PARISH PUMP

All in the West Oxfordshire Cotswolds, England

The latest published issue of Parish Pump is:
June & July 2022

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If you live in the Land of the Twelve Churches, you will probably receive a paper copy. EVERYONE can read it online...

To read PARISH PUMP magazine online (latest & back issues),
or to see all the other website news, views, poetry & more...
... Please use the menu at the top of the page, or go HERE

Everything works on all devices, except reading the magazine is best on a PC or tablet

So many readers still ask 'Where has the Church gone?', that it seems sensible to write something here on the website, rather than take up space in the magazine. You will find it at the foot of the 'About' page from the menu above, or HERE

NEW BOOK!
The Land of The Twelve Churches: Reflections in the Landscape.
 Fresh photographs of all of our churches, and a fascinating insight into how they looked in The Time of Corona. Published by Parish Pump & The Filkins Press. Inspect (and buy!) a copy at Cotswold Woollen Weavers in Filkins, or see more: HERE

Review from a current churchwarden: "... beautifully put together and presented with stunning photos and a thoughtful foreword. It should be widely promoted around the Benefice and I’m sure will strike a chord with many, both church-goers and non-churchgoers alike."

Mrs Simpson's Carpet-beater: The Yapp family & friends, Kencot & Broadwell villagers, and the irreplaceable John Cambridge save St George's Church in this splendid tale of skulduggery: HERE

Helen Mary Squire:  The text of a eulogy, with photographs, given by Helen's nephew, Pip Squire, on Saturday 4th December 2021: HERE

Christmas windows:  The Advent windows in Alvescot 2021: HERE

Christmas with Candles:  Lovely photographs from Chrissy Tinson of the Carol Service candles in St Matthew's Church, Langford: HERE

A Christmas fancy!  Lovely Anne Hichens, of Langford had a delightful, and (as she put it) 'felicitous fancy'...
'Tis the season of lists and dried-fruitfulness.'
We agree!

Who was Amelia Carter? Several local villages, both in and just outside 'The Land of the Twelve Churches' (including Clanfield, Filkins, and Kencot) have village halls which are also known as 'Carter Institutes'. Find find out why, and find out who Amelia Carter was: HERE

Filkins Theatre Review 2021: There was a full house in the Village Hall on 27th November for a review based on sketches rifled from the BBC archive. One of the highlights was Leroy & Lynne tangoing beautifully. See a cobbled-together tribute (and also Peter Sangston singing): HERE

Flowers & Fireworks: Little Faringdon once again punches above its weight with a great Harvest Festival, and a quite stupendous Bonfire Night party. See a write up in the December 2021 & January 2022 issue of Parish Pump ('Read Parish Pump' in the top menu), and you can also find additional photographs HERE

Langford Village Day 2021: The village turned out in style in September... There's a write-up from Richard Kemp in the  December 2021 & January 2022 issue of Parish Pump ('Read Parish Pump' in the top menu), and you can also find additional photographs HERE

St Mary's gets a new lid! St Mary's church, Westwell is an ancient building, and (as all others in 'The Land of the Twelve Churches') needs constant attention. Moray Angus, the churchwarden, recently led a project to restore the wooden shingle-clad spire. See the photographs HERE

In Remembrance 2021: In 2018, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, The Swinford Museum together with the (at that time) churchwardens and PCC of Broughton Poggs with Filkins, and the Filkins Press researched, edited, and published  a written record of those from the village who had served their country during the war: both those who returned and those who did not.
   That record, '100 Years Later', can now be seen online HERE
   The same story could be told of every parish in The Land of The Twelve Churches. Let us remember all those who served.

"Farewell from The Farleys": Malcolm & Tessa Farley are on the move after almost 40 years in Alvescot. Read Tessa's moving account of life in 'The Land of The Twelve Churches', as she and Malcolm bid us all adieu: HERE

"Ride & Stride 2021 in Filkins" Ride & Stride is everywhere! And what a good cause... To help keep our beautiful churches watertight and welcoming. Here is Charlotte Ashby, R&S parish organiser, giving the lowdown on Ride & Stride 2021 in Filkins & Broughton Poggs: HERE

"The Government Inspector". On 17th July, Filkins Theatre presented Gogol's satirical masterpiece about  corruption, as "an outdoor rehearsed reading in costume" . This has become a bit of an annual bash, made particularly welcome this year as an early opportunity to meet together for a party. For a review of the play: HERE

Which way for Oxfordshire? In the 'June & July 2021' issue of Parish Pump, there is a diary item outlining the CPRE briefing about the Oxfordshire Plan 2050. The article offers further information... HERE

Around the churchyard. Many people visit churchyards researching their ancestors, but memorials moulder, sometimes dangerously, leaving churchwardens and PCCs with various management concerns. Here is a report about one local churchyard, with suggestions for a way forward.
HERE

Filkins & Broughton Poggs churches stayed open during most of 2020, fully in accord with government guidelines. How did they do it? An 'historical footnote' to The Time of Corona...   HERE