Happy Easter

Message from Revd John Ganjavi
Rector of Beaudesert with Henley in Arden & Ullenhall

Happy Easter everyone!

At this time of the year, so many people are looking forward to so many things! Those who have given up chocolates, biscuits and alcohol for Lent are looking forward to feasting; children and teachers are looking forward to holidays.

I hope the whole world is looking forward to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the message of healing and hope that he brings into our world.

John Ganjavi

Our new website address

www.henleynews.co.uk

Sponsored by The Vanity Box

Our new website address above has been sponsored and donated by John Love of The Vanity Box, the Video Library, Confectionery and Ices shop in the High Street.

Bill Leech, editor of Henley NEWS on-line, welcoming the sponsorship said: "I am most grateful to John Love for his generous sponsorship. This has enabled us to register a much more appropriate and memorable domain name www.henleynews.co.uk This is is first sponsorship which Henley NEWS on-line has received, other than from my own company - The Enterprise Consortium. We hope if more sponsorships arrive to organise a leaflet distribution about Henley NEWS on-line to every household in the town."

Man Wanted

Warwickshire Police this week issued an artist's impression of a man wanted in connection with a burglary in Henley in which two cars worth nearly £90,000 were stolen.

The occupants of the house in Edge Lane were at home when burglars broke through their front door on Wednesday 23rd February. The thieves stole keys to a silver Range Rover and a blue Land Rover Discovery before driving off. The cars are valued at £43,000 each. The householder looked through a window to see two men drive off towards the A3400. The Discovery was later found abandoned in Hertford Way, off Fletcher Grove in Dorridge. The Range Rover has not been found.

The man featured in the artist's impression, right, is described as white, about 20 years old, slightly built, with narrow facial features and short brown hair. He was wearing a hooded tracksuit. Anyone with information should call DS Ken Johnson on 01926 415000 extension 4871.

Easter Saturday Events

Easter Saturday morning sees two important events in the Henley social calendar:

High Bailiff's Easter Bonnet Parade and Competition. The High Bailiff, supported by members of the Court Leet, will be holding an Easter Bonnet Parade and Competition for ladies of all ages on Easter Saturday Morning at 11 am in the Guild Hall Garden.  There will be two competitions, one for under 18's and another for over 18's with three prizes in each category.

There will also be another competition for the best dressed shop window. Henley NEWS on-line is tipping 'Courtyard Accessories' to win.

After the judging, there will be a procession from the Guild Hall garden to the Market Cross where the prize giving will take place.

Heritage Centre stone Unveiling. At 12.30pm, after the Easter Bonnet Parade, the High Bailiff will unveil a large piece of dressed stonework at the Heritage Centre. Weighing half a ton, it has been lying at the foot of the Mount for centuries and is thought to have been part of the outer defensive wall of the castle. With the permission of English Heritage, the Stone was recently removed from the foot of the Mount where it had probably fallen off the 'back of a cart' centuries ago.

Charles and Camilla mug

Torquil Pottery are selling a limited edition of 200 of mugs, handmade by Reg Moon at Torquil and with a rather mischievous cartoon drawing of Charles and Camilla by painter, Michael Felmingham.

Each mug comes in its own box with a 'provenance' to say that it is one of a numbered edition.

They are only available at Torquil, 81 High Street, Henley-in-Arden, open Monday to Saturday, 10 - 6pm. The price is a snip at £25.00 each.

Our picture shows Michael Felmingham and Reg Moon with their handiwork. It's a mugs' game!

Carey Moon
The Gallery Upstairs
Torquil Pottery

Footpath 'Sunday'

The Footpath Committee, under the chairmanship of County Councillor George Atkinson, has decided that this year's 'Footpath Sunday' will be held on 4th September.

The Committee will be organising a number of walks of varying length during the afternoon, ending with the customary tea in the village hall.

Our picture shows walkers about to set off during last years's event.

Further details will be published later in the year.

Forgotten Heroes of Henley - New Series

Dr. Douglas Bridgewater has been researching the gallant men of Henley-in-Arden, who gave their lives in the two World Wars. He is now concentrating on the Great War and is hoping to publish a book on the history of Henley from 1914 to 1919, including an account of its Red Cross VAD Hospital and as much biographical material as he can find on the men of the town (well over 150 of them) who were on active service.

Douglas has offered to write a series of articles for Henley NEWS on-line on the "Forgotten Heroes of the Great War". We hope to publish the first article in the next few weeks.

Douglas Bridgewater is currently the Low Bailiff of the Court Leet and is expected to be elected to be High Bailiff in November.

Hastilow to speak at Business Club

The Warwickshire Business Club will be holding its April meeting on 21st April at the Judges' House, Warwick. The magnificent Judges' Dining Room contains many fine portraits including ones of Henry VIII and Charles I. This building is without doubt the finest banqueting hall in Warwickshire and a visit is thoroughly recommended.

The speaker will be Nigel Hastilow, former Editor of the Birmingham Post and Conservative candidate for Edgbaston at the last general election. He will be talking about:

POLITICS, THE ELECTION & BUSINESS

Nigel has recently published The Last of England: How Tony Blair and the New Establishment Are Destroying a Nation.

With a General Election forecast for May, this will be a topical and informative meeting.

The Warwickshire Business Club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 11.30 am, normally at Henley Golf and Country Club.

For further information: www.swbc.co.uk

Council Tax rises by £4

Council Tax payers in Stratford District will fork out less than £4 extra this year but at the cost of major cuts in services, it was announced this week.Fears of an inflation-busting hike in bills were quashed when district council chiefs opted to put their slice of the bill up by just 3.74 per cent, from £106.80 to £110.79 for a band D property. The Tory-run authority faced imposing a 23 per cent rise at the end of last year but with the threat of government capping decided to slash services to the tune of £1.25 million instead.

Services being scrapped include meals on wheels and concessionary fares tokens for pensioners and the Environmental Health Out of Hours Service. South Warwickshire Tourism will also see its annual funding slashed by £50,000.

The Lib Dems claimed the cuts would see essential services suffer and sever links between the council and residents. Councillor Susan Juned said: "I think the public would be prepared to pay more for these services. They already feel they have no contact with the council and these are all things that matter to normal people."

But council leader Les Topham said the budget was exactly what residents asked for during consultations - significant savings without affecting key services and a reasonable increase in council tax. He said money would be saved by shifting funds from low priority areas like tourism and the arts to areas like affordable housing, more CCTV and better public transport.

Social housing will get an extra £5.1million, £2.5million would be stumped up for leisure facilities in Wellesbourne and £50,000 for Stratford's Shopmobility scheme.This year's total bill for an average band D property will be £1,229.48 compared to £1,190.41 last year. This is made up of district and county council, police authority and average parish council precepts.

Event for part-time learners at College

On Thursday 7th April 2005 from 11am - 7pm, Warwickshire College’s five main Centres will be holding an event aimed at people aged 19 and over, who are interested in part-time study or leisure courses.

The College’s Leamington, Rugby, Moreton Morrell, Henley-in-Arden Centres as well as the Trident Technology and Business Centre in Leamington will all be giving advice and information on part-time courses beginning in April and September 2005. Courses include programmes leading to professional qualifications, academic study and leisure activities.

Information will also be available on the Access to HE course, a course that prepares adults for degree level study that can be studied on a full or part-time basis. The nine-week induction programme for this course begins at the end of April and prepares learners for the start of the course in September 2005.

There will also be the opportunity to find out about how to improve English, Maths and IT skills. For those who would like to gain a GCSE level qualification in Maths or English recognised by employers, they will be able to find out about National Tests, which are free.

The event will be held in each of the five Centre’s Student Services area, which will be offering the opportunity to have a coffee and a chat about courses, careers, money issues, childcare, study support, enrolment and college services and facilities.

For more information call 0800 783 67 67 or email enquiries@warkscol.ac.uk . Alternatively, visit www.warkscol.ac.uk

Warwickshire's Parks are ready

Everything is set for a summer of fun, thanks to Warwickshire’s Country Parks Service.Staff have produced a new 32-page booklet which not only gives details of the events programme for the next six months but also incorporates valuable information about all the Country Parks and Greenways in Warwickshire. There’s even a list of walking and cycling publications included, together with an order form that people can use to buy maps and books by phone or by mail order.

All in all, there’s just about all the information that anyone could need in the new booklet to plan a day out in the countryside for some fresh air and healthy exercise.

The booklet is completely FREE of charge and is available from all seven of Warwickshire’s Country Parks and Greenways, where activities will take place throughout the summer. Not only have over 100 events, walks and activities been planned for evenings and weekends, but there will also be another 100 fun, themed activities taking place at Kingsbury Water Park, Ryton Pools Country Park and Pooley Fields Country Park during the school holidays, which is great news for children and parents alike!

Various nature walks, bat nights, treasure trails, den-building, pond-dipping and birds of prey events are just a few of the many different activities visitors will be able to take part in.

Country Parks Visitor Manager Sally Silk commented: “This is a really exciting programme of summer fun for our visitors. The new larger booklet format will enable our visitors to find all the information they need about events and the parks without having to look at two different publications, as they have had to in the past. This should make it much easier for them to plan their days out in the countryside.”

She added: “Our events programme has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with lots of new activities and walks being introduced. Where an event states that booking is essential, I would suggest that anyone wanting to take part in that activity should book their places quickly, to avoid disappointment.”

Anyone wanting their own FREE copy of the new booklet, called What’s on in Warwickshire’s Countryside, should ring Kingsbury Water Park on 01827 872660 or email parks@warwickshire.gov.uk.

County Parks Webpages

Stratford Ramblers invites anyone to join their gentle pace walks every 1st and 3rd Tuesday; starting Tuesday 5th April. Ring Penny Stott on 01564 792251 or go to www.stratfordramblers.com for details. Walks start at 10:00am and will normally be 4 to 5 miles long, taken at a pace to suit those new to walking, or those who can no longer walk as fast as they used to. We aim to take time to look at the view and the newborn lambs and so on. As a sociable group, several of us normally call at a pub afterwards for a drink or light lunch. We try to share cars where practical, to reduce the problem of many cars at one parking place.