full April Bulletin - Biggleswade Rugby Club

20 BULLETIN APRIL 2012 TEL: 01234 834700 EDITORIAL: editorial@biggleswadebulletin.co.ukMeeting the spiritualand pastoral needsAS many of you may know I beganas the Chaplain to Bedford Hospitalin early January this year; taking thereins from the very competent andvery lovely Eddie Turner who hadserved as locum Chaplain there forabout six years.I am still finding my feet but as Iget to know the staff and find myway around the hospital my role isbecoming more and more defined.So what is my role as Chaplain?To quote from my licensingservice, the role of a chaplain is to“provide for the spiritual andpastoral needs of patients, relativesand staff. A chaplain’s care and dutyare to reflect the Church’s calling toembody Christ in this world of needand searching, working amongpeople with many skills, manystresses and great dedication”In other words I am there for thepatient who may need that extra bitof time to talk issues through or whoare feeling lonely and vulnerable. Orfor a relative who is in need ofsomeone to talk to when perhaps theanxiety and strain of seeing a lovedone ill or dying is proving hard tobear. I am also there for the staff whobear so much and who are themoment facing significant changeswithin the Hospital.I am also here to ensure that thereligious and spiritual needs ofpatients, relatives and staff are met.This includes the use of the Chapeland the Prayer Room; having shortacts of worship that can be accessedby those who wish to go to them.Being on hand to pray with people,conduct rites of passage such as baptismand acts of remembrance; andof course knowing who to call forpeople of other faiths.This is of course underpinned byregular prayer and reflection on thescriptures.All of this work could not bedone without the support and hardwork of the Chaplaincy volunteerswho meet every Tuesday Morningand visit all the wards. This is such avaluable work and is of real comfortto those they go to see. If this issomething you might like to beinvolved in then do get in contactwith me on 01234 355122Ext 5901, email: nicola.mcintosh@bedfordhospital.nhs.uk and we canhave a chat about what is involvedand the process of applying.Rev’d Nicola McIntosh, ChaplainBedford HospitalHome Help ServiceWe believe that Age UKBedfordshire’s Home Helpservice is second to none. Allof our home helps are fullyvetted and trained beforethey are allowed to visit anyof our customers. The servicehas been operating for nearly10 years and covers thewhole of the County. Ourhome helps visit on a regularbasis, usually once a week, for an hour or two and canclean, dust, polish, do the laundry, clean the inside ofwindows, prepare a light meal or go shopping for you.We feel that it is important that you have the same homehelp for each visit and strive to achieve this.If you would like to know more, please contact us usingthe details below, and ask for the Home Help service.Email: Debbie.spriggins@ageukbedfordshire.org.ukTelephone: 01234 360510Volunteers with Nigel Aldis, Sandy Town Councillor and Central BedsCllr and Geoff Comb, Trust Administrator Bedfordshire PolicePartnership Trust.Gardening help for the 60+THE Diamond Jubilee CentralBedfordshire Community TaskForce has secured the use of SandyBaptist Church to run itsoperations from.The Rev Beth Powney, Pastorof the Baptist church has givenover the use of the church rooms,to allow the Task Force to operate.The office is open from 9.30am to4pm on weekdays an has fulldisabled access, it is from here thatthe workers are dispatchedcomplete with their lunch boxes.local volunteers prepare thelunch boxes for the young workers.Residents who are over 60 ordisabled in Sandy, Biggleswadeand the surrounding villages cannow get their gardens tidied forfree by the Task Force.If you would like to have thishelp please contact: Ken lynch on01767 680737 or if you would liketo become involved with helpingthe young unemployed youngstersof the area please get in touch.Back to the 16th centuryICKWEll May Day Festival wasfirst documented in theChurchwarden’s accounts ofc1565 and has continued eversince, apart from a break at thetime of the Puritans. A permanentMaypole was first erected in 1872.The Festival this year will beon Monday 7th May. BiggleswadeSandy lions will be there as usualand plan to have their skittles, golfand duck games as well as a luckydip, books and bric a brac. Comeand have fun. The money we raisewill help us help the local community.Originally, Maypoles wereyoung trees cut down and stuck inthe ground. People danced aroundto celebrate the end of winter withthe start of the fine weather toallow planting to begin. Maypoleswere once common all overEngland and the tallest is said tohave been erected on The Strandin london in 1661 standing over143 feet high. It was felled in 1771when Sir Isaac Newton sent it to afriend in Wanstead to support thethen largest telescope in Europe.The name of St AndrewUndershaft in Cornhill derivesfrom a large Maypole set up infront of it.Biggleswade Sandy lions alsoplan on having a publicity stallonce again at this year’s IckwellFestival. Do come and have a chatand find out more about the lions.We are always looking for newmembers so we can do more tohelp in the community.All we ask for is some of yourspare time to help with fund raisingand community service pluswe have social events as well. Tofind out even more you can alsovisit our website – www.biggeswadesandylions.org.uk orcall 0845 8339749.Come and make some newfriends.