11 March 2010
Welcome to the St Margarets Community Website Newsletter (www.stmgrts.org.uk). Occasional Thursdays we will send you the latest news and events from the website.
Those of us who live along the banks of the tidal River Crane in north St Margarets love our river. We build decking and jetties alongside it, our children paddle in it, we delight in the wildlife that lives along its banks. We keep small boats on it and every year in the summer we gather as a community to clean it out. We enjoy our river, and yet…
…when exceptionally heavy rain is forecast or high tides expected we begin to worry. We worry about the weight of the water racing down to the Thames and we worry about the incoming tide that is waiting to meet it. We worry about the 4 or 5 times a year when the river overflows into our gardens and covers our lawns with a thick layer of silt, plastic rubbish and grass clippings. Most of all - and even though it hasn’t happened in living memory - we worry about the possibility of our houses being flooded.
Last October we told you that how 50% of the £14,000 profit from July’s Fair on Moormead was distributed between the four local schools. We asked you to nominate local charities who you thought might be deserving of sharing the remaining £7,000. Seven charities were nominated and their representatives came to our January committee meeting to tell us about their work. I’m sure you’ll appreciate that we didn’t reach our decision easily as there was no organisation that we felt didn’t have a good reason to receive some of the £7,000 we had available. We decided that three of the seven would be the main beneficiaries, but they were all deserving of some support. Here’s how the money has been distributed.
| £2,144 | FRIENDS OF CROFTERS |
| £2,063 | WHITTON SOCIAL CENTRE |
| £1,942 | HOMELINK |
| £300 | OFF THE RECORD |
| £250 | RICHMOND WELCARE |
| £200 | ME TOO & CO |
| £150 | MARBLE HILL PLAYCENTRES |
Thank you all very much for making this possible with by your continuing and generous support of the St Margarets Fair, which this year will be on Saturday the 10th of July.
I’d firstly like to say a big thank you to all those who have kindly sponsored me to do this mad race, please if you would like to help me raise money for F.R.O.D.O. then please visit my just giving site at justgiving.com/georgie-islip Thank you for all your support as it will keep me going through the tough stages of the race.
I’ve just read the official website and seen the following:
“Exclusively for the darbaroud.com website, I can reveal and confirm what numerous competitors have imagined for the 2010 edition! Yes indeed, the course, which is still made up of 6 stages, has been slightly extended to reach a total of 250 km - the 25th anniversary requires this! The itinerary will be packed with the most beautiful sites in the Saharan provinces. The menu will include dunes, mountains, dried up lakes, regs, oases and … more dunes!”
This is excellent as it is 6km shorter than I thought! Brilliant news! Although I think it may be harder!
Marble Hill Playcentres are having their AGM at 7.00pm on Thursday, 18 March. It will be held at the One O’Clock Club in Marble Hill Park. We would welcome all parents to come to the One O’Clock Club to see what we can offer there and hear our plans for the year ahead.
There will be biscuits.
Marble Hill Placentres are also looking for VOLUNTEERS to serve on the COMMITTEE. We are hoping to find people with an enthusiasm for organisation and a willingness to get involved with staff in developing the facilities and strengthening our funding.
You will need to attend one or two committee meetings a month (at Marble Hill in summer and nearby in winter) but, more importantly, to contribute to developments between meetings. Marble Hill Playcentres is not just a place for children to play: it is a £100,000 business, employing up to 20 people. Committee members need to be able to take responsibility for key decisions affecting the One O’Clock Club and Adventure Playground. You will be offered training and help to build your skills as well as the support of our paid staff.
The position is voluntary but expenses (including babysitting) are payable.
Your initial commitment would be for just one year but we would hope that people will want to continue their involvement beyond that.
If you are interested, please contact the Chair, Sarah Liquorish by phone (88926732) or email (sarahliquorish@onetel.com).
Last weekend Lawrence Dallaglio was in the St Margarets Tavern enjoying the local hospitality and taking a short break following his hectic few days in Twickenham as part of his mega 1,800 mile cycle ride from Rome to Edinburgh for his Cycle Slam charity campaign.
For more details please go to the St Margarets Traders site www.mystmargarets.com
Mothering Sunday is traditionally the day we show our Mothers that we appreciate them and love them and that we are thankful to have them in our lives. Mothers Day came to be celebrated in UK in 17th century as Mothering Sunday. On this day children give flowers and bouquets to their mother to express their love for them.
England was the first country in the world to dedicate a day for mothers as early as 1600’s. Held on the fourth Sunday in the month of Lent, the date for Mother’s Day changes each year as the dates of Lent are not fixed.
The tradition came about because families had to send their children into service as domestic servants or apprentices when they were very young. So, once a year the rich families allowed the children to return to their homes and mothers. The idea was that the children would attend the Mother’s church, i.e. the church of the family home, rather than the church that was closest to where they were employed. After paying a visit to church, children met their mothers and presented them flowers, which they gathered from bushes along the way. Girls baked special almond cakes called ‘Simnel Cakes’ or ‘Mothering Cakes’ for their mothers and the day became a wonderful way to honour mothers and spend time with the whole family.
The North St Margarets Residents’ Association’s committee resolved on 23 February that the Association should withdraw from participation in the St Margarets Alliance with immediate effect.
Laurence Mann
Secretary
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT
We would appreciate it if you forwarded a copy of this newsletter to all of your friends in St Margarets and encourage them to sign up for the Newsletter.
Here are the events coming up in the next few weeks in our area.
To see all the events we are tracking, check out our events section.
Here are the plays that are currently running or happening soon in our area.
To see all the plays we are tracking, check out our events play section.
If you have any local news, events or information that should go up on the site, please email us at: content@stmgrts.org.uk.
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