Deadline for the March 2023 newsletter is 24 February.
Preston Parish Council
Volunteer Emergency Telephone System (Vets)
Preston Parish Council is working with the Community Heartbeat Trust to investigate the possibility of installing and running a Volunteer Emergency Telephone System, or VETS in Preston.
VETS is a community run system which enables up to 10 “good neighbours” to assist pending the arrival of the emergency services. A local number is used as a single point of contact to ring all volunteers’ phone numbers simultaneously.
If the defibrillator is required in an emergency, additional help may be required to get it to the location as quickly as possible, particularly where someone is unable to leave the patient to collect it.
Volunteers are trained in CPR and how to use the defibrillator. Residents would be provided with the VETS number which they would ring after dialling 999 and being told the defibrillator was required.
The system can also be used for any emergency when additional help is required from neighbours such as a fall. The availability of VETS gives a level of reassurance to the elderly and those living alone that there is always help on hand.
Could you be one of the 10 good neighbours required to install the system in Preston? It could be individuals or a household and it can be a landline or mobile number. There is no rota, it’s just being willing to help should the need arise and subject to your availability at the time. The defibrillator has been in the Red Lion car park for almost 8 years and has only been used once.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer or who would like more information about the system should contact Margaret Trinder at:
St Martin’s Church and All Saints’ Church Services
| Sunday 5th February | 9.30am
11.00am |
St Martin’s All Age Communion
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 Matthew 5:13-20 All Saints All Age Communion |
| Sunday 12th February | 8.00am
9.30am
11.00am |
All Saints Holy Communion (BCP)
St Martin’s Holy Communion Romans 8:18-25 Matthew 6:25 – end All Saints Sunday Praise |
| Sunday 19th February | 9.30am
11.00am |
St Martin’s Family Service
All Saints Holy Communion 2 Peter 1:16-end Matthew 17: 1-9 |
| Wednesday 22nd February
Ash Wednesday |
20.00pm
|
All Saints Holy Communion with imposition of ashes
|
| Sunday 26th February | 9.30am
11.00am |
St Martin’s Holy Communion
Romans 5: 12-19 Matthew 4: 1-11 All Saints Holy Communion |
Team Vicar of St Paul’s Walden with Preston:
A Letter From Our Team Vicar
As a church, we do our best to keep you in the picture with what is going on. The PNS is a really valuable way of keeping in touch. There is also the parish magazine, which is full of material; and we also post items on the St Martin’s Church Facebook page. And then there is of course the conversations we have at our regular Sunday services, now always accompanied by coffee.
This month we begin the approach to Easter known as Lent. It starts on Ash Wednesday, 22nd February. At our service at All Saints on that day, there will be the imposition of ashes, the outward mark of the cross of Jesus, calling us to turn to him afresh. Ash Wednesday indeed creates an opening, a space and a season in which we can examine ourselves and set ourselves on a new and better path. Lent may enable us to become more aware of the compassionate God who loves us; to deepen our self-awareness; and to mark our hearts with the cross of Jesus in anticipation of the joyful celebration of Easter.
We will be holding Lent lunches in the church annexe at St Paul’s Walden fortnightly, starting on Ash Wednesday – one more opportunity for the parish and our communities to be together in a good cause. All welcome!
With every blessing,
Stephen
St Martin’s Church 150 Club 2022/2023
The winners in the January draw in the 2022/23 150 Club (£30 each) were:
No. 62 Mrs M P Clark
No. 93 Mrs N Rutherford
Hitchin Foodbank Shortages
The following items are the most urgently needed: Instant coffee (100g); 1ltr Long Life milk; 1ltr Long Life juice; Dried milk, Dried potato, Tinned tomatoes; Jam.
Please ensure items are undamaged and in date. Donations can be deposited in the blue box in the garage at Lychgate House, Church Lane, or at Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. Thank you for your continued support; for more information please visit letchworth.foodbank.org.uk
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. If you use the What3Words app, please include the three words for the location of the fly tipping.
PCSO Heather Burrows can be contacted regarding local community issues.
Contact details are as follows:
PCSO Heather Burrows: 07740 745168 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.
Reporting suspicious activity
Please report any suspicious activity or vehicles you may witness in the locality.
Call the police on the non-emergency number 101 or report it online by using the website www.herts.police.uk/report and follow the links.
Potholes
Potholes should be reported to Hertfordshire Highways at: www.hertsdirect.org/highwaysfaults or 03001234047.
The greater the number of reports, the more likely it is that the pothole will be repaired.
Fallen Trees
Fallen trees and large branches which are blocking the highway should be reported to Lisa Lathane, Clerk to Preston Parish Council who will inform the owner of the tree. Contact details:
Preston Village Society
PVS will meet in the Village Hall on Thursday 16th February at 7 pm – the theme will be “My Favourite Book” so if you would like to bring your favourite book to discuss, that could make for an interesting topic.
The following month, Thursday 16th March, is again in the Village Hall at 7 pm and we will have a visiting willow artist who is going to arrange a short workshop with us. It would be helpful if, at the February meeting, you could let us know if you will be attending as Hazel (the artist) would like to know numbers so that she can prepare the materials.
The Preston Trust
our first LITTER PICK of 2023, 4 MARCH, 10.00 – 12 noon
The PT committee would like to invite you, once again, to lend a hand to pick up litter around the village and parish. The number of visiting ramblers and dog-walkers seems to continue throughout the parish – they appreciate our mostly quiet lanes, our litter free footpaths, and a possible destination of our Red Lion! We wish to demonstrate our clean and green rural environment.
Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and bring your gardening or DIY gloves. We have the HiVis jackets, the litter pick tools and sacks. As usual, we will work in pairs along each lane and path, and bring the filled sacks back to St Martin’s Place in Church Lane.
A decision on whether to have a clearing of The Green, on the same day, will be made at the end of February. The outcome will be shared in the March Newsletter.
Do please just come along, and lend a hand! As you all know, many hands make light work! You are all very welcome.
Liz Hunter and Rae Reynolds, PT committee
The Preston Trust
Please save the dates:
8 April 2023 – The Great Preston Easter Egg Hunt
6 to 8 May 2023 – A Village Celebration for the Coronation of King Charles lll
1 July 2023 – Village Day and the return of the Scarecrows!
Our apologies, the January newsletter stated that there will be more information about King Charles’ Coronation Celebration and Village Day events in this newsletter. As you can see it is not here,(apart from the addition of the date of the Coronation weekend) but will be in the March edition. There will also be news about the Easter Egg Hunt.
The King’s Coronation Celebrations
Dear fellow parishioner,
King Charles lll’s Coronation Service will be on Saturday 6th May.
His Majesty has asked for Celebrations to be held on the
Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday…
A Coronation Big Lunch on Sunday 7th.
‘To be held a nationwide act of celebration and friendship’
Do you have any suggestions on what you would like to happen on this day?
Would you like a Street Party? – Similar to the one held for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee but with sunshine, and the games/competitions that the rain stopped us from playing? (Obviously the sunshine really isn’t down to us …) If yes, are there any games or competitions you would like? Or, do you want something totally different? Please let us know.
The Big Help Out on Monday 8th May.
‘Recalling His Majesty’s lifelong dedication to public service – to bring communities together in volunteering initiatives’
What does this mean to you and what can we, in Preston, do for our Parish and its community?
Please share your thoughts and suggestions with us.
Please send your suggestions for both events to Rae
Our Face book and Instagram pages will be up and running soon and we will be sharing information and requests through those and the PNS as well as the newsletter. A dedicated email address will also be available soon.
With many thanks
David, Jane, Jo, Joyce, Malcolm, Paul, Rae, Richard and Vicky
(The King’s Coronation committee)