The watermill theatre summer production is coming to the village club on saturday 10th june

Mansfield Park

Adapted by Tonderal Munyevu and Arne Pohlmeier from the novel by Jane Austen.

This inventive and intelligent outdoor production reveals a fresh perspective on Jane Austen's classic romance.

When young Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy cousins, she quickly grows from a timid child into a clever, witty young woman with a fine moral compass. At Mansfield Park, Fanny meets the frivolous Crawfords. They introduce her to a world of reckless flirtation, unrequited love, and decadence.

As their antics escalate, Fanny is led further astray until her uncle's departure to visit his plantation in Antigua. Forced to confront the source of her family's wealth and its true cost, Fanny must ask some difficult questions. Where does she belong? Will she ever find love? And what does it take to be the heroine of your own life?

The performance starts at 7pm but the Village Club grounds will be open from 6pm to allow the audience to have a picnic supper beforehand.

Tickets are available at £15 from the Village Store or from

MANSFIELD PARK TOUR (GOODWORTH CLATFORD) (watermill.org.uk)

club coffee in may

ramblings from the rectory

Dear Friends,

May is here already and there is lots to think about in this Ramblings from the Rectory. My note pad has had scribbles over it as my ideas have taken me in different directions. Do I share with you what Nic is doing in the garden? Do I share something about my first year here? What about the King’s Coronation taking place this May? I couldn’t decide, so it’ll be a bit about them all – well it is supposed to be ‘Ramblings’!

So, I have now completed a full year in post here in the Anna Benefice and celebrated all the major festivals of the church calendar, finishing with the wonderful Holy Week and Easter services across the churches. A question I am often asked is whether the ‘job’ is what I had thought it would be. The answer is a clear no and a joyful yes! Nothing in theological college or curacy fully prepares you for the reality of living and working in a full-time ministerial role. You might think you know what each day will look like and what tasks will be required of you, but there is always something around the corner that is unexpected, out of your comfort zone and often requires a very fast amount of learning and understanding. Some new things are more challenging than others, but I can honestly say that there is joy to be found in most situations because I trust that I have been placed here by God for a purpose and I have fantastic support.

When I was licensed in St Mary’s, Abbotts Ann on 26th April last year, I chose the following verse from John’s gospel (15:16): ‘You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.’ This passage seemed so apt and, over this year, I have constantly sought ways to engage with others and see where fruit might be grown – whether through relationships between people, between church and community or between individuals and God. But it is also not just a passage for me. Every person who wants to help someone else is helping to grow fruit that will last, even if it is not understood in terms of faith. I find this enormously exciting.

It also makes me think of Nic and the Rectory Garden. The garden continues to grow and develop. Nic is clearing out old roots and plants that are no longer doing well, or seem to be in the wrong place, leaving spaces for the soil to settle and give growing room for other things. He has plans in mind for some areas and in others, he is just watching and tending. It is such a pleasure to hear him talking excitedly about what he has been doing and show me what seeds are growing into shoots ready to be planted. He is learning every day about what possibilities there are in the garden, just as I am learning every day about what possibilities there are within the churches, schools and communities.

As this month progresses, and the Coronation weekend takes centre stage, we may read in the news about how our new monarch, King Charles III, is looking for ways to make the institution of monarchy more relevant to today’s society. I am looking forward to the celebrations and the parties for the coronation as well as seeing what he does with this enormous privilege. He is an exceptional gardener and understands when to prune and when to plant and it will be interesting to see how his understanding of creation and horticulture is applied in terms of living out his life of service to others. I hope and pray that we too will want to live our lives in service to others and seek ways of bearing fruit that makes life a little brighter for those around us.

Every blessing

Teresa