News

The first Beating of the Bounds of Littlehempston Parish in living memory will take place around the 12 miles of parish boundary over two weekends in September.  Now is the time to sign up for the walk, either on Saturday 21st September or Sunday 29th September, or even better, both days.

This is your opportunity to help make a little bit of local history and also have the rare opportunity of seeing parts of our parish that normally are not accessible. Around 25 landowners have been contacted and have given permission to walk across their lands on these two days.

The first day will start at the church, travel anticlockwise around the parish and take in the Mare and Foal Sanctuary, Uphempston and ending at Lillisford Farm. On the second day, we will start at Lillisford Farm and include Buckyette, Winton House and Hampstead and finish back at the church for refreshments.  At the end of the walk, each participant will receive a handsome certificate.

This traditional English custom dates back to before the Norman Conquest, where members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to ask for protection and blessings for the lands.  The ceremony had an important practical purpose – checking the boundaries was a way of preventing encroachment by neighbours, because sometimes boundary markers would be moved or lines obscured.  A folk memory of the true extent of the parish was therefore necessary to maintain integrity of borders by embedding knowledge in oral traditions. But it was also an opportunity for celebration, festivity and having a good catch-up with the neighbours! A tradition well worth preserving.

Children are welcome to join the walk with their parents and, although we have generously been offered ‘pit stops’ at several places, please bring a packed lunch and something to drink. Stout footwear is recommended and come dressed for the weather and for various terrains, which will be uneven and steep in places.  Our farmer landowners have said they are happy for dogs to accompany their owners, but they must be on leads at all times. Please bring poo bags to clean up after your pets. Worried it might be too far? There will be vehicles that can return you to the church if required.

Please register if you’d like to take part, so certificates can be prepared and catering numbers sorted. Get in touch with organiser Mike Wright by ringing 01803 812112 or 07902 013024, or send him a message using his contact form. Volunteers as road marshalls, back up drivers or to help with refreshments at the end would be very much appreciated. Let Mike know if you’d like to help out. This is a free event, but if you wish to make a donation, there’ll be a collection for The Devon Air Ambulance on the day.

Remember the wassail celebrations back in January?  Well more recently, the Wassail Tree gave up its secret. Jenny Galton-Fenzi sent in these photos and said: At the end of May we were working in the community orchard, when Anna noticed something white inside the Wassail Tree. We investigated, and found four (old) eggs inside, at the bottom of the hollow trunk. We don’t know what they are – they are about the size of a hen’s egg – possibly they are goosander eggs. The only mystery is, how did the mother get down there to lay them?

The Lot 7 trustees sent out a news update that outlined progress this year:

• we held our first (hopefully of many) wassail back in January. It was very well attended and great fun.
• ten memorial apples trees were planted in the orchard
• we now have 4 donated benches located in different locations around the land
• an oak was planted just inside the gate of the meadow to commemorate the purchase of the land
• four new pink cherry trees were planed by the Parish Council on the brook side of the meadow
• 2 work days have taken place
• wildflower and bat surveys have been conducted
• 600 kg of apples were harvested from the orchard last autumn. These were bartered with Tim Walker for his ongoing advice and assistance with the orchard.
• Our first rounders match took place earlier in the summer. This has continued every other week – all ages are welcome.

On the evening of Friday August 9th, there will be a family barbecue in the meadow along, no doubt, with a game of rounders. Bring your own food and drink. BBQ provided. All are welcome.

Littlehempston Church has gained quite a reputation through Rev Nicholas Pearkes’ innovative idea of putting the pews on wheels to create a space for both worship and “village hall” activities. Enquiries from as far away as Canada are received through this website, asking for more information, and we’ve hosted many visitors on fact-finding expeditions, hoping to secure the future of their church by widening its use.

Here are a few responses received, the first from a parish on the Scottish Borders: Congratulations on such an imaginative solution to a very common problem!  Another wrote: This is so exciting, as we don’t have  enough money to replace all pews with seats – only in the chancel – and this seems like an answer to prayer!  And sometimes we put parishes in touch with one another: I am blown away by your amazing innovative pews on wheels! I would love to see it in action and learn further how you have accomplished this, but we are long way from you in Surrey. I understand you have helped other churches…are there any closer to London that you would recommend I visit?

An exchange of letters in The Times last month discussed the problem of opening up churches for community use in the face of resistance to change. Jenny Galton-Fenzi wrote this letter to offer our local solution. And if you google Pews on Wheels, you’ll find lots more media coverage! Well done to all who worked so hard to make all this possible.