approval and one will need planning consent. Both of these approvals require a period of public consultation so there will be an opportunity for everyone to express their views on individual projects. The main elements of the programme are listed here.
* Repair the external stonework of the Church.
* Explore the possibilities for providing toilet facilities in the Church together with much needed storage space and a small meeting room which could be used as a crèche during church services. This may involve building an extension to the Church in keeping with the existing architecture.
* Redecorate the Church chancel and nave ceiling including colouring and gilding the ceiling bosses which have disappeared under many layers of varnish.
* Redecorate the exterior and interior of the Westhumble Chapel.
* Remove two pews at the front of the Church to create more space for wedding ceremonies, a space for small group services and capacity for the occasional concert.
* Consider turning the front two rows of pews in the Westhumble Chapel to face inwards so creating a similar space for small group services, community meetings and youth groups.
* Generally tidy up both buildings including tiling floors where pews have been moved, renewing carpets and kneelers, improving heating systems and lighting and updating all display materials.
The cost of this programme will be significant. Some money has been very generously given through a number of recent fundraising events but as these projects develop more fundraising will be required.

Here we are three years and two months later celebrating the completion of this most ambitious programme. To mark the occasion a Service of Dedication and Thanksgiving by The Rt Revd Ian Brackley was held on 28th February. The guests of honour were Jean and Geoff Suckling whose fantastically generous donations through their Ranmore Charitable Trust made it possible to achieve so much in a relatively short time. The new vestry will be known as The Ranmore Room in their honour.

It is inevitable that major building works on an ancient building will reveal surprises. During the work ceramic tiles were found behind the oak panelling in the chancel and 17th century tombstones under the floor.

The greatest surprise was the discovery of skeletons during the excavations for the new vestry. Work was delayed for several weeks while an archaeological survey was carried out.

The service was the culmination of years of planning and fundraising by many members of the parish, but the prime movers were Rose Spence and John Banfield. Many thanks to them and to David and the PCC for all their vision, hard work and dedication. Sue Tatham

from the April 2010 magazine
Church Archaeological Work - an Update Previous magazines have reported and illustrated the not-unexpected discovery of burials during the vestry extension work. The resultant Archaeological Assessment had the following significant findings:

- a total of 17 inhumations were identified, two of which constituted a double burial (adult/juvenile). Seven were present as one complex group. All of the burials were oriented east/west. Most had been damaged by more recent intrusions. The depth of burials was shallow (0.4 - 0.8m) reflecting previous levelling for the former Victorian vestry footprint. Some of the burials had associated iron coffin grips/nails, and iron and copper shroud /upholstery pins.
- the burials must predate the construction of the previous vestry in 1823. The ironwork is consistent with the late 18th/early 19th century.
- there was evidence of Roman pottery and ceramic, all of similar date. The pottery was Alice Holt/Farnham ware (AD 250-400) with tiles similar to finds in Ewell for which there was a production area on Ashtead Common (AD 140-250). There were also box flue tile remains. The report states: the presence of box flue tiles suggests a heated building, raising the possibility of a villa or bath-house at or close to the site. Given the early (Saxon) origins of the church, it is possible that it was built on a previous high-status Roman site’. Now fully recorded, it is intended to re-inter the remains with an appropriate ceremony, at an appropriate location within the churchyard. There will be a grave marker, possibly a wooden one commensurate with the original burial date, and explanatory text.

One of the issues for the re-burial process is the avoidance of encountering further remains. The Surrey County archaeologists will require a watching brief on further excavations. A staged approach is planned. Stage 1, a ground radar survey, was completed on 26th February. This was a non-intrusive survey of a type which will be familiar to watchers of Time Team. The radar, which looks like a lawnmower with a computer and screen passes over the defined areas and records underlying structures (eg vaults, coffins, disturbed ground etc). The method is depth specific and reaches about 4m. It does not give 100% assurance over negatives, but will identify clear ‘high-risk’ areas.

The report is awaited but the field evidence indicated a high density of burials over much of the area to the front of the church extending up to the boundary with Old London Road, as expected. It is known that many stones were removed in about 1948 and used to build the churchyard wall to the east of the gate to the old Rectory. Dates and other inscriptions can be seen in places. Burial depths ranged to 2m plus. Current guidance on burial depths is for at least 0.75m (2ft 6in). It may therefore be possible to re-bury at shallow depth above suspected but unidentified former burials, without disturbance. For example, the radar showed what appears to be a large vault just SW of the Bennett grave, but at a depth of 2.3m.

There was only one apparently clear area: in the extreme SW of the churchyard close to the Lych Gate. This may be appropriate. More to follow. Mark Day

from the Mar 2010 magazine
Fair Trade Stall at St Michael’s As many of you will have noticed, St Michael’s Crew Inters have been running a Fair Trade Stall: at church after Family Service (the first Sunday of each month), and on special occasions throughout the year. Here is an update on how this is going. In the last four months of 2009 we managed to sell £1,346.48 worth of goods which we were really pleased about. Not only because this helps the producers through Fair Trade/Traidcraft, but also because we make 5% commission on all that we sell and that money goes to our chosen charity. So far we have raised £67.29 and the money is on its way to Emma Blackmore at the Oddar Meanchay hospital in Cambodia (see article in February’s magazine). We are very pleased with this because it is great to be able to help her. We also wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us by ordering and buying goods.. Do not forget there are lots of ways you can do this:
Come and buy goods from our stall after Family Service
Take a catalogue home from church (at the back of the church or we have them on the stall) and either hand in your order to us at the stall or contact Amanda Wadsworth or Alison Wood.
Go online to www.traidcraftshop.co.uk and send your order through to A Wood or A Wadsworth. Our stall has a selection of what is on offer; with LOADS more in the catalogue. Do not forget we are happy to take orders by email or phone AND to deliver if people cannot get to church for Family Service.
Finally, we are happy for you to give us feedback on the products: what you like and what you do not.
Contact details: A Wadsworth – 01306 743164, A Wood – 01372 376443. Miriam Jones

from the Mar 2010 magazine
Parish Magazine Annual Report 2009 This year we celebrated the 25th anniversary of Mickleham Parish Magazine, in its present form, with a party in the village hall. The fact that there were over 270 names on the invitation list shows that this has been a true community enterprise. Our special guest was Colly Colwell, the artist who designed the cover. Luckily magazine funds were such that we could afford a caterer so everyone could relax and enjoy the delicious food while they chatted with old friends and, in some instances, met the people who belong to the names which frequently appear in the magazine.

The magazine continues to thrive and we have had very few staff changes over the past year. Many thanks to everyone for their continued support. Special thanks to Charlotte Daruwalla, who edited half the issues, to Stephanie Randall our expert proof reader and to all the other members of the editorial panel – Val Selwood, Sue Timms, and Liz Weller. We welcome Mark Day who has joined the panel recently. We are always looking for new writers and additional help with magazine production. We would especially like to hear from anyone who would like to develop desktop publishing skills.

Magazine finances are sound with advertising income covering the cost of printing. A big thank you to Kate Warren who looks after the advertising accounts. Other costs are covered by drawing from reserves which have accrued over the years. We raised £150 from the MPM ‘Christmas card’ which we have given to St Michael’s Crew to buy sports equipment. Sue Tatham, Editor

Charlotte Daruwalla writes:
The greatest debt of gratitude for the magazine is due, of course, to Sue herself. They say that no-one is indispensable, but in this case I doubt if it is true. Even though there are many others who play important roles as outlined in her report, Sue makes sure that, overall, all is in order! She devotes an enormous amount of time to the magazine - and has done so for over 25 years now! As a result the community is well informed of all future activities and we can read reports about those which have already taken place. We also have a very useful set of adverts to heIp us find suppliers of goods and services. I hope you will agree that the magazine is a real asset to the parish; and we are very grateful to Sue for all she does for it.

from the Feb 10 magazine
Our New Incumbent the Rev Graham Osborne It seems a long time ago now, but back on the evening of 18th November we celebrated the Institution and Induction of the Rev Graham Osborne as the Incumbent of our parish. The ceremony took place in front of a packed church at St Mary’s, Leatherhead, with the Bishop of Dorking, the Right Rev Ian Brackley leading us and The Venerable Julian Henderson, our Archdeacon of Dorking, installing Graham in a service, in time honoured fashion, with the wardens giving him the keys of the two churches at the main door and the tolling of the bells. This was followed by water from the font, as sign of the baptism, a bible from the lectern being presented as a sign that we are called to proclaim the Gospel. Then bread and wine was brought forward as a sign of Graham leading the sacramental ministry. The Bishop, at the end of each presentation asked Graham if he would carry out the various duties of the parish priest and each time answered ‘I will, with God’s grace’.

The welcoming of the new priest was introduced by the Rural Dean when representatives of the parish and community came forward in turn to welcome Graham, including David Ireland, on behalf of the Ministry Team, and St Michael’s School’s headteacher, Anne Hossack, on behalf of all schools in Leatherhead and Mickleham.

The augmented choir, including members of our choir, led the singing, accompanied by our organist Robert Leach, and St. Mary’s was filled with the sound of the praising of God in music.

The whole congregation went to the parish hall for an excellent and enormous supply of ‘bits and pieces’ to go with our drinks to celebrate the uplifting evening. Graham has since preached and officiated at services here at St Michael’s and we are very pleased he has joined us. Jack Richardson

from the Feb 10 magazine
Oddar update – a visit to see Emma Many of you in the parish have, very generously, over the last year or so been fundraising for, and/or contributing to the Oddar Meanchay hospital in Samrong, Cambodia. Parishioner Emma Blackmore has been working there for the last 15 months as a VSO volunteer. We recently went to see Em, and thought you might like an update on her work there. Em is far too modest to blow her own trumpet.

Oddar Meanchay is the name of the province of which Samrong is the capital. Samrong is a quiet backwater ‘city’ – more of a small town if truth be told – near the Thai border. It’s about three hours (double in the rainy season when the roads flood) north-west of Siem Reap. Samrong is a sleepy place, with nothing there but a lake full of reeds; a few restaurants serving a mixture of Khmer and Thai food; a Buddhist temple with some alarming Bosch-esque depictions of hell; and a market with all the food imported from Thailand. Thai baht is the preferred currency. (The confusion of converting between pounds, US and Singapore dollars, baht, Cambodian rial and Vietnamese dong led us to be ripped off – but in the most charming way – at least twice on our trip, well twice that we noticed anyway). In fact Samrong is, in the words of Lonely Planet, ‘nowhere’. And when even Lonely Planet says a place is nowhere, you better believe it. The local economy is rice – and more rice. The land is flat. Paddy fields stretch to the horizon in all directions. A few banana, coconut and other palm trees break up the view of paddy, but there is no industry here, not even tourism. Em does have a lovely large house overlooking the lake, for which the rent is $250 a month. Sounds nothing, but on her VSO salary it’s a lot; she is presently sharing with two German girls, also volunteers, one a midwife, the other a development officer. Our hotel cost $7 a night (negotiated down from $20 by Em in Khmer), and was good value for the money, with most mod cons, including en-suite bathroom and satellite TV, though not toilet paper.

There is not a lot to do in Samrong, and that’s putting it mildly. You can walk or run round the lake; watch TV and pirated DVDs; and that’s about it. Even walking has its risks. There are several species of venomous snake, and between 3 and 6 million active land mines still in Cambodia, a legacy of the years of war that only ended 10 years ago. The Samrong area has, proportionate to its size, the highest number of active landmines in Cambodia, according to Lonely Planet.

The hospital is – well, basic. We have seen less well equipped hospitals in rural China and Nepal, but not many. It’s all on one floor, so in the wet season the wards flood and the clinical waste incinerator can’t be used. It is in great need of modernisation, and your kind support has already greatly helped. Em has her hands full training nurses, trying to enforce hygiene procedures and generally managing the place. The Cambodian management team whom she advises does not always take her advice. Example; told there was a budget to hire a specialist, Em advised getting an obstetrician for the overloaded maternity ward; the hospital chose to hire a traumatologist.

Despite the clear frustrations Em is cheerful, and she is spending your money carefully and well. We travelled up from Siem Reap in a taxi full of new waste bins that she had bought there. She has also bought baby scales, ladders, clinical waste disposal systems and other basics that we in the West take for granted. She is looking at funding a pump for clean water, new toilets and even mattresses for the beds. Em also spends time at the An Long Veng hospital, 80 km away on dirt roads, which has a major waste disposal issue, and where she is thinking of installing an incinerator for clinical waste. Although Em has some Khmer, the language barrier is an issue, as is the culture barrier. Patients don’t always feel comfortable confiding in foreigners, so a translator is needed. Nursing staff seem to have a relaxed view of the importance of sticking to working hours such that there is 24/7 nursing cover. And – importantly for Em in spending your money – capital projects have to be assiduously planned and receive all sorts of approvals even if funded by outside money.

Delightful though Samrong is for a short stay, its quiet would drive you mad pretty soon. For R & R, Em and her housemates head once a month or so to Siem Reap, packed eight in a Toyota Camry taxi at $6 a head. I have to confess that on the way back Will and I treated ourselves to a whole taxi for $35. Siem Reap, right by the world-famous archaeological sites of Angkor, has a wide range of accommodation from 5-star hotels at $500+ a night and backpackers’ dives at $3. We found – actually Em found for us – a wonderful hotel called the Terrasse des Elephants – $75 for a suite half the size of a football pitch, air con, double bath with jacuzzi, two showers and a lotus flower pond (into which Will fell after a long lunch), complete with eight-foot high waterfall sculptures.

Much has been written about Angkor, so I won’t repeat it here. It is stunning, but is also full of noisy Korean, Japanese and Chinese tour groups traipsing round in crocodiles and hung with Nikons. There is an art in knowing what times of day these groups arrive at which sites, and getting there yourself at other times. Get it right and you will have some of the most beautiful ancient sites in the world to yourself. Sadly, the Cambodian authorities pay only lip service to conservation, and are more interested in the mighty dollar. Tourists are allowed to climb all over the monuments, and they do. There won’t be much left of them 25 years hence if this is allowed to continue.

Siem Reap also has thriving tourist markets and bars, even a street called Pub Street. There are many massage establishments, some respectable, some not. Including some where you dip your feet in a tank of fish that nibble away at the dry skin.... Will assures me that the massage places he found were legit but, come to think of it, he did seem to have an awful lot of shoulder pain requiring repeated massages. On a serious note, sex tourism and even child sex tourism are major problems in Cambodia. We are, embarrassingly, the nation that gave the world Gary Glitter. On the other hand we didn’t colonise Cambodia like the French did, bomb it to bits like the Americans did, or invade it like the Vietnamese did. Nor did we slaughter millions of ordinary Cambodians, as the Khmer Rouge did to their own people. The US dropped more tonnage of bombs on Cambodia in the ‘60s and ‘70s than were dropped by all the combatants in World War II put together.

Despite its recent violent history Cambodia is a charming place, and its people overwhelmingly friendly and courteous. Em is well known in Siem Reap - walk down Pub Street and ask for ‘Em-mar’ and they will tell you where she is, probably busily getting outside an Angkor Beer or three. She even has her own tuk-tuk driver on tap, Yuth, who for $20 a day drove us everywhere. A tuk-tuk, basically a sofa on wheels stuck on the back of a motor bike, is a remarkably comfortable way of getting around, particularly useful at Angkor as the sites cover over 150 square km, and in Phnom Penh where crossing the road on foot is an act of faith.

VSO could clearly be more supportive of its volunteer workers out in the back of beyond in places like Samrong. The administrators tend to stay in Phnom Penh and have no idea what life is like in the sticks. As a result, most volunteers don’t last their time. It’s a shame, and one wonders if the attitude is that they don’t care if the old ones leave early, as there will be plenty more where they came from. Em will have done 21 months by May, when she presently plans to leave. It’s a very long time in a place like Samrong. We salute Em and her co-volunteers for going there and doing their much-needed good works.

Em would certainly welcome more visitors, so book your flights now. Albeit that Samrong is not somewhere to spend more than a couple of nights, you can easily combine it with visits to Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Laos. Loan of guide books (mainly pirated editions from the market in Siem Reap), free travel advice and, most importantly, Yuth’s phone number, are all available from Dennis Holidays (motto We Serve You Right). Annie Dennis

from Dec09/Jan10 magazine
Remembrance Sunday Following a memorable service with a huge congregation, we all gathered with David Ireland at the War Memorial for 11am on Remembrance Sunday. We were treated to a Last Post and Reveille like no other, given by Oliver Parker, 11 years old and a gifted music scholar from Box Hill School, playing a bugle about which there is a special story worth telling.

Oliver’s family found the bugle in a shop selling ‘bric a brac’ in Rye. It was old, dull and dusty. They bought it, of course! They took it to Kneller Hall, the Military School of Music, where there is a museum of military instruments. The Staff Sergeant told them that it was probably French, as the main part is copper with brass trim. If it had been English, it would have been brass with copper trim. He was also able to tell them that it was hand made and is at least 100 years old.

It was duly taken to be ‘done up’ and they got it back only on Friday before Remembrance Sunday. It sounded wonderful - it was played brilliantly. We heard the sound again in the evening as Oliver played The Last Post and Reveille to open the Choral Society Concert for Remembrance Sunday (you can read about that further on). Thank you, Oliver and very well done. Val Selwood

from Dec09/Jan10 magazine
In 1984 when he was keeper of the clock at St Michael’s Church Mike Boyle wrote as follows: There is something special about church clocks. Perhaps they subconsciously remind us that it is God’s time that we are using industriously or enjoying in idleness as the case may be. Our clock which tells me how long I have been idly contemplating nothing at all, dates from 1850 and presumably replaced an earlier clock as part of the Victorian alterations and ‘improvements’ to the church. I have found that all clocks have characters and our clock does not seem a typical Victorian: in fact from my, as yet, limited acquaintance it appears to be a bit of a practical joker. For the horologically minded it was made by Hawley & Co of Regent Street, London, has a bedstead frame with recoil escapement and a wood rod pendulum beating 1½ seconds. The strike is of the locking plate type.

The driving weights, over a hundredweight in the case of the strike, are suspended on wire cables. Wire is more reliable that rope but notwithstanding this, as the drop is over the store/broom cupboard to the left of the entrance porch I hope the brooms are insured.

I was interested to note in the churchyard (during one of my idle contemplations) the grave of a famous London clockmaker, Justin Theodore Vulliamy who was senior warden of the Clockmaker’s Company from 1820 to 1823. He was part of a fine clockmaking family, his grandfather and father were both eminent makers and his brother Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy was clockmaker to King George IV. There are still many clocks made by him in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Justin’s grave is on the north side of the churchyard between the church and the rectory. He died in August 1870 but was obviously living in the area before 1863 as his wife died in that year and is buried beside him. It would be interesting to know whether he was living in Mickleham in 1850, the date of the clock, as he may have advised on its purchase.

Of course, the manufactured date of our clock may not be the date it was installed as it may have been donated or purchased second hand. Someone in the village might know and the churchwardens’ accounts would almost certainly have some details on this and also on any earlier clock. I really ought to look at the churchwardens’ account but you see, it is a question of time.

Mike has now added the following:
Since the above was written I have discovered that Hawley & Co Clockmakers traded from about 1810 at 123 Regent Street, London. They not only sold turret clocks but also domestic clocks and pocket watches. I am not certain when they closed down but a few years ago a good quality regency shop counter was offered for sale with a note attached stating that the counter had been removed from 123 Regent Street in 1918. Regarding the Vulliamy family, a lot more information has come to light in the last 25 years and a number of articles about them have appeared in the parish magazine.

Allowing for a few leap years, and if my arithmetic is right, in the last 25 years our clock has ticked more than 525 million times and the strike hammer has struck the bell over 1.4 million times. However, all this noble activity faithfully marking the passing of the hours in the village would not have been possible without a Partner in Time. Each tick and each strike has the effect of slightly lowering the heavy weights which need to be raised again every week: approx. 27 turns on the crank key on the going train weight and 57 turns on the strike train. The extra turns on the strike train are required due to the gearing needed to raise well over 50 kilos of weight. Before my time the muscle was provided by verger Don Haynes and his son Colin. After I retired the ‘Keeper of the Key’ and provider of TLC and occasional oil went to Roy Stevens then Stan Spence, Mark Day and now John Winn.

Our clock is still a youngster in turret clock terms, so as long as the weights continue to be raised, it will continue to be a useful member of the community. The last 25 years and the next 25 years are only a moment in the life of a clock.

from the November 2009 magazine
The Celebration on 4th October for the 25 Years of our award-winning Magazine
I was honoured to be included with the ‘Great and the Good*’ of the Parish to attend a reception at Mickleham Village Hall to celebrate with Sue Tatham, our editor from the outset, and her devoted, hardworking team 25 years of our esteemed and truly successful magazine.

The shining sun outside reflected the mood and pleasure of all who attended and their joy at being associated with such a worthwhile example of ‘the art of wordsmiths’ was evidenced by their animated conversation. We all enjoyed partaking of the superb canapés and fulsome quantities of the harvest of the vine. This being another sign of the magazine’s success by the healthy state of its finances – though please obliterate this comment from your minds if/when sometime in the future Sue calls for more donations – as she said ‘voluntary raising of funds’ never subscriptions.

Sue looking radiant in a fine blue suit (no doubt husband Ben was pleased to see that not for her any change of colour like the recent one by that ‘organ of the press’ that also resembles that day’s outside weather conditions) addressed her ‘constituents’ generously thanking all and reminding us that 600 copies a month and a mailing list reflects the fact that this is a magazine of the community not just those who attend our church. In my judgement it is that fact and as Sue said its larger format that is one of the reasons for the magazine’s success.

The celebrations were enhanced further by the presence of F N (Colly) Colwell, the 95-year-old designer of our striking cover. It was under his tutelage that Sue began illustrating the copy. Colly recalled one evening when Sue emerged from Byttom Cottage well after midnight, reeking of Cowgum.

David Ireland spoke to thank Sue on behalf of all including those who sadly could not be present and pointed out that she had never allowed the magazine to become political or religious. The former is indeed to her credit but I found the latter a little curious not to say downright unlikely for the official local magazine of the Church of England. Perhaps in fairness he meant prejudice in those two aspects.

But this was Sue and her staff’s day and it was like a ‘Silver Wedding’ celebration of a wonderful long and happy bond between the Magazine ‘the wife’ and the Readers ‘her husband’. However for me one thing was missing – there should have been a toast to Sue and her staff. So let me ask all readers to raise their glasses to the Editor and Staff and the continued quality and success of the Mickleham (and Westhumble) Parish magazine. Stephen Lloyd.

Editor’s note: Everyone invited to the party had at some time or other contributed to the magazine either by writing articles or in the production and distribution process. The invitation list included over 270 names and even then some people were omitted. Many apologies to anyone we missed.

We would appreciate any support you can provide by searching or shopping on these sites for the benefit of the nursery. Michaela Tsangari

from the October 2009 magazine
Annie and Will Dennis had reason to celebrate over the weekend of 22nd/23rd August; their daughter Alice married Adam. The reception took place in two sumptuous marquees positioned on the lawn of their charming house in Mickleham.

Those gathered in the same marquees on the evening of Monday 24th August had something else to celebrate: England had won the Ashes. And John Batt was about to have his own personal celebration– a portrait to be painted by our famous, local artist Sherree ETHEL Valentine Daines.

Sherree Valentine Daines (we’ll drop the Ethel) was born in Effingham, Surrey and studied at Epsom School of Art. Sherree’s distinctive society scenes and timeless images of childhood have established her international reputation as one of the finest figurative artists of her generation. Among those who have sat for Sherree are Michael Parkinson, Joanna Lumley, Jonny Wilkinson, and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

But on that evening our own VIP, John Batt, was going to be painted during a Masterclass given by Sherree. You may remember that John was very visible on TV and in the press a few years ago when he came to the aid of Sally Clark. His book, A Mother’s Fight for Justice – Stolen Innocence, The Authorised Story of Sally Clark tells of his fight to find justice for Sally and of his success in Sally’s acquittal.

The evening began with a delicious buffet provided by Hugh Frayling from Box Hill School – I really liked the apple pie! Then the lights were dimmed, John was positioned behind the brown canvas and Sherree began.

The audience were spellbound as an image slowly began to to appear on the canvas. It was fascinating to watch how Sherree used colour to bring up John’s likeness. A touch of black on the eyebrows, white on the neck, and John’s image began to emerge. All this was done, while she entertained us with stories and anecdotes from her career. I particularly like the story of the inside-out clothes at Waitrose!

John was equally entertaining with stories from his successful career. His voice had the melodious tones of Clement Freud, but Sherree was kind enough not to say, ‘Just A Minute’. Yes, I am old enough to remember the piece of music he composed to introduce the ITN news!

Finally the portrait was finished, (Sherree said that once she starts fiddling with a picture it is time to stop!). And John was allowed to see himself in paint! I know we all marvelled at Sherree’s skill and John was delighted with the portrait.

David Ireland was, as usual, a superb master of ceremonies. Sallie Beer and Val Selwood did a great job selling raffle tickets. The top prize was generously donated by Sherree herself, one of her beautiful pictures.

Thanks to Stan Spence for running the bar. For those who like their facts, he told us that 13 tables had been sold to 130 people and that the white wine was so popular that it was sold out! The Masterclass was initiated by Rose Spence, a brilliant idea for the last of her many fundraisers for the church before she and Stan move to Bournemouth. Thanks to Rose, Angela Ireland, Mary Banfield, Val Selwood, Jo Brown and Amanda Wadsworth for organising the whole event and to their many helpers. AND of course many thanks to Annie and Will Dennis for the use of the wedding marquee.

Last and most importantly, thank you to Sherree for giving her time and expertise. She can paint me anytime, even though I live in Westhumble!
Bernice Bailey
Editor’s Note: The event raised £1,746 for St Michael’s Church – a splendid result!

from the October 2009 magazine Farewell to Rose and Stan Spence On the evening of 5th September more than a hundred well-wishers gathered in the garden of Garden Corner to say goodbye to Rose and Stan Spence who are about to move to Bournemouth. John Banfield made a short speech thanking both Rose and Stan for all that they had done in the parish and presented them with an IOU from all of us for a present of their choosing. It was a bitter-sweet occasion. It is always difficult to say goodbye to someone you have known for many years (forty, in my case) and with whom you have shared so many experiences. But it was a lovely party which reflected our love and appreciation for two very special people. Rose was quick to join in local activities after she arrived in Westhumble in 1970 and her involvement increased as her daughters grew up and left home. By the time she moved across the Mole in 1991 and settled into St Michael’s Lodge, Rose’s role as mover and shaker was well established and she was soon dubbed ‘Lady Mickleham’.

The biggest of her many ‘hats’ was associated with St Michael’s Church, first as church warden and latterly as parish administrator. When it came time to re-allocate her many church-related tasks, the list covered two sides of an A4 sheet and more than twenty people have volunteered/been recruited to cover these responsibilities.

Besides being very organised, one of Rose’s greatest strengths is that she is a champion delegator. This was summed up recently by a friend who observed ‘one minute I was standing next to Rose and the next I had a bag of magazines in my hand to deliver to Leatherhead!’

With all her experience Rose can easily identify things that need to be done, and she is often the first to offer support. She was one of the friends I asked to help to collate my first parish magazine twenty-five years ago. Rose, being Rose, got a friend to donate a case of champagne for the launch party.

It is Rose’s talent as an initiator which stands out most of all. She sees opportunities and makes things happen. Much of her energy has been directed towards raising money for St Michael’s Church. Over the years various events masterminded by Rose have made upwards of £100,000 for the church.

Years ago when various government buildings in London, described as ‘Pearls along the Thames’, were being opened to the public, Rose organised a coach party to visit them. This outing was such a success that other visits followed and so the ‘Cultured Pearls’ came into being, with the group metamorphosing into the ‘Rough Diamonds’ when they go greyhound racing. (We were pleased to hear that Rose intends to continue organising Cultured Pearls trips via email – the first destination is likely to be Bournemouth.)

Stan, too has made his mark in the parish and not only as Lady Mickleham’s consort. He has served on the parish council, looked after the church clock and provided, assembled and taken down countless marquees in his time. At frequent intervals from his office (the garden shed) have appeared tickets, posters and programmes for various community events. For many years Stan was Mr Fix-it at the village hall and, like Rose, it was only when he retired that we realised how much he did.

There is no doubt Rose and Stan’s move to Bournemouth will leave a very big hole in the community, but it is not only for all the things they have done that we shall miss them. Most of all we shall miss them as very dear friends and we wish them much happiness in their new home. Sue Tatham

A thank you from Rose and Stan …
Although Stan and I had said to quite a few people ‘no parties or presents, please’ when we move to Bournemouth, it was wonderful to see so many friends on Saturday night and to know that they will miss us - though not nearly as much as we will miss them.

I first moved to Westhumble in 1970 where my two daughters were born and lived in three different houses there before moving to Mickleham in 1991. Stan is very much a late comer only arriving in the village in 1995 and he says he married me to get permission to live here! He has been my rock and a great help in all my parish work which I could not have done without him.

They do say you have to move otherwise nobody else will take on your voluntary work and it has proved to be quite true. Offers of help have now come thick and fast and very able volunteers are now in full swing.

We have been so lucky to live in this parish – it is quite unique. For our move we originally looked for a house in a village with a good church and pub, but perhaps it is as well we were not successful as we would find ourselves making comparisons. Our new house is within three minutes’ walk (a bit longer for Stan!) of the sea and as it is close to our daughters and grandchildren, we know the area well. We do hope you will find time to come and see us.

We were quite overcome with the generosity of your gift and will let you know how it is spent – thank you all so very much. We must also thank Jenny Hudlass for all the hard work she did in organising the ‘surprise’ party and many thanks to all her volunteers for such a magnificent spread. John and Mary Banfield provided the excellent, picturesque venue and for this and their very generous contribution towards the evening we owe them many thanks. We had a marvellous evening.

from the October 2009 magazine
MPM celebrates its 25th Birthday
On the evening of Friday 28th September 1984 about 25 people gathered in the Westhumble Chapel to put together the pages of the first Mickleham Parish Magazine under my editorship. Before this Mickleham Church’s magazine had been one folded sheet containing a letter from the Rector, a list of services, and a few church notices. At that time, my husband Ben represented Box Hill and Headley as well as Mickleham and Westhumble on Mole Valley District Council. Consequently we received the Headley Parish Magazine which included information about the community as well as the church. I thought a community magazine would be just the thing to help unite Mickleham and Westhumble which were quite disparate then.

As with most things, if you suggest doing something you find yourself doing it. And so, with the support of the Mickleham Parochial Church Council (PCC) I set about finding a team of helpers. Asking people to do just one small task each month or three times a year seemed to work well. Many friends offered their services; Harry Sowden would compile the crosswords, Sayda Cole would type the copy and the Bebbingtons at Juniper Hall offered us the use of their reprographic room. Over 40 people were lined up to write, type, print, collate, distribute or deliver magazines.

For the cover I enlisted the help of local artist, Colly Colwell, who lived in Byttom Stables. We came up with a design which depicts the two villages divided by a river, railway line and a dual carriageway, but united by the parish church. Money from the advertisements covered the cost of printing the covers. The inside pages were run off on a duplicator by Anne Bebbington. We printed 450 copies of the first magazine at the total cost of £30. Magazines were delivered to every household in the parish and we asked for donations to help with future production costs. The response was very encouraging £750 and we haven’t looked back since. I thank all of the many people who have helped/are helping me in so many ways.

Significant milestones over the past 25 years include:
• 1985 Change from typewriter to computer
• 1992 First Prize in Guildford Diocese’s first parish magazine competition
• 1994 Certificate of Merit in EIG’s National Parish Magazine Competition
• 2004 Change to fully printed copies

By the time the Bebbingtons left Juniper Hall in 2004 our income from advertising was such that we could afford to have the whole magazine printed professionally. After twenty years of carrying boxes of paper, dealing with paper jams in the copy printer and walking around tables everyone was mightily relieved. However, I am sure there are lots of happy memories of these working parties as well.

Today the printing cost of £470 per issue is covered by advertising revenue. We print 600 copies which are delivered free to every household in the parish. In addition we have over 30 mailing list subscribers and copies are available in St Michael’s and in St Mary’s Leatherhead.

All the hard work of producing the magazine would have been wasted if we had not been able to produce interesting and informative copy. Over the years we have enjoyed articles on an amazing range of subjects by very talented writers, some experts in their field, others putting pen to paper for the first time. Often I have bemoaned the fact that I have nothing for the next magazine only to have a most interesting piece drop through the letter box, or more recently, arrive by email. It is wonderful how something always turns up and I am most grateful to all contributors.

Collecting community news and getting reports on local events takes up quite a bit of time, not only the finding of someone to do it but also the checking of the facts and, in some cases, obtaining permission. Luckily, to date we have had to print only a few corrections and have been threatened with libel action only once. It is such a help when people send us information or let us know about what is happening in their area. Today’s editorial panel includes Charlotte Daruwalla, Stephanie Randall, Val Selwood, Sue Timms and Liz Weller. We would welcome offers of help with the content and/or the production of the magazine.

One of the bonuses of new technology is that now we can include photographs in the magazine. After our competition success in 1994 we took pictures of the whole team. Here is a selection from that record [see photos in hard copy of magazine]. Sue Tatham

from the October 2009 magazine
Operation Christmas Child
We are once more collecting shoe boxes filled with appropriate goods to brighten the lives of children living in countries where such presents would otherwise never be received. Your simple act of generosity gives hope to children caught in the midst of wars, natural disasters and extreme poverty and shows them they are not forgotten.
Leaflets are available in Roses Stores, the church and St Michael’s School. Shoe boxes should be returned to the Rectory or to the school by 15th November or brought directly to the church on Sunday 1st November when the Family Service will be a special ‘Shoe Box Sunday’ service. If you are unable to fill a shoe box but would like to support the work of the charity, the leaflet contains an envelope in which donations can be placed.

from the September magazine
Farewell to two of our leaders At the end of last term we were very sorry to have to say goodbye to Jess Archer and Isabel Bathurst who have been instrumental in keeping the Sunday Club going, especially after the death of Ian Dennis earlier in the year. We shall miss them both very much. Although Isabel lived in Leatherhead she and her family were very active in Mickleham. Besides church and school activities, Isabel was an enthusiastic member of Mickleham Choral. We wish her, Nick, Georgina and Henry all the very best in their new home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.

Pandora Fleming-Smith has written the following tribute to Jess: I am writing this at 9.45 on Tuesday evening, but for Jess Archer it will be 6.45 on Wednesday morning. It just makes you realise how far away Australia is! Jess, and her two lovely children Freya (6) & Finley (4), have moved back to Sydney, where they were living before she returned to Westhumble two years ago. The Ozzy lifestyle and weather never really left her heart.

For the past two years Jess has been an active and much loved part of this community. She has helped run Sunday Club and also helped out at the workshops held at the school. Jess took an active part in the school and would often be seen helping there.

Jess was very popular, and was always there to have a laugh and a good old gossip with! We wish her the best of British luck in Australia and hope it is a great success. She will be greatly missed, but with technology nowadays the world just gets smaller and so hopefully she will not seem so far away.

from the Jul/Aug 2009 magazine
Big surprise under the Vestry floor Work on the vestry extension started in early May with the demolition of its north wall and the thick internal wall which divided the space into two rooms. All was going according to plan until the beginning of June when excavations revealed skeletons under the floor. At the time of writing all work has been suspended while archaeologist, Stuart Watson, examines the site and deals with the ‘discoveries’.

He uncovered eight skeletons, including that of a child, under the floor and at the time of going to press at least eleven more under the part of the path that will be enclosed by the new north wall of the vestry. Many of these are in a common grave, suggesting an epidemic or some other sort of local catastrophe.

Stuart believes that most of the burials took place in medieval times. However, three of the bodies had been buried in coffins indicating more recent interment. Although the wood has perished, the coffin handles have survived and their style will give an indication of their dates.

The book written by P F Robinson, the architect who supervised the church’s restoration in 1823, includes a plan showing a vestry on the present site. This suggests that these burials took place before that date. We await Stuart’s full report after he has completed his examination of the site.

from the June 2009 magazine
Oscar and Ayaka make music for Oddar Meanchey Hospital Oscar Perks (violin) and Ayaka Shigeno (piano) - both 19 and poised at the start of their musical careers - gave us an outstanding evening of exceptional musical quality. They generously donated the proceeds of the recital to the Oddar Meanchey Hospital in Cambodia where Emma, David Ireland’s daughter, is currently nursing. Angela Ireland wrote an illuminating and motivating article in the last issue of the parish magazine, describing the deplorable conditions they found when she and David visited there recently and saw the urgent need for funding.

So, there we were in a packed church, including the balcony, anticipating what we knew would be a musical feast. The church looked magnificent, with candles lighting every nook and sill and the new lighting system revealing hitherto obscure features – the restored ceiling with newly gilded bosses, the majestic Norman arches and the smaller ones in the chancel, the now uncovered marble pillars above the altar and the lovely roundel window, with the serene lily arrangements setting it all off.

Seeing Oscar standing on the chancel steps ready to play, resplendent in his new concert tails, made me think back 11 years to when he stood as a boy of eight in the same place with his half-size violin, taking part in the pre-Christmas children’s concerts arranged by Barbara Steadman-Allen and Juliet Hornby. We had a good inkling then where Oscar’s musical talents were going to lead him. He started playing the violin in the Yehudi Menuhin School’s external ‘Young Strings’ programme at the age of five. He won a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School when he was eight and, during his 10 years there, played at many major venues throughout the country, including the Festival Hall (in his first year) and latterly giving solo performance at the Wigmore Hall. Oscar is also a composer and in 2002, aged 11, he won the ‘BBC/Guardian Young Composer of the Year’ with his string quartet, The Twin Towers, written in response to the terrible events of 11th September 2001, receiving its London première at the Wigmore Hall in July 2002.

Ayaka was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1990 and began studying the piano at the age of five with her mother. She won prizes in several competitions around the world and gained a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 2004. Since then, she has taken part in many concerts at numerous venues in this country, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Ayaka will be studying music at the University of Berlin from next September. She has played piano many times with Oscar on violin and they greatly enjoy performing together, complementing each other perfectly.

Ayaka and Oscar chose four pieces:
Mozart’s Sonato for Piano and Violin in B flat Major, K454. This was a sparkling performance of music, interchanging between haunting, soaring and vivacious moods.

Subito for Violin and Piano by Lutoslawski, a Polish composer (1913-1994). As the title suggests, its character was indeed very ‘sudden’. This was a very fast, passionate showpiece performed with masterly skill.

Märchenbilder, Opus 113 for Piano and Viola written by Schumann just before he went into an asylum. In his musical fantasy world, he described it as ‘childish trifles’. Anything less applicable is hard to imagine! It was a very complicated work whose character ranged between extreme passion and slow, melodious peacefulness, requiring extremely nimble fingers. This was the first solo performance played on Oscar’s brand new viola made especially for him by Tony Padday, a Luthier from Somerset. Its rich tones were a delight to the ear.

Thème et Variations for Violin and Piano by Messiaen who was extremely religious. In his introduction, Oscar drew a parallel between the dominant F sharp and God! This music contained rich and very dense harmonies, conveying intense fury in places!

As a surprise bonus, we were treated to an encore – the second movement of Beethoven’s Sonato No. 6, completing a very special musical evening of great enjoyment. There were probably other people who, like me, had not heard any of the music before. Nevertheless, the rapt attention of the audience was palpable. We were all captured by the seemingly effortless skill of these two young musicians, the standard of whose performance and mature musical interpretation was breathtaking. We wish them well and look forward to future opportunities to hear their extraordinary musical talents. Through their initiative, the Oddar Meanchey Hospital will receive the magnificent sum of £1,176 which will go much further in Cambodia than it would here in providing much-needed basic equipment and improved medical conditions. Liz Weller

from the May 2009 magazine
Guildford Cathedral Link Guildford Cathedral is not just a place of worship it is also is a venue for pilgrimages, concerts, exhibitions, concerts, civic receptions, graduation ceremonies, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, specialist training seminars and much more. In addition it has a Refectory, Gift Shop and Book Shop. Being the link on behalf of St. Michael’s Mickleham it is interesting to find out more of what is happening at the Cathedral particularly as during 2008 some notable things happened.

Firstly in January Katherine Dienes-Williams was appointed as the Organist and Master of Choristers, this was the first time a female has held this role in an Anglican Cathedral.

The Cathedral is very young by comparison to many in England yet after some 45 years the West Windows had failed to keep out the elements letting in copious amounts of rainwater damaging brickwork and plaster. Following extensive restoration which included removing every pane of the handmade glass and re-installation the project was completed on schedule and scaffolding removed in time for the Easter Services.

At the annual Cathedral Links Meeting the Founder of The Seeds of Hope Children’s Garden, Caroline Jay gave a talk on the purpose and establishment of this project.

The garden opened on the 1st May is a unique garden designed to help children and young people explore feelings of loss of all kinds with the support of their families, teachers and carers. The loss may be as a result of many different things including death, divorce, adoption, separation, a change of school, because a best friend has moved away or a treasured possession has been lost.

Caroline stated: ‘Our aim is to provide a resource to help children and young people explore the feelings they may feel unable to articulate and to ensure their friends and classmates to learn more about what they might be going through in order that no young person ends up feeling isolated’

A parishioner in Westhumble contacted me in June enquiring of the dates of the Carol Concert and special services in the Cathedral at Christmas as they were having visitors from overseas and wished to include attending an event or service at that time. Fortunately I had early knowledge of the John Rutter Carol Concert and reserved a number of tickets for what were a most festive and memorable concert attended by several members of the church. Special thanks to Rose Spence who organised a minibus and fish and chip supper after the concert. Paul Quinnell

from the May 2009 magazine
Deanery Synod A year ago we elected Barry Moughton and Frank Warren to be our representatives on the Leatherhead Deanery synod for a three year period. In September Rev Robert Jenkins, vicar of Cobham, was commissioned as our new Rural Dean. Our first synod heard the Deanery Pastoral and Mission Plan described by the previous Rural Dean Rev Jeremy Cresswell, and Ven Julian Henderson, the Archdeacon of Dorking spoke on ‘Resourcing the Church’. In November we held a communal supper at St Andrew’s, Cobham, when the Diocesan Director of Ordinands addressed us on the qualities he seeks in candidates for the ministry. In January Deanery representatives shared with each other the particular needs and concerns of their own parishes. The subjects raised will determine the agenda for synod meetings for the next two years. Frank Warren

from the April 2009 magazine
Parish Magazine Annual Report 2008 The parish magazine has had another good year, with a continuing supply of good articles and other contributions. Of course, we are always on the look out for new writers and good, high resolution photographs. Special thanks to Charlotte Daruwalla, who edited half the issues and to all the other members of the editorial panel - Val Selwood, Sue Timms, and Liz Weller. Although Stephanie Randall has moved away temporarily she is continuing her vital role as chief proof-reader, via email. Thanks, also, to David Ireland for all his support.

Magazine finances are sound. Printing costs have gone up, but so has the number of requests for advertising space. Consequently we have increased the number of pages in the magazine so that we can cover printing costs, but maintain about the same ratio of copy to advertising. Many thanks to Kate Warren for all her help with the advertising and to Mary Banfield for her diligent work on the accounts.

Again I must thank all those who help with the magazine distribution, including Mary Venning and Sue Timms who count the magazine into bags, and David Kennington, Mark Day and Ray Wilson who distribute the bags to the deliverers. Derrick Skinner has retired from the delivery team and Debbie Cameron has taken over his Pilgrims Way deliveries. Again, many thanks to all the deliverers, with an added thank you to those who arrange their own substitutes for when they go away.

Each month we post over 35 copies of the magazine to our mailing-list subscribers, most of whom are former residents. I am most grateful to Peter and Agnes Boag who have taken over from Sayda and Brian Cole who organized the mailing list for many years. Sadly Brian and Sayda have had to retire.

I must pay special tribute to Sayda who has been involved with the magazine since its inception. She was our first typist and amazingly accurate she was too. When we changed over to computers Sayda helped by organising the distribution in Westhumble and readily stood in for deliverers when they were away. Many thanks, Sayda for all your help over the years.

Speaking of years, the parish magazine in its present form will celebrate its 25th birthday in September 2009. We shall have a party! Sue Tatham, Editor

from the April 2009 magazine
An Evening of Musical Delights The concert at St Michael’s on Saturday 28th February was a delight: the perfect launch of the newly refurbished church as a concert venue. The programme of music written for wind instruments and piano featured Keith Willis (piano) and the wind principals of the Dorking Chamber Orchestra: Kathy Bucknill (oboe), David Jewel (flute), Jo James (bassoon), Andrew Meredith (clarinet) and Mark Ashford (horn). Each number was introduced by one of the musicians who put it into context and directed the listening of those who were unfamiliar with the piece.

The evening started with the Mozart Quintet for piano and wind, a classic piece of chamber music that Mozart was very proud of - he described it in a letter to his father in 1784 as ‘the best I have written in my entire life’. We were encouraged to listen for the distinctive ‘voice’ of each instrument in this lively composition.

The next piece, Malcolm Arnold’s Sea Shanties for wind quintet was particularly enjoyed by the audience. Arnold, who composed music for films such as Bridge on the River Kwai, wrote these humorous variations on familiar sea shanty tunes in 1943.

The second half of the evening had a French theme, starting with Saint-Saëns. Caprice sur des airs danois et russes for piano and wind trio is an intertwining of Danish and Russian folk songs including a sparkling piano part reminiscent of his piano concertos.

The highlight of the concert was Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute played to perfection by David Jewell, our very own architect. A short piece, but delightful to hear. David introduced the Syrinx by suggesting that this and the perhaps Debussy’s more-familiar Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, were the forerunners of modern music.

The light and quick-witted Sextet by Poulenc, first performed in Paris in 1940, completed this most enjoyable evening. Many thanks to the musicians and Dorking Chamber Orchestra for presenting this concert which raised about £250 for the St Michael’s Church vestry extension. Jack Richardson

13 Feb 2009 War Memorial link added to our website: Our webmaster does the same job for the Leatherhead & District Local History Society. Frank has for some time edited a website about the war memorials in Leatherhead. We now have one for our war memorial at St Michael's.

This is part of a L&DLHS project which Frank is doing to put all the local war memorials on the internet so that residents, families and researchers can all contribute to adding information to restore connection and personality to the names on the memorials. It makes a difference on Remembrance Sunday that you know something about them. Rose Spence is among those who have been assisting Frank and if anyone else has good knowledge of local families, please contact him or Rose.

from the Nov 2008 magazine
Celebration and Thanksgiving Amid the gloom of the financial crisis, Sunday 12th October was a day of celebration and thanksgiving in Mickleham – celebration of the completion of the extensive programme of internal redecoration and refurbishment at St Michael’s Church, and of the musical talent with which our villages and surroundings are so richly endowed, and thanksgiving to our benefactors, Geoff and Jean Suckling and their Ranmore Trust, whose generous donations have made such works possible, and the Fraser Family, who so kindly donated their grand piano to the church.

Bishop Ian, Bishop of Dorking, presided at the service of thanksgiving and dedication at St Michael’s in the morning. He reminded us that, whatever our current financial woes, there are many others whose troubles make ours pale into insignificance. Among the hymns was one with words written specially for the occasion by our resident poet Stanley Lovell. The choir sang Bruckner’s motet Locus iste, which as organist Barry Williams (standing in for Robert Leach, celebrating a family marriage elsewhere) reminded us, was in fact very difficult, notwithstanding its inclusion in The Oxford Book of Easy Anthems! We hope we did it justice.

In the evening, a packed audience in the church was treated to A Musical Evening in Celebration, expertly and enthusiastically organised by Tracy Kennington and Juliet Hornby. St Michael’s School Year 3 Choir began proceedings by encouraging us … To Teach the World to Sing. What followed was a real feast of musical talent and virtuosity, with performances of works ranging from Pergolesi to Irving Berlin. The piano was put through its paces, by (among others) Ursula Perks, who once more amazed us with her youthful talent and great poise in playing a set of Beethoven variations. Emily Heuvel’s crystal voice gave way to Fiona Harrison’s lyrical and dexterous guitar playing. Jenny Eum (flute) and Adam Stanworth (piano), from Box Hill School, performed a lilting Caplet waltz.

Suzie Wood showed us what an accomplished clarinettist she is becoming. Jazz pianist J P Sutcliffe reminded us of the versatility of the piano in playing a number by The Police aka Sting. The ladies of the Kennington and Lowes families starred in many of the performances. Georgie K’s rendition of Honeysuckle Rose, accompanied by J P, was one of the highlights of the evening. Sophia L showed us the full vocal range of the clarinet in playing a movement from Spohr’s clarinet concerto, and then turned her talented hands to Albeniz, on the piano. Clare K gave a stunning performance of an Andalucian Romance by Sarastre on her magnificent 17th century violin. Tracy played a Chopin Mazurka, demonstrating the piano’s rich tones. Juliet sang Schubert’s Ode to the Piano, and, accompanied by Tracy, brought the concert to a close with a witty performance of Berlin’s I love a piano.

A splendid concert – we look forward to many more to come. Richard Siberry

from the Nov 2008 magazine
Lest We Forget – The Disposable Society When taking my dog for walks on Ranmore Common, it is with sadness I see the evidence of our casual disposable society. Indications of some people’s attitude to life can be seen all around with burnt-out cars, garden waste and dumped white goods strewn across our beautiful countryside. Also, for all to see, are KFC containers, lager cans, discarded cigarette packets and cigarette butts thrown on the ground in our National Trust car parks, bearing witness to a contemporary version of a ‘night out’. It would seem for some that when something is no longer wanted it is merely cast aside.

It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that this is the attitude of our Government which, after entering into two dubious wars, seems not too keen to reveal the true price, not just in money, but in the physical and mental destruction that the conflicts are costing. According to reports on 21st September, the Ministry of Defence is covering the true cost of the war in Afghanistan by hiding away soldiers who have been injured there. The MOD always avers that it is defending soldiers from ‘media intrusion’. The Press believe this to be a shabby lie. They say we are told when soldiers are killed, but not when they have lost arms and legs or have face or brain injuries. Our army medical teams are now so good that many of the wounded, who would have died a few years ago now survive, but need long-term care.

Many young soldiers return home physically uninjured but gradually their mental anguish, torments and psychological injuries become manifest. This is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Those affected cannot adjust to normal life because of the scars to their minds. When they leave the army they often seek solace in drink or drugs. Therefore many end up in prison or homeless on the streets of our major cities. At the moment one in ten of those living rough on the streets of London are ex-servicemen. The number of them ending up in prison is rising. They have done their duty for our country and would now seem to be disposable. It is a drain on the Exchequer to deal with these young men and it is an embarrassment to the Government to acknowledge the extent of the problem. As we deal with life’s difficulties we must not pass by but stop, think and reflect on the terrible price these young men and women have paid while serving their and our country. They could be seen as the forgotten ones.

However these soldiers are not forgotten by most good people or by the Royal British Legion. Buying poppies is not to remember only those who fell in the two World Wars but also those who have died since 1945. Perhaps most important at the moment are those who are the casualties of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of ex-servicemen and their dependants, who seek help from the Legion, increases each year, so that the need for even greater generosity from the general public grows. Theodore Roosevelt wrote: ‘a man who is good enough to shed blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards’. Well, whether this happens at the moment to our forces is debatable. However the generosity of the people of Mickleham and Westhumble has consistently been praiseworthy and as always the Royal British Legion is most grateful. So as the season of Remembrance comes around once again we shall wear our poppies with pride. Robert Bowley

from the October 2008 magazine
The Ancient Chapel at Westhumble - a few thoughts There’s a letter to Sue Tatham on my desk dated April 2006, in which Derrick Skinner asks what is known about Westhumble’s ruined chapel. Sue passed it to me and I immediately put it on my ‘to do’ list. Two and a half years later…

The history of the chapel is shrouded in mystery. It lies on the boundary between the manors of Polesden and Westhumble but which one owned it is unclear. Likewise, the founder, the foundation date and its ultimate fate are all unknown. With this dearth of hard facts to go on, I decided to ask some different questions. Firstly, what was going on in the wider world during this period, which would have influenced the building of chapels; secondly, what would our chapel have looked like: and finally what was its fate? Apart from a few perambulations, I have used Ronnie Shepperd’s books on Mickleham and Westhumble and Early Medieval Surrey by John Blair, which is very good indeed.

Firstly then, a very brief summary of the development of churches in Surrey. By the middle of the 8th century most of the English kingdoms had started to establish minster churches which in turn administered networks of parochiae covering up to around 15 of our modern parishes. Before 700 AD, Surrey, which was then something of an economic backwater, had minsters at Chertsey, Farnham, Woking and Bermondsey. In the 10th century these were joined by Godstone, Kingston and Croydon and in the 11th by Leatherhead, Guildford, Godalming and Southwark. The most developed areas in this period were along the Thames and in the strip of good agricultural land along the dip slope of the Downs (you can still get a sense of the regular spacing of these Saxon settlements as you drive along the A246 from Leatherhead to Guildford). The Weald to the south was very sparsely populated and Mickleham and Dorking would have been at the very edge of the ‘developed’ world.

By the start of the 11th century, strong kings and improved governance had lead to a significant increase in prosperity. The shire counties as we know them today had been set out and property rights and the rule of law enabled the accumulation of wealth. One of the ways in which the newly emerging local aristocracy were able to display their status was in the founding of local churches, including St Michael’s, a small part of which is Saxon.

The Norman invasion of 1066, while removing the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy almost entirely, actually enhanced the process of church-building. The Normans' feudal structure produced a network of manorial holdings, most of which would initially have had a local landowner keen to impress the local peasantry with his importance - and what better way to do this than to found a church? In 1086, Domesday Book lists 61 churches in Surrey and by 1200 this had increased to around 130. In addition to new churches, existing ones were rebuilt or enhanced.

Both St Michael’s and Westhumble Chapel fall into this period. The nave and tower of St Michael’s were built around 1140 and the chancel added in 1180. Westhumble Chapel probably dates from around 1150. At this time the whole area was owned by the De Micklem family, so rather than building the chapel to enhance family status, we can assume that it was founded to serve the spiritual needs of the villagers who would have been cut off from Mickleham when the Mole flooded. The process of constructing chapels to serve local communities was replicated across Surrey.

The effect of this foundation of churches and chapels under lay ownership was the decay of the minster system and a loss of central ecclesiastical control. While the establishment of churches and chapels was undoubtedly driven by spiritual motives, the churches were able to control a large part of the financial resources of a community through tithes.

The reimposition of ecclesiastical authority from around 1100 was brought about through the growth of the monasteries, as the barons and the lower aristocracy endowed monasteries with parts of their estate. This ranged from small grants of land up to entire manors, and rights to church tithes and even churches themselves. In this way, the manor of Polesden was granted to Merton Priory in 1203 and that of Westhumble to Reigate Priory in 1253, and our chapel would have gone to one of them.

Between 1087 and 1180, Merton acquired 14 churches around Surrey, with Southwark Priory gaining a further 12 and Lewes seven. Chertsey minster had retained most of north-west Surrey as its estate, while the Bishop of Winchester held all the land around Farnham. So by the end of the 12th century, most of Surrey’s churches were safely back within the fold. This allowed the churches to be peeled away from manorial structure, resulting in the parishes we still have today.

So what would Westhumble chapel have looked like in its prime? Fortunately there are several surviving churches from this period with roughly similar dimensions (about 5m x 15m) which give us a good idea of its probable appearance. One of the earliest is Farleigh, founded around 1083 and located on the downs south of Croydon. Closer to us is Wisley, another single aisle church founded in the mid 12th century. Both still have many of their original features and even amidst the bustle of 21st century Surrey, retain an air of detached tranquillity.

Lastly, why did our chapel fall into ruin? The fate of chapels across Surrey is a matter of considerable conjecture; John Blair’s book lists around 30 chapels in Surrey known to have been founded between 1087 and 1291, but he thinks that a significantly larger number will simply have disappeared without trace. Our chapel’s demise might have resulted from the imposition of parochial control mentioned above under which the burials, baptisms and the collection of tithes were only allowed at parish churches, thus diminishing a chapel’s status. (The discovery of human remains near the chapel during the 1937 excavation suggests that burials had been performed at one time, but later disallowed). Another reason could have been a fall in population – there is evidence of occupation in the fields near the chapel, but at some point habitation is this location came to an end. Derrick – apologies for the rather slow response. I hope this is useful and you are not too disappointed by the lack of hard facts. Chris Budleigh

from the October 2008 magazine
Calling all Villagers! A plea for help from the Box Hill School Sixth Form From this September the sixth form students at Box Hill School will be working towards the International Baccalaureate (IB) instead of the more traditional AS and A Levels. As part of the IB, they are required to complete at least 50 hours each of Creativity (art, music), Action (sports) and Service (ideally in the local community). This element of the IB is called CAS. The Service part of CAS is usually the most difficult to fulfil.

It is for the service element that we need your help. If you personally have a ‘need’ or know someone who does, we would love to hear from you. The ‘need’ might be:
someone to help in the garden
someone to do the weekly shopping for a less mobile resident
someone to sort through recycling rubbish and take it to the recycling point
someone to chat to an elderly resident who might need some company
or to contribute in some other capacity.

If you would like a sixth former from the school to come and help you with your need, we would love to hear from you. Either ring the school and leave a message for A Hobbs or speak to David Ireland.
I look forward to hearing from you. We at Box Hill are anxious to forge closer links with the village community. A Hobbs, CAS Co-ordinator 01372 373382

from the September 2008 magazine
News in Brief

• We shall again be collecting filled shoe boxes in support of Operation Christmas Child. This has proved a brilliant way of remembering those very much less fortunate than ourselves in a very practical and enjoyable way. Leaflets about the appeal will be in Rose’s Store, the church and St Michael's School from early October. Shoe Box Sunday is 2nd November. Do help, if you are able.
• Paul Quinnell is our new Cathedral Link.
• The new website address for the cathedral is : www.guildford-cathedral.org
• John Winn has taken over responsibility for winding the church clock.
• Rose Spence is no longer collecting computer cartridges for recycling.

from the September 2008 magazine
The 2008 Village Fête ... As a newcomer to the village, when I first got the call and was asked if I would like to set up a craft activity for the children at the village fête, panic set in. What am I going to do? What would be an easy to make, outdoor activity, that would appeal to all ages? A difficult one! What standard do I need to achieve? What is the benchmark? How good has it got to be? Good enough or perfect? This is my first village fête. HELP!!

I trawled the internet, visited Dorking library and phoned numerous friends. Thankfully a eureka moment came and I remembered something that I did at my son’s school fête, 25 years ago. JELLYFISH BALLOONS. I set about making a prototype to refresh my memory. What exactly did I need? The balloon was the easy part. I also needed two eyes and lips. It is interesting what comes up in Google when you type in ‘luscious lips’. Having resourced the parts it was amazing how it all came together with double sided sticky tape.

The day of the fête arrived and along with my helpers, my husband Eric and daughter Kate, we ferried all the bits to the rectory garden to our allocated spot opposite the entrance gate.

The fête opened; I heard the music from the North Wood Morris Men and immediately abandoned my stall leaving my two helpers to hold the fort. The Morris Men were excellent and helped set the mood for the rest of the afternoon. I had my photograph taken with the bear.

By this time ‘little customers’ started to visit our stall and the fun really began. The children were very creative. The standard Jellyfish went out of the window. We had a Dracula Jellyfish with blood, fangs and evil eyes, a Barbie Jellyfish, all glam, pink and lipstick to a multi-eyed, multi-lipped ‘monster’. What fun. It was great. We ended up making about 80 jellyfish and it was worth the effort to see so many smiling faces.

We all took time out from the stall to enjoy a Pimms, a few slices of excellent cake, the country dancing and all the other fun activities on offer. Being our first Mickleham fête we were impressed as to how good it was. Everyone worked so hard and all the stalls were buzzing with activity. I even wona lovely hanging basket in the raffle. It was a wonderful day. Mary Flint

Ailsa’s Stall When the day of the Village Fête finally came, I was awake really early because I was so excited. We still had macaroons to finish and lots of wrapping to do and labels to fix on. Luckily I didn’t have to do all of this by myself as I had my friend Anabelle Davis come and help me so it was lots of fun. We got to the Rectory early and set up our stall. It took a while to place all the sweets in the right places but then we felt ready. It looked like a lot of sweets and I was wondering whether we’d sell many and how much money we could raise for safe drinking water for villages in Africa.

It started slowly but we ended up selling out all our homemade macaroons, rocky road, treacle toffee, fudge, lollipops and nougat. I want to thank everyone who bought our sweets. You helped to raise a total of £177.60 which will pay for everything needed to have safe water for 125 people in Africa plus a solar powered pump and filter which can be used in a very remote area and also three additional water filters. I am very grateful to David Ireland for making announcements at the fête to get people to come and see my sweets. Thank you to the two people who gave me big donations, that made it very exciting as well as raising more than I ever thought we could. I think the fête was really fun and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Ailsa McNaughton

... a resounding success!
A very big thank you to Lucy Adshead, Amanda Wadsworth and Angela Ireland who organised this wonderful afternoon. which was attended by more than 700 visitors. Despite being a non-profit event, just over £3,300 was left after all expenses had been paid. This will be distributed among the village organisations: St Michael’s School, Church, Community Nursery, the Playground Association, Mickleham Marvels, Mickleham and Westhumble Playgroup and Mickleham Village Hall.

from the Jul/Aug 2008 magazine
A splendid Grand Piano for St Michael’s Having written an article in the Parish Magazine last autumn about requesting help towards buying a grand piano for St. Michael’s Church, I very surprisingly received a phone call from Ian Fraser saying they had a Blüthner grand piano that they would like to give to the church. When I saw it and played it, I could not believe our luck. It looked absolutely perfect. Of course I said ‘yes we would love it’. Off it went to Reigate Piano Workshop where they tweaked a few things to bring it up to performance standard, mainly just putting on new bass strings which had to be ordered from Germany and made to order taking rubbings from the original strings.

On the morning of Friday 6th June, three men arrived at the church and very expertly brought the long-awaited piano into the church. There was a slightly tense moment when they couldn’t get it on to the wheeled ‘A’ frame easily, with all of us knowing that we had to be out of the church pronto because there were two services scheduled for the day. What seemed like an age was really only a few minutes and then there it was, looking as if it has always been there. The piano is beautiful and we owe a huge thank you to the Frasers for such a generous gift. I can’t wait to open the lid and let the sound of the piano fill the entire church. Sorry I am getting carried away! It really will enhance the musical life of our parish and various musical events will take place from September. How exciting!
Tracy Kennington

from the June 2008 magazine
Parish Magazine – Annual Report 2007/8 The parish magazine has had another good year. The supply of articles and other contributions has been particularly good, necessitating the addition of four extra pages in six of the ten issues for 2007. Fortunately additional ads have helped cover the cost of printing the larger magazines. We dedicated the July edition to the celebration of St Michael’s School’s Centenary. The availability of good, high resolution photographs is extremely helpful when setting out the pages. Special thanks to Charlotte Daruwalla, who edited half the issues, Stephanie Randall for her expert proofreading and all the other members of the editorial panel – Val Selwood, Sue Timms, Mary Venning and Liz Weller. Thanks, also, to David Ireland for all his support.

Magazine finances are sound. The 6% increase in advertising charges resulted in the loss of very few ads, and the advertising revenue now covers printing costs. Many thanks to Kate Warren for all her help with the advertising and to Mary Banfield for her diligent work on the accounts.

In the autumn we completed the archiving and now have three complete sets of all magazines produced since October 1984. One set of eleven box files has been placed in the newly-built Mickleham Archive cupboard at the National Trust’s Warren Farm Barns. Our next task is cataloguing the magazine contents.

Again I must thank all those who help with the magazine distribution , including Mary Venning and Sue Timms who count the magazine into bags. Geoff Knight who had distributed the Mickleham bags for many years, retired in April – many thanks for all your help, Geoff. I am extremely grateful to David Kennington for taking on this task and to Mark Day and Ray Wilson who also help with the distribution of the bags. Thankfully the delivery team is unchanged. Again, many thanks to them, especially for arranging their own substitutes for when they go away. And last, but not least, a big thank you to Sayda and Brian Cole who organise the mailing list. Sue Tatham Editor

Extra special thanks must also go to Sue, who works so hard to keep the magazine on the road. She encourages all the volunteers; she makes sure that all events are reported and sends her chief photographer (Ben) out to take paparazzi photos in all weathers. The whole community benefits from the availability of such an informative magazine, and we are all grateful to her for this. Thanks, too, to all contributors, regular and irregular, who help to make the magazine a good read.
Charlotte Daruwalla

from the June 2008 magazine
Yeoman of His Majesties Confectionary Office The magnificent restoration of the ceiling of St Michael’s, naturally draws the eye upwards, but there are also items of considerable interest lower down. A few weeks ago, wandering up the aisle I happened to glance at one of the floor-slabs. ‘Here Lyeth the body of Peter De Lahay esq, eldest yeoman of his Majesties Confectionary* Office who departed this life on the 10th Day of December Anno Dom 1684 aged about sixty fower years’.

Well, what a wonderful job that must have been, running the King’s sweetshop. Of course, all that time ago, things would have been very different to what they are today. Snickers would have been called Marathons, Starbursts would have been Opal Fruits. There would even have been Spangles. I decided to dig a little deeper…

Peter Delahay would have worked in the court of Charles II who reigned from 1660 to 1685. The court was nothing if not lavish, comprising around 350 officers each with his (very rarely her) own area of responsibility, plus a huge supporting retinue who did the actual work. A large part of this team was involved with eating and drinking and the following extract from a recent book on court officers of the period give some idea of the various roles:

‘The work of cooking for the court was performed by a series of master cooks, yeomen, grooms and children, supported by menial servants such as turnbroaches, pankeepers and scourers. Next in importance came the cellar, headed by a gentleman and responsible for keeping the monarch’s wines. The buttery stored and delivered liquors other than wine. The poultry was responsible for providing fruit, greens, butter and eggs for the royal tables. The acatry procured meat, fish, bacon and other goods and delivered them to the larder, where they were stored prior to delivery to the kitchens. The scalding house prepared fowl for dressing by the cooks. The bakehouse baked the court’s bread and delivered it to the pantry. The confectionery prepared fruit desserts, the pastry bakemeats, pies and tarts. The spicery delivered spices, candles and goods supplied by the grocer and oilman. The ewry and laundry were responsible for the royal table linen (the former for provision and storage, the latter for cleaning), the scullery for royal plate and pewter. The woodyard provided the court’s fuel.’

So our Peter Delahay was responsible for getting fruit desserts onto the royal table. He gradually worked his way up, starting as Groom of the Confectionery in 1668, becoming Second Yeoman of Confectionery two years later and First Yeoman in 1678. The fact that there were three levels of officer responsible for preparing fruit desserts gives us a clue as to just how padded out with hangers-on the court must have been.

Delahay was a man of substance in his own right, to the extent that he had a street named in London after him. Delahay Street was slightly north of where Bow Street now runs. (Probably not quite as salubrious as this part of the West End is today – the next street along was called Thieving Alley).

So what linked Peter Delahay to Mickleham? There is a clue a few feet further along the aisle in the next floor slab – that of James Tooth. Now, Delahay had married Joanna Tooth at St Martin’s in the Fields in 1668, when she was about 28 and he was a widower of 48. The Tooths (I really want to write Teeth here) were a prominent Mickleham family and I came across the following deed of surrender dated 2 December 1682.
Surrender by Caleb Arrow of Mickleham (Surrey) to James Tooth of Mickleham of his equity of redemption in 2 customary tenements of the manor of Littleburgh (Surrey): 1 messuage, etc., and 7 acres lying together called ‘Swansworth’ in a common field called ‘Westfield,’ ‘Bushie Acre,’ near ‘Hale Oake’; 2 acres of land called ‘Little Swansworth’; and 1 acre and a half in ‘Greeneham’.

So a few interesting points here. The manor of Mickleham was split into two parts – Littleburgh around where the village is now and High Ashurst up on the hill. We know more or less where ‘Swansworth’ is, so the seven acres must have been in the same area. And maybe this James Tooth, buried beneath the aisle in 1719 aged 74, was Joanna’s brother? Joanna and Peter had five daughters who seem to have done well for themselves; Mary, who married Sir John St. Aubin of Clowance, Cornwall; Martha; Lady Elizabeth Glanville; Judith, who married a John Langley; and Eleanor, who married Thomas Morice. (Something here for the extreme genealogists amongst you).

So we can assume that after many years of ensuring that His Majesties’ apple turnovers and rhubarb crumbles were just right, Peter Delahay retired to the countryside to spend his twilight years in the bosom of his wife’s family. I am sure the puddings were awfully good.
Chris Budleigh
*This was the spelling used at the time.

from the May 2008 magazine
Onward Christian Soldiers - The Micklehymns article (March issue), which assiduous readers of the parish magazine will have noted was a celebration of various individuals’ favourite hymns, set me thinking. The one I have found supportive through the vicissitudes of life is Onward Christian Soldiers. The music is by Arthur Sullivan and the words are by that polymath: Sabine Baring-Gould, whose life spanned 90 years. The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould (28 January 1834 - 2 January 1924) was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His family home Lewtrenchard Manor was near Oakhampton in Devon. Apart from Onward Christian Soldiers, he wrote that beautiful eventide hymn Now the Day is Over, while he also translated the carol Gabriel’s Message from Basque into English.

In 1880 Sabine Baring-Gould inherited the 3,000 acre family estate of Lewtrenchard and became the ‘Squarson’, that is Squire and Parson of that parish in 1881. Stories of his eccentricity record that, while he was at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex, he was known to have taught his pupils with a tame bat on his shoulder.

When he was 34 years old and curate of Horbury in Yorkshire, he met an untutored 16-year-old mill girl, Grace Taylor, whom he sent away to be educated. On her return two years later he then married her. They were wed for 48 years and had 15 children. At a children’s party one day he asked a young child: ‘Whose little girl are you?’. Bursting into tears the girl sobbed; ‘I’m yours, Daddy’. It is said that this extraordinary liaison with his wife inspired his friend George Benard Shaw to write Pygmalion which subsequently was turned into the musical My Fair Lady. John Betjeman was moved to write of him: ‘What curate in an industrial parish in the North today would dare to single out a mill girl and have her sent to a place where she could learn to speak in an educated style and then marry her’.

Sabine Baring-Gould was a prolific writer and was said to be the tenth most popular novelist of his day. At one point in his life there were more books listed under his name in the British Museum Library than any other English writer. He is credited with 211 publications excluding any magazine articles. He also taught himself Icelandic and translated Norse sagas into English. In 1881 he began a mission to collect the folksongs of Devon and Cornwall before the old people, who were believed to be the principal carriers, were dead. He was to become one of the pioneers of the folksong revival. Subsequent distinguished followers of this cause were Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Sabine Baring-Gould wrote Onward Christian Soldiers while he was at Horbury in Yorkshire and was amazed at its popularity. He was said to have dashed the words off in no more than 10 minutes as an occasional piece for the procession of school children from his parish church to another church nearby. The hymn was originally entitled Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners. In popular culture Onward Christian Soldiers has been sung during the films Mrs Miniver, M.A.S.H., Taps, Striptease, Major Barbara and A Canterbury Tale and amazingly in the T.V. series Little House on the Prairie, The Simpsons and Dad’s Army.

The music for Onward Christian Soldiers was originally for Sullivan’s piece entitled the Festival of Te Deum, which was the first name for his 1872 composition Te Deum Laudamus written to celebrate the recovery of Albert Edward (later King Edward VII) from typhoid fever. Our editor has informed me that the opening phrase of Onward Christian Soldiers is a recurring theme in the work. Some of you will have been lucky enough to have heard it at the Leith Hill Musical Festival on 11th April. Indeed it was a fanfare which accompanied by the stirring words of Sabine Baring-Gould’s Onward Christian Soldier that heralded the advent of the Edwardian Age.
Robert Bowley

from the May 2008 magazine
Proposed Extension to the Vestry - Plans to demolish the existing vestry extension (retaining the east wall) and construct a new extension at St Michael’s Church have now been submitted for approval by the Mole Valley District Council.

The proposed extension will house an accessible toilet and a small room for clergy. The lobby between the two also gives access to the choir vestry which will become one room with the removal of the present very thick dividing wall. Besides providing accommodation for the choir and storage cupboards this new room would provide accommodation for various small group activities.

The outside wall of the proposed extension will be of flint to match the existing east wall. The height of the new single story vestry will preserve the light to the lancet window in the north wall of the chancel and the window over the altar in the Norbury Chapel.

Details of the planning application can be viewed at the Council offices at Pippbrook or on its website: www.mole-valley.gov.uk The planning reference number for this application is MO/2008/0461.

You can comment on any current application by letter to MVDC, through the website or by email: planning@molevalley.gov.uk
The Planning Department will accept representations on current planning applications from registration date up to the date of decision.

from the May 2008 magazine
Restoration work at St Michael’s
The Nave roof - At the beginning of February scaffolding was installed throughout the nave for the first stage of the redecoration programme which included cleaning down the stonework, repainting the nave ceiling and restoration of the 79 decorative bosses. Thanks to the temporary lighting provided by the contractors, services continued as usual. The bosses were repaired and repainted in red and gold leaf.
This work was financed by a very successful ‘adopt a boss’ scheme and there is a diagram at the back of the church which shows which boss was adopted by whom.
Just before Easter all the scaffolding was removed, revealing the splendid ceiling with its gilded bosses. Work has now begun in the Chancel.

How old are the bosses? - The Domesday Book (1086) records the presence of a church in Mickleham. Possibly this was a timber structure built by Anglo-Saxon Christians before the Conquest. The age of the present stone building is not clear. Some historians suggest that the oldest part, the north tower, dates from c1140, but Robinson [see below] argues that ‘the building was erected about the time of the Conquest or perhaps a few years earlier’.

It would seem that very few structural changes were made to the building until the early 19th century. With the population expanding and everyone in a village expected to go to church, the need for additional seating became evident. Initially building more pews and extending the gallery was planned, but a closer examination of the building revealed that the north wall was in a dangerous state and the roof and the other walls were nearly as bad. In 1822, the architect PF Robinson was engaged to undertake the design and supervision of the restoration/reconstruction.

In 1824, when the work was completed, Robinson published a book entitled An attempt to ascertain the age of the church of Mickleham, Surrey with remarks on the architecture of that building. This volume included a wonderful collection of his line drawings of details of the church after it was restored.

The 1823 renovation included raising the roof in order to accommodate a gallery over the south aisle. The ceiling of the nave in Robinson’s drawings looks just as it does today. However it seems that the design and the bosses are much older. Robinson writes: The inside of the ancient roof was boarded and divided into panels by moulded ribs, with bosses at each intersection. In constructing the new roof the same style of finishing has been preserved. The whole of the wood work throughout the church is painted in imitation of dark oak, in two shades, the mouldings being darker than the flat surfaces. The bosses in the ceiling are gilt, and the effect when the sun shines is extremely rich. It may be observed that the voice of the minister is heard particularly well in all parts of the church in consequence of this boarding.

One of the plates in Robinson’s book shows line drawings of six of the Antient [sic] carved oak bosses in the ceiling. During the present project the craftsmen who restored the bosses reported that only one – that of a Tudor rose – was carved wood, the others are moulded plaster. When were these replaced?
Sue Tatham

from the April 2008 magazine
Restoration work at St Michael’s - Surprises in the Chancel
When the wooden panelling to the right of the altar was removed for restoration, ceramic tiles were found underneath. Unfortunately these had been covered by heavy plastic before they could be photographed, but a picture taken through the plastic membrane gives an idea of the tile design. The colours are cream, brown and green. Underneath the carpet to the right of the altar, there are occasional bright blue and grey ceramic tiles set into the floor. In the corner is a memorial stone for Sarah Evans, widow of D H Evans.

Soon after work started, rot was found in the wood under the choir stalls on the organ side of the chancel. When the boards and joists were removed two tombstones were revealed. Their inscriptions are obscured at the edges by concrete. The picture [in the paper magazine] on the left shows the position of the stones (the organ is top left). The stone nearest the altar is that of John Bonwicke and his wife Dorothea. The incumbent board on the wall at the back of the church confirms that John Bonwicke was Rector of Mickleham from 1669 to 1698. The other stone is that of Thomas Traps, whose mother had been a ‘Stedolfe’. According to Ronnie Shepperd’s history of Mickleham, the Stydolph family dominated the parish in the 16th and 17th centuries and for a time owned all three manors of Mickleham, Westhumble and Norbury. More research is needed to establish the dates for Thomas Traps. It is most likely that these stones were concreted in and boarded over during the 1872 reconstructions when the present organ was installed in the chancel.

from the March 2008 magazine
Changes to Gift Aid The change has been expected for a while, but Gift Aid is about to become less generous to our churches and other charities.
While in theory if income tax rates drop some individuals may be better off, other changes may well erode any benefit, said Diocesan Secretary Stephen Marriott. One thing is clear however: whether or not charitable donors stand to benefit when things change on 6th April, the church and other charities are set to lose out.

At the moment, HM Revenue and Customs sends 28p tax back for every pound donated under Gift Aid. That figure is about to go down to 25p. For that reason all who make regular charitable donations are urged to consider raising their level of giving to compensate.

The change may sound small, but where budgets run into hundreds of thousands of pounds the impact could potentially be enormous on churches and other charities. As a result dioceses up and down England are making sure regular Gift Aid donors are made aware of its likely impact so that we can all avoid the kind of shortfalls in planned giving which can bring excellent work to a standstill.

For example, a regular gift of £5 will need to rise by 12p to £5.12. A £20 gift will need to go up to £20.48 to keep pace. To extrapolate this upwards is to start to understand the level of possible impact. If you have any queries about Gift Aid donations to St Michael’s Church, please consult Richard Siberry or Frank Warren.

from the March 2008 magazine
Mickleham Parish Council Report It was ‘standing room only’ when 24 members of the public joined the parish councillors in Box Hill School’s Reading Room at 7.30 p.m. on 13th February. The Chairman immediately adjourned the formal PC meeting and asked everyone to raise their hands to show whether they were there to protest about the proposed closure of the Post Office or the proposed redevelopment of Mickleham Downs. Almost everyone raised their hands for both.

Much anger was expressed about the proposed post office closure which, it was widely felt, would be a serious loss to the community and a threat to the viability of Mickleham’s only shop. The proposed alternative (Leatherhead or Dorking Offices) were regarded as quite unsatisfactory, and not just for those who were old or infirm. All who share this view are urged to write in protest, before 10th March as described alongside by Ben Tatham.

Letters of support have been sent by MP Sir Paul Beresford and District Councillor Ben Tatham, and of course by this Parish Council. If enough people write letters of support for our post office (including residents of Westhumble - as well as those who live or work in Mickleham), this was thought to offer the best chance of its reprieve.

The meeting then discussed at length a planning application from an unnamed (‘confidential’) representative of Animarcas S.A. (believed to be a Panamanian entity), c/o Cherkley Court, for the proposed demolition of all ten allegedly ‘poor quality dwellings’ (the charming Mickleham Downs stables) and their replacement by 10 new houses 26% bigger than before and with added car parking. It was widely felt that this proposal was completely unacceptable for many reasons. (One was that access was planned to be via Byttom Hill rather than - as now - off the A24 at Mickleham Drive, 700 metres south of the Givons Grove roundabout; the next day I was told this was an error in the application which would be amended to reflect existing arrangements).

There were far too many issues to discuss in detail and it was agreed that a further meeting of concerned local residents should be held within the next few days. Details of Planning Application MO/2008/0183 are available at Pippbrook and on the MVDC website. If you oppose this application, you should write before 6th March, quoting the above reference number, to: Planning Department, Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJ (or email: planning@molevalley.gov.uk).

The formal meeting of the Parish Council followed. The PC agreed to write a further letter opposing the proposed closure of the post office. The PC also shared the concerns which had been expressed regarding the proposals for Mickleham Downs, and strongly opposed them, but would defer writing to MVDC until the meeting of residents had taken place.

Other matters discussed included: repairs to the bus stop seat; repairs to the Rec gate; replacement of the Rec picnic table; the proposed new signage at Burford Bridge Hotel (the PC feels it is far too intrusive); and parish finances (which remain sound). The meeting ended at 10.15 p.m!).
Next meeting: Wednesday 12th March at 7.30 p.m. at Box Hill School. All are welcome. Richard Roberts-Miller

from the March 2008 magazine
Save Mickleham Post Office Post Office Ltd are proposing to close the Mickleham post office as part of a national programme to save money by closing 2,500 branches from the 14,300 national total.

An uninformative leaflet about this is available at Mickleham post office. 10th March is the last date for the receipt of comments so PLEASE WRITE to
Gary Herbert
Network Development Manager
Post Office Ltd
C/O National Consultation Team
FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM
Or email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk

I suggest that you do both just in case your letter is lost in the post! The only reason given for proposing to close the Mickleham branch is that it is slightly less than 3 miles from the post offices in Leatherhead and Dorking. Post Office Ltd has a target for 95% of the population to be less than three miles from a post office branch.

The existence of one step up to enter the shop at Mickleham also seems to count against it. Post Office Ltd has not presented any business case to justify the closure. Both the number and the persuasiveness of the letters are important. Points which you might like to consider mentioning include:
- effect of closure on the community and local enterprises
- effect on the viability of the shop
- effect on older or disabled people
- the ease of getting to alternative post offices

I am sure that you can think of other convincing points. Many people will be aware that in 1995 a number of local people came together to form Mickleham Village Shop Ltd and raised the money to buy half the freehold of Roses Stores including the living accommodation. This is let at a low rental to the owners (Serena and Gary) of the other half who run the shop and post office. Closure of the post office will damage the viability of the shop and will put at risk this community effort to maintain the village facilities.
Ben Tatham, District Councillor, Mickleham, Westhumble and Pixham

Christmas Collections 120 years ago
From the January 1888 Mickleham Parish Magazine On Monday 12th December two large packages of clothing were sent to the Rev J S Whichelow, Vicar of St Stephen’s Spitalfields, for distribution amongst the poor of that large East End parish. The garments, which were of various descriptions, had chiefly been made in this parish by friends who kindly gave their time, the expenses of the materials having been defrayed by subscriptions from several ladies. We append a list of those to whom our cordial thanks are due. [56 people named]. We must not omit to mention that several of the children, both at Mickleham and West Humble [sic], assisted in making the garments.

No less that thirty-one of our village children have, this winter, taken “Robin Dinner” collecting-papers from house-to-house, and it is gratifying to know that the kind-hearted efforts of the young folks have been very successful. They raised altogether £6 15s.8d. This sum was made up of nearly three hundred separate contributions, and thus illustrates the truth of an old Scotch proverb, “ Mony a mickle makes a muckle”.

The cost of a Robin Dinner being 6d. per head, it follows that 270 more or less destitute boys and girls, in London or some other large town, will be treated to a good dinner of roast beef and plum pudding, and will be pleasantly entertained with music, magic lantern, etc., etc. “Robin” returns hearty thanks to his kind friends in Mickleham.

Church Improvements On Tuesday 5th February we began a three-month project to almost completely redecorate the interior of the church. The programme includes:
• repainting the nave ceiling including restoration of the 78 bosses;
• cleaning down the stonework in the nave and gallery;
• redecorating the Norbury Chapel;
• removing the lime wash in the chancel and repainting;
• rectifying damp along the south wall of the chancel.

This work is going to create a good deal of mess and will require extensive scaffolding. There will inevitably be disruption to normal church activities.

From 5th February the main activity will be in the nave, gallery and Norbury Chapel. Scaffolding will be erected along the nave and while there will be access to the pews there will inevitably be some inconvenience during services. There will also be some minor disruption in the chancel while work to remedy the damp is completed. This phase will be completed no later than Palm Sunday.

After Easter the main activity will move to the chancel. There will be scaffolding around the walls and across the chancel arch. During the week the chancel will be closed off by plastic sheeting but at weekends there will be limited access from the vestry to the nave. The pulpit and lectern should be accessible though with some difficulty but the organ will be out of action. The altar and piano will be relocated to the foot of the chancel steps for 10am services. The 8am services will probably be taken in the Norbury Chapel.

Sunday services from 5th February to 9th March will be affected by scaffolding in the nave. From 30th March to 27th April when the chancel is closed, the disruption will be more noticeable and there will be a sense of holding services in a building site. However none of this will detract from the quality of worship.
We can only apologise for the inconvenience that is going to be caused but also hope that once the work is completed you will agree that it was all worthwhile.
PCC Buildings Committee

Photos of the church for our website No doubt some lucky folk will be getting a super duper new camera for Christmas. Why not take some photos (landscape format) so that these can be used on the parish website: www.leatherheadweb.org.uk/mickleham . Contact website editor Frank Haslam via the website for more details.

Helping Hands FORMERLY GOOD NEIGHBOURS - A service for all residents of Mickleham and Westhumble
Examples of services we offer:
transport for visits to doctor’s surgery or hospital essential shopping
collection of prescriptions/changing library books
small handyman/woman tasks: e.g. changing fuses, altering clocks etc. /dog walking
care of pets /visiting /befriending.

A Concert for Remembrance Sunday Rather like buying a book, if the first words grab you. And so it was, on the first strike of six o’clock, on Sunday 11th November, Director of Music, Juliet Hornby took the stand, raised her right hand and there was instant hush in a packed St. Michael’s Church. A single note on the organ sounded and the first chord from the many voices, a perfectly pitched, pianissimo D Minor ‘Requiem…’ told us that we were in for a musical treat.

The choirs of the Church, Box Hill School and Mickleham Choral Society combined to make over 80 singers occupying every nook and cranny of the chancel, stalls and pulpit. Dressed in black and white, slashed with red poppies, they engaged every ear with their faultless performance of Monsieur Fauré’s much loved creation. Martin Cox gave a magnificent interpretation of Libera Me; Pie Jesu - normally sung by a boy - interpreted by Natalie Mackworth-Praed, was pure, vibrant and plaintive, just as the composer intended. The choir’s rendering of this enduring version of the Eucharist was a compelling and moving act of remembrance. The first half of this annual music feast ended all too soon.

Our interval chatter was brought to an abrupt halt by Barbara Steadman-Allen’s clarion trumpet call: The Last Post. A varied programme of light and shade, soft and forte, instrumental and choral, followed, to fascinate and engage all tastes. Cathy Fisher and Tracy Kennington duetted us delightfully through Purcell’s Sound the Trumpet . To the joy of all fans of Arthur Sullivan, the choir gave a majestic performance of his Te Deum Laudamus. The combination of the genius of Dorking’s composer son, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the gentle voices of the sopranos and altos of the choir, brought great emotional impact to his Dirge for Fidele. Noah Rho and Vincent Hsu, of the younger generation, presented us with an ethereal, unaccompanied violin duet: John Stanley’s Sicillianna and Allegro.

One of my first introductions to classical music, Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cakewalk, was amusingly and skilfully interpreted by accomplished young pianist Nanami Koyanagi. The nine voices making up the ensemble from the Choral Society, who so wowed the judges at The Leith Hill Music Festival, repeated their lovely performance of Stanford’s Heraclitus.

One sometimes has to make allowances when the very young perform but not when Ursula Perks takes her seat at the grand piano, as we discovered last year, when she was only 9. Beautiful, blond locks falling over the soft violet of her long dress, her poise, confidence and technical mastery of Mozart’s Andante and Rondo K545 were amazing; a concert pianist in the making!

My first memory of Clare Kennington was when she auditioned for St Michael’s choir, aged 7. With her back to the piano, I asked her which of two notes I played was the higher. Without hesitation she said ‘The E flat’. Even at that tender age she had perfect pitch. What is it about Clare and the violin? The sound they make together reminds one of falling in love. The choir seated and standing behind her as she began John Williams Theme from Schindler’s List, made a tableau of rapt concentration. Her soulful, lingering, low notes, especially, evoked poignant memories of the human tragedies depicted in that film.

The world of today’s popular music may think it has a handle on the theme of love but it cannot hold a candle to Brahms’ arrangement of the traditional Love Farewell. Georgina Kennington and Neil Mackay made it a real love song backed by gentle, hummed harmonies from the choir. Their Hamisha Asar by Flory Jagoda, an exciting recollection of Spanish children going from house to house with many different fruits, had us tapping our toes as if to a Paso Doble on Strictly Come Dancing.

The cascading notes of Juliet Hornby’s sumptuous arrangement of Bridge Over Trouble Water, with gorgeous soprano solos from Georgina, Natalie and Emily brought the concert to a magnificent crescendo.

Geoffrey Harvey’s organ playing was, as always, beyond peer. The piano accompaniments were in the ultra skilful hands of Linda Chang. And it was difficult to believe that the programme could have been so delicately and aptly designed by one so young as Anna Darnell.

Juliet Hornby’s magic weaves all through this event, from the fascination of her running commentary, to the way in which her elegant hands coax such enchanting music from what is in reality a scratch choir. As David Ireland put it: ’It is astonishing that so small a village has such a wealth of musical talent and that it can all congregate under one roof, at least once a year, in remembrance of those who gave so much that we might survive in freedom and peace’.
John Batt

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from the November 2007 Mickleham magazine
In our churchyard I had a letter from a lady in Australia who asked if I could find the tomb of a relation of hers who lived at Juniper Hall and who bought the estate in 1779. By chance, as the letters on the very large tomb are almost indecipherable, Stan found the tomb and the wording is as follows:

Sacred to the memory of Mary Jenkinson
The wife of David Jenkinson of Juniper Hall
who after 21 years uniform attention to all conjugal duties
and the practice of every social virtue calmly
resigned her soul to the author of all nature on
the 16th day of October 1785 in the 58th year of her age.

I doubt if we will ever see such wording on a tomb ever again.
Rose Spence, Parish Administrator

from the November 2007 Mickleham magazine
Souvenirs of Mickleham Attention newcomers - Tea towels featuring the parish magazine front cover drawing. Sold in aid of St Michael’s Church
£3 each Contact R Spence 01372 377201

from the November Mickleham magazine
A Grand Piano for St Michael’s Many of you will remember last year’s Remembrance Day Concert in St Michael’s Church, performed by Mickleham Choral Society and soloists. It was a lovely occasion with pupils and staff from Box Hill School also taking part. The excellent quality of the concert would not have been possible without the use of a hired grand piano. It has now been decided that St Michael’s Church should have a grand piano as a permanent fixture, with the view that it will be a great asset for both the church and the village.

There will be scope for many more musical functions involving a wider village community. There will be the possibility of hiring out the venue for concerts and thereby generating additional income for the church. The provision of a concert quality grand piano will reflect the wide musical talent we have in the parish which I think is quite special (I might be biased) for our size. There is also the potential for establishing an even greater musical tradition for our community.

Because of the extensive repairs and refurbishment work to the interior fabric of St Michael’s scheduled for this autumn and winter, we will not instal the piano until these are complete. The aim is to have the piano in place by May 2008.

There is talk that we would celebrate its arrival by having a Mickleham Music Festival with many different events throughout the summer season. As you can imagine, I am so excited by this and can see a whole musical life opening up. David Ireland will be shooing me out! I feel that so many opportunities for all sorts of performing will be possible from choirs to pupils’ recitals to soloists coming from the outside.

Of course this is going to cost money. The price of a piano of the professional performing standard we require is between £6,000 and £7,000.  The choice of instrument will depend on how well it will tolerate the cold conditions; older re-conditioned pianos will not do. Extremes of heat and damp can crack a piano’s wooden soundboard. The more modern Yamaha and Kawaii pianos have a fantastic reputation for being great pianos for studios, churches etc.

Many local churches such as St Paul’s and St Martin’s in Dorking do have grand pianos, which are well looked after and well used. Our new instrument will be positioned at the front of the church on the right and when it is not in use it will be covered and locked.

If you would like to make a donation, whatever amount, towards this exciting venture please contact me on 01372 362309 or R Spence on 01372 377201 for more information. T Kennington

The Marriage of David and Angela
St Michael’s was filled with well-wishers on 30th June when David Ireland and Angela Parfitt were married by the Rt Reverend Ian Brackley, Bishop of Dorking, with Canon David Eaton leading the prayers. It was a lovely warm summer’s day. Sallie Beer and her helpers had decorated the church most beautifully. The bride looked stunning and the groom was suitably (and uncharacteristically) solemn. Members of the church choir and the choral society, conducted by Juliet Hornby, sang a wedding anthem, The Greatest of These is Love, specially composed for this occasion by John Batt who played the organ. Georgina Kennington sang Franck’s Panis Angelicus during the signing of the Register.

Afterwards everyone went to the Rectory for a celebratory drink, or two, and delicious nibbles before leaving David and Angela in peace with their families and guests. It had been a very jolly occasion and we all wish David and Angela much happiness.

Upon leaving the Rectory garden we discovered that Old London Road was totally gridlocked, with all A24 traffic being re-directed through the village due to an accident. Many of us retired to The Running Horses to wait until the road cleared an hour or so later ...

from the June 2007 magazine
Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2007 At the APCM in St Michael’s on 22nd April, John Banfield and Rose Spence retired as churchwardens. During John’s 11 years in this role there were three changes of clergy: John Harkin, Barbara Steadman-Allen and David Ireland, two interregni and the creation of the United Benefice of Leatherhead and Mickleham. Throughout this time St Michael’s has prospered, due in large part to John’s calm, caring manner and his managerial expertise. Thank you, John for your dedicated service.

Rose Spence nobly combined her many duties as parish administrator with those of churchwarden last year when Ron Morton moved to Wales. We are most grateful to her for all she does for St Michael’s and the whole parish. Fortunately for us Rose is continuing as parish administrator.

We welcome our two new churchwardens: Jenny Hudlass and Jack Richardson.

Val McLean and Tim Mathieson have retired from the Parochial Church Council (PCC): There are now 13 members: John Banfield, Jenny Hudlass, Elizabeth Moughton, Carolann Patterson, Stephanie Randall, Jack Richardson, Richard Siberry, Rose Spence, Geoffrey Suckling, Frank Warren, Amanda Wadsworth, Simon Ward and Becky Weaver.

Farewell to Tim and Tristan We bid Godspeed to Tim Mathieson and son Tristan who have gone to Shanghai for three years. They have both been active members of our church family and we shall miss them. However, Tim has promised an occasional ‘letter from Shanghai’ for the parish magazine – watch this space.

Reports from the Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Fabric Furnishings and Ornaments of St Michael’s Church Mickleham and the Chapel of Ease Westhumble Early in 2006 the PCC commissioned an assessment of renovations and improvements required for both Church and Chapel. The PCC reviewed existing patterns of worship and explored other potential uses of both buildings. Based on this review the PCC has then sought to develop a comprehensive building programme with the objective of focusing on facilities which will support and encourage both church and community activities and re-establish both buildings at the heart of the community.

A sub committee of the PCC has developed a detailed programme of work for the next few years the main elements of which are listed below.
• Repair the external stonework of the Church.
• Explore the possibilities for providing toilet facilities in the Church together with some storage space and a small meeting room which could be used as a crèche during church services. This may involve building an extension.
• Redecorate the chancel and nave ceiling including colouring and gilding the ceiling bosses which have disappeared under many layers of old varnish.
• Redecorate the exterior and interior of the Westhumble Chapel.
• Remove the two front pews in the Church to give more space for weddings, space for small group services and capacity for the occasional concert.
• Turn the two front pews in the Chapel to face inwards so creating a similar space for small group services, community meetings and youth groups.
• Generally tidy up both buildings including tiling floors where pews have been moved, renewing carpets and kneelers, improving heating systems and lighting and updating all display materials.

Repairs to the external stonework of the Church have been completed. The possible extension to the Church is under discussion with the Diocese and it will be some considerable time before we make much progress. The other projects are in various stages of detailed planning.

We are grateful to all those who help in looking after both Church and Chapel in particular Mick Hallet and Tony Holland for their work in and around the Chapel and to Kate Warren for the beautiful display of naturalised flowers in the overflow churchyard. Rose Spence, John Banfield

Parish Finances - Extract from the Treasurer’s Report - In 2006, we continued to build on the firm foundations laid in 2005 as a result, in particular, of the very positive and encouraging response of the Parish to the stewardship appeal. 2006 was the first full year following that appeal. Planned giving increased by about 24% over the 2005 figure and tax recovered on regular giving and gift aid-envelopes almost doubled. We have agreed to commit about 5% of our income from these sources to outward giving. Taking all the above into account, we have more than achieved our initial objective of ensuring that at least the Parish Share is covered by planned giving and collections at services. In 2006 we covered also the other expenses of worship and mission from these sources and from other ‘unrestricted donations’.

Fund raising remains very important, both from a financial perspective, as it continues to make (at least) a major contribution to regular ‘church running expenses’ (insurance, utilities bills, churchyard maintenance, etc.), and because of the community spirit it engenders, helping to promote our goal of putting the Church at the heart of our community here in Mickleham and Westhumble.

Our outward giving for 2006 included a special donation to St Michael’s School and a number of charities, including the Church Housing Trust, the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf (for the work of the Anglican Church in Baghdad), and Haydon Hall in India.

At year end the balance in our restoration and repairs fund, boosted by a £5,000 donation and recovered tax, was £28,810, and overall, our accounts for 2006 showed an excess of receipts over expenditure of £15,488, and our bank balances at the year end stood at £51,102.

In January 2007, we received an exceptionally generous donation of £200,000 towards our restoration and repairs fund, from the Ranmore Trust, which was founded and 100% financed by Geoffrey Suckling. This puts us in the happy position of being able to move forward with confidence in carrying out whatever projects are ultimately approved by the PCC and the Diocese (and, so far as necessary, the Planning Authorities). We are immensely grateful for this donation.
Richard Siberry, Hon Treasurer

Report of Church Meeting 2006

from the June 2007 magazine
Helping Hands (FORMERLY GOOD NEIGHBOURS) A service for all residents of Mickleham and Westhumble.
Examples of services we offer:
Transport for visits to doctor’s surgery or hospital essential shopping / collection of prescriptions changing library books Small handyman/woman tasks: e.g. changing fuses, altering clocks etc.
dog walking / care of pets / visiting / befriending.
Requests to M Banfield 01372373912 or leave a message on answer phone. Callers will be contacted within 24 hours.

from the May 2007 magazine
Mickleham Parish Magazine Report for 2006 The parish magazine has had another good year. The revenue from advertising has kept pace with printing costs but the purchase of computer software, magazine archiving material and other supplies over the past few years had depleted our funds to the point where a public appeal for donations to replenish our coffers was necessary. We last appealed for donations in 2002. Although only about a third of households responded, many of those who did send money where amazingly generous. The final total was nearly £2,500, which will keep us going for some time. However, it is a bit disappointing that the majority of the households that receive the magazine each month failed to reply. Many thanks to Mary Banfield for keeping all the accounts in order and to Frank Warren who organized the Gift Aid tax refunds.

We have learned that printing costs will go up in April (the first increase since we started having the magazine printed professionally). We shall be increasing the cost of advertisements to keep pace with this. Thanks to Kate Warren who has again overseen the advertising with great efficiency.

Nearly half the year’s magazines were edited by Charlotte Daruwalla to whom I am extremely grateful. This arrangement works very well and it is a great relief to be able to leave things in her capable hands.

Recently I was asked who makes up the independent editorial committee referred to on page one of the magazine. Members this year included Charlotte Daruwalla, Mary Venning, Sue Timms, Stephanie Randall, newly-retired Liz Weller and myself. We try to meet each month to discuss the previous issue and plan for future editions. We are always on the look-out for copy or ideas we can explore. David Ireland sees every issue before it goes to press.

Our distribution and delivery network, which involves about 40 people each month, continues to work well, with little change in personnel over the past year. Many thanks to Doug Hammond who looked after the Burford Lodge deliveries for many years. After his retirement, Caroline Hampson took on this route for a while, and now Mike Calvert is the bag man. Another longstanding helper, Jean Speirs, also moved away and Angela Parfitt now delivers to part of Old London Road. We have nearly 40 names on the mailing list which Sayda and Brian Cole organise each month. We continue to send a selection of articles and items from each issue to update our part of the United Benefice of Leatherhead & Mickleham website.

Many thanks to everyone who is involved in any way with the magazine; your help is much appreciated.
Sue Tatham, Editor

from April 2007 issue
Repairs to Church Stonework Anyone visiting Mickleham will see that St Michael’s is covered in scaffolding as the work on the external stonework has begun. This was one of the items of the renovation programme outlined by churchwarden, John Banfield, in the December 2006 parish magazine. Many of the stones have loose and flaking surfaces and much of the pointing is defective. Some stones need to be replaced. The work is expected to take about eight weeks, weather permitting, and will cost around £12,500. Rose Spence

from Feb 2007
Remembering Jane Ireland With the family’s permission the St Michael’s website editor Frank Haslam has created a page on the Internet Jane Ireland 1948-2006 [it is also at the top of this page] celebrating Jane’s life. If you have material to add to this page to share with Jane’s many friends please e-mail him via the Mickleham Parish website or write to him at 56 Windfield, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8UQ before you send anything such as photos, anecdotes etc.

from Dec 06/Jan 07
NEW CHURCH ORGANISTS
John Rosling and Kathryn Burningham have been appointed, as from 1st January 2007, as organists at St Michael’s. Both are very talented and experienced organists and we are very fortunate to have the two of them providing music for our worship. Good organists are in short supply, so to get two is great good fortune. Do come along and hear for yourselves the quality of their playing!

from Dec 06/Jan 07
St Michael’s Church and Westhumble Chapel Renovations
Repairs and improvements to the Church in Mickleham and the Chapel in Westhumble have tended to be undertaken on a piecemeal basis usually driven by immediate need or the availability of some money. Earlier this year the PCC took the view that it should embark on a more systematic assessment of renovations and improvements required for both the Church and Chapel. To begin with the PCC reviewed existing patterns of worship and explored other potential uses of both buildings. The main source of information was the parish questionnaire which so many of you kindly completed. Based on this review the PCC has then sought to develop a comprehensive programme of renovation and improvement. This is not just about repairs and decoration. The objective is to focus on facilities which will support and encourage our church and community activities and re-establish both buildings at the heart of the community.

A sub committee of the PCC has presented a preliminary report outlining a detailed programme of work for the next few years. Most of the proposals will require Diocesan approval and one will need planning consent. Both of these approvals require a period of public consultation so there will be an opportunity for everyone to express their views on individual projects. The main elements of the programme are listed here.

• Repair the external stonework of the Church.
• Explore the possibilities for providing toilet facilities in the Church together with much needed storage space and a small meeting room which could be used as a crèche during church services. This may involve building an extension to the Church in keeping with the existing architecture.
• Redecorate the Church chancel and nave ceiling including colouring and gilding the ceiling bosses which have disappeared under many layers of varnish.
• Redecorate the exterior and interior of the Westhumble Chapel.
• Remove two pews at the front of the Church to create more space for wedding ceremonies, a space for small group services and capacity for the occasional concert.
• Consider turning the front two rows of pews in the Westhumble Chapel to face inwards so creating a similar space for small group services, community meetings and youth groups.
• Generally tidy up both buildings including tiling floors where pews have been moved, renewing carpets and kneelers, improving heating systems and lighting and updating all display materials.

The cost of this programme will be significant. Some money has been very generously given through a number of recent fundraising events but as these projects develop more fundraising will be required. John Banfield

from Dec 06/Jan 07
A Concert for Remembrance Sunday Mickleham Choral Society and St Michael’s Church choir, together with Box Hill School and featured soloists performed Mozart’s Requiem on Sunday 12th November to mark Remembrance Sunday. The concert took place in St. Michael’s Church where fifty choir members and ten students and teachers from Box Hill School came together, bringing music to the community, from the community.

The evening’s performance took place in two parts with a strong and poignant message at its heart: that there is life after death. The first part of the programme was devoted to the Requiem to remember the dead and those that grieve for them. The second half of the evening was about rebirth and new beginnings and featured young (and young at heart) soloists from the community and from Box Hill School performing more modern music.

Juliet Hornby has been the conductor of Mickleham Choral Society for a year and in that time it has grown in size and the quality of its singing. She, like David Ireland and Mark Eagers, the Headmaster at Box Hill School, share a passion for music and the wish to bring more music to the community as part of a regular programme. The timely arrival of Aya Yuasa, the new musical director at Box Hill, has allowed them all to come together to accomplish this. At the same time, such programmes as Mozart’s Requiem offer the students and members of the community a platform on which to perform.

Singing or performing with a ‘backing’ choir is an amazing experience for anyone who loves music, whether they are a young student or a seasoned performer. Three students and teachers from Box Hill School performed major solo parts in the Requiem and elsewhere throughout the programme – Aya Yuasa and Chihiro Kaneko, a year 13 student, performed a beautiful flute duet of Jean Racine’s Cantique; Vincent Hsu performed a lively violin solo of Shostakovich’s Fruhlingswaltzer; Dan Rodriguez sang the solo bass part of the Tuba Mirum quartet; and Nick Heuvel, an IT teacher at Box Hill School, had solo parts in both the Tuba Mirum and Domine Jesu.

There is clearly a great deal of talent in this community as many individuals contributed to the performance…Only nine years old, the amazingly clever Ursula Perks, took us all by surprise as she performed Beethoven’s Sonata in G Major Op. 49. A very upbeat Spanish Dance by Moszkowski was flawlessly performed by Tracy Kennington and Lynda Chang. A spiritual arrangement of Walk in Jerusalem featured a soulful Peter Creasy singing the solo parts along side the choir. Emily Heuvel sang a very pretty duet with Laura Stephenson from The Vivaldi Gloria. The evening’s resounding finale featured Georgina Kennington singing a powerful and moving solo in Bridge over Troubled Water.

We are grateful to Laura Stephenson, a friend of Juliet’s and an experienced Mozart soloist from London who joined us for the evening.

This was the first time for many years a concert of this size has taken place in St Michael’s and it was a glowing success, quite literally, as the candles lent so much to the warmth of the setting. Following the performance Juliet commented that she ‘felt the whole evening had a lovely glow to it. The audience was so receptive, the choir looked radiant and I was so proud of the way they performed. Lynda is such a huge support to me – I couldn’t do it without her – we are very lucky to have such a wonderful pianist.’

Young and old alike, talented members of the Mickleham Choral Society and students from Box Hill School rehearsed weekly since September in preparation for the performance. Our thanks go to all of them and to Juliet for bringing such a brilliant, uplifting performance to us all.

Mary and John Banfield and Stan Spence also deserve a special thanks for their seamless organisation of the evening which even without Lady Mickleham there went off without a glitch. According to our sources ‘not a drop of wine was spilt’ despite the complications of moving trays along the aisles, across pews around columns to over 200 people! A full house indeed. Carolann Patterson
[Editor’s note: The concert made a profit of £540, with equal shares going to St Michael’s Church and Mickleham Choral Society.]

September 2006 magazine
Moonlight Serenade It is a warm Monday evening in August, so it must be borrow-a-marquee-and-have-a-ball time. Yes folks, the annual Swing with Alan Gout in a field in Surrey went off the first Monday in August, to wild (well, wildish) acclaim from the waltzing wrinklies of Mickleham and Westhumble. Plus some interlopers from Dorking who won the top raffle prize and will not be asked again.

No coronation chicken this time (marriage saved for another year), but Kathy Ramsey’s Food For Thought did us proud, except for the absence of horseradish sauce with the smoked trout. Thanks to Mr Aarvold aka Disappointed of Foxbury for pointing this out. The champagne fountain was decorative but, your correspondent can report, when you lean back and slurp from it you get warm flat champagne down your front, and it’s worse when they put the chocolate in it (unless you have a dark brown DJ of course).

Re: music, see last year’s article, delete Joanna Batt, Martin Cox and Polly, insert Ronnie Page (coloratura extraordinaire), serve warm, da capo al fine. The picky might have wanted some music played faster than 10 bars to the minute. Jiving geriatrics we were not, but of course the prime purpose of these events is to smooch with someone else’s wife/husband or, in a few cases the envy of the rest of us, your own new trophy wife/husband. You know who you are.

Turned down by all the women who had previously danced with him, and by all the rest who had been warned by them, your correspondent devoted the evening to researching the fashion scene in Mickleham & Westhumble. Dress of the evening was Rose Spence’s lime green number from the Buckingham Palace shop. A close second was Kate Cox’s diaphanous turquoise creation from when she danced in Les Sylphides. Hairstyle honours go to mine hostess Suzy Clarke for the white plume stolen from a cavalry officer. Footwear award to John Batt for the eco-unfriendly co-respondent’s crocodile brown and purple jobbies. Booby prize in all departments to Mark ‘Colonel Sanders’ Day, particularly when he put on the said plume and danced with an eminent former supermarket mogul (male), whom our libel reader says we cannot name. You know who you are, too.

Thanks to the band, the singers, the caterers, the raffle prize donors and above all Suzy for the splendid marquee. Thanks also to the organising committee. Around £3,500 was raised for the church. Please do it again next year, if you have started speaking to each other again by then. Will Dennis

September 2006 magazine
Mickleham and Westhumble Good Neighbours Scheme Who is my neighbour? This is the question that triggered the parable of the good Samaritan, which illustrates that a true neighbour is the person - sometimes the least likely candidate - who takes the trouble to get involved in someone else’s misfortune.

In Mickleham and Westhumble, we are lucky to live in a relatively prosperous and peaceful area where the strong sense of community and good neighbourliness ensure that people in need are generally quickly offered assistance. Already many good deeds are being done in our parish perhaps best epitomised by the excellent Food for Friends scheme, but including many other regular or spontaneous acts of kindness between individuals - that offer help to those in need. Nonetheless, there are always cases of need in any community that are not fully met, or go unrecognised.

To ensure that we can respond in an effective and co-ordinated way to all cases where assistance is required, therefore, a group from the community have now set up a Good Neighbours scheme.

This initiative, which is supported by St. Michael’s Church, is open to all who live in Mickleham, Westhumble or surrounding areas. We need now to gather a full list of volunteers, who are willing to contribute towards the work of the Good Neighbours.

The kind of tasks that we anticipate needing help for are:
• escorts (e.g. to hospital, library)
• gardening
• home visits
• form filling
• wheelchair walks
• decorating/odd jobs, etc.

If you are interested in playing a part in this scheme please use the form that was in the magazine to indicate the areas in which you may be able to assist: these details will then be added to our database.

In order to comply with the best practice guidelines for voluntary organisations, volunteers will in due course be asked to apply for Criminal Records Bureau clearance; this is easy to do, but we will nonetheless endeavour generally to keep administrative issues to a minimum.

In addition, we need to hear from you if you are aware of anybody living in the parish who you think might be in need of some form of assistance that it might be appropriate for Good Neighbours to provide. We may well get additional requests from official organisations, such as SCC Social Services, but the intention is that this should be first and foremost an initiative driven by the needs and resources of our local communities.

We hope that you will support this initiative. For further information, please contact M Banfield on 01372 373912 or Tim Mathieson on TimothyMathiesonATaol.com (replace AT with @ before sending).

Although our excellent Parish Magazine recorded a loss of some £1,250 for 2005, the PCC’s bank balances look healthy at present, and we have built up a reserve in our restoration and repairs fund. Given the high cost of any work on the church, continued fund raising efforts will be required, not only to cater for the requirements of next year’s Quinquennial Inspection, but also to implement any recommendations of the PCC Buildings Committee following the Parish Survey and other consultations. But I feel sure, given the experience of the last few years, that the Parish is equal to any challenge, with continuing faith in God and his purpose.Richard Siberry, Hon Treasurer

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from the May 2006 magazine
Feedback from the Parish Survey Many thanks to all of you who took the trouble to fill in and return the questionnaire sent out earlier this year with the magazine – and thanks also to those who took the time to go round collecting the questionnaires afterwards. We had an excellent response – over 100 completed forms – which has given us some valuable insights into the attitudes of both regular and occasional churchgoers in the parish. A number of people also volunteered to assist the life of the church in various ways and these offers have now been gratefully followed up.

The aim of the survey was to look at three specific areas:
- the pattern of worship (i.e. timing of services, etc.)
- the form of worship (types and content of the services) and
- what changes might be needed to the physical environment in which we worship to accommodate any innovations.

We have received some excellent ideas and have been able to identify certain issues which reflect a broader consensus.

Firstly, it was gratifying to note that the majority of worshippers are generally satisfied with the current arrangement of the main services in respect both of timing and content. The 10 o’clock start for our main act of worship each week, while it clearly does not suit everyone’s needs, is the clear favourite.
71% of worshippers approved of the current start time, while 12% would prefer an earlier time and 17% a later start.

However, the survey does reveal a desire for a greater variety of services, particularly among those who attend less regularly. Based on the comments received, we are implementing immediately several changes, which we hope will meet with approval.

The first is that the Family Service, held on the first Sunday of each month, will have a more varied and informal format, and perhaps a specific theme on occasion. In addition, we are introducing a monthly evening service, which will include a pattern of youth services, choral/musical services, meditative worship (such as used by the Taizé community) and traditional Evensong. The first in this new series of evening services will be a Youth Praise service on Sunday June 11th at 8pm

The survey also flagged up the need for greater use of the Westhumble Chapel and we will be asking the Parochial Church Council to look into the options to make this under-utilised asset into a more attractive venue for services and possibly meetings. There are also some useful suggestions that we received for improvements to the facilities provided at St Michael’s church – the most common, not surprisingly, being the provision of toilet facilities.

Any decisions requiring major expenditure will need to be balanced against the other demands on the parish’s resources, but we do now have some good ideas of priority areas prompted by your responses.

Members of the PCC Worship Committee (Emma Blackmore, Jenny Hudlass, David Ireland, Tim Mathieson, Elizabeth Moughton) will be considering further changes in the future and would ask for your continued support for this process, particularly in the form of any feedback that you can give. Of course, it will be impossible to accommodate every preference or suggestion and unfortunately we have not yet found a way of getting David to be in two places at the same time. However, we believe that with your support we can develop the worship in the parish in a way that responds best to your needs and wishes. Come along to the new services and then keep on giving us your comments. Tim Mathieson

from Dec 2005/Jan 2006 magazine
Staff Changes There are currently changes taking place to the clergy team in the United Benefice of Leatherhead and Mickleham. The Revd Briony Martin who is presently Curate will be leaving in January. Briony has served for three and a half years and her ministry has been much appreciated. She has helped to lead services at St Michael’s and enabled me to come to Mickleham by releasing me from duties at Leatherhead. Her ministry has been widely appreciated and she will be much missed. Briony is moving with her husband, Peter and children Max and Ben, to Hove in West Sussex. She will be taking a career break but continue to work on occasional basis as priest and journalist.

Briony’s final service will be the 10.30am communion at Leatherhead on 15th January This will be followed by a farewell reception. I am inviting donations towards a presentation to Briony and contributions may be passed to myself or one of the churchwardens at Leatherhead.

Since January we have been joined by Mrs Mary Cruddas who is in training for ordination on a newly conceived Mixed Mode Training Course. This course lasts for four years and is partly tutored at Theological College and partly in the parish, in this case our United Benefice. Mary will be made deacon after her second year and priested after her third year. In this sense she is an ordinand/curate all at the same time.

The mainstay of the ordained ministry in the United Benefice will continue to be held by The Revd David Ireland and myself. David will be mainly based in Mickleham and I will be mainly based at Leatherhead but we will exchange duties on Sundays on a regular basis and continue to use the ministry of locum priests from time to time. David Eaton – Incumbent

Lighten our darkness… and defend us from all perils and dangers of this night…
Choral Evensong at St Michael’s
On Sunday 2nd October we enjoyed Choral Evensong, sung by the choir of Reigate St Mary’s Preparatory and Choir School, which, I discovered on their website, is now the junior school of Reigate Grammar. The service had been arranged as part of Churches Together in Leatherhead’s week-long Festival of Faith. St Michael’s had celebrated Harvest Festival that morning and looked particularly beautiful with the candlelight playing on the many floral decorations that been so lovingly arranged. From the first solo treble notes of the introit O taste and see, I knew we were in for a treat. It was a lovely service, with wonderful music. It would be great if this much-neglected service could be included occasionally in our timetable. Sue Tatham

Piggy Racing at the Harvest Supper 2005
There is nothing quite like observing, particularly from the rear view, small pink creatures, feet marking time, curly tails a-wiggling. Are they real pigs, I had heard a lady ask? Is that permitted in these days of political correctness? Pardon me, madam, you obviously have not been here before. These were, of course, a special breed of fluffy pink, battery-driven piggies.

Ready for starters orders, and they are off. There’s a howl of disappointment from an owner whose pig’s tail gets tangled in the starting gate and I noticed a distinct prod from one of the ‘stewards’ as ‘Bacon’s End’ appeared to be heading for the side rail. Is that allowed, I hear punters cry? Summon the Clerk of the Course!

The course happened to be just 3m long and was balanced on one of the village hall’s best tables. The going was very firm as the turf, noted by many, was actually painted mdf and listed slightly to starboard. Runners progressed chaotically as punters shouted encouragement. Finally, number five ‘Willis Wonder’ managed to reach the winning post. His jubilant owner was presented with a bottle of bubbly by the races’s sponsors. Any objections as to the state of the course fell on deaf ears, especially after the winnings for the first race were announced.

Piggies were duly shuffled and owners’ colours swapped from pig to pig for the next race, but it seemed to have little effect. In the Watson Fillies Race, ‘Mark’owned by Sarah Day, (again wearing number five) veered a little to the right, cut-up ‘Rasher’ and won by a good snout. Once, piggy three (‘Och aye the Noo’ owned by Stan Spence, of course) had a clear run down the middle and went on to win, but in nearly every other race piggies one and two had a contretemps and decided tohave a conference about the interference during the race; not best practice if they wanted to win.

Nevertheless it was great fun and a novel entertainment to accompany our Harvest Supper on Friday 30th September. This was the first big community event to be held in the hall after its grand opening following refurbishment, and the first time the Ladies of the Kitchen had been let loose with the new cooker. After a few teething problems with the sausages (perhaps that could have been phrased better), dinner was served and discussions about the state of the course transferred to the topic of the best mashed potato.

Butter and hot milk added, and definitely no lumps. What is all this nonsense about food needing texture? So the menu was, what else? Bangers and mash. No ordinary bangers, I hasten to add, as I helped to place in baking trays wonderful fare from organic farms, as well as those with epicurean additions of herbs and spices. These were served with Peter Curran’s excellent onion gravy. I would like to say that the vegetable accompaniment had been gently simmered for hours; beans do take a while, but I had caught sight of the huge empty baked bean tins. Well, there were a lot of people to feed so we had to save time somewhere. If the entrée was not enough we were then treated to a Mickleham parish special; a fantastic array of puddings made by the ladies (note, I say ladies, where, may I ask, are all the budding Jamie Olivers in the parish?).

The evening raised £1,200 of much needed funds for the church and as ever we have to thank Rose and Stan for all their hard work, Bernard Salsbury for bringing the pigs and running the tote and Paul Brown for so ably assisting. Then we must thank the Ladies of the Kitchen, the Gentleman of the Bar and all those who donated raffle prizes. We would especially like to thank the generous people who sponsored pigs and races. Stephanie Randall

Thoughts on Keswick 2005

Mary Huggins’ fifth visit to the Keswick Convention prompted these thoughts:
Nine hours in driving rain on the motorway – not a good way to start a holiday. But as I crossed the boundary into Cumbria the rain miraculously ceased, the traffic jams disappeared and there, in Keswick, was the Wood family waiting to welcome me with supper. We were back again in the comfortable, spacious (I got the en-suite this year!) beautifully located flat with the fantastic views where we stayed last year. And we did enjoy ourselves. Relaxed lie-ins, Suzie’s delicious cooked breakfasts, familiar faces and places, the traditional ice cream sundae, excellent Bible teaching, thought-provoking seminars, and special activities for the young ones – and a lot of laughter, both in our temporary home and at the Convention. On one memorable afternoon we enjoyed a fantastic concert by the opera singer, Jonathan Veira – everything from Elton John to worship songs. On the last evening we shared bread and wine – and if your only experience of Communion is traditionally Anglican – the experience of sharing ecumenically with over 3,000 people is one not to be missed.

Jennifer Louis volunteered as a steward:
Board and lodging for stewards is provided ‘over the shop’, the admin buildings adjoining the main tent, so I did not stay with Alison, Suzie, Christopher and Mary this time, although I managed to join them for an ice cream.

We began with a health and safety talk and security measures. The main tent seats 3,300 and we were responsible should evacuation be necessary. We wore name tags and bright yellow tabards. Everyone was needed to help at the two large meetings with prayer and song in the main tent each day, and we also had a rota for smaller meetings held in different churches and halls throughout Keswick. I loved the ushering, helping the wheelchair visitors, and those with guide dogs or pushchairs. The speakers and their subjects were, as before, so good that it was hard to choose where to be when, and stewards had to rush about really fast if they wanted to hear a particular talk between duty times. Sharing meals upstairs with the speakers, musicians and admin people and their families, and the other stewards too was a real bonus. When people asked where I came from I was glad to show off my Mickleham and Westhumble T-shirt.

It sounds ridiculous to have been there for a whole week and not to have taken a single walk. Some managed it, but not me. I just lived the Convention and found my time filled with all that was on offer. I revelled in knowing that almost everyone there was following their own pilgrim path and had a story to tell of how it began for them and of amazing occurrences that had strengthened their faith.

Christopher Wood (aged 8 ¾):
I like the Keswick Convention because of the children’s clubs which mix learning about Jesus with fun and games. The shops in Keswick are good too, especially The Corner Shop (an old-fashioned sweet shop) and Ashley’s (brilliant ice cream sundaes).
Suzie Wood (aged 13):
Keswick has fantastic youth groups which are so much fun. Ashley’s ice cream parlour is spectacular and the scenery is astonishing. I recommend it!
Alison Wood (age undisclosed):
Inspiring Bible teaching, enthusiastic worship, uplifting singing, warm fellowship, lots of laughter, dreadful limericks, mostly good weather – what more could you ask from a week away in the beautiful Lake District? It was our third visit to the Keswick Convention – along with 3,300 other Christians, which in itself is an amazing experience coming from a small parish – and we had a great time once again. If you have thought about coming but so far haven’t dared risk it, please do consider coming next year and talk to Mary or me: you will be challenged but also tremendously encouraged in your faith - that has got to be worth a week of anyone’s life.

Three Faiths Forum Sitting in the garden on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, reading about the bombing atrocities in London, it was quite difficult not to be overwhelmed with despair, anger and frustration, as well the cold chill of fear for all those who work in London on a daily basis including friends and immediate family.

What on Earth could be done? I then remembered that I had been discussing an organisation called the Three Faiths Forum with some friends. So I thought that this might be a good place to start.

The Three Faiths Forum aims to:
• Encourage friendship, goodwill and understanding amongst people of the three Abrahamic monotheistic faiths in the UK and elsewhere.
• Promote support for and public recognition of the importance of groups where the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths meet and share common interests and experiences.
• Encourage respect for religious differences between the three faiths on a basis of equality and exploring and enjoying those differences where appropriate.
• Promote the training of ministers of religion of the three faiths in their common roots, on the basis of equality.

Looking on their website I discovered that the next day, the Surrey Branch was organising a visit to a mosque, a church and a synagogue in the Regent’s Park area of London. It seemed like a good thing to join in with in the circumstances.

About 50 people of mixed religious backgrounds met up to take part in this event, during which a rabbi of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St John’s Wood Road, the Vicar of St John’s Wood Parish Church and the Director of the Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre made presentations to the group explaining practices and beliefs. We were welcomed warmly at each place of worship and the expression of united support was much appreciated especially in the Islamic Centre, where the importance of developing greater understanding and awareness was poignantly expressed. John Ayres

Progressive Christian Network - you can visit the website on www.pcnbritain.org.uk Judith and John Ayres

Advice from a former Mickleham Time Lord Way back in the mists of time past I was the ‘Keeper of the Clock’, so I can sympathise with Mark Day on his new appointment (article in the June magazine). There are not many jobs that advertise when things may not be going perfectly from forty feet up in the middle of the village.

I do not know what method Stan Spence used in setting the clock right when you cannot see the results of your adjustment, but for what it is worth, the method I used was as follows:
1. Ensure the clock is showing fast. Climb the tower to move the hands forward if necessary.
2. Descend the tower into the churchyard and carefully note how fast the clock is showing.
3. Re-climb the tower and from near the top of the iron ladder lean back and stop the pendulum.
4. Measure off the necessary time lapse on your watch and gently re-start the pendulum swing at the appropriate time.
Tip 1. Rate the clock so that any deviation from correct over the week is a gain rather than a loss. This eliminates the extra climb of the tower except for when the hour changes.
Tip 2. Do not get distracted in conversation with the flower arrangers below during the time lapse or the procedure will need to be started again.

Keeping a Victorian weight-driven turret clock showing time, to the tolerances expected in the 21st century, should not be taken for granted by parishioners. Stan Spence should be thanked, and recognition given, for his horological labours over many years, now that he is handing on the clock key. Mike Boyle

New Time Lords in Mickleham Many will know that the church clock has been in the tender care of Mr Stan Spence for a considerable time. However, it was clearly wrong for a 96 year old [a slight exaggeration. Ed] to have to clamber up to the tower every week.

I do not know why I volunteered for this thankless task – indeed, I have no recollection of doing so – but somehow I ended up with the keys. My first task was to recruit a deputy. Despite a successful career at a high corporate level, I was amazed that John Banfield was so gullible. I think it must have a linear connection with volumes of Young’s Bitter. We are looking to recruit a deputy-deputy Time Lord to cover holidays etc. Stan continues in a consultancy role (i.e. he shouts at us from the ground floor).

The clock dates from 1853, and has to be wound approximately weekly. Winding it involves two functions – 30 winds for the clock and 55-60 for the chimes, both with winding handles approximately one foot long. Mickleham could shortly be the first church with a digital clock and mobile-phone-type chimes.

Since taking on the task, we have been amazed at the Mickleham grapevine. The number of messages alleging that the clock is one or two minutes slow or fast, has been substantial. Getting digital accuracy with a four-inch spanner and a ¼ inch nut, which has to be adjusted backwards, from a blind position inside the tower, while covered in bat droppings and perspiration, is simply not possible. We will do our best.

In the meantime, should there be any serious fault/discrepancy which comes to your notice, the TIME LORD contact numbers are: Mark Day 01372 373594 John Banfield 01372 373912. Mark R Day

from the April Magazine 2004
Parish Magazine Report for 2004 This year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the magazine in its present form. We have come a long way since the October 1984 edition was published. It is very gratifying that some of the original helpers are still involved with the production and/or distribution of the magazines. We were sad to hear that Harry Sowden who had been features editor and crossword compiler for many of the early magazines had died on Christmas Eve.

It was very fitting that the October 2004 magazine was the first to be professionally printed. This edition was greeted with enthusiastic approval, not only by our hard-worked copy printers and collation teams, but also by all our readers for its improved appearance and neat stapling. The ability to include photographs is an added bonus. The quality of the print has enabled us to condense the content without losing legibility so that the size of the magazine has been reduced from 40 to 28 pages (including covers), thus keeping printing costs to an affordable level. Advertising charges have been adjusted and when the cover ads are renewed in January 2005 advertising revenue will cover printing costs. Again many thanks to Mary Banfield for keeping all the accounts in order and to Kate Warren who has overseen the advertising with great efficiency.

Thanks also to our retired printers: Charlotte Daruwalla, Frank Warren, Mary Venning and Jean Douglas; and collation team organisers: Rose Spence, Alison Wood, Annie Dennis, Val Hallett, Ray Wilson and Helen Croxford and all their helpers, for their many hours spent on the most tedious tasks of the production line - often made worse by malfunctioning printers and staplers.

Mary Venning now takes delivery of the magazines and bags them up, ready for Geoff Knight and Ray Wilson to distribute to deliverers in Mickleham and Westhumble. Spare copies go to St Michael’s Church and also to St Mary’s, Leatherhead. Sayda and Brian Cole send copies to the 39 people on our mailing list. (Another benefit of the smaller magazine is that it is cheaper to post.) We continue to provide a selection of articles and items from each issue to update our website.

Charlotte Daruwalla and Stephanie Randall again provided terrific support to me in so many ways. I am very grateful to everyone mentioned above and to our readers for their interest and help too.

Again this year we did not ask for donations towards our running costs as the magazine account is quite healthy. We have had to cover the advertising revenue shortfall for the first three printed editions. Part of our reserves will be used for binding the three sets of archive copies we have been assembling. Work on preparing the indexes for these volumes is progressing slowly.

The magazine indexes provide an amazing list of topics included over the twenty years. They also show how many people have written articles. Some names, such as Harry Sowden mentioned above, recur frequently. Lately the most prolific contributors have been Ken Kilburn, John Ayres, Chris Budleigh, Bob Bowley, Ann Sankey, Mary Huggins and Richard Roberts-Miller who compiles the crosswords.

We would welcome anyone who would like to join the editorial team. We are especially interested to hear from anyone who has desktop publishing experience, or would like to develop these skills. We are always grateful for suggestions and welcome contributions from readers.

Many thanks to everyone who is involved in any way with the magazine; your help is much appreciated.
Sue Tatham, Editor

Wills and Legacies What did Shakespeare do that seven out of ten people fail to do? Apart from writing 36 works of genius, he also drew up a will. In it, he left his second-best bed to his wife, Anne Hathaway. It is wise for everyone, young or old, to make a will. This shows our love and concern for our family and friends. If you already have a will, you will need to keep it up to date or replace it with a new one from time to time.

Leaving a legacy to the church is also an act of love and concern - and an act of thanksgiving to God. You can specify a particular value, or give what remains after other gifts have been deducted. As you make provision for those around you, also remember St Michael’s Church – working to combine a local historic tradition with a contemporary voice and worshipping Jesus Christ in all generations.

Pastoral Assistants Commissioning Service On 29th February our 10am service at St Michael’s was led by Kate Morton and Mary Huggins. Both have completed the course of training as Pastoral Assistants and been authorised by the Bishop of Guildford to serve in this capacity in our parish. During the service Rev. Barbara Steadman-Allen commissioned them to their work.

Kate is to help with preparation for marriage and baptism, and bereavement visiting, in addition to her existing post as Child Protection Officer. Mary is to encourage the formation of small groups, and other visiting as required. Pastoral Assistants are lay men and women who have been trained by the diocese to assist the clergy in ministering to the people in their parish. They are not ordained, nor licensed like lay readers, but are appointed to provide practical help and advice to those seeking to develop their understanding of our Christian faith. We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they commence their extended ministry.

Tea with the oldest working Steeplejack in the country
Jacob dreamed and beheld a ladder set up on Earth and the top of it reached to Heaven.

It must have seemed to Peter Harknett that he had climbed a good way up that ladder when he stood on the very top of the steeple of Mickleham Church and, balanced precariously, reached up to carry down the weathervane. This was all just in a day’s work for Peter who told a fascinated audience in the Village Hall at Mickleham on the 22nd February about himself and his work. We heard how he followed his father in this trade and perhaps had inherited from him a lack of fear of heights.

Although much of his work has involved churches he seems to have worked on just about every type of building, specialising, of course, on the high ones! The tallest one was a transmitting mast which was an incredible 1,200 feet, that’s quite a climb up and an even trickier time climbing down. He has worked on factory chimneys, cooling towers, tall buildings and many, many church towers, spires and steeples. The best way to get to the top of a church steeple, he told us, was to start off by fixing a short ladder to the wall of the church, climbing up and fixing another short ladder above that and so on until one got to the top, then across the roof (apparently this was the easy bit!) and then a bit more short ladder work to get up to the top of the spire. There he would make a platform with scaffolding and boards and that would form the base for his work.

Back in the summer many of us will remember Peter and his colleague working on the roof of our Church swinging around sitting in their bosun’s cradles suspended from a very flimsy looking structure at the very top of the steeple. Apparently steeples can have their secrets because it is an old trade tradition for steeplejacks to leave messages or mementoes, wrapped up in an envelope made out of a piece of lead sheet, for the next steeplejack to find and this can be a generation or two later.

It was sad to hear that these traditional skills are now in decline. The cost of insurance and Health and Safety requirements mean that in the future most, if not all, of this type of work will be done by men working from scaffolding, the net result of this being a great increase in expense.

We have been fortunate in having had the benefit of Peter’s skilful work on our Church and the unique opportunity to hear from him a bit about himself and his craft. Our thanks to him for coming back to Mickleham again to talk to us and also our thanks to Rose Spence and her colleagues who prepared and organised the tea and cake auction with which the afternoon concluded.
John Williams

The Ten Commandments
Here is BSA’s easy way to remember the Ten Commandments:
‘Hear this! (says God) ‘these laws are good…
I And worship Me as you really should.
II These other gods are not the same,
III Respect and love My Holy Name.
IV Rest once a week, give Me that day,
It tells the world you walk My way.
V Give honour to your parents who
I asked to love and nurture you.
VI You must not take another’s life,
VII No sex with someone not your wife (or husband),
VIII Or steal what is not yours by right,
IX Or tell a lie, or pick a fight,
X Or want what other people own,
You look to Me and Me alone.
I give these laws to help you see
How much you must depend on Me.

The New Altar Frontal Worshippers who attended Christmas services at St Michael's were the first to see the splendid new altar frontal. It was designed by Jan Collins, a local artist who lives and worships in Dorking, and created by members of the congregation of St Michael's. All the elements of the very clever design: the central cross, the crown of thorns and the rainbow-coloured rays, are composed of simple isosceles triangles, which are place on a white background in with rows of delicate stitching bringing the design together.

The gold cross is Celtic in style, each of the arms being equal length, and matches other crosses around the church. The crown of thorns is a radiant halo. The other triangles are in the colours of the rainbow, the sign of God's covenant with Noah. The eucharist celebrates the 'new' covenant God makes with those who trust the death of Jesus. The rescue of Noah was God's way of showing how He would save people from a world due for utter destruction - a rescue offered to all.

The coloured triangles can be interpreted in two ways: either they can be seen as moving in towards the central focus, the cross, reminding us that in Christ all things hold together (Colossians 1:7) and that God intends to bring everything together under the authority of Christ (Ephesians 1:10); or they can be seen as radiating out from the cross, so that, as we leave the church building, we go with the message of God's love across the world (John 3:16).

In the first two centuries of the Christian era it is unlikely that the table at which the eucharist (communion) was celebrated was regarded as a permanent feature. By the third century, rooms in larger houses were permanently arranged and altar tables were looked upon as the focal point of Christian worship. A cloth of silk, damask or brocade was placed over the table, and as time went by this cloth was decorated with embroidered emblems and jewels. In the fourth century, John Chrysostom warned that too much attention was being paid to this so a 'fair, linen cloth' was spread over the decorated one. In the latter part of the Middle Ages, when altars tended to be against the wall, the throw-over cloth was abandoned for a 'frontal' one, which was suspended on the side of the altar visible to the congregation. With the increasing recognition and appreciation of the eucharist as a community activity where all gather around a table, the altar was pulled away from the wall once again, but the 'front' cloth still prevailed.

In today's church services, the frontal cloth is changed when the season demands. Purple is used for the reflective periods of Advent and Lent in preparation for Christmas and Easter, respectively, which are celebrated with white and gold. Red is used to symbolise the blood of the martyrs and the fire of the Holy Sprit at Pentecost and on Palm Sunday. Green is used at all other times, and the priest wears a 'stole' around his or her neck that matches the seasonal colour.

Our Common Worship service book brings together Cranmer's ancient service with the other services but written in modern language. Our hymnody acknowledges the Holy Spirit's inspiration of words and music over millennia, so now we want to contribute to the worshipping life of this church, as past generations have done with our own voice.

It is intended that the new altar frontal should be in place unless there are other appropriate festival colours. We hope that it will enliven and enrich your understanding of God and enable your worship of Him at St Michael's.

RSCM 1927-75 2002 The Royal School of Church Music, which since 1996 has been based at Cleveland Lodge, Westhumble, former home of the organist Susi Jeans, has been celebrating its 75th anniversary. The school was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, organist of Westminster Abbey, to provide support for church musicians. Although originally established as an Anglican organisation, the net gradually widened and the RSCM now helps musicians from all Christian denominations. This was much in evidence at the special service held in Westminster Cathedral on 6th December, when a massed choir from affiliated churches sang a wide variety of music, including an anthem by Ian McKinley in which the singing gave way to carefully organised speech in different languages. As the Church Times reported: 'At 75, the RSCM speaks in tongues'. Also taking part were the Cathedral's own choristers, who sang the Kyries from Britten's Missa Brevis; and the large congregation included HRH the Duchess of Gloucester, the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Chairman of Mole Valley District Council.

As Professor John Harper, the Director General, has said: 'This anniversary is an opportunity for the RSCM to affirm its commitment to the best use of music in the central mission of the Church in the world.' Penny Neary

Frankincense & Myrrh - The Gift of Kings
by John Ayres - from the Mickleham Parish Magazine of Dec 2002

The presents given by the Magi to celebrate the birth of Jesus were gold, frankincense and myrrh: commodities so highly prized two thousand years ago they were the gift choice of kings. Over the centuries frankincense has achieved a highly celebrated status. Its contribution to the wealth of the ancient Arab world, where it was traded for other luxuries such as silver, gold, ivory, fabrics, tortoiseshells, wine and foodstuffs is legendary.

These most prized aromatics, frankincense and myrrh, were carried along well travelled trade paths that became known as the Incense Route. Frankincense achieved the status of incense par excellence, sometimes mixed with other fragrant ingredients, and used by the Romans in enormous quantities; it burns with a pure white smoke, ideal for sending messages to the gods, or so the Romans and the Ancient Egyptians believed. Our modern term 'perfume' comes from the Latin perfumer (by, or through, smoke).

Natural frankincense is a resin obtained from art unlikely looking scrubby, gnarled tree (Boswellia sacra), that grows in the Dhofar province of southern Oman. To the untrained eye the trees appear to grow wild, showing little sign of cultivation. But make no mistake; each has an owner, many of whom will have inherited their visually unprepossessing shrubs from proud desert ancestors.

The best quality frankincense became known as the 'silver incense'; Pliny the Elder, the 1st Century Roman scholar, described it as 'brilliant white, gathered at dawn in drops of tears in the shape of pearls'. Frankincense resin is obtained by slashing the bark- of the tree with a short, razor-sharp knife known as a mingaf. The horizontal wound is then allowed to ooze and the resin given time to crystallise. The product of the first cut is always discarded. Some weeks later, a second cut is inflicted over the first. However, the resin produced from the second wound is still fairly poor quality. It is the third cut that provides the best quality and highly prized frankincense. The gathering season begins in winter, reaching its peak in spring and ending with their summer monsoons. The shrub flowers in September.

The gathering of myrrh takes place in the same season as that of frankincense, by cutting the bark of another shrubby tree (Commiphera mjyrha). The most valued myrrh resin has always been that which oozes spontaneously from the tree. It falls to the ground in dark, reddish brown lumps.

Frankincense has a fresh, resinous, balsamic fragrance, highly prized in modern perfumery. In the Arab world, the 'tears' are sucked as a cure for a sore throat or as a rriouth freshener. Myrrh has been used as a perfume ingredient, and in embalming, since before the 5th century BC. It has a fresh, sweet, warm, spicy odour and a slightly bitter taste. When mixed with wine, it induces a pleasant, trance-like state.

At the height of the trade, around the time of the birth of Christ, some 3,000 tons of incense a year were exported from the Dhofar region to points around the globe. Collection of frankincense is now a couple of tons a year, still allowing its uses to flourish in today's Middle East. Many families use it, as Omanis have for centuries, to perfume newly washed clothes, which are hung out to dry on beehive shaped baskets over a smouldering frankincense burner.

Yemeni Jews incorporate the burning of frankincense as an act of purification when preparing a bride for her wedding night. Frequently, the older women will allow the scent to waft up their skirts, thus, according to popular superstition, helping thern regain their purity.

Frankincense also lives on in modern day Arabic proverbs. It is customary to light frankincense at the end of a celebration or a dinner, providing a discreet signal to the guests that, it is time to leave. This popular custom lies behind the Arabic proverb: 'Once the incense is passed, there is no sitting on'.

My thanks go to my colleague, Rhona Wells, President of the British Society of Perfumers, for providing source material.

FUN

Aquitaine Rules OK? Rose Spence writes [July/Aug 2003] : Stan and I have just come back from a holiday in the Dordogne during which we called to have lunch with Nicole and Nigel Lashmar who moved there from Mickleham. As Nigel was a churchwarden of St Michael's and he is interested in the local churches, he gave me a copy of the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine Newsletter.

I thought you might enjoy the following rules which will make you laugh and think:
1. Always remember you're unique. Just like everybody else.
2. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
3. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
4. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
5. Good judgement comes from bad experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.
6. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
7. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
8. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
9. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
10. The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed

Anniversary Choral Evensong October 2003
A very big thank you to everyone who joined us at the parish church in Leatherhead on 26th October for our anniversary choral evensong. The combined service was to mark the 60th anniversary of Leatherhead Choir’s affiliation to the RSCM, and it was a delight to see our choir stalls completely full and resounding with fine voices – 28 singers in all. We are not able to muster up a full SATB choir for evensong on a regular basis, but still manage to do a full choral service perhaps twice a year, and this was our special service.

Apart from the hymns and psalm, all the music was written by myself, including the first performance of the antiphonal introit ‘Let the words of my mouth’ and the powerful anthem ‘He can move mountains’.

Very special thanks to Bernadette Coote who played for the service and accompanied the choir brilliantly; to Barbara Steadman-Allen who, as guest speaker, gave a thought-provoking address; and finally to the representative from the RSCM and joined us to sing tenor.

The choir was a delight for me to conduct. Mickleham is blessed with very fine singers, and as one ‘United Benefice Choir’ I really think our two choirs complement each other exceedingly well. I know that my choir enjoyed the experience very much, and I hope Bernadette and your choir did too. I look forward very much to being able to work together again soon; it’s our turn to come to you! Let’s do it.  

Photographs of the service can be seen by visiting our website at http://www.parishchurch.leatherheadweb.org.uk/music/ and going to the news page.

David Oliver, Director of Music
St Mary & St Nicholas, Leatherhead

from the March 2004 magazine

Mickleham hits the National Press! On 7th February the Daily Telegraph published an article on lichens; not on any lichens but on our own special ones. Frank Dobson is the author of Lichens: an Illustrated Field Guide to British and Irish Species. A former publisher, he became interested in lichens as he became involved in church architecture. The connection? Lichens, which are not one type of organism but a mixture of a fungus and an alga, grow on a variety of substrates, including stones. In lowland Britain, churches and churchyards are often the only places where there is a reasonable amount of exposed stone. There are very many different types of lichen, both in growth form and in the fungal and algal partners. Some, especially the more foliose ones, are extremely sensitive to sulphate pollution. It was the loss of many species that alerted scientists in the 1960s and 1970s to the effects of sulphur dioxide from fossil fuels. Now, with the sulphur content removed from effluents, the air is much cleaner and lichens are once again re-colonising areas.

The reporter met Frank Dobson on Box Hill to look at a lichen which grows on the leaves of box trees, which as the author states, has been spotted on the trees for the first time in 50 years. The lichen is called Fellhanera bouteillei. In fact it was Lalage Creasey and myself who made this discovery when we were looking at the mosses and liverworts which, unusually, grow on the leaves of box. Why is this unusual? These tiny organisms need several years to reach maturity. Thus, whatever it is that they grow on must be in place for at least this length of time. The leaves of most trees, including evergreens, are shed on a regular basis and do not therefore last long enough. Another factor is the leaf surface which must not be too smooth nor too acid. Box leaves, which stay on the plant for perhaps five years, are ideal. But these mosses and liverworts also require a moist environment, which is why one does not find them on box everywhere. The deep, moist valleys on Box Hill were the places where we found them. Unfortunately, these are exactly the same places where the disease box blight is really taking hold and killing the trees. One of the effects of this blight is that it causes leaf drop. It is ironic that as the air became clean enough for the lichen to grow on box leaves, a disease, perhaps introduced from abroad, should remove the very substrate on which it grows. I have not searched the trees to see if it is still there, for fear of spreading the disease. I have also found the lichen on box in Norbury Park but for the same reason, I have not been to check on its current status.

After examining the variety of lichens on an elder bush, the reporter and Frank Dobson then moved ‘down the hill to the little village of Mickleham, where the Norman church of St Michael’s and its churchyard has more than 100 types of lichen, an unusually high concentration.’ At one time, Mickleham held the record for the greatest number of lichens recorded in a churchyard, due in part to nearby Juniper Hall attracting visiting specialists. Some churchyards in the West Country now have a higher recorded total but Mickleham churchyard remains important. Churches and churchyards are important for lichens as they provide a range of unchanging habitats – churches have usually been around for a long time and some of the gravestones are no youngsters either! Lichens are extremely sensitive to changes in their habitat. The gravestones have also provided information about the growth rates of lichens. By measuring the circumference of a crustose lichen and comparing it with the date on the gravestone, it has been possible to estimate the growth rate of these lichens.

‘St Michael’s tombstones are largely grey limestone or brown sandstone, each attracting different lichens. The former are favoured by a pretty egg-yellow species Candelariella medians. ‘When it’s dry, it has this white frosting like the bloom of a grape’, says Dobson. ‘They are actually crystals to stop it getting too wet.’ The sandstone ones favour a range of greys and greens. Above the chapel door, patches of a powdery lime green look rather fetching. ‘It is called Psilolechia lucida because it likes to grow on the inscriptions on tombs and elucidates the lettering.’ Above the lych gate, a brilliant orange one with a fan-like pattern, Xanthoria parietina catches the eye. ‘It is in that position because birds perch on the roof and it feeds off the nutrients in their droppings.’ What they do not mention is that the hard shiny granite or marble tombstones support hardly any lichens.

Seen close up, especially with a lens, lichens are fascinating organisms with an aesthetic appeal. Apparently some people join Frank Dobson’s lichen courses at Juniper Hall and other Field Studies Council Centres just so that they can paint, embroider or just photograph them. ‘It is clear that the charm of churches and churchyards owes much to the rich patina of colours and textures that lichens bring to the surfaces.’

The British Lichen Society carries out surveys of churchyard lichens, an important task in this safety-conscious age. They are worried that current safety measures are leading to the destruction of many lichen habitats. ‘If you move stone to what you think is a similar spot, chances are that the lichen will not think so and will die’, says Dobson. ‘Surely these little-appreciated but remarkable organisms, which can live for hundreds of years, are deserving of a little more respect?’
Ann Sankey
Footnote: Frank Dobson is running a course titled Lichens near London at Juniper Hall 26th -28th March. A Field Key to Common Churchyard Lichens £6.50 is available from the British Lichen Society, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD www.thebls.org.uk Juniper Hall also has copies of this publication for sale.

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