At the Aston Ingham W.I. monthly meeting, our members received a talk from Andrew Mottram how discussed water and the essential need for it to sustain life on earth, we humans can live only a few days without it.

The climate is changing globally and there has been a 16 year drought here from the end of March to the end of May.

Years ago Andrew noticed many fish swimming in the rivers in Norfolk whilst rivers like the Wandle near London were polluted, however, now the rivers in Norfolk are polluted and water crows foot which grows near clean water, grows no more. The river Wandle is now clean and has fish once more, so with effort from us change can happen.

Andrew talked about the vast quantities of water needed for industry, like the cheese industry and, of course, agriculture. Farmers are encouraged to grow as much food as possible but 66% of the pollution in the river Wye is from agriculture, the chicken industry is also a big pollutant.

We interfere with rivers all the time so they don’t work, some sewage plants empty raw sewage directly into rivers, infecting wild water swimmers, as well as killing river life. Surfers too are infected with sewage in the sea. Environment agencies don’t have the money to enforce the  rules.

Apparently, we are killing insects at an alarming rate and ‘SpotOn’ to kill fleas on our pets is a ‘forever poison’ which gets into rivers and is lethal to river life.

Andrew suggested that we at W.I. because we have influence and we should contact our MPs to bring to the attention of Parliament and thus the country, the importance of cleaning up our rivers and not allowing discharge of sewage into them, we need the sewage works to ‘work’ in the correct way. We could contact our Council too with the same message to attempt to get action started. 

You can find a lot more information on the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Sites. This information covers the topics Andrew discussed in his talk. Andrew’s talk highlights a very serious problem affecting us all. 

Ross Parishes continues to foster a sense of community and spiritual nourishment with a diverse range of events and activities scheduled for the upcoming week. From virtual prayers to physical gatherings, there’s something for everyone seeking solace and connection.

On Wednesday, March 20:

8:45-10:15am: Kickstart your day with Toast & Toddle at St. Mary’s—an opportunity for parents and toddlers to come together for a morning of fun and companionship.

11:15am: Engage in spiritual contemplation with Ponder & Pray via Zoom. For access, contact [email protected].

12:00 noon-1:30pm: Join the Lent Lunch at St. Mary’s, a time for fellowship and reflection as the community gathers over a meal.

On Thursday, March 21:

10:00am: Attend the Eucharist at Markye Chapel, St. Mary’s, to partake in a solemn communion.

11:45am: Connect with the St. Mary’s Thursday Prayer group via Zoom. Visit rossparishes.uk/worship/prayer for participation details.

7:30pm-9:00pm: Delve deeper into Lenten reflections with the Benefice Lent Course at St. Michael’s, Walford, fostering spiritual growth and communal learning.

On Friday, March 22:

9:30am until 11:30am is Paddle & Praise (contact [email protected])

6:30pm-7:30pm: Join the Youth Choir rehearsal at St. Mary’s—a platform for young voices to harmonize and express themselves.

7:00-8:00pm: Fine-tune your vocal talents at Choir practice, also held at St. Mary’s.

On Palm Sunday:

8:00am: Commence the day with BCP Holy Communion at St. Mary’s, a tranquil service steeped in tradition and reverence.

9:30am: At 9:30am is the Sung Eucharist at St Mary’s which will also be live streamed.

11:00am: Engage with the Family Service at St Michael’s, Walford.

On Tuesday, March 26

9:00-11:00am: Indulge in Tea & Toast and browse the Community Larder at St. Mary’s Hall—a welcoming space for nourishment and fellowship.

Ross Parishes invites all members of the community to partake in these enriching experiences, fostering connections and nurturing the spirit. Join in, and be uplifted by the collective embrace of faith and fellowship.

The Ross Vaga Probus Club meet on March 12th with 32 members and 5 guests in attendance for a talk titled ‘Consciousness’ given by Club member, Ben Norris.

The occasion provided a good opportunity for members to get to know more about Ben, a New Zealander who joined the Vaga Club in November 2022, having already been a supporter of Probus activities through Ross Kyrle Probus Club. Describing himself humbly as a Nurseryman, who benefitted thanks to the growth in sales of gardening gloves, Ben enjoyed a dedicated lifetime business career successfully running his own small companies in the UK and New Zealand. His non-academic status in no way detracted from his varied and meaningful ideas associated with his somewhat challenging and mystifying topic of consciousness. Ben’s caring interest in people and in nature were major influencers and drawing upon his knowledge on a wide range of topics, including that of the ice-age and in pre-history, members were both entertained and better informed as a result. Ben’s central theme that consciousness evolved here first and facilitates our ability to experience our reality in a world consisting of both good and bad, did not go unnoticed.

Vaga Probus is a group for men which was formed in 1988. They meet on the second and forth Tuesday of each month at 10:30am at Ross Conservative Club. 

Visitors are welcomed to go along and see what the club is all about. If you have an interest in visiting or indeed have a talk you would like to deliver, please contact the Secretary on [email protected]. Further details can be found on the website at www.vaga-probus-ross.org.uk. On the club website, it states: “In common with other Probus clubs we welcome retired professional or business men who wish to meet regularly for friendship, enlightenment and entertainment.”

The results from Ross Photo Clubs open competition are in. 

In the Mono category, first place went to Sandra Walding’s ‘Hidden Priory’, second pace went to Jennie O’Brien’s ‘Hidden Tree’ and third place went to Darion Churchill’s ‘Shooting Out’. 

Highly commended in this category was ‘High Atar’ by Roger Irwin and ‘No Fishing Today’ by Paul Dowgill. 

‘Walking Through’ by John Ryland and ‘You Watch My Back’ by Trevor Lane were both commended. 

In the colour category, first place went to James Wilcon’s ‘In the Woods’, second pace went to Mike Webb’s ‘Silent Fight’ and third place went to John Crowland’s ‘Nash Point’.

Highly commended in this category was ‘Reflections’ by Chris Hawkins and ‘A Cheeky Tackle’ by Gareth Nutt.

‘The War’s Over’ by Roger Irwin and ‘Through the Leaves’ by Mike Webb were both commended. 

This competition was judged by Dave Bennett.

Publicity Officer for Ross Photo Club, Sandra Walding, said: “There were some lovely images produced by the whole club. It was a hard job to judge.”

Ross Photo Club meets on a Wednesday from 7:30pm until 9:30pm at Walford Village Hall, Walford, Herefordshire, HR9 5QS,. New members are welcomed and can go along to two sessions free of charge. An annual membership is £40 but is reduced if you start mid season, and £3 for each session you attend. An under 16s memberships £10 for the season but they must be accompanied by an adult. A non-participating adult accompanying doesn’t need to pay a fee. 

On the Ross Photo Club website, it says: If you like photography, whether you are a beginner or someone who has been taking photographs for a while, then you have come to the right place.

“Our membership ranges from people who are just starting their interest in photograph to those who have been doing it for many years. 

“Our friendly club, on the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire border, meets on a weekly basis between the months of September and May. Project Group meets on the first Thursday of the month and runs most of the year.”

The next competition will be held on Wednesday, April 10, with the hand in deadline set at Wednesday, March 27. The subject is ‘Open’ and the competition will be judged by Colin Walls. 

All club members are invited to take part and have a go at one of the competitions. Judges give feedback on the photography entered which can be used to help you learn to take better images.

For more information visit their website and got to their ‘Contact Us’ section: https://www.rossphotoclub.org/-competitions/912450 or have a look at the Ross Photo Club Facebook page to see some of the photos already produced by members of the club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rossphotoclub/.