Cambridge org

May 2018

Centenary

Edition

2

The Vicar’s Letter

One hundred years ago, the year

1918 saw a number of things

happen in the world - the worst ever

flu pandemic began and went on to

kill an estimated 500 million people

worldwide; the women’s suffrage

movement achieved some success

as Great Britain granted the vote to

women (aged over 30); the Royal

Air Force was created and, of course, on the 11th November, the

armistice was signed, signalling the end of the Great War.

In 1918, the average house price in East Anglia was just £195 and

the average salary was £133. Fuel cost just 4p per litre and an

average grocery shop just the equivalent of 44p. One hundred

years later things are rather different!

In May 1918, the then Bishop of Ely came to Newnham, to the

relatively newly built red brick church (it was built in 1901 and

consecrated just before Christmas 1917) and formally marked the

creation of a new parish – the parish of Cambridge, St Mark. Up

until then, St Mark’s had been part of the wider parish of

Grantchester, having been built as a ‘daughter’ church in

recognition of population and housing growth in the area.

One hundred years later, we are celebrating the centenary of the

parish of Cambridge, St Mark, or St Mark’s, Newnham as we tend

to know it. Interestingly, our links with Grantchester were once

again strengthened last year when I was appointed as priest in

charge of the two parishes. We remain independent parishes but

with a joint vicar, some joint services and a shared administrator,

we are enjoying a closer working relationship again.

As you can imagine, in the last hundred years, the churches and

communities have seen many changes, just as the country and

world around us have. We celebrate these changes and

advancements, while at the same time giving thanks to God for the

unchanging, constant and faithful nature of his love, the good

news of his son Jesus Christ and the age-old call to love God and

to love our neighbour.

Please come and join us as we celebrate one hundred years of St

Mark’s as a parish in its own right. Our celebrations will take place

on the 12th and 13th May. Throughout the weekend there will be a

display in the Church about the life of the Church and wider parish

over the last hundred years. On the evening of the 12th May there

will be a Gala dinner (there are limited tickets available due to

space) with some of our previous vicars coming to speak. And

then, on Sunday 13th May, Stephen Conway, the Bishop of Ely

will come to lead us in celebration and worship. We will begin with

an 8.00 am service at the church in Grantchester (no 8.00 am

service at St Mark’s that day) to which all are invited, followed by a

walk across the Meadows from Grantchester to St Mark’s with

Bishop Stephen, marking both our historic and our renewed

partnership. Bishop Stephen will then lead our 10.00 am service at

St Mark’s. Please do come along. It would be wonderful to have

full churches that day, whether you are a regular member of our

congregation or an occasional visitor, as we give thanks to God

for the last 100 years and pray for our future. There will be cake

and coffee after the service. We hope to see you then.

The Revd Rachel Rosborough

rachelrosborough@hotmail.com

Further details about the Centenary Weekend will be found on

page 14.

3

There the library is named after Professor Dan Hardy who, with his

wife Perrin, introduced Henry to St. Marks in the early 2000s.

Henry has already communicated his vision that the ten dioceses

which he leads should play a part in the reconstruction of this

needy area of Nigeria. Typical of the faith of Henry and his

colleagues is their statement “We are poor, but God will enable us

to do greater things.”

Andrew Watts

St Mark’s Church Fête

Saturday 23rd June

2.30 pm - 4.30 pm Traditional Church Fête

with Music from

The Cambridge University Brass Band

All the old favourites.

Tombola, Book Stall, Cakes, Plants, Toys, Bottle Stall

Children’s Games and Bouncy Castle

Teas

Giant Raffle

Admission £2.00

If you are able to help on the day or have items to donate - cakes,

bottles, toys, plants etc - or items for the raffle or tombola, please

contact Rachel Rosborough (rachelrosborough@hotmail.com).

Gombe Diocese, N Nigeria : Charity of the Month

Henry Ndukuba was recently elected to be the

Archbishop of Jos, in which post he will have

responsibility for ten dioceses in the north-east of

the country. This is the area particularly afflicted

by the Boko-Haram insurgency. One of his first

announcements was to encourage churches to set up scholarship

funds for orphans and ‘internally displaced persons’ so that they

might continue their education. It is typical of Henry that he sees the

importance of people having a vision that they can work together to

create a better future for themselves and their neighbours.

Also indicative of Henry’s attitude is that he will remain in Gombe

and run the archdiocese from there. Jos is a pleasant place to be in

northern Nigeria. It is on a plateau and has a refreshing climate to

which people have retreated from the sub-Saharan heat further

north. Gombe, on the other hand, is hot and dusty and has little that

would attract holiday makers. A recent report from there said that

“Our diocese is located in the region that carries the heaviest health

burden, highest in maternal and infant mortality, devastated by

insurgency and riddled with poverty.”

This report, which is posted in the Narthex at St, Mark’s, says that

the expansion of secondary schooling has been one of the diocesan

projects which has benefited from funds raised in Newnham. In

addition we have supported medical work at St. Luke’s Mission

Hospital in Gombe town. The diocese is now going ahead with

plans to build a School of Nursing and Midwifery to train local

people from all communities to serve in the north-east zone of

Nigeria. Such ambitious plans have been a continuing part of

Henry’s ministry and because, like the educational projects that we

have seen grow in the last decade, they will rely on local effort and

commitment they have every chance of coming to fruition.

Nurturing local leadership is another activity that Henry has

emphasised and thus the training of pastors, their wives and other

church workers has continued at their Pastoral Training Centre.

4

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Lent Charity Lunches for the Alzheimer’s Society

What a Magnificent Total!

You donated £1,691.80 to the six Lent

lunches, and a further £345.25 should be

recoverable under Gift Aid, so producing

the amazing total of £2,037.05 for the

Alzheimer's Society!

This is clearly a cause which struck a chord in the community.

Best of all, the lunches were so well attended and enjoyed. Thank

you all again for your great support and generosity.

The charity is surprised and delighted in equal measure!

Parish Walk in May

Part of the Centenary Celebrations 1918 - 2018

Following last year’s successful Guided Walk

around the parish bounds, another family walk

will be held on Sunday 20th May leaving St

Mark’s at 2.00 pm. The walk will be about three

miles long and will be inside the parish. As in

2017, each group will be led by a knowledgeable

guide and will include college gardens and a stop at a private

lakeside garden, where drinks and ices will be available. Tea and

cakes will be served in the Large Hall at the end of the walk (and

earlier for anyone who is not able or does not wish to complete the

full distance).

This event is open to all the local community and there is no

charge to join the walk. However booking is required as

numbers will be limited. You can reserve places by email to

drcummings77@gmail.com. Booking open from Sunday 29th April.

5

If you would like to share in this part of the building of God’s

Kingdom please do give as generously as you can, using the

envelope that will come through your letter box, and please pray

— for the world and for the multitude of refugees, both those who

have had to leave their countries and those who are internally

displaced.

If you are able to help in any way, however small, with the

collection — either by going door to door, or with the preparations

beforehand — or would like to know more, please do contact me

by phone 01223 324281, or by email susanc@doctors.org.uk.

Susan Chester

God’s Kingdom is stronger than the storms

Christian Aid Week 13th - 19th May

Forty Million people in the world are

internally displaced - this means that they

have been forced to flee their homes but

remain inside their own countries. They may

have been forced to flee war and violence,

as with many in Syria and in Nigeria, or

natural disasters may have destroyed their homes and land, as

has happened following the earthquakes and hurricanes that have

hit Haiti.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Christian Aid

works through a partner there, an NGO called Koral, which helps

with rebuilding new houses that have structural and design

features that can help them withstand the forces of hurricanes and

storm. One woman, Vilia, lost both her home and her mother when

an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. Not only was she bereaved but

she, her husband and her children had nowhere to live. Koral

helped with building her a new home. In 2016 Hurricane Matthew

hit Haiti: more than 800 people were killed and thousands made

homeless. Vilia was safe and secure in her house; only one roof

panel was blown off although most of her neighbours’ houses

were destroyed. On the night of the hurricane 54 people came into

her house for shelter and were welcomed by Vilia with her family.

We can be builders of God’s Kingdom here on earth. God’s love

and compassion are universal and for all people who live on earth,

regardless of race, gender and age. God’s Kingdom is like a

mustard seed, and small actions here can, with faith, have life-

saving effects for some of our neighbours in other parts of the

world. During Christian Aid Week, more than 6 million envelopes

will be delivered through letter boxes throughout our country, and

the money collected will be used to fund life-saving and

transformative work throughout the world.

A prayer used first in Christian Aid Week in 1958

O Holy Spirit of love,

quicken our imaginations that we may feel more deeply for the needs

of others as we put ourselves in their place.

Give us hearts of self-forgetting compassion

which will move us to give from that which you have given us,

and to be good neighbours to those both near and far,

for the sake of him who taught us that

it is more blessed to give than to receive,

even Jesus our Lord. Amen

Christian Aid Week Service

Sunday 13th May at 3.30pm

at St Mary The Virgin, Linton, CB21 4JX, followed by tea

Worship led by the vicar, the Rev’d Maggie Guite

Main Speaker - Pam Richardson

If you would like to be there, and would like a lift, please contact

me. Susan Chester on 01223 324281 or via email

susanc@doctors.org.uk

6

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Home Insurance

Promotion Extended

To celebrate their 130th anniversary, Ecclesiastical is offering to

donate £130 to St Mark's Church for every new home insurance

policy taken out by our members or family where cover commences

on or before 31st December 2018. Please see the poster in the

Narthex, log on to www.ecclesiastical.com/Trust130 or telephone

0800 783 0130 and quote TRUST130 and, when asked, St Mark’s

Church, Newnham, Cambridge. Many thanks.

Parish Outing on 11th July 2018

An outing has been arranged to St Edmundsbury Cathedral

and

the Gardens at Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket

on Wednesday 11th July

leaving St Marks at 9.00 am and returning about 6.00 pm

Price: £30.00 which includes coach, coffee and a guided tour of the

Cathedral, entrance to the gardens and tea

(Lunch is available in the Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds or eat

your picnic in the Abbey Gardens)

Further details from Sue Payne on 328996 or via

susanruthpayne@gmail.com

Helmingham Hall is moated and was built by the Tollemache family

in 1480. The family still lives in the house and the gardens were

awarded the 2017 Historic Houses Garden of the year.

7

MAC : the April Charity

The total raised for Cambridge Money

Advice Centre was over £520, including

Gift Aid.

Many thanks for the generosity of the people at St Marks enabling

us to continue this vital work in Cambridge.

Spring has arrived at Barton Road and

Bolton’s Pit

The strident whistling song uttered by a Mistle

Thrush (or Stormcock) from the top of a tall

tree heralds a new day. The repeated notes of

two or three Song Thrushes, a declining

species, add to the melodious chorus of

Blackbirds and Robins. The tall willows beside

Bolton’s Pit reverberate with the rapid

staccato “drumming” of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. The loud

laughing “yaffle” of a Green Woodpecker is a conspicuous sound

at this time of year. The double “coo-coo” song of the Stock Dove

is very different from a Wood Pigeon’s cooing. Seed put out each

day attracts up to three cock and seven hen Pheasants in our

garden. They have become unusually confiding and each dawn I

listen to the Cock Pheasants crowing followed by a loud flap of

their wings.

On Bolton’s Pit, a large one hectare lake largely hidden from view

to the public, a pair of graceful Great Crested Grebes already

have a nest on a reed island. Earlier they performed a mutual

display “dance” with necks erect and their handsome red-brown

head-ruff expanded.

Have you seen or heard Buzzards as they circle over Gough

Way? Are they thinking of breeding nearby?

James Cadbury

St Mark's Church Mission Statement

To be the people of God in this place and to work to make God more real for our community.

England’s Cathedrals

I am grateful for the recent anonymous donation

to the Church Library of England’s Cathedrals by

Simon Jenkins, published in 2016. Many readers

will be familiar with the Jenkins’ series of books

which include England’s Thousand Best

Churches and Thousand Best Houses and, most

recently, Britain’s Hundred Best Railway Stations.

England’s Cathedrals follows a by now well known format. 53

buildings (all 42 Anglican cathedrals, Westminster Abbey and 10

Roman Catholic cathedrals) are described, the length of individual

entries varying according to the architectural and historic

significance of the building. Jenkins expresses interesting and

sometimes strong opinions. Lichfield is ‘gothic with attitude’.

Referring to the recent burial of Richard III he writes ‘every medieval

cathedral craved a pilgrimage shrine to bring it lustre and lucre.

None had to wait as long as Leicester.’ I found the entries on

smaller and less well known cathedrals, which can be overlooked, of

particular interest. The introduction covering the development of

cathedrals from Saxon times to the twenty first century, including a

section ‘How to view a cathedral’, provides a good overview for

anyone new to the subject.

Jenkins uses his familiar star rating system to rank cathedrals

between five and one. This may seem controversial; for instance St

Paul’s and Salisbury only attain four stars. Why not borrow the book

and see if you agree with his marking? And use it to plan any

cathedrals visits you would like to make during the summer. The

Library is located in the cupboard and shelves in the north-west

corner of St Mark’s.

Chris Hammond

8

St Mark’s Centenary As you will have read in the Vicar’s letter, we will be marking the weekend of the 12th and 13th May 2018 as a celebration of the centenary of St Mark's becoming a separate Parish, known as the Parish of St Mark, Cambridge - no longer under the wing of Grantchester.

Septimus Symonds, the Vicar then, actually wrote in the Church Magazine of “Our 'Coming of Age' when we are free to step out on our own, without any fear that our indulgent mother parish Grantchester would say us nay.”

Throughout the weekend there will be a display, in the Narthex and part of the Church, of the life of the Church/Parish throughout the last 100 years. Details have been extracted by members of the Arts Group from the complete set of Church Magazines which date back to the very beginning when the first wooden Church was established on our site.

On the Saturday evening, 12th May, from 6.45 pm the welcome and drinks reception for the Centenary Dinner will be held in the Church to enable the people gathering to spend time looking over the display.

We will move over to the Community Centre at 7.30 pm for a sumptuous meal, for which we thank our wonderful Social group, and in between courses and at the end of the meal there will be short talks given by each of our four recent Vicars.

On the Sunday morning Rachel is encouraging as many people as possible to join her and the Bishop for the 8.00 am service at Grantchester and then (weather permitting) to walk with her and the Bishop over the Meadows to Newnham ready for the 10.00 am service at which the Bishop will officiate.

Rita Lingard

Rita again asks anyone who has information, particularly illustrations of the early years of St Mark's Parish, to please contact her.

APCM 2018 Elections

At the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on the 22nd April, Jeremy

Whitton Spriggs and Eleanor Toye Scott kindly agreed to stand for re-

election as Churchwardens for another year and were duly re-

elected.

Nigel Porter is stepping down from his role as Deputy Churchwarden

and was warmly thanked for all he has contributed to the running of

the church, particularly during the interregnum.

Nigel Ede, Ben Keeble and Barry Domvile have all completed their

time on the PCC and were thanked for their input. Rachel Cuthbert,

Hilary Murray and Rita Lingard were elected as new PCC members.

Sue Payne has resigned as a Deanery Synod representative and was

also thanked. Debbie Whitton Spriggs volunteered to replace her.

It was also recorded that Miles Elliott is stepping down as Chairman

of the Community Centre Committee. He was also thanked warmly.

Jeremy Whitton Spriggs will replace him.

Newnham Croft School’s Eco Group

Each month the children of Newnham Croft’s Eco

Group send us an item for Seek. This is their eco-tip

for May.

As it gets warmer, don’t be afraid to let your

curiosity take over and explore the world around

you. Here at Newnham Croft we take pleasure in

investigating our surroundings.

In our school garden we have a bug hotel which

encourages us to be more interested in

minibeasts as we see them living naturally.

Take time to look around you at the hidden species

of the natural world and don’t be afraid to get

your hands dirty.

9

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Eltisley Avenue

I was born in Eltisley Avenue, attended Newnham Croft and was

fortunate enough to pass my 11+ through to the Perse and then

even more fortunate to study Natural Sciences at Clare, all state

funded. Given my parents’ circumstances, I don’t think I would

have had such an opportunity had I been born 25 years later.

Eltisley Avenue remained my home (except for my two years living

in college and one in digs) until I graduated in 1964 when I moved

to the Midlands for 40 years until returning here to retire 12 years

ago.

In my Newnham Croft days, all my friends lived close by in the

neighbouring streets. Today only two remain in Newnham, the

remainder have moved away from Newnham, often to the outlying

villages. That changed when I moved to the Perse as I was the

only one from Newnham Croft to go there. This meant that my

local friends were dispersed to three or four different schools

around the town. It also meant that I built up friendships with other

Perseans who lived further afield. Perse or Newnham Croft, we all

played around the Fen, damming streams and catching tiddlers –

all completely unsupervised. We also all learnt to swim in the river,

either at the “Snobs” (close by the paddling pool) until we were

thought safe to go to the “Men's’ Sheds”, where the canoe club is

today. Amazing most of us are still alive really!

My, how the street has changed, although to look at the houses

from the outside one would not think so. Enter almost any one of

them, however, and you will find side extensions, loft conversions

and goodness knows what else – in my childhood they would all

have been pretty much identical. Also, about ten per cent of the

houses today are college owned and with multiple occupancy.

Look at the residents and you will find a middle-class demographic

comprising predominantly professionals and academics. 50 years

ago, the street was far more working class with college servants

(like my father), clerks etc. and a smattering of academics. One

enormous change has been in the number of vehicles parked in

the street; in the ‘60s there was a handful of cars and in the ‘50s

almost none at all.

10

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We are more than just a Steak House. Come and discover us!

Today there are some very visible changes taking place. The car

showroom is (slowly) becoming a house; in my childhood it was

the premises of Newtax, taxi service whose proprietor, Leslie

Curwen lived next door at no.1. This was not the only business in

the street because at the other end stood Woods the grocer and

Mrs Woods operated a sweetshop cum tobacconist in what was

until recently the hairdresser. At no. 15 lived Hubert Little, the

proprietor of Eltisley Garage who subsequently built all the lock up

garages that lie between Eltisley Avenue and Marlowe Road.

My memory as a small child of Mr Little’s land is of a few fruit trees

and a number of part-dismantled vehicles but he was remarkably

tolerant of us children who played on his land. Of course, that all

disappeared as the garages were built, but I have an enduring

memory of his kindness at that time. In 1964 I bought my first car

and soon had the task of replacing the king pins; Mr. Little very

kindly let me carry out this work on a part of his plot that was still to

be built on.

Today there are still enterprises at work in Eltisley Avenue with at

least five limited companies having registered addresses here.

Perhaps the most notable people to live in the street were Ted

Hughes and Sylvia Plath who moved here in the Autumn of 1956

having got married in June of that year. In November she wrote to

her Mother saying that “the couple will be at home at 55 Eltisley

Avenue”, although they were not here long, soon moving to the

USA. In the National Portrait Gallery there is a sketch of Ted

Hughes which Sylvia Plath drew in 1957 – were they in no. 55 at

that time?

I puzzle now about the term “Newnham Village” - 70 years ago that

would have been thought of as odd, possibly pretentious. Having

lived for 50 years in a real, rural village, I think I can relate to that

view, although as one walks home from town across the Fen one

can sense a change in character from urban to rural – a bit. Still a

good place to live though!

Tony Langford

We are very grateful to Tony for sharing his memories with us.

11

From the Registers

Baptisms 22nd April Sabrina Ruth Williams Marcus Christopher Williams

Julian Howell Platter

WI Notes

We were delighted to welcome our County Chairman,

Sally Kingman on the 4th April. Her hobby is ribbon

craft, and she began by telling us the history of ribbon.

Many of the garments worn by Henry VIII and his court

used a quantity of ribbon, and during Queen Victoria’s

reign black ribbon was used a lot, particularly on hats.

Sally brought along a number of beautiful exhibits, including several

cushions and evening bags. Her two Christmas waistcoats, made with

a design of woven red and green ribbons, were most effective. A

fascinating evening ended with social time.

Many of us in the local area who have enjoyed talks by retired army

officer Lucy Lewis will be pleased to hear she has been appointed

Cambridge University’s first female marshal.

For our next meeting on the 2nd May, we will be debating this year’s

resolution and having a talk on special tea in China.

Pat Caesar

The June Issue of SEEK

Contributions are invited and are always welcomed. Please send them by

Sunday 13th May to Jane Plows at janemp@virginmedia.com

(01223 350120) or give them to any member of the committee.

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Contact Fiona King on 01223 357420

or via email to Jane Plows (janemp@virginmedia.com)

Prayers for May

St Patrick's Breastplate

Hymn to the Trinity

I bind unto myself the Name, the strong Name of the Trinity,

by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three,

of Whom all nature hath creation; Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

praise to the Lord of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me,

Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me,

Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in the hearts of all that love me,

Christ in the mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need:

the wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His shield to ward;

the Word of God to give me speech, His heavenly host to by my guard.

A Pentecost Prayer by Christina Rossetti

O God the Holy Ghost

Who art light unto thine elect

Evermore enlighten us.

Thou who art fire of love

Evermore enkindle us.

Thou who art Lord and Giver of Life,

Evermore live in us.

Thou who bestowest sevenfold grace,

Evermore replenish us.

As the wind is thy symbol, so forward our goings.

As the dove, so launch us heavenwards.

As water, so purify our spirits.

As a cloud, so abate our temptations.

As dew, so revive our languor.

As fire, so purge our dross.

Chosen by Rachel-Anne Minor

12

Regular Groups

Home Group with Bible Study : Alternate Mondays 10.30 am to 12 noon

Contact Sue Wagner

Bible Study at 3 Kings Road : Tuesdays at 7.30 pm

Contact Andrew and Angela Watts

Prayer Group at 10 Stukeley Close : Thursdays from 6.00 pm to 6.30 pm

Just turn up, or for more information, or to ask for prayer, contact Anne Howie

Friday Prayer Group at 10 Stukeley Close : Alternate Fridays at 11.00 am Contact Anne Howie

St Mark’s Choir meets every Friday from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm in the Community Centre in term time. Contact Rachel-Anne Minor at music@stmarksnewnham

Seek is printed by

Chris and Barbara Wright

situated in St Neots

01480 474112 07836 717950 aerocrw@tesco.net

Dates for your Diary

Thursday 10th May at 7.30 pm Joint Ascension Day Service at Trumpington

12th and 13th May St Mark’s Centenary Weekend p 8

13th - 19th May Christian Aid Week p 5

Tuesday 15th May at 3.30 pm Messy Church

Sunday 20th May at 2.00 pm Parish Walk p 4

Saturday 23rd June at 2.30 pm Church Fête p 3

Wednesday 11th July at 9.00 am Parish Outing to St Edmundsbury Cathedral

and Helmingham Hall Gardens p 6

Services at St Mark’s Church, Newnham

Services in May

Sundays

8.00 am

Holy Communion (1662)

On 13th May, the 8.00 am service will be in Grantchester Church

10.00 am

6th May Easter Celebration Communion Service

13th May Parish Communion to celebrate St Mark’s 100 years as a parish, led by Bishop Stephen

20th May Parish Communion and Junior Church

27th May All Age Communion

There is a parent and child area in the Narthex for those with very young children at all the 10.00 am services. Refreshments follow the service and everyone is most welcome.

Evening Services at 6.30 pm

27th May Informal Service

On most Sundays, parishioners are invited to join the congregation at Trumpington Parish Church for BCP Evensong at 6.30 pm, except on special occasions and on the 4th Sunday of the month when there is usually an Informal Service at St Mark’s.

Thursday 10th May at 7.30 pm

Joint Service for Ascension Day at Trumpington Church

Regular Tuesday Services

Weekly: Holy Communion (1662) at 11.00 am followed by coffee

Monthly: Messy Church from 3.30 pm to 5.45 pm. Join us for activities and worship for the whole family on Tuesday 15th May.

In addition to Messy Church, St Mark’s has a wide range of children’s activities during term time, including Toddles, our toddler group, each

Monday and Thursday, Bumps to Babies on a Thursday morning and also Friday Storytime every Friday.

Find details on our website.

www.stmarksnewnham.org