EDITORIAL
News: Aston Ingham, Bromsash, Gorsley, Linton, Upton Bishop & Combined.
Contact Details Detail on PDF copy on home page
LEA NEWS
NEWS FROM LEA CHURCH
Hello everyone and Season's Greetings to you all! I hope you are all on your way to having an organised and well-planned festive season! Don't forget, with all the preparations, to take a little time out for yourself! A quiet moment with a cup of tea, or a walk along a country lane, just to get your equilibrium back and recharge yourself! If you want some quiet time away from everyone, don't forget the church is open during the day. You are more than welcome to go in and have a quiet moment with your thoughts. We are getting ready for the Advent season and then Christmas, with our Advent Carol Service on Sunday 1st December at 6pm. We will be serving refreshments after the service and hope to have the Benefice choir joining us (this will not be a communion service), then our usual services for the next two Sundays. Then on Sunday 22nd December we will be holding our Carol service, this time in the church rather than at the village hall. Mulled wine and mince pies will be served after the service. Then on Christmas Eve, we will be holding our Midnight Communion Service to welcome in Christmas and the birth of our Saviour. This service starts at 11.30pm. All are welcome to come and join us for any service, we would love to see you and celebrate with you.As you know, last year in Advent, someone took our 3 angels which we used as part of the Nativity scene and for the window displays. If you do happen to know where they are and you don't want them anymore, we would be delighted to have them back! Just leave them in the church, no questions asked! Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year, see you in February!
God Bless
Marion Martin
AUTUMN TERM AT LEA CE PRIMARY SCHOOL
It has been a busy term for Rowan Class! (Years 3 and 4). The children have loved their topic about the Romans. We also enjoyed celebrating Harvest at Lea Church. Two of our school governors led an event called “Experience Harvest”, which was a fantastic opportunity for the children to learn about not only why Christians celebrate Harvest, but also how we can all help to support the natural world in the autumn.During the day, we worked in groups to create bug hotels to provide homes for bees and other minibeasts, bird feeders to feed birds who do not migrate in the autumn, leaf stacks, to help us remember the variety and colours of autumn leaves and sunflower collages to remind us that each year, nature produces new seeds for the next year.Over the term, the children have learned so much about the Romans; including the different countries the Romans invaded, the effects Romans had on Britain, and still have on Britain in 2024. To end our topic, we went to visit the Roman Fortress and Baths in Caerleon. This was an unforgettable experience, which gave the children the opportunity to see real-life Roman exhibits, try on Roman armour and see the size of the barracks that Romans would have lived in during Roman times!Many pupils in our class have also completed extra-curricular homework about the Romans and have created their own Roman bread, Roman shields, mosaics and Roman numeral times-tables!If you would like to come and visit us at Lea CE Primary School and Gateway Lodge Nursery, please contact Rachel Gwilliam in our office, to arrange a visit, either by calling on Detail on PDF copy on home page
LEA PLAY AND CHAT
Play and Chat have just celebrated 3 years of fun and friendships and continues to run as a free group Friday mornings 9.00 - 10.30am at Lea Primary School Hall, my thanks to Mrs Vines and her staff who all make this possible. We have been painting pumpkins, creating bonfire pictures, catching bubbles and now counting down to Christmas and would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and look forwards to 2025. Contact Carolyn Detail on PDF copy on home page
LEA VILLAGE HALL Hello everyone, here we are nearly at the end of another year. We have had a very good year at the hall with several new groups using the hall on a regular basis and a steady flow of outside bookings. This is very good to see. We were so sad to lose our dear friend Anne earlier in the year and she is greatly missed. Another blow was a fire safety inspection that stirred up a “hornets’ nest”, but with due diligence we are striving to become up to date with new regulations, albeit at a considerable cost, but of course it is essential that we comply and everything is in good order.We have a visit from The Rain or Shine Theatre company planned for Sunday 12th January with their winter production of Murder most Wilde. Tickets are £18.00 for adults, £10.00 for children, this includes a post-Christmas type delicious buffet to be enjoyed after the show. Doors open at 3.30 for 4.00pm. Tickets can be booked online or please call me Detail on PDF copy on home page. It will be a fundraiser for the hall, but firstly it is a really fun time and a great get together.I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Thank you all for your support. Jacky Hopkins
LEA VILLAGE HALL 100 CLUB OCTOBER DRAW
1st- Maureen Savage,
2nd - Di Brice,
3rd - Emma Matchette
LEA CAFÉ WEDNESDAY 4th DECEMBER FROM 10am AT THE VILLAGE HALLOur December coffee morning will have a bit of a Christmas theme going on! As well as the usual coffee and cakes there will be mulled wine and warm mince pies, including Rosie's gluten-free versions. Hopefully with a few Christmas songs too.As always there is no charge for entrance or refreshments. Contact me, Gill Davis Detail on PDF copy on home page
LEA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
Don’t miss the LRA’s family friendly New Year’s Eve party in the village hall! All Lea villagers and friends are invited. Doors open at 6.30 for a 7pm start and there will be a fun filled evening for all ages. There will be kids’ party games, Karaoke, a disco and Bingo. Please bring your own party food to share and the bar will be open from 7pm till late offering beer, lager, cider, gin, wine, prosecco, mulled wine and soft drinks.There are a few tickets left for the party, so if you would like to join the fun, contact Andrew Beechey Detail on PDF copy on home page Tickets are only £5 for adults, £2 for children and include a welcome drink of punch or a soft drink.
LEA LUNCH CLUB
The Lea Lunch Club is looking forward to its Christmas lunch event which, once again, is fully booked, and the start of the New Year’s events on 29th January. We are now almost always fully booked, so please ensure you let me know in good time if you can’t come so we can allow someone else to take the place. To change your booking or enquire about a new booking, please call Nicky Detail on PDF copy on home page
JANUARY RELAXATION IN THE VILLAGE HALL
The village hall is to be the venue for a post-Christmas afternoon of relaxation from 2-4.30pm on Saturday 18th January. Alex, our local yoga teacher, says this will be “A relaxing afternoon of gentle yoga to awaken your body and soul, followed by a Soothing Sound Bath to melt away stress and bring deep relaxation. A great idea for a Christmas present for your loved ones.” Contact Alex on Detail on PDF copy on home page
LEA GARDEN ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION
As we head for winter, would you like to think about growing some of your own produce next season? Why not join us at Lea Garden Allotments, a small group of gardeners committed to "growing their own" and enjoying the fresh air, open space and like-minded company. There are a couple of plots still vacant which are cleared and ready to start, either as a whole plot or split for a half plot, depending on your needs and time available. Contact Dawn or Graham for more details, or to arrange a visit and view the available plots. Email leaallotments@gmail.com or phone or text Dawn Detail on PDF copy on home page
Routine contact with Lea Parish Council should be made via clerk@theleaparishcouncil.gov.uk Parish Council information will be found on the council website at www.theleaparishcouncil.gov.uk Parish Clerk: Lea Parish Council was pleased to welcome Neil Barrington as Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer at the meeting held on 30th October. Neil is fully qualified and it is anticipated that he will prove to be a real asset. Financial Matters: During October the Lea Parish Council accounts with Lloyds Bank were closed and from now on all banking will be with Unity Trust Bank. During the October meeting it was agreed to approve a donation of £3000 to St John Baptist Church to help with churchyard maintenance following the forced cancellation of the Steam Up, which as a rule generates significant income for the church. Flooding: Gladly, work has started on a remedial scheme designed to prevent further flooding of the Squires Meadow houses with frontages along the A40. The work is being carried out by Bell Homes. Footpaths: Self closing gates provided with grant aid from Herefordshire Council are now ready for installation by the Lengthsman. Drainage: Lea Parish Council has been advised that Drainage Grant funding applied for has been successful and the Lengthsman has been awarded the task of completing the various works by 31st March 2025.2025/26 Budget: The Lea Parish Council budget for the 2025/26 financial year is being developed and must be submitted to Herefordshire Council in January. Parishioners are very welcome and indeed encouraged to put forward viable suggestions of items for consideration. These will be most welcome by the Finance Committee. Website: You may or may not be aware that the original Parish Council website was entirely lost prior to the development of the current website. The old website contained valuable data and images, all of which were lost. The current website has the capacity for the inclusion of relevant images and other data. You are most welcome to send items in for consideration, to the Clerk.
For those Lea residents who frequently walk the A40 footpath from the crossroads up towards Lea Lines, you may have noticed a big improvement recently. The footpath had slowly grown over in the last decade, making it really difficult to walk from Lea Villa Park down to the traffic lights, without using the grass verge. Now that is a problem for those in wheelchairs or on mobility scooters, as without a level surface to traverse, the user gets painfully thrown about or accidents happen. The Parish Council contacted a local charity EnviroAbility, based in Ross, who sent out their “Can Do Crew” for a day’s paid work experience, to improve the footway, and what a great job they did. That path is now taken back to the wooden edges, not seen for years. Consequently, it is so much wider. The guys also cleared around and under the seat and tidied the area by that waste bin.You may be interested in the Can Do Crew for odd jobs around your home or garden. Anyone can hire them. For those who have never heard about the Can do Crew, here is some basic info: EnviroAbility provides people from disadvantaged groups with real work opportunities and experiences, that is both valued and visible to the larger community. They offer services that local people want, and otherwise would not be available. The Can Do Crew help with any jobs around the house or garden, and are appropriately supported by trained staff. Contact them Detail on PDF copy on home page.
