|
|
 Village News Magazine |
|
This page was last updated on
Monday June 9, 2008
|
|
| Bells, Guitar and organ-ic |
|
Forget straight as a die carrots, air-freighted tomatoes and bagged salad….the future is earthy, natural and organic!!
So says Ian Nelson from Sunnyfields Farm who came to talk to the Members of Marchwood WI in March. Ian has been running the farm in Jacobs Gutter Lane for 20 years and it has grown enormously, the range, quantity and quality of the produce from Sunnyfields and his own farm at Wellow, is immense, every kind of vegetable, from root crops and brassicas to peppers, aubergines, chillies and even lavender.
Ian and his wife met in Malawi whilst on Voluntary Service Overseas. They started at Sunnyfields in 1987 and have been horticultural producers for 18 years.
Ian is passionate about the importance of buying fresh and local produce. He has a vision that ethically produced seasonal food should be available to everyone all over the country, along with fresh bread, kindly reared meat and poultry. Ian is keen that it should be part of a child’s education to visit organic farms and see how food should ideally be produced, maybe with a hands – on approach!
Handel said that the bell is “The national Instrument of England”,
and Marchwood WI had a sample of the delight that is hand bell ringing in April, when Bishops Bells came to entertain.
The musicians played a variety of music, classical and modern on a part set of handbells that were discovered in the church at Bishops Waltham 25 years ago.
These bells are “English handbells”, this means that the clappers are hinged and move in one direction, the set is tuned and consists of 48 bells. Some bell-ringers are able to play with two differently tuned bells in each hand!! The first tuned handbells were developed by the Cor Brothers from Wiltshire in the 1700’s and were originally designed for change ringers (church bell ringers) to practice with, and were most popular during the Victorian era.
The bells are still made in London at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, where they have been made for hundreds of years. It was a really fun evening with plenty of audience participation, which provided great merriment and even enthusiasm for “trying it at home!”
Finally, how to celebrate your 87th birthday?........have a rock and roll themed evening of course!!!! The birthday party entertainer was Tommy C, a Southampton based singer and guitarist who kept everyone clapping and singing along during the evening.
A very nostalgic time was had by all, with Tommy singing and playing hits by Marty Wilde, Elvis, Cliff and the Shadows of course and lots of rock stars that made hearts flutter in the 50’s and 60’s, some of the members wore their can-can petticoats (why have they still got them?) and probably would have jived the night away if allowed!
The Darts team starts playing in this years competition in May, (in matching T shirts!!) also the Skittles and Quiz teams are sharpening their brains and exercising their throwing arms, Good Luck to everyone in the WI Hampshire League!
Marchwood WI meets in the Village Hall on the second Tuesday of the month at 7.15pm and everyone is welcomed. |
Judy Saxby 8086 6610 |
| |
|
|
| Also See: |
|
| |
|
