Much has been written and said in recent weeks about the issue of political asylum seekers and it is clearly an issue, that has aroused much emotion in both the local communities, where such people have been accommodated and in the political sphere. As I have listened and observed the debate, I have found myself increasingly concerned at the language used by politicians of all colours.

Lets try to get back to the facts: People: men, women and children leave their homes and countries in search of a better life. Some of these people will have been suffering persecution at home, on account of their politics or religion, some will simply be attracted by what they believe to be a better place to live. In this light, our country must have an appropriate mechanism to determine whether or not the reason for seeking to live in this country is sufficiently good for them to be admitted.

This mechanism must be fair and it must be conducted as quickly as possible. To condemn those people who seek asylum in our country as “bogus”, before a judgement has been made as to whether their application is based on persecution or on the desire for a better standard of living is, in my view, quite wrong. This language, and the associated mentality that sees all foreign nationals as a threat to our nationhood, denies one of the fundamental tenets of Christianity, that all people are made in the image of God, are loved by him and have the potential to be redeemed by him. We should resist any such denial most strongly.

Summer in Gedling

There are a number of activities taking place over the summer, that I would like to draw to your attention .  Some of these are events that we are organising ourselves and therefore need assistance with, others are events organised by others for the good of  our community.

Volunteers needed!

Weddings

Funerals

Parish Register - May 2000

To book the floodlighting in memory of a loved one or for a special 
occasion, please telephone Roy Skellington on 961 7031.
The charges are £5 for a night or £10 for a week. 
Postcard size photographs of the Church floodlit, can be obtained from the Church Bookstall, priced £1.

Floodlighting - April 2000

There are no prizes or answers available for the April quiz.

See the quiz for more details

What did Bishop ‘A ‘say to Bishop ‘B’? What was Bishop ‘B’s reply?

This is your chance to use your skill, as per ‘Have I Got News For You’, to put the words into the Bishops’ mouths! 
Send your suggestions to the editors before 14th July.
The wittiest, printable ideas will receive a prize.
The editors decision will be final but we will publish a selection of answers. 

(A is the Bishop of Salisbury and B is the Bishop of Guilford.)

As we enter June and Midsummer’s Day (June 24th) approaches, we seem to have had a glut of Bank Holidays. This has been due to the movable feast of Easter being almost at its latest possible time. This is calculated by reference to the full moon after the Vernal Equinox (March 21st). 

This year a full moon occurred on March 20th (too early!) so the next full moon didn’t come until April 18th and hence Easter fell on the following Sunday, April 23rd. In 2011, it will be on April 24th!

This late Easter holiday causes problems affecting many people. It affects the tourist industry, school and college terms and in the workplace, these holidays seem to come too close together.

A fixed date has been accepted for Christmas and May Day and Spring Bank Holiday have also been fixed, so wouldn’t life be easier, if
Easter Day had a regular place on the calendar?

There are no prizes or answers available for the April quiz.

See the quiz for more details

A diary is kept in the Church Office but this is not always accessible and some people may not even know of its existence. To check availability and avoid event clashes, Dorothy Pinkett has been appointed as “Keeper of the Parish Diary” by the PCC. Please contact her on 961 2051, if you are planning an event or you organise the programme for a group.

Thank You!

to all those who entered the egg decorating competition, young and old. We were amazed to see so many ideas in the 500+ entries.
They made a wonderful splash of colour in church over the Easter period. 
Group Winners were:-

The meeting was well attended and after hearing about the Society’s activities over the last year the main item on the agenda was a discussion on the Gedling Borough Development Plan. The large numbers who attended the meeting at Carlton le Willows School on the 4th May, seemed very dissatisfied with the answers they were given and a number of people at the AGM voiced their opinions as to the lack of thought shown in the plan for our local community.

Co-ordinating Objections
The fact, that of the 2000 objections to the Plan raised throughout the Borough, less than 400 were received from the Gedling Village area, must have counted in favour of such a heavy development being proposed in our community. The GVPS plans to help co-ordinate any objections residents wish to make and will be leafleting as many houses as possible with details as to how to raise your objections, which will be forwarded to a Public Inquiry. Unless you submit your comments on the correct form, quoting the correct Plan reference number your ideas will not be considered. The Development Plan will be on display in your local library from 22nd May for 6 weeks but be prepared for a long read as the report is a thick volume. 

Objection Night
To help sort out problems you might have, the GVPS is having an Objection Night on Tuesday, 13th June at the Memorial Hall, from 7 to 10 pm. You can call in during that time and chat about your ideas and get the correct details to complete an objection form. 
Do not be complacent about a new road being provided as part of the deal, it will not give us a bypass route, only a service road for a new housing estate of 1,400 houses. There will still be easy access for short cuts through the village and who will want to join the Burton Road and the inevitable queues to get under the rail bridge?
There are many points to raise - access to the new road, a large car park for the Park and Ride scheme, surface water and sewage drainage, housing density, swallowing up of allotments, loss of Green Belt land, the lack of new secondary school places and facilities for the increased population. 
For many of you this will be happening, literally on your doorstep so check the details and come along on the Objection Night.
For further information and offers of help contact ;
Francis Rodrigues, Secretary, 956 1442

An atheist was fishing on Loch Ness, when suddenly the hideous monster burst out of the water beside his boat. The monster opened its huge jaws and was about to swallow the terrified man whole when the man cried out “Lord save me”. There was a mighty clap of thunder and the monster disappeared back into the water. A voice from heaven boomed out, “Why are you crying out to me to save you?” said God, “I thought you didn’t believe in me?”. “Hang on Lord...” pleaded the man “..thirty seconds ago, I didn’t even believe in the Loch Ness monster!”

At the AGM, held on 15th May, the future of the Memorial was the main topic of conversation. The newly appointed Administrator, Andrew, reported that bookings were continuing at about the same rate as previously and there had been some responses to the survey circulated last month. Users of the Hall suggested an improvement in facilities and a need to tidy up the interior. The Hall Committee are tackling the future with a short term plan of decorating the main room and toilets, and with a long term view to modernise the premises with better accessibility. An architect is to be consulted to look at the possibility of reorganising the facilities so that the Hall, new kitchen, toilets and small meeting room could all be on the same level. There was a lot of enthusiasm for getting things moving and we need the local community to give their opinions and support for the future. Please talk to anyone on the committee or make contact through the Magazine Editors.
A new development for the AGM was the provision of refreshments and grateful thanks are due to Kate Williams and Betty Jones for organising a buffet for all those attending.

Gordon Tunnicliffe, Chairman (987 6963)

Bingo, Quiz and Auction Evening
This event will take place on Saturday, 17th June, starting at 6.30 pm and promises to be a fun evening for all. Tickets cost £1.00 for adults and 50p for children, which includes your entry to the quiz and the first game of Bingo!



We are currently trying to raise £4,000 to extend our computer suite. If you can offer an item or a promise for our auction, please contact 
me on 956 8277. Promises can be almost anything ....... decorating, baby sitting, a cuddly toy, a homemade cake, ironing!

Summer Fayre 2000 ......anyone for tennis?
The Fayre will have a tennis theme (Wimbledon) this year and we hope you’ll book the date, Saturday 1st July at 2.00 pm and come and join us, you’ll be made most welcome.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the Christian Aid Service. It was a wonderful example of all age worship. I am a member of the P.C.C. and a Sunday School Leader at St. Mary’s Church in Arnold. One of our key initiatives at the moment, is to attract more families to church. Creating an environment for “All Age Worship” is crucially important here.

We currently have two Family Services running alongside the main service every month. Slowly we are beginning to introduce the Family Service into the main Church Service, with a greater involvement of the children and teenagers. Our aim is to have a form of worship, which meets the needs of all the congregation within 2 years.

We need more services like the Christian Aid one. Children are the Church’s future and we need to pursue every avenue to inspire, enrich and encourage them into the Church Family.

Finally, congratulations to our children from All Hallows who are in the church choir. I was immensely proud of them, when I saw them in their robes.

John Graham (Head Teacher)

Due to shortage of Leaders and helpers, it has been necessary to close the Cub Pack, which met on Monday evenings.

A sponsored silence was held on Tuesday, April 11th by the Brownies, to raise money for Book Aid 2000, the project chosen by The Guide Association to celebrate the Millennium. So far we have raised £207.60p....Brilliant!! Charlotte Barclay read the Brownie Guide Law during the annual St. George’s Day Service at Southwell Minster on April 29th.

Jessica Clark, Olivia Snelling, Amy Stanger, Alexandra Blackburn and Emma Morley have all made their Rainbow Promises.

Under the able leadership of Joanne Salmon the Guides unit is growing and now has eight members. Joanne can be contacted on 952 3922 and any girls aged 10-14, who are interested in joining, will be most welcome at meetings on Tuesdays, 7.30-9.00 pm in the Scout Hut on Willow Lane.

Nora Crossland

Mrs. Jean Flinton entertained us at our May meeting, with a variety of stories around a collection of her favourite things.

On Tuesday, 13th June, we are visiting “The Shop at Flintham” and having supper in the village hall. We have three spare seats, if you are intrested in joining us, please ring me, before 6th June on either 962 1005 or 9612 2659.

Jane Pickard

“Resolutions” was the subject of our May meeting, not the New Year variety but subjects deemed to be worthy of discussion at our national meeting at Wembley Arena in June. These include the importance of allowing people to collect pensions and benefits from post offices beyond 2002, the funding of children’s hospices, in the same way as their adult counterparts and finally, treatment for stroke victims, strokes being the third largest cause of death in this country, needs to be of a higher standard throughout the country. All these topics have one thing in common - the cost of their funding. 

On a more positive note, our June 6th meeting is entitled “Singing for Pleasure” by Mr. & Mrs. Machell. If you like the sound of that, do come 
and join us at 7.30 pm in the Memorial Hall.

Susanne Severn

Just a reminder...
Junior Church will meet at 10 am every Sunday during School terms, except the 1st Sunday of the month when we shall join in Parish Worship

The Miracle Maker
A group of over 40 enjoyed a special showing of this new film at the Savoy cinema. The story of the life of Jesus is cleverly told by using 3D puppet-like figures with cartoon flashbacks to add to the drama of the miracles. The big screen creates an exciting atmosphere and the treat was rounded off by ice creams organised by Eleanor Crossley. Thanks Eleanor, and please can we see more! 

A date for your calender
Village Family Picnic at Rufford Park on Sunday, 23 July

In 1996, Simon Donaldson and Michael Hyde started a karate dojo at Willow Farm Primary School, with the view to pass on their knowledge of karate and self-defence to whoever wished to learn.

As we start this new Millennium, our dojo is entering a period of sustained growth, with active support from the school, parents and students from our dojo.

We offer a warm and friendly environment for all ages to learn how to defend themselves more effectively, keep fit and meet like-minded people. There are annual ‘in-house’ and national competitions for those that want it and we encourage all our students to learn and develop at a pace that suits them. The dojo is large enough to provide a diversity of abilities but small enough to ensure a high level of personal tuition. We train every Tuesday, Cadets (5-14 years), 6.30 pm until 7.30 pm and Seniors (15+ years) 7.30 pm until 9 pm. If you wish to learn more about what we do and who we are, please visit our website at the following address http://welcome.to/maks-gedling. Alternatively, telephone James Hyde (Instructor) on 07780 615725 or simply come along and watch!

May Meeting
On Thursday May 18th, Nigel Brown presented “An introduction to the Internet”. His high tec talk involved a projector, linked to a computer, to give a big screen image. It was amazing to discover the experiments in linking computers via a telephone line began in the USA in the middle of the 20th Century. His historical information showed how, after a slow start, the growth of the internet system has been astronomical in the last decade with millions of computers, world wide, now able to “talk” to one another. Nigel was able to demonstrate some of the modern advances such as, on line shopping at your local supermarket, checking your bank account and even finding a telephone number using “192.com”. This proved interesting as we checked one member’s phone number and found it was also possible to reveal access to details of his neighbours, with the same postcode. We were able to view the latest technology on www virtual reality sites, demonstrated by a bus tour around the city of Bath.

Some of the links shown in the presentation:

Next Meeting
Alan Langton will be speaking to the Fellowship on Monday, 19th June about his holiday in Russia last year, illustrating his talk with photographic slides. Alan’s title for his talk is “From Russia with Love” and it begins at 7.30 pm at the Willowbrook Club, Main Road, Gedling.

Annual Outing
This year’s Annual Outing is to BETH SHALOM the Holocaust Memorial Centre, near Laxton, will be on Monday 3rd July. 
The Memorial Centre is dedicated to working with a range of people to teach about the holocaust and to provide a glimpse into this 20th Century human tragedy, which has much relevance to contemporary society.After a buffet supper (mainly fish and vegetarian) we will be able to tour the exhibition and visit the gardens and library. There will also be an introductory talk by Mrs Marina Smith or one of the family, the originators of the centre. The cost will be £10 per person and you should book your place, as soon as possible with Roy (961 7031). We will leave the church lay-by at 6.15 pm. Members’ family and guests are invited to join us.

Soon we will be saying farewell to 80+ children, who are going on to Secondary schools in the autumn. I wonder, having spent nearly two-thirds of their life in Primary Education, how they will look back on their early school days. I hope that they will remember those who taught and cared for them and that their memories will be fond ones. I also hope that they will remember much of what they were taught and will find this useful during their whole lives.

We had a wonderful “togetherness” exercise on May 5th, when the entire school with nursery nurses, teachers, cooks, dinner ladies, secretaries, caretakers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters all went to the Nottinghamshire Agricultural Show at Newark. I hesitate to use the word “family” but there were about 280 children and nearly 150 adults and there was certainly a lovely family/community spirit about the day. The showground covers a vast area but our little groups of three or four were able to wander on their own and yet keep meeting other members of our party. The five crowded double-decker buses managed to bring everyone back from a memorable day. I trust that this feeling of belonging and being a responsible part of the community will remain with the children for the rest of their lives. Our visit brought other rewards and we were awarded over £1000 worth of prizes and free entry for the school to next year’s Show. 

Our Annual Garden Party takes place on Saturday, 17th June from 2 pm. We hope you will be able to join us for an enjoyable afternoon!

We have two Sports Days and lots of boys and girls cricket matches to fit in this term. One of our Sports Afternoons is a “Potted Sports” event, where everybody is busy all the time and the other event is a traditional Sports Day with the usual flat, obstacle, sack, skipping races etc. I think that this afternoon is as popular with the parents as with the children.

Our children are singing with Lesley Garrett in a Millennium Concert at the National Ice Stadium on 24th June and the school echoes and re-echoes with music as they rehearse for the big day.

David Richards, Head Teacher