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QUIZ NIGHT -18th NOVEMBER 2023

Quiz Night with ploughman's supper at our Parish Hall

Tickets £12.50 from Jane Veasey 01462 434254

231118 Quiz Night poster

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MY CYCLE FROM LONDON TO PARIS

MY CYCLE FROM LONDON TO PARIS 

Some of you know me, I cycle to church on a bike with a wicker basket, and my mother, Margaret Dines, who used to live next to the vicarage in St Ippolyts before she moved to the centre of Hitchin. I usually live and work in London but since the pandemic have spent a lot of time working remotely at my mother’s so haven’t been doing my usual city cycle commute. But when a friend said she wanted to cycle to Paris and knew someone who had done it before, following the route called the Avenue Verte and would act as our leader I agreed to join her. I then had to do some rapid training cycling round the Wymondleys and out to Whitwell and Offley to make up for several years of inactivity!

Four of us started near our homes in Islington on Wednesday 26th April and were wondering why one of the group hadn’t appeared, only to find that she had had a puncture cycling to our meeting place! Puncture fixed we negotiated London and made our way south, heartened to see Avenue Verte signs appearing. We had a picnic lunch on Farthing Downs in Coulsdon, crossed the M25 and could finally enjoy the countryside, apart from several hills, until we arrived in Lewes at about 7.45pm. The next morning, we had a short ride to Newhaven for the 11am ferry and found at least a dozen other cyclists on the boat. Four hours later we arrived in Dieppe and cycled through the town to a wonderful flat, tarmacked cycle route on a disused railway line. It was a delight to ride along and we had a quick stop to look through the gates at the chateau at Mesnieres-en-Bray. But then a light drizzle started to get heavier and we spent the last two hours of our four hour cycle getting soaked so we arrived at our hotel in Forge les Eaux feeling utterly miserable! However, they were still serving food and agreed to tumble dry our clothes which was a great help.

The next morning was still damp but we set off and had lunch outside the old abbey at Saint-Germer-de-Fly in the sunshine! We continued through undulating countryside on quiet lanes, through equally quiet villages and just to prove it was spring heard a cuckoo. We had afternoon tea in Gisors before finally arriving at about 6pm in the tiny village of Omerville where we were staying with a French couple who rented out rooms in their pretty cottage. After drinks in the garden we had a delicious supper but as the church clock chimed hourly my companions had a slightly disturbed night (using earplugs I was fine!). The next morning, after breakfast of bread with homemade jams and yogurt we set off for Paris. It was exciting to cross the Seine at Triel-sur-Seine, even though we were still miles from our destination. We had lunch at Villennes-sur-Seine, cycled through the Bois de Boulogne, and finally got to view the Eiffel Tower from the Palais de Chaillot at about 6pm - we felt such a sense of achievement and relief that nothing had gone wrong! We had averaged about 55 miles a day and weren’t too exhausted or saddle sore. It then took us over an hour to get through the centre of Paris to our hostel near Gard du Nord. There is some good cycle infrastructure and loads of cyclists using it but having never been to Paris on a bike before I found all the traffic pretty overwhelming and was very pleased to just follow our leader. The following day was wonderfully warm and sunny and we were having a rest day in the city so cycled along one side of the Seine and then had a picnic lunch on the other side, went to the Jardin des Plantes and ended with supper in a restaurant by the Canal Saint-Martin. We had an early start on Monday 1st May taking the train to Rouen as we were unable to get one directly to Dieppe. But on arrival at Rouen it was grey, breezy and damp and we had another puncture so instead of cycling to Dieppe with the anxiety of the ferry deadline, once the puncture was fixed we decided to take the train instead. And what a great move that was as we could have a leisurely time before getting the boat back to Newhaven and then the train to Finsbury Park. 

It was such a fun experience and France is a great place to cycle in – I would love to do the trip again but would take my bike on the train to the ferry and do about 35 miles a day with more stops at places of interest as our leader had certainly kept us moving!

Alison Dines

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ARTICLE FROM NEW ZEALAND

ARTICLE FROM NEW ZEALAND 

I was Susan Veasey.  I lived in the parish from age 3, attending St. Ippolyts school from 1961-7.  I was married in St. Ippolyts Church and both my children were baptised there.  Soon after this we moved to New Zealand where I still live but my daughter and her family now live in Hitchin. 

St. James’ Church, Kerikeri 

The first Anglican service in New Zealand was held on Christmas Day, 1814, at Oihi Bay in the Bay of Islands. It was conducted by Samuel Marsden, a Yorkshireman, who as a member of the Church Missionary Society was originally based in New South Wales. The site is now in the Rangihoua Heritage Park and is marked by a stone cross. 

Marsden moved to New Zealand in 1814 with some others to engage in missionary work with the Māori people. Their first mission station was established in Rangihoua Bay, and then moved to Kerikeri where the first mission house and the Stone Store can still be seen. For the first decade the mission was in competition with the Wesleyan and Catholic missionaries, but they converted some Māori chiefs and began to establish the Anglican Church there. 

The first chapel was built close to the Stone Store in 1823, and a second replaced it on the current site in 1829. This later fell into disrepair and a new church was built of kauri weatherboards in 1878, with a vestry extension added in 1963. The Church is dedicated to St. James the Greater of Compostela, whose symbol is the scallop shell, and who is associated with the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. 

The Church is a grade 1 heritage listed building and the graveyard is a listed heritage site as well. The Church is kept open during the day and boasts some interesting stained-glass windows and a pipe organ. There are several weekly services, including a family service, and other groups that meet regularly. Music is a feature of the services, there are currently 5 organists and a church choir that sings at Christmas, Easter, and the Patronal festival in July. 

The Kerikeri basin is a tourist site, and many people travel here to see where the European settlement of New Zealand began. Visitors are always welcome at St. James’, there is a booklet about the Church and a graveyard tour available at a small cost for those who are interested.

Sue Hunt 

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PAX

 

We are trying to add more to our PAX magazine – it is a great way to connect with one another and to find out what is going on in our parishes. If anyone has anything they would like to share with our communities, perhaps a short write up on a local event you have attended or an interesting historical or amusing story or tradition that you know about, please do feel free to email it to me.  Thank you.

Pam Skeggs

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CHURCH CHOIR

CHURCH CHOIR

We would welcome more people to join us on a Sunday morning twice a month to sing in the church choir. No previous music experience is required. There are a regular few who attend these services, and we would welcome more to join us. It is great to sing together. If you are interested, then please do contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and your details will be forwarded to John Edwards our St Ippolyts Church organist. 

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