Haughton Village News

Haughton Village News
Bell Ringing Trip to South Gloucestershire:

The first weekend in May saw glorious sunny weather and the Bell Ringing Band with some of their other halves travel to Iron Acton in South Gloucestershire.  It was a trip down memory lane for one of the Band, Mervyn Lock, who was born in the Station House in the village.  It was also his birthday that weekend so it seemed a fitting place to go and ring.  

It was also an ideal opportunity for Haughton Tower Captain, Trevor, Mervyn’s son who is a keen cyclist, to do a charity cycle ride from Stafford to Iron Acton for Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s “Out to Play” appeal.  He and his brother Matthew completed the ride of 103 miles, which is a fantastic achievement.  Well done to both of them!

We rang at three Churches, St. Peter’s in Frampton Cotterill, St. James The Less in Iron Acton and St. Thomas a Becket’s in Pucklechurch. In his youth, Mervyn used to pump the bellows for the Church organ in Iron Acton.  At Pucklechurch we rang 77 extents (462 changes) of plain hunt singles on 3, 4 and 5 with 1 and 2 leading and the tenor behind, in celebration of Mervyn’s birthday.  

Of course, we also had plenty of time to fit in non-ringing activities, including sitting on the grass, watching a cricket match in Pucklechurch in beautiful sunshine. We also had a lovely walk on Sunday morning around Iron Acton and the surrounding countryside with Mervyn telling us all about his time in the village.  

All in all a wonderful weekend, many thanks to Trevor for organising it.

By Helen Turner-Murphy
















































Miles for Millie - Charity Bike Ride and Ring

Ten-year-old Millie (a good friend of the Lock Family) was diagnosed with a rare chromosome syndrome called Potocki Lupski  Syndrome when she was just 15-months-old. She has relied heavily on Birmingham Children’s Hospital ever since, visiting over nine departments in total.

In 2017, Milllie had a major operation which was extremely complicated and carried many significant risks - she was in theatre for over 10 hours. In the lead up to this operation, the anxieties felt by Millie’s parents were immense. Mom, Kathryn remembers: “This was an extremely worrying and scary time for us all. Although I was incredibly concerned for Millie, my worry also lay with the impact it would have on my other two children.

“The outside playground provided a little bubble of fun and relief for Millie’s brother and sister, it meant our chats and catch-ups could happen outside rather than in a closed clinical room, adding a bit of normality to an unusual situation.

“As Millie got stronger the first place she requested to be wheel chaired to was the playground and her sister Flo took great pride in wheeling her there. It also served as a great physiotherapy incentive as once Millie was outside she seemed to relax a little and wanted to get around and move about more than she did on the ward which really aided in her recovery. It also meant we could relax - knowing it was a safe space where the flooring was soft and the equipment was safe!”

Millie has many appointments at the hospital, often on a weekly basis. Mom, Kathryn, added: “The outdoor play area is invaluable in keeping us all united as a family and reminding us to have fun and smile even when we least feel like it.”

Millie is a key fundraiser of the Birmingham Children’s Hospital ‘Out to Play’ appeal, attempting to raise £230,000 to have their much needed play area renovated.

Our Tower Captain (Trevor) is keen on cycling and after organising a ringing trip to South Gloucestershire has decided it would be a good idea to help Millie raise money for her appeal.