“Some sort of periodical is an essential life-line in village such as ours”

Welcome to West Farleigh’s own

LIFELINE
Distributed freely in July 2020 Edition no 523
Editors: Stephen Norman, Helen Swan and Jacky Taylor
Website: www.thefarleighs.co.uk Email: editor@thefarleighs.co.uk

THANK YOU CHRISTI

Every editor of LIFELINE has had
cause to bless Christabel
Morgan. For 45 years, she has
faithfully delivered the
magazine in sunshine, rain or
snow along Lower Road. On
behalf of all those editors, we’d
like to thank Christi for her
help, and hope that her
neighbour Caroline who is
taking on her round will
continue the tradition of long
service!
It was 1975 and John and
Christi’s first home here
(Burnea bungalow) was still
under construction when Christi
Christi by the sea c. 1977 was ‘cornered’ by Belinda
Wallace who lived at the Old
Parsonage, and given her job of
distributing Lifeline from the
School to Dove Cottage. In those days, Lifeline was a single
sheet.The school was still functioning then (it closed in 1976), and
their daughter Mossy was probably one of the last children to be
enrolled there, under the tutelage of Pippa Wakefield. John and Still smiling today
Christi still exchange Christmas cards with the Wallaces.

Note: John Morgan tells us that Wynyard Wallace (then editor) was responsible for the line that has
headed every issue of Lifeline since it started: 'Some sort of periodical is an essential life-line in a village
such as ours' - never truer than in the present crisis.

AND a big THANK YOU to Pauline at the Good Intent….

…for all the meals you have provided to us over lockdown. We hear that Pauline will continue the
takeaway service after July 4th, but only on Fridays.

Deadline for the next edition is 21st June 2020

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PASTORAL LETTER

I have recently had the experience of being in hospital. This was

interesting at a time when the COVID pandemic continues to require
complicated adaptations to the ways hospitals operate. You may have
seen the documentary a few weeks back about our local health trust and
how it was coping at the height of the pandemic. It was impressive to
learn how the hospitals were managing the dangerous and complex
situation, and it gave me confidence to know that if I were to need their
services, I would be in a safe place. Little did I know that not long after,
this would be borne out by experience in Maidstone A&E and as an
inpatient at Tunbridge Wells.
As I was leaving hospital, waiting for my lift home, I was particularly struck
by the two other discharges happening at the same time. These were two
new-born babies, one tucked up in a brand-new buggy, and the other held tightly by their dad, being taken
home for the first time. We were surrounded by staff in masks, checking temperatures, monitoring the
one-way system, ensuring and maintaining all the required standards to keep everyone safe, reminding us
of the deadly nature of the virus, and here were two new lives exiting the hospital doors into an uncertain
world.
Once I was home, part of my recuperation was rather more television viewing than normal, and as my
preference was for calm, positive messages, the top choices were ‘The Repair Shop’, ‘Gardeners’ World’
and ‘Springwatch’! All these programme, I realised, affirmed the message of new life; that old loved items
can be carefully restored to ‘good as new’; plants that are nurtured from seemingly unpromising
beginnings offer rewards of countless colours, shapes, sizes, and uses; and with the right conditions, nature
renews itself with the re-establishment of threatened species.
Sometimes, with everything going on around us, it can be hard to discern the good, the positive, the life-
affirming, but God’s plan for creation is that everything will be ‘made new’. He promises ‘new life’, which
is not just physical life in this world but a promise of a spiritual dimension to life which lasts forever. Jesus
came into our world to bring that promise from God to humankind - that we ‘may have life and have it to
the full’.
Alison Callway

The churches of the United Benefice are now open for private prayer only:

Coxheath (Mondays) 2 – 3.30pm and additionally 7 – 8pm Thursday

East Farleigh (Tuesdays) 2 – 3.30pm
Hunton (Wednesdays) 2 – 3.30pm
Linton (Thursdays) 2 – 3.30pm
West Farleigh (Fridays) 2 – 3.30pm

Details of weekly service at 10.30 Sunday mornings:

Computer, tablet or smartphone: http://bit.ly/UnitedBenefice

Each week a new service of BCP Holy Communion is uploaded to our website
at https://bit.ly/BeneficeVideos

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SAD NEWS
Everyone who knew her will be sad to hear the unexpected news of the death of Rev. Eileen Doyle, the
associate Rector and a faithful and energetic member of the ministry team. Our thoughts and sympathy
are with her husband Barry Doyle and their children Lee and Lewis.

Eileen’s funeral will be at Coxheath at 12.15pm on Tue 7th July. Mourners will be able to follow on-line,
details will be posted on https://unitedbenefice.church/

WEST FARLEIGH IN BLOOM

South and South East in Bloom Competition & the West Farleigh Bloomers!

How are your sunflowers doing?? One of the

West Farleigh in Bloom’s team’s sunflowers have
already reached 4’ and the ones at St Helens
Corner look like they can challenge that. The
judges will be out with their measuring stick on
Saturday 15 August – if your sunflowers are not
visible from the road please email us
at bloom@thefarleighs.co.uk so that we don’t
miss you.
We are busy preparing our submission for South
East in Bloom which will be electronic this
year. One of the criteria is to show what we have
done during Lockdown. Apart from the bee and
butterfly projects we have devised for children in
West Farleigh and at East Farleigh School, we have been posting photographs of flowers around the village
on the Farleighs Facebook page for those who have not been going out.

If you have enjoyed these please let the judges know – by emailing bloom@thefarleighs.co.uk and help us
in our mission to improve on our silver award last year by winning silver gilt this year!

Jackie Ellis

NEXT LITTER PICK

Our monthly litter pick is back on....
Sunday 5 July, 9:00 a.m. on The Green, as usual.
We might even get to do coffee and bacon butties!
We look forward to seeing you....

NEW TO THE VIEW

Welcome to West Farleigh for Sarah and Brendan McGrath, who have moved into The View on Charlton
Lane.

Sarah tells us: “We have happily settled into the village since late January and everyone seems so friendly
and helpful, we cannot believe it. We have eight grandchildren and our families all live nearby in
Aylesford/Larkfield and Leybourne. Brendan is a Corporate Account Manager and I am an HLT Assistant at
Wateringbury Primary.

We are keen to participate in village events in the future.” [Happy to hear that! Ed]

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FARLEIGH FEATHERS by Ray Morris

SWIFT RESPONSES TO CALLS FOR HELP: PART I

Call number one was from East Farleigh Churchwarden George Moore to say a
swift had been discovered trapped in the church again. Readers of Lifeline may
remember one was found trapped last year, was subsequently released (with an
identifiable ring on its leg) and got itself trapped again a month later!

The by-now efficient swift rescue team of George, myself and Sheila Alchin, aided
by photographer Darren Nicholls, promptly sprang into action. It took some time
to find our avian insect-eater as it had perched itself between a roof beam and the
ceiling. This provided a clue to where it might be getting into the building and
where, more importantly, it might be nesting. As the team is now experienced at doing this, the bird was
quickly and safely netted as it circled the choir and nave close to the ceiling. Then began the interesting
task of examining and putting a uniquely numbered ring on it. This will make it individually identifiable
should it ever be encountered again, anywhere else in its lifelong flight around the skies above Europe,
Africa and a large expanse of the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Our first task was to weigh it. With the church having been locked and unused for the duration of
Lockdown, we had no idea how long the bird had been trapped in there. Fortunately its weight of 35g was
identical to that of the swift we caught inside last year, so it was clearly of a healthy weight. Our next task
was to take wing measurements, examine its feathers to age it, and then establish its sex. Last year’s bird
was male, this year’s is female, with a brood patch – a bald patch on her belly, rich in blood vessels, where
she transfers heat from her own body to her eggs and chicks. So this tells us she is breeding and we hope
her nest is somewhere within the fabric of the church, probably in the roof where she enters through a gap
under a tile.
As you can see in this close-up photo, she is not alone....

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This is a fairly harmless parasite called a flat-fly. As they live on birds – feeding on blood - they need to be
able to slip easily between their feathers, so they are much ‘flatter’ than normal flies (and it’s well nigh
impossible to swat them if they get on your hand!).

After much admiration from her rescuers (even for the flat-fly, as close-up in the sunlight it is a subtle
turquoise colour and it is, after all, one of God’s creations) she was released in the churchyard.

She immediately flew round the church, rejoining the small group that presumably contained her mate and
can be seen circling the building through most of the day. Hopefully she’ll raise her (usually) two young
successfully and they’ll migrate to tropical Africa together in early August. The young won’t return to breed
for at least two years, during which time they will be permanently airborne.

When they do come back we hope they will take up residence in the four swift nestboxes erected on the
north wall of the church by Gary Hindley earlier this year. So please, if your walk ever takes you through
East Farleigh churchyard, keep an eye out to try and discover where swifts are getting into the church, or if
they are taking an interest in the nestboxes. Do let us know if you see anything.

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SWIFT RESPONSES TO CALLS FOR HELP: PART II by Ray Morris

Call number two was from Gary Hindley in The Old School Hall at East Farleigh. As well as feeding the birds
from the adjacent churchyard, Gary’s birdtable is regularly visited by the local flock of white doves.
However, to Gary’s horror many of these doves are arriving with their feathers coated in a black, sticky
bitumus substance. Many have it on their faces so that they cannot open their bills to feed and, without
Gary clearing it off them, will starve. Those with it on their feathers need cleaning with a de-oiling
substance used to treat birds from oil spills at sea. It is not only time-consuming for Gary, but it is also a
distressing experience for the birds.

It is likely to be the result of anti-vandal paint being applied to a surface (top of a wall, for example) used
by birds – domestic doves and wild species – as well as cats. It should eventually get a dry skin to it, but this
takes time and, if disturbed, exposes the viscous paint designed to stick to anything that touches it. For a
bird or other small animal this could be fatal.

If you have recently applied this paint to something, please consider either removing it completely, or
covering it in some way to deter animals, especially birds, from coming into contact with it until it has
acquired its hard surface coating. If you are planning to apply it, think it through first to minimise the risk
to birds and domestic animals – especially cats that will carry the stuff indoors and on to who knows what.
Let’s look after our resident birds as well as our more exotic summer visitors!
Ray Morris

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN by Jon Fenlon

So happy to see some rain in the past 10 days, although the ground is still very
dry.

Right now we are flat out preparing for the Smiths Hall “Friends and Neighbours
Garden Open.” We have over 300 rose bushes to dead head, and the rain has
given the weeds a fresh lease of life, so there is a lot of weeding going on.

/continued next page/

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 /continued/
This hot weather has been welcomed by some of our plants and
shrubs which come from hotter climates. Here are the bananas
trees, basking in the sunshine in the sunken garden. One of
them arrived as a gift 5 years ago. We thought it wouldn’t
survive the winter, but it has, and we have propagated from it!

Another exotic tree

which is loving the sun
is the Moroccan
Pineapple Broom
(Cytisus Battandieri),
which has been in full
bloom at the back of
the Yellow border. Its
flowers smell of ripe
pineapples, and it’s
quite a wonderful smell
as you walk by.

Pineapple trees basking... 1Moroccan Pineapple Broom

And then of course there is the wild flower meadow, which was
all yellow a week ago but now the poppies are exploding and now
it is a brightly coloured sea of yellow and red.

I’m hoping by the time you read this that these photos will be in
colour on the village website:

http://www.thefarleighs.co.uk/gardeners_view.html

Stay cool!

Jon Fenlon

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 Pam Lindon, President writes “It has been a difficult and strange time for our
members of The Farleighs WI. As a lot of our members have been isolating and
this can be a lonely time for them. We have been contacting them to check that
they are fine and to have a chat. We have been keeping them updated with all the
information that has been sent from our National office. We are family and we
look after each other, that is what the W.I. means to us.”
THE EVERGREENS
Unfortunately one of our Evergreens was admitted to hospital having had a fall.
While there she tested positive for THE virus. She is in Hawkhurst Cottage
hospital. We wish a good and rapid recovery.
Others have remained well and in good spirits. Bored and lonely of course. Like
the rest of us they are looking forward to meeting their friends again.
It has been heartwarming to hear that they are being well looked after by their
families friends and neighbours. The lockdown has bought out the best in
people. They have appreciated phone calls, having a chat and a laugh. Do keep
up the phone calls to those who are on their own, it does help break up a long
lonely day.

SPORTS REPORT
No sports report this month, however the Ton-up Club results are in and the winners are:

Congratulations to Peter King £30 No. 12 Tina Woodhams £20 No.148 Megan Goldup £10 No. 82

If you would like to find out more about sports in West Farleigh, please visit http://www.westfarleighsportsclub.com/
Yours in sport, Tel: 815267

EVENTS
Sadly, all our events have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. EXCEPT THE LITTER PICKING ON
SUNDAY 5TH JULY, 9am on the Green! Let’s get out there and put those litter louts to shame

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