Archive - Past Events - 2007

Dec 12th 2007 - Working Party

Twenty-one staff from Friends Provident, Salisbury’s largest private sector employer, provided a working party on Wednesday 12 December 2007, repairing a bedwork located on Martin’s Mead, opposite Rose Cottage and near to the Town Path.

The original damage was caused by heavy vehicles (before the days of the Harnham Water Meadows Trust!) being driven inappropriately across the meadow, flattening the ridge and partially filling the drainage ditches on either

side. Proper irrigation on this part of the meadow has not been possible because water would spill out to the drains, once water levels were high enough to reach the top of the ridge.

The Friends Provident team people did a fantastic job, restoring a part of the meadows that is visible from the Town Path, and across which we should now be able to irrigate in the traditional fashion. The Trust and its Friends are pleased to see this major repair at this important location achieved in one day, and we are delighted to work with a major local employer.

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November 16th 2007- Childhood in Holland in World War II

(Whilhelmenia) on his office desk and, as a punishment he was sent to a concentration camp for a number of weeks. When he emerged he immediately joined the Dutch Resistance. So you can imagine the dangers the family faced - English mother, Resistance father.

Liesbeth told us some of the dreadful things that happened to neighbours and friends, of being reduced to eating tulip bulbs by 1944, and of living with constant fear. She also told us stories of some of her mother’s exploits, which included readily harbouring a young Jewish girl in spite of the danger, particularly as her mother was English. Liesbeth also read moving extracts from her mother’s diary.

It is obviously impossible for us to realise what their life was like, and the true horrors of what they went through. Liesbeth is a lovely person and a deeply committed Christian, and the gentle, almost forgiving, way in which she told of those horrors made them somehow worse. Certainly you could have heard a pin drop as we hung on her words in deep silence.

This was a very special - and very moving - afternoon, and though we emerged emotionally gutted we also emerged humbled and very, very grateful. Liesbeth’s upbeat ending to her talk, and her gratitude to England and Canada (it was the Canadians who freed their area) touched us all deeply. For those of you who weren’t there you missed a wonderful afternoon. And the Friends benefited financially to the tune of some £325. - J. Bowen

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October 17th 2007- Pilgrimage to Jordan and Syria, March 2007

On the 17th October Jennifer Bowen treated us to a lively and informative account of her travels organised by Richard & Margaret Askew with Barney & Esme Hopkinson. They set out on the Kings Highway which snakes all the way North and South following the ancient track across arid limestone plains and craggy hills and valleys where nothing much thrives. Sometimes clad in a cover up burkah, sometimes on horseback and once on a camel, with slides to prove it, she visited sites of Christian and Old Testament association, mosques and antique archeological remains. Canons Richard and Barney led daily services usually in the open air, but occasionally in ancient buildings including a Temple of Baal. These were the backbone of the adventure, giving depth and integration to the varied visits. It was a moving experience to stand by the Jordan where Christ was baptised and to pause on the same road outside Damascus where St. Paul was converted, to look across the Dead Sea to the distant hills of Israel and to gaze on the Promised Land as Moses did, and later at another site, to speculate on Jacob wrestling with the Angel.

The Petra slides were stunning, with the royal Nabatean carved facades of the fourth century BC still sharply defined, and remote, despite the enormous growth of Petra in the last twenty years. The amazingly well preserved castles of the Crusaders (Kerak and Krac des Chevaliers) gave new insight into Saladin. The great Mosque at Damascus contained superb mosaics, and another had a huge mosaic map of the world featuring Jerusalem in its centre. There were less ancient delights - a very beautiful modern mosque, and a building used as his Headquarters by T.E. Lawrence. The piece de resistance archaeologically was the ancient city of Palmyra reached by a long journey across the desert. The splendid Roman buildings including colonnaded temples still stand largely as they were built – 200-300 AD.

Genuine whirling Dervishes were not left out. The most remarkable visit of a different kind was to the School for Deaf Children at Salt near Amman. The innovative work to teach children including those also with visual disability and deafness was impressive and thought provoking. In the context of the Pilgrimage this experience was especially significant. The Group had been asked to bring writing and art materials as these are expensive, and subsequently managed to gather over 200 discarded hearing aids to send out to the school, as they have a workshop where aids can be refurbished.

Unfortunately in an hour we could not hear everything but were left full of admiration for Jennifer and her companions in having the stamina to take it all in. Many thanks! - Anne Tanner

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September 8th 2007- Rose Cottage Open Day

Another very successful Open Day, with about 100 people coming ‘through the doors’, and 49 going on the Walks. It transpired we had chosen Heritage Weekend, which seemed so appropriate that we have specifically chosen the same weekend for our Open Day in September 2008, and hope perhaps to gain a little extra publicity as a result.

As before we were very kindly given tea at the Old Mill, with all proceeds coming to us - a very kind gesture on the part of ‘mine hosts’ of the Old Mill, and very much appreciated.

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June 4th 2007 - 16th AGM

The meeting began at 2.30pm and 44 Friends were present.

Our Honorary Bailiff, John Beckett was gave an award by Peter Pleydell-Bouverie for people who have given outstanding community service which has not been otherwise publicly recognised as an appreciation of all he has done for the Water Meadows and the Trust.

The Dean spoke of how the water meadows, as part of the greater landscape,

Together with the membership and income from the various events it enabled £2,500 to be handed to the Trust this year.

had featured in the recently launched Cathedral Strategic Plan and explained theywould also be included should World Heritage Status ever be achieved.

Jennifer Bowen, the Friends’ Chairman, outlined the activities of the past year much of which had centered on Rose Cottage and thanked various people for their continuing support and hard work. In conclusion the Friends had had a very good year and plenty of positive publicity. Rosemary Allen and Anne Sanford were re-elected and Ian Ingrey-Counter was elected to the committee. The meeting ended at 3.30pm and tea was then served.

June 3rd 2007 - Festival Walk We were blessed with a warm, fine day on June 3rd for the Festival Walk. 42 people turned up to do the walk, only 4 of whom were our Friends - so it was great to be introducing a lot more people to the Meadows and all we have done. We had a very good walk round, in spite of massive nettle beds and rather long grass - and I found our recently purchased megaphone absolutely indispensable.
During the walk we saw a number of ‘beautiful demoiselle’ (fairly rare) and also a little egret, amongst other things. After the walk the majority took tea at the Old Mill - donated to us by Steve and Simon (proprietors of the Old Mill) - we are immensely grateful to them for their generosity. Not only did everyone seem to enjoy themselves, we also made £181 for the funds. back to top June 2nd 2007 - Odstock Manor Open Garden The highlight of our summer activities this year was an Open Day in the garden of Odstock Manor, the home of Lord Marland our Chairman of Trustees. We were truly blessed as Saturday 2nd June dawned warm and sunny, and turned out to be just a perfect English summer’s day. Consequently, our Open Day attracted a good number of visitors throughout the day thus ensuring a most successful event, both socially and financially. The early morning saw the Committee arriving with cars bursting with chairs, tables, signs, food and drink and, in the case of John Beckett, the Friends’ gazebo! A bustle of activity ensued and by 10.45 all was ready for the 11am start. Coffee and delicious cakes were on sale, and the various stalls were ready to sell their wares. These included one manned by the two young Marland daughters who sold unwanted personal items and donated all their takings to the Water Meadows! A very special “thank you” goes to them both. Hats became de rigueur as the sun reached its height, but this did not detract from the enjoyment of the wonderful garden with its varied areas and many unusual sculptures - some half-hidden and a delight to discover. The garden has numerous seats, many in secluded areas, and these proved very popular throughout the day. Cold lunches were provided by our usual team, who delighted in having use of the large kitchen for the preparatory work (where it was also cool!). The lunches were extremely popular, as were tea, cakes and cool drinks throughout the afternoon. The plant stall proved popular as did the gazebo with its display of cards and publications - or was it the shade? The day was brought to a fitting end by a few words from our Chairman, before she drew the winning raffle tickets. The magnificent sum of £873 was raised, surely a record for us in one day? As ever your Committee members “worked their socks off” to ensure another successful event. However, there were a great many other “helpers” who ensured that everything went so smoothly, and special thanks go to: David Allen, Ken Allen, Rosemary Barber, Enid Cassin, Jennifer Cowan, Mary Dickson, Pam Ford-Young, Sue Gallagher, Tina Jefferis, Ursula Parker, Felicity Rickard and Sylvia Roseaman. Odstock House is just perfect for a day such as this, with ample parking, the most wonderful garden, and a perfect small “green” immediately outside the house for stalls and seating. Our most grateful thanks go to Lord and Lady Marland for allowing us the use of their home and garden this year. Thanks also go to their marvellous Housekeeper, who was a tower of strength to the Committee, and to their two daughters - all entered into the spirit of the day wholeheartedly and made us all so welcome. We do hope we will be invited back again before too long. back to top May 5th 2007 - Family Environment Day It was with great relief that 5 May belied the weather forecast and remained fine and sunny. Sadly not all the invited participants were able to be there but those who came more than made up for that. Our thanks go to Martin Gilchrist, Living River Project, for his river dipping, to BTCV for their bat and bird boxes, to the Bio-diversity Group of Agenda 21, Friends of the Earth and Cain Consultancy for their displays. We were very grateful to everyone involved with running the quiz and the raffle, selling publications and plants, leading the walk, manning the gate and serving refreshments, a great team effort. Over £300 was raised and it proved to be a most enjoyable, if exhausting three hours. Next year the date will be Saturday, 10 May (please note it in your diary) to avoid the Bank Holiday weekend. It was felt that there were too many events competing for this particular day and in 2008 we do not want to clash with the 750th anniversary celebrations at the cathedral! back to top March 24th 2007 - Harnham Spring Clean The third annual Harnham “Spring Clean” took place on Saturday 24th March 2007, and for the second year running The Friends of Harnham Water Meadows joined in to help spruce up Harnham. Pam Rouquette was again in the lead and the weather was kinder this year. A good number of “Friends” turned out again, with John Beckett leading a group from the Long Bridge end of the Town Path and Mike Gallagher and his group starting at the Old Mill. Sadly, our Chairman was absent abroad this year and so there was to be no repeat of her foray into the brook in her waders - and another photo opportunity lost! Perhaps next year? Once again, equipment and sacks were provided by Pam and the Harnham Neighbourhood Association. The long-handed “pickers” were soon in use and many unusual items were plucked from the undergrowth along The Town Path, along with the usual cans, bottles and paper wrappers. Next year it is hoped that the Council will provide all the “Spring Cleaners” with tabards so the passers-by will know what we are up to - and maybe join us. In all some 35 sacks were filled, which is an increase of 3 on last year - is this good or bad? Is more rubbish being dropped or are we becoming more skilled at finding it? We will never know, but we will keep on picking it up! Why not join us next year? It is a very rewarding way to spend a Saturday morning, and there is the added attraction of free tea or coffee with delicious cake at the end. Thanks to all “Friends” who took part again this year - we look forward to seeing you again next March. If you haven’t yet tried a “Litter Pick” before why not come along and try it? Contact Mike Gallagher for next year’s date (01722 500288). He and Jennifer Cowan enjoyed it so much that they are now carrying out fortnightly “litter picks” on the Water Meadows adjacent to the Town Path (where all the rubbish is strewn by passers-by). If you see them at work, give them a wave! back to top March 16th 2007 - Lecture by Lynne Plummer on ‘The Essential Double Bass' On March 16th we were given a fascinating talk about the Double Bass by Lynne Plummer, herself a player. She told us about how very essential the double bass is in all types of music, and illustrated this with a wide range of musical excerpts, ranging from ‘Fever’ to Haydn, Beethoven and Prokofiev, which she had specially put together on a cd for us. Lynne told us how she herself came to play the instrument (her first choice was the picolo!) and played us interviews she had undertaken with other players - Brian Perkins (of the BBC), Dave Green (freelance Jazzman) and Peter Fry (Welsh National Opera). She also talked about an early composer for the double bass - Carlo Dragonetti, who has descendants living very close to where she was speaking. Lynne had put a great deal of work into preparing her talk, and we are most grateful to her for coming. back to top March 11th 2007 - Rose Cottage Open Day We had a splendid day - thanks to warm sun and a real feeling of spring! The cottage was visited by all sorts of people - Friends who have been with us for a long time, and new Friends coming to see what it was all about; passers-by (including from far afield e.g. Ireland); locals expressing great enthusiasm for what we have done; and several people who knew Jane Foster. There were lots of stories, lots of interest and lots of encouragement. We had about 100 people visiting us - including the Chairman of the Trust (thanks Jonathan) - and about 15 on each of the 2 walks Hadrian did. The result? Just over £300 taken in all - a splendid total. My very grateful thanks to all the helpers, and particularly to Michael Cowan and Hadrian for getting all the display boards looking so smart and informative.