Everything went slightly pear shaped for the Rev. John Good on Palm Sunday when he received the sad news that the promised donkey would not be arriving in Martinstown due to a breakdown of the horsebox halfway to the village.

All was not lost for when I went down to the village hall assembly point it was to see that a local owner had kindly offered their pony as a welcome understudy.

Sadly John did not take advantage of the fact that it was already saddled up ready for him to ride.

Maybe it was the fact that the waving palm fronds made him a little skittish, that is the pony, not John.

However sunshine shone on the well attended procession as all made their way to St Martins Church for the Palm Sunday service.

During the recent Lenten period some inspirational display boards inside the church reminded us to count our blessings & instead of the more familiar idea of giving up some unnecessary item to do something more positive.

The suggested idea was Christian Aid which helps poverty across the whole world by providing the tools for a more dignified self help programme.

The church of St Martin once again played a role in the community when villagers joined the family & many friends on the occasion of the funeral service for Ron Holland.

It is a shame that so often we are completely unaware of peoples' many talents until after they are no longer with us, for few would have known that Ron had a career which took him to practically every quarter of the world, for he truly was the most modest of men.

However, his deep & abiding faith was an example to us all & a chat with Ron would uplift our spirits on even the most depressing of grey days.

Many others besides myself will miss seeing Ron when we attend our family graves in St Martins churchyard & of course inside the church itself. However, his light will always shine brightly in the side chancel where he made a gift of the light above the side altar.

  • Sad news that Sam & Ann Salmon are to retire as the promoters of Artsreach & they well deserve the thanks of the whole community & beyond for arranging at least fourteen or more shows over those years.

These have ranged from serious theatre to comedy & cabaret & several unusual ones that rewarded them for their courage in taking a gamble on their success.

Hopefully someone will take on the role as Promoter for they will be guaranteed the support & encouragement of a fantastic Artsreach team.

  • Not many days until the April 23 & the day that most tend to forget, but this year may well be different for we are all asked to fly the flag of St George & wear our roses with pride. A special request for all to do so when they attend the St \Georges Day concert to be held in St Martins Church at 7pm on Saturday, April 24.

Prior to this there will be a Bellringers Striking Competition at 4.30pm in St Martins Church which all sounds most intriguing. Incidentally, this may well be an opportunity for some recruitment ,for prospective ringers of any age will be most welcome.

  • Another date to note is Monday , April 26 at 7.30pm when it will be the Village Hall AGM. It will be an opportunity for all to raise not only any issues but most importantly show support for the very hard working village hall committee. It is always somewhat disheartening when a handful turn up out of a community which now numbers hundreds.

Police Community Support Dates will be Wednesday, April 14 when Sarah will be at the Farm Shop from 1pm - 2pm & at the Manor Grove Community Room from 2pm - 3pm.

Talking of Manor Grove everyone has been admiring the colourful plant pots on various supports. Thanks are due to Les Elford for doing this over a great many years now & of course he rears all his own plants.

Must be due to the fact that he no longer has any sheep on which to lavish his dedicated care.

Many thanks, Les, from us all in the village & of course all those who travel through Martinstown have made favourable comments, too.