Dates to Remember
| Fri 1 Feb | Community Book Swap – Village Hall – 10.30-11.00am. |
| Fri 15 Feb | Community Book Swap – Village Hall – 10.30-11.00am. |
| Wed 20 Feb | Preston Village Society – Rosebank – 8.00pm. |
NHDC Local Plan Main Modifications Consultation
Preston Parish Council would like to inform residents that the consultation on the Main Modifications to the NHDC Local Plan will be held between Thursday 3 January and Monday 4 March. The Main Modifications are amendments to the plan suggested by the Inspector following the hearings which took place last year.
The Consultation can be found on the NHDC website: www.north-herts.gov.uk/localplan,
then follow the links to Main Modifications and the Consultation. Comments by post should be sent to: Strategic Planning and Projects Group, North Hertfordshire District Council, PO Box 10613, Nottingham, NG6 6DW
All North Hertfordshire residents are welcome to respond to the consultation, regardless of whether they have responded to previous consultations on the Local Plan.
Road Salt
Preston Parish Council would like to inform residents that all the salt bins in the Parish have been topped up in case we have any bad weather.
Anyone who would like a bag of salt for their own use should contact Jane Clark by email: keeperbird@btinternet.com.
Preston Village Society
This month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday 20 February at Caroline Walford, Rosebank, Back Lane when Margaret Trinder will give a talk entitled ‘On and Off the Rails Down Under’.
St Martin’s Church And All Saints’ Church Services
| February | Service | Sidesman | Reader | |
| 3rd | 10.00am | Candlemas | Richard Gill | Danny Rowland |
| Malachi3:1-5, RCL p.60 Gospel:Luke 2:22-40 Intercessions: Hugh Reeves Chalice: Dawn Jenkins | ||||
| 10th | 9.30am | Malcolm Lowle | Sue Griffiths | |
| Isaiah 6:1-8, RCL p.791 Gospel:Luke 5:1-11 Intercessions: Alec Dickinson Chalice: Meta Reeves | ||||
| 11.00am | Holy Communion at All Saints’ | |||
| 17th | 8am | Holy Communion (BCP) at All Saints’ | ||
| 9.30am | Mike Kellard | Paul Constantinidi | ||
| 1 Cor. 15:12-20, RCL p.797 Gospel:Luke 6:17-26 Intercessions: Meta Reeves Chalice: Mike Kellard | ||||
| 11.00am | Family Service at All Saints’ | |||
| 24th | 9.30am | Liz Hunter | Mark Lawson | |
| Genesis 2:4b-9,15-end, RCL p.807 Gospel:Luke 8:22-25 Intercessions: Hugh Reeves Chalice: Liz Hunter | ||||
| 11.00am | Holy Communion at All Saints’ | |||
| March | ||||
| 3rd | 10.00am | Malcolm Lowle | Verity Liddell | |
| Exodus 34:29-end, RCL p.811 Gospel:Luke 9:28-36 Intercessions: Dawn Jenkins Chalice: Dawn Jenkins | ||||
| 6th | 7.00 pm | Ash Wednesday Communion at St Martin’s. Richard Blockley, Celebrant & preacher; Bishop of Hertford | ||
NB From November 2018 until March 2019 inclusive the service on the first Sunday in the month will be held at St Martin’s Preston at 10.00am. There will be NO SERVICE AT ALL SAINTS’.
Weekday services in Whitwell:
Alternate Wednesdays 9.30am Holy Communion Lime Tree House
6th, 20th February
Stagenhoe – 20th February, 11.00am Holy Communion
St Martin’s Church 120 Club
For the January draw in the 2018/19 120 Club there is an extra winner drawn from members who have not won in the past 5 years. The winners (£30 each) were:
| No. 100 | Mrs G E Doonan |
| No. 30 | Mr &Mrs R G M Young |
During February we will be selling tickets for next year’s Club. We welcome any new participants – tickets cost £20 for the year, with 25 prizes of £30. This is an important source of income for St Martin’s church to help maintain the building and churchyard. If you would like to join please call Richard Blockley ☎ 457631.
A Letter From the Reader of our Parish
A LETTER FROM THE READER OF OUR PARISH Dawn Jenkins. Email: imdawnh@hotmail.com or tel. 01438 -871831 Dear All A couple of weeks ago, like many of you, I stayed up to watch the new year in with my family, like I have done many times down the years. Unlike previous years the following day when I took the dogs for their early morning walk, I mused that actually not much had changed since the previous night, other than a digit, a single numerical digit, (for Mathematicians that may make a huge difference, I don’t know) There was no dramatic change that was visual to the human eye, the news on the radio still told of hostilities, poverty, and desperate people seeking a better life. Sadly, I don’t even recall an announcement of the first baby born in the New Year, so if yours was a New Year baby, congratulations. The weeks of preparations that terminate with Christmas brings with it so many mixed emotions, that sometimes it’s a struggle to hold close to the innocence of a child’s birth and the overwhelming emotions that come with it, which we have celebrated for thousands of years. Just as at Midnight when the clock strikes twelve on New Year eve, we hold on to a hope of better things to come, changes we are going to make in our lives, new relationships, new journeys, resolutions that challenge each one of us in different ways. It’s not just our faith in ourselves that can take a knock as time goes by, its faith in God’s promise as well It gets increasingly difficult to reconcile the harsh realities of life with the idea of a God of love. The fact that society as a whole generally dismisses any talk of God makes it all the harder to keep on believing. Our Parish is probably no different, but what I want to tell you is that at our Carol Service at All Saints, over 250 people came together to sing Carols and hear Bible Readings. At our Crib service on Christmas Eve over 150 adults and children helped with the telling of the story of the Nativity. At St Martin’s there were 75 parents and children celebrating Christingle and there was a congregation of 67 people at the Christmas Eve service. That’s our community for you, despite outward appearances we continue to grasp to the hope that God is at work, it’s important to us and it’s important that our children know this. Darkness at this time of year can pull us down, but Jesus is the Light that no darkness can overcome, it urges us not to lose heart. Let us start looking for the small signs of light coming into the world, the delicate snowdrops that for twelve months have been hidden are starting to burst into life, the days are starting to get longer, the dawn chorus is getting louder. Let’s remember that as a community working together we can all help that light shine a little brighter in the lives of those we meet. Love and prayers, Dawn x
Church Cleaning
The church is cleaned on the first Tuesday of every month starting at 4.00pm. Anyone wishing to assist please contact Margaret Cashin 420073
Neighbourhood Watch
The number to contact at North Herts Police for all non-emergencies (including witnessing of fly-tipping) is 101 or 01707 354000.
For removal of fly tipping which has already occurred, call NHDC 01462 474000 or online at www.north-herts.gov.uk, then follow the links to Transport and Streets, Street Cleaning and Fly Tipping where there is a form to complete to report the details.
PC Matt Jenkins and PCSO Heather Burrows can be contacted regarding local community issues. Their contact details are as follows:
PC Matt Jenkins: 07736 225349 or 01438 757604
PCSO Heather Burrows: 07847 364955 or 01438 757604 or heather.burrows@herts.pnn.police.uk
In the event of an emergency or if you witness a crime taking place please call 999.
Thefts From Cars – January 2019
The Police have reported a spate of thefts recently from vehicles in several rural locations. In Preston, at least 10 cars were targeted. Some were left unlocked overnight. It is also possible that vehicles with a keyless entry system had been accessed with a device that sends an unlocking signal to the car.
- Electronic key fobs should be kept away from windows and front door and placed in a metal box for maximum security.
- Never leave valuables in your vehicle overnight, not even in the glove box.
- Ensure vehicles are locked when left unattended.
Visit the Hertfordshire Police Crime Prevention website for up to date information about how to secure your vehicle, home and property at: www.herts.police.uk/crimeprevention.
If you see suspicious behaviour, please report it to Police on 101.
If you witness a crime in progress call 999. Preston Neighbourhood Watch
Hitchin Foodbank
Many thanks for your ongoing support and contributions to the Hitchin Foodbank, especially over the Christmas period.
Due to increased recent demand the following items are most urgently needed: dried milk, dried potato, sponge puddings, sugar, tea, jam/marmalade, longlife juice, longlife UHT milk.
Please ensure items are undamaged and in date. Donations can be deposited at Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, or in the blue box in the garage at Lychgate House, Church Lane.
Open Gardens Day – Sunday 26 May – The 28th Year!
The second Bank Holiday Sunday in May as usual. Many of our lovely Preston Gardens will be open to admiring visitors again. If you have never opened your garden before but would quite like to this year, we will be delighted to hear from you. Do remember that visitors are looking for variety rather than perfection and ‘wild’ areas can be just as interesting as designer borders!
Liz ☎ 433859, Pam ☎ 422315 or Meta ☎ 456567
Preston Village Voices
On 14 December 2018, Preston Village Voices held a hugely enjoyable and very successful Christmas concert to raise money for St Martin’s Church and the Anne Robson Trust. We would like to thank everyone involved in organising this and to all who supported us either by coming to the concert and/or buying raffle tickets. With your generosity we were able to raise a staggering £1350, which has been divided between the two charities.
A huge thank you from the Choir and we look forward to seeing you at our next concert.
If you are interested in joining the choir, please call Diane Hayhurst ☎ 07495541624
Floral Arrangement Workshop
Join Caroline Clark from independent and local florist Phlox, for a relaxed and friendly evening workshop in Preston Village Hall on 29 March (7-9.00pm) to create a beautiful seasonal floral arrangement busting with colour for yourself or to give as a gift for a loved one.
All materials are provided along with refreshments and cake! Cost £50pp.
For more information or to book please call Caroline ☎ 07935921301 or email caroline@phlox.london