CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR PRESCRIPTION DELIVERIES TO POST OFFICE.
The last delivery of prescriptions to   the Post Office before Xmas will be Wednesday 23rd. December. The next delivery will be Wednesday January 6th 2016.
Please make sure you have enough prescriptions to last over Xmas & New Year period.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

The editors wish to thank the advertisers who help to keep the newsletter viable and of course the local distributors Julie and Chris, Joyce, Vince, Gordon, Judy, Gennie, Chris (or is it Andy?), Wendy and Bryan, Debbie and Tony, Fay and John, Michaela  .

THANK YOU TO PADDY

I'm sure our fellow newsletter deliverers would like to join us in thanking our newsletter editor, Paddy Johnson, for all his hard work and effort in producing the newsletter each month. He always thanks us each year for delivering them - but no one thanks him!

So many thanks, Paddy, and we wish you and your family the compliments of the season.

Wendy and Bryan Johns

 

CAROLS ON THE GREEN

As the festive season is just around the corner, we would like to invite you all to a Christmas carol evening. It will be a great opportunity to see everybody and enjoy a festive evening on the village green. Reverend Chris Harrington, has kindly agreed to celebrate with us, and is bringing his guitar. Don’t miss out if you cannot get here, we will arrange transport for you.
So come along to Helpringham village green on December 18th at 6pm, to enjoy a festive, musical evening with friends and family.
Contact John on 421314 or Sarah 421621

Save Money When Purchasing Your Heating Oil

Are you interested in saving money on your domestic heating oil?  If the answer is YES you might be interested to know about a scheme that is operating across Lincolnshire helping its members to do just that!

Community Lincs have run their Community Oil buying Scheme for the last 3 years, saving its members on average around 5p per litre on their heating oil.  The scheme is open to anyone in the county who uses heating oil to heat their homes and premises. The scheme works by bringing together oil buyers from around county and purchasing the oil collectively, with around 40,000 litres of oil being ordered each month.

The scheme is only £20 per year to join and includes advice on how to keep your tank safe from thieves and the benefit of their Oil Theft Alert System. Community Lincs also work alongside the Lincolnshire Credit Union, or Lincup, who have devised an Oil Savers Scheme to allow members to put aside money each month for their oil purchases.

If you are interested to know more about the scheme you can visit the Community Lincs website at http://communitylincs.com/community-oil-buying-scheme/ or by giving them a call on 01529 301980. 

HECKINGTON AREA VOLUNTARY CAR SERVICE is urgently in need of drivers, are you a car owner with time on your hands, why not help out and make a difference to peoples’ lives. Can you spare a few hours a week driving patients to doctors or hospital appointments. 45p per mile allowance is paid. - Contact Mike  01529 461160.

SLEAFORD MEDICAL CENTRE, BOSTON ROAD, SLEAFORD. URGENT CARE CENTRE. Open weekdays 6.30.p.m to 8 p.m.  Saturdays and Sundays 8.a.m. to 8.p.m.
For patients of Millview Medical Centre, Heckington. It's a walk in centre no need for appointment.

What is CallConnect Bus Service?                                                    

CallConnect is a unique bus service whose timetable is not fixed but responds to passenger requests. This means its routes are different each day depending on the bookings made by passengers.  Journey requests can be made by telephone, online or by SMS text message. The service is designed to improve transport opportunities in rural communities and some market towns where there is an infrequent conventional bus services.                                                                                                 

 Who can use CallConnect?                                                              
Everyone! All are welcome to use the service regardless of age or status. You can use the service as frequently as required for anything from shopping or travelling to work or school to a social event or medical appointment. Even if you are on holiday in Lincolnshire and need a bus, contact our booking office and find out how we can help you.                        

How do I book a journey?                                                                      
You can book a CallConnect journey by calling our booking team on 0845 234 3344. When requesting a bus journey, have your membership number and journey details ready. You can also submit your travel requests online or via SMS text messages. You can make a booking up to seven days in advance. You can also request same-day journeys but please give a minimum of one hour’s notice. All bookings are subject to availability.    

Fares                                                                                                        
The amount you pay to travel depends on your journey. Each service area is divided into zones – the further you travel, the more you pay. Booking office staff can tell you the cost of your journey so that you can have the correct fare ready. Children aged under 5 travel free with an accompanying adult. If you hold a valid concessionary bus pass due to age or disability, you can use it on CallConnect buses. Passes issued outside Lincolnshire are accepted during off-peak travel (after 9.30am).                

Opening and Operating Times                                                      
CallConnect operates 7am-7pm, Monday-Friday, and 8am-6pm on Saturdays. Details of any local variations are available from the booking office. The booking office is open from 8.30am-7pm, Monday-Friday; 8.30am-5pm on Saturday; and closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.          

Need a little help?                                                                                   
Our vehicles are fitted with low-floor steps and tail-lifts to ensure they are as easy as possible for everyone to use. Wheelchair users must inform us of the make and model to ensure it meets our safety standard of being impact-tested. Travel in a wheelchair is subject to availability and approval.

2015 has seen many well supported events at the Memorial Hall, ending with the very well attended Remembrance Sunday exhibition, by the History Society and our Christmas Fair with Santa as ever making the children smile. Quiz Night and the Music Night both saw many of you enjoying yourselves at the hall. These events could not take place without the wonderful support we get from the volunteers who provide the food, raffles, and the entertainment, keep the bar open and organize them.
Our regular clubs have continued to prosper and have seen the addition of Women’s Chatter Shack that meets every week; our thanks go to all of them for their continued support.
We have continued to support Hearing Dogs for the Deaf with your old postage stamps and Wheel Chairs for Children and the Air Ambulance with your plastic bottle tops. The Second Hand Books have raised enough to buy the presents for the children who visited Santa’s Grotto and the Poppy Appeal was well supported on Remembrance Sunday.
The Committee, also all volunteers, have worked hard to maintain and improve the facilities, for example two new dishwashers and a new fridge. This can only continue with your support.
So a big thank you to all of you who belong to the 59 Club, have nominated us as your Community Champion with Lincolnshire Co-op, booked the hall or supported the events. The Memorial Hall only prospers thanks to you all.

2016 is a big year for the Memorial Hall, our Diamond Jubilee, so watch out for details of the events that are being planned for this in the Newsletter and on the Notice boards.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year.

THE 59 CLUB.

The winners of the 59 Club from 24th October through to 14th November were as follows, each winner received £30. All proceeds go to The Memorial Hall.
24th October        Rosemary Bailey (Received £25 last of the 49Club)
31st October        Nick Drake
7th   November    Wendy Robinson   
14th November    Rosemary Bailey   
There is a spare number at present if you wish to register for this please phone Laraine on 421110.

 

 

To Hire the Hall for all your functions, weekday rates are £7.00 per hour for clubs and £12.00 per hour for fund raising and weekends, plus £10.00 for use of kitchen and £10.00 for use of Bar.
Hire of the Conference Room £6.00 per hour.
Daily Hire of complete Hall £140.00 (Refundable deposit of £50 may be required)
These prices include heating or air conditioning. For Bookings please telephone Mick on 421853 or Laraine on 421110.

Enquiries re Baptism, weddings etc. should be made to The Reverend Chris Harrington on 01529 460904.
For other Church queries in Helpringham please contact Marian and Vince Stocking on 01529-421395

standrew.helpringham@gmail.com

St Andrew's Church, Helpringham.

Pondering the Mystery
Earlier in the year on a visit to Walsingham in Norfolk I saw a statue of Mary in a shop. Although I’m not usually attracted to such images there was something about her plain, peasant like, appearance that touched me. There was also no baby in her arms. Instead she was just sitting with her arms laying in her lap as if she was praying. Praying for what I wondered? 
Had this image captured the moment after Gabriel the Archangel had appeared to her to announce that she had been chosen by God to bring his Son into the world as a human being? Was she pondering what to tell Joseph her fiancé, or how to tell her parents she was pregnant? Was she quietly thanking God for this special blessing? Or was she asking for the strength to bear such a burden that may cost her life?       
The stories of the birth of Jesus in Luke’s gospel say that, “Mary pondered these things in her heart”. Christmas can be a time of pondering once again the mystery of the Incarnation – ‘God with us’, that Mary helped to bring about by saying “Yes” to God. So stop and take a moment amidst the busyness of it all to ponder God’s love for you. What will your response be?  Yes?

Nativity Festival - Friday 11th to Sunday 13th  Dec
To help you ponder this sacred mystery, come and see the different Nativity sets from around the world on display at the Nativity Festival being held at Heckington Church, including ones being made by pupils at Heckington School. It’s open from 10.30am till 4pm. Refreshments available.

Christmas Tree Festival – 12th December
Great Hale Church are holding a Christmas Tree Festival in church on Saturday 12th Dec from 10.30am. There are plenty of stalls and Christmas trees and hot turkey baps at lunch time. 

Concerts A Plenty
5th Dec – Heckington Singers Christmas Concert at Heckington Church at 7pm
11th Dec – Pop Rock & Blues Charity Concert by the Rocking Revs - Heckington Village Hall 7.30pm
11th Dec – Musicals concert at Great Hale Church at 7pm to mark the beginning of their Christmas Tree Festival.

Christmas Dates
Sunday 13th Dec – Service of Holy Communion at St Andrew’s at 11am followed by dressing the church Christmas Tree.
Thursday 17th Dec – Helpringham School Christingle Service in church at 10am 
Friday 18th Dec – Carols on Helpringham Village green at 6pm
Sunday 20th Dec  - Service of Morning Praise at St Andrew’s at 11am
Thursday 24th Dec – Children’s Crib service at St Andrew’s at 6pm            
Midnight Mass at Heckington Church at 11.30pm
Friday 25th Dec – Christmas Day Communion at Heckington Church at 11am

Church Services at St Andrew’s in the New Year
Sunday 10th Jan - Holy Communion at 11am
Sunday 24th Jan - Morning Praise at 11am
Sunday 31st Jan – ‘Candlemas’ Songs of Praise at 11am

May God bless you and your family this Christmas.
Rev ‘Capt’ Chris

All the services across the group of parishes can be found on our website.
www.heckingtonandhelpringhamgroup.org.uk
Rector - Rev Chris Harrington (01529) 460904

 

PETTICOAT CLUB NEWS

We were very fortunate to have Annette Atkinson from Healthwatch Lincolnshire as our speaker at our November meeting, as she stood in, at very short notice, when our booked speaker was unable to attend.
Annette gave us an interesting insight into the workings of this organization that provides a voice for the patients of all NHS services, from pharmacists to GPs and hospitals.
There are 152 Healthwatches over the country with the remit to register if NHS services are fulfilling the needs of patients. Teams of volunteers and the officers of Healthwatch talk to patients when they are receiving their care and use their responses to compile their reports each month to the Commissioners of the services and the Care Quality Commission. These then contribute to measures to improve and develop NHS services.

Our next meeting is WEDNESDAY 9th DECEMBER at 7.30pm.
This will be our Christmas Social with Dave Moore on guitar entertaining us.

New members will be very welcome.

SOUTH LINCS SHADOWS MUSIC CLUB

November 2015 Meeting.

What a pleasant surprise to see so many people at this meeting.

There were new players, new villagers just coming to listen and see what we did at the club, plus returning players we hadn’t seen for some time. We also had all the normal regulars.

Everyone was soon chatting and we had the usual excellent selection of tunes being played. There were so many players that we only had time for 4 tunes each.

It was so busy that Pauline hardly had time to sit down in between serving teas and coffees and, for the first time ever, she actually ran out of cake!!

At the end of the meeting there were so many people helping to stack tables and chairs that we actually cleared up in record time. What a great meeting and great atmosphere. Thanks to everyone who came.

Meetings are held at the Memorial Hall from 7:30pm to 10:30pm on the first Wednesday of every month.

Entry is £3 for guitar players and you just need to bring your guitar. Everything else is provided, backing tracks, echo machines, PA system. Or, if you have your own backing tracks they, can be accommodated on CD, minidisc, USB stick, mp3 player, smartphone or iPad etc.

Don’t forget you don’t have to be a player - you can just come and listen, have a chat, swap a few memories. Entry is just £2 for non players.

Light refreshments are included.

Next meeting is Wednesday 2nd December. 

Dave Moore

 

HELPRINGHAM HISTORY SOCIETY

HELPRINGHAM AND DISTRICT GARDEN CLUB