New Archive 2011

£165 was raised in aid of the British Legion on our dark and damp trip round Rushden on 23^rd December. Thank you to all who sang; all who contributed; the Whittons for their pre singing hospitality from which we found it difficult to tear ourselves away; Carol for her delicious mince-pies and the Moon and Stars for the very welcome mulled wine at the end of our journey ( and voices!)

If anyone has any suggestions for a particular charity for next year why not let us know.

The Royal Variety Show will have to rethink its acts after the Rushden Concert on 19th November which was an evening of real variety from the Dopey Wallahs to Brahms and the Pussy Cat Dolls to jazz. The Church was packed and everyone left smiling and saying what an amazing evening they had had. Outsiders commented that their villages could never match it. £460 was raised to be divided between the Village Hall and the Church. Thanks must go to all the performers, the organizers and to Chris Hills for donating the wine for mulling.

A staggering £460 was raised which will be divided between the Village Hall and the Church.

Click here for some photos with thanks to John Dingemans

You can see one of the rehearsals at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ROymRI2JUs

We are extremely sad to announce that Silke, our Vicar, who has worked so hard for our villages, will be leaving us for a new parish in Kent on Sunday 23^rd October. Thank you so much Silke for everything. We have really enjoyed having you as our priest.

Congratulations to Steve Jarvis, who has once again been elected as our district Councillor. Steve has worked incredibly hard for us over the years and we know he will continue to do so.

In spite of a reduced turn out (133 out of 197 in Rushden) Steve won a well deserved and resounding victory over the other parties.

	NEWS ARCHIVE 2011

	£165 was raised in aid of the British Legion on our dark and damp trip round Rushden on 23^rd December. Thank you to all who sang; all who contributed; the Whittons for their pre singing hospitality from which we found it difficult to tear ourselves away; Carol for her delicious mince-pies and the Moon and Stars for the very welcome mulled wine at the end of our journey ( and voices!) If anyone has any suggestions for a particular charity for next year why not let us know.

	The Christmas Bazaar made a fantastic £1034. Thanks must go to all the helpers and particularly to Ellen Manchester for all her hard work.

	Sadly Wallington and Rushden WI has had to close. Our last meeting ended with a Christmas party to which old members were invited as well as present. The slogan quiz was won by Liz James. There is still a chance that the WI can reopen at a later date if enough interest is shown.

	The Danish Lunch proved a packed out success on Sunday 23^rd October. Smorrebrod of six different varieties was followed by frikadeller, roast pork, red cabbage and new potatoes, then came Danish apple pudding and finally a selection of Danish cheeses all washed down with kir, aquavit, wine and Carlsberg. Everyone seemed very happy when they left! We would like to thank Chris Whitton for working so hard to organize the meal and for doing so much of the cooking; Eva, Chris Jones and Sarah for preparing the smorrebrod and puddings; Vicky for running the raffle and doing a lot more running around serving and Ann Cottam for her talk on Denmark . A magnificent £420 was raised. Click here for some photos with thanks to Chris Whitton

	The Royal Variety Show will have to rethink its acts after the Rushden Concert on 19th November which was an evening of real variety from the Dopey Wallahs to Brahms and the Pussy Cat Dolls to jazz. The Church was packed and everyone left smiling and saying what an amazing evening they had had. Outsiders commented that their villages could never match it. £460 was raised to be divided between the Village Hall and the Church. Thanks must go to all the performers, the organizers and to Chris Hills for donating the wine for mulling. A staggering £460 was raised which will be divided between the Village Hall and the Church. Click here for some photos with thanks to John Dingemans You can see one of the rehearsals at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ROymRI2JUs

	Brian Littlechild has raised a massive £405 for Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust half of which will go to Rushden Church . A big thank you to Brian for all that pedalling.

	We have received a thank you from Garden House Hospice for our harvest produce which was delivered to them this year. "Thank you for the very kind donation of harvest produce to the Hospice from the parishioners of Rushden Church . We are very grateful to all who support us in this way and I can assure you that our kitchen, who are very committed to using fresh produce, will be able to use your gifts well for our patients to enjoy." Thank you to everyone who gave so generously and to Chris Whitton for delivering it.

	John Dingeman's Highland cattle seem to welcome the snow in Southern Green. Click here for some photos with thanks to John.

	We are extremely sad to announce that Silke, our Vicar, who has worked so hard for our villages, will be leaving us for a new parish in Kent on Sunday 23^rd October. Thank you so much Silke for everything. We have really enjoyed having you as our priest.

	December 2011 - Rushdenites from everywhere will be very saddened to hear of the death of Jean Chalk. Jean has been a guiding light in the village for so many years and has done so much for Rushden and will be sadly missed. Last week she celebrated her 96^th birthday.

	CHURCH FARM OCTOBER 2011 NEWSLETTER Click here to meet the Church Farm team in this month’s newsletter – there’s plenty of information about our Farm Store, Butchery, new Bakery, Café & Tea Rooms, Jolly Waggoner Pub, Halloween & Bonfire night events and more…. Don’t forget to give us a call if you’re ready to order your Christmas turkey too! We look forward to having you. The Church Farm Team Church Farm, Ardeley, Stevenage , Hertfordshire SG2 7AH 01438 861 447 www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk www.agrarianrenaissance.co.uk

	Thanks so much to everyone who supported me in the Garden House Hospice sponsored swim. I raised £190 and managed to swim 62 lengths in 30 minutes. Vanessa (Marlow)

	It was the Rushden Fete last Saturday 25th June 2011 and a good time was had by all. Click here to see some photos with thanks to John Dingemans.

	Friends of Joyce Hart will be sad to hear of her recent death. Joyce was a regular attender and winner of Rushden quizzes and also WI quizzes. She has been a WI committee member for several years. Her funeral took place Monday 5^th September at Clothall church. We send our sympathy to her family.

	Cream Tea and Choir. A delicious cream tea was held in the lovely gardens of Chris and Eva Whitton on Sunday 26th June 2011. The weather was glorious and made for a perfect afternoon. £249 was raised by this event. We must thank Chris and Eva for the loan of this garden which made the day even more perfect and our thanks too to the Orpheus Choir for entertaining us so well and to all the hard working helpers particularly Wei and Mo Mo. Click here to see some photos with thanks to John Dingemans.


	Tom Whiting has returned home safely from Afghanistan, though we now know not without incident. A vehicle in which he was travelling with three others hit a roadside bomb and was destroyed. Tom was incredibly lucky, being thrown out with minor injuries only, but the others were badly injured and had to be airlifted to Camp Bastion and then on to Selly Oak. The whole squadron received their campaign medals last week, and Tom is wearing his in the attached photograph. They're all now on a month's well-deserved leave. Congratulations to Tom.

	The Crown and Coronets party 29 April 2011 was enjoyed by all who came and special thanks must go to Ellen Manchester and Debs Collis for organizing it- fantastic food and even the wonderful weather! It was the perfect end to a Royal Wedding. Click here for some photos with thanks to John Dingemans and Alan Nesbitt

	Friday 8 April 2011 was Bingo night at Rushden Village Hall. It was bingo - for prizes, not money! The whole thing was topped off with a delicious supper. It was a very good evening with some very good jokes by Rob, who did an excellent job of entertaining us. Our thanks go to all of the committee and helpers for organising this. We are looking forward to the next village even which will be the on the 29th. Click here for some photos with thanks to John Dingemans

	Congratulations to Steve Jarvis, who has once again been elected as our district Councillor. Steve has worked incredibly hard for us over the years and we know he will continue to do so. In spite of a reduced turn out (133 out of 197 in Rushden) Steve won a well deserved and resounding victory over the other parties.

	For those of you who were able to take part in or watch the Weston Passion Play, Silke has kindly sent these photos. It was a wonderful and very moving experience for everyone who was there and we cannot thank Joanna Jenkins and her team enough for all their hard work. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS with thanks to Silke

	Clive Semple has sent us some Rushden wartime photos to enjoy. Click on photo for larger image and list of names

	Here are some more postcards of old Rushden which were once kept in Redfearn's shop on Roe Green. With thanks to the Hoefkens. CLICK HERE to view them.

	These are postcards which were once kept in Redfearn's shop on Roe Green. With thanks to the Hoefkens Click on photo for larger image.
	Tom Whiting, born and bred in Rushden and still (sort of) living at The Orchard House, flew out from Brize Norton on 5th October bound for Afghanistan. First lieutenant in the Life Guards (part of the Household Cavalry), Tom will be based in Helmand Province during his tour of duty; returning to the UK around the beginning of April 2011. Keep him in your thoughts. click on photo for larger image

	For those who would like to see what Peter Lever is up to on his American Adventure here is his blog link http://doesheknowthewaytosanjose.wordpress.com/

	The dedication of the plaque to Jeff Wornham took place on Sunday 13^th March. Family, friends and firefighters gathered to pay tribute to his bravery. The Hertfordshire Fire Chief had hoped to attend but was called on to lead a team to Japan to help with the tsunami aftermath. Tributes reminded us how important a part of the village scene he had been and how many memorials already exist in his name. CLICK ON PHOTO FOR LARGER IMAGE (photos with thanks to Nicky Cottam)

	I am originally from South Africa however I currently live in Royston. I often cycle and do walks around North Hertfordshire and love the little villages dotted across the countryside. Towards the end of October/ beginning of November, I undertook two similar walks a week apart from Baldock to Royston via a number of the villages – Clothall, Wallington, Rushden, Sandon & Therfield. I am a keen photographer and maintain my own website. My account of these two walks is spread over four pages commencing with http://petergroveswebsite.com/Hertfordshire-6a.htm. Having located your website, I thought possibly folk in your village might be interested. Kind Regards. Peter Groves

	Saturday 19^th March at 7.30pm in the Village Hall- The Miller’s Tale- an evening to include a talk on breadmaking, pates, pud and home made bread all for just £11. Why not join us? Phone 288393 for details. POSTPONED UNTIL A LATER DATE

	A great evening was had by all, with music, poetry and comedy to accompany the haggis, neeps & tatties and luscious desserts. Over £1,300 was raised for the Hall funds! Grateful thanks go to “After Hours” who got our guests bopping, Doug Wood for his touching tribute to the haggis and his guidance in the Scottish Country Dancing, and all other performers, cooks & helpers - a great team effort! With thanks to John Dingemans for the photos. Click here to see them.