Service for under-fives in St. Nicholas Church
Bible stories, singing, making music, craft and refreshment in a relaxed atmosphere.
Mon. September 22nd 2.15pm (NB 4 th Monday)
Harvest, fruit and vegetables
Prayersfor Longparish Church and village
Prayers are offered for St. Nicholas Church, for our village of Longparish and for anyone who is sick, on the 3 rd Monday evening of every month. The next meeting is on Monday 15 th September at 8pm at Orchard House, next to the Village Hall, home of Alice and Jonathan Evans. Everyone is welcome. You don't have to pray out loud. God hears our silent prayers too.
Prayers are also offered each Sunday at the main service for our village and for anyone who asks for prayer. There is a list for prayer requests on the prayer desk at the back of the church. Prayers can also, of course, be requested in total confidence. Please contact the Revd. Nona Harrison tel. 720215
Harvest Time is here again.
Thank you, God, for the harvest.
Harvest Thanksgiving will be celebrated in St. Nicholas Church on Sunday, September 21 st , at 11am. This is our All Age Worship for September with special slots in the service for both children and adults and Longparish School will be invited.
Harvest Lunch. We shall be having our Harvest Lunch again in the Village Hall following the service, at about 12 noon. There is to be no charge for the lunch but, for catering purposes, please obtain tickets in advance from the village shop, Nona Harrison or Jane Young.
Dog Walking in Longparish
I am often asked by dog owners “Where can we walk our dogs these days?”. The answer is quite simple, anywhere you like, if you remember a few simple rules.
• Not everyone likes dogs as much as you, so always keep them under control. This means that you need to keep one eye on your dog at all times. Other dogs, animals, people and children are all interesting to dogs but will not appreciate an exploring nose or an unexpected game of chase or rough and tumble from your dog.
• Dogs love to explore and just like us they can become disorientated and lost. It is important (as well as a legal requirement) that your dog has a collar and tag with your name and address on it. If your dog is prone to losing its tag then write the information on its collar in permanent ink. If your dog is a working dog and goes into places where a collar may become snagged, you can have it micro-chipped in case it becomes lost while it is working. It still needs to have a collar and tag at all other times
• If your dog is out on its own it is a stray, even if it has a collar and tag. I have a statutory duty to seize strays, This is because a stray dog will do all the things that they are not supposed to do and all the things that a responsible dog owner is supposed to prevent them from doing. Some of these are raiding bins, going on to peoples property, fouling where ever it pleases, fighting with other dogs and worrying livestock, pets and children. All seized dogs will be taken to the Council's holding kennels and held until all fees are settled by the owner.
• Dogs like every other animal need to relieve themselves. It is the duty of the owner or the person with the dog to clear up after their dog immediately. Test Valley Borough Council has adopted the 1996 Fouling of Land Act which makes it an offence to not clear up after your dog. Dog fouling is by far the biggest problem that I have to deal with. People using the parks become especially annoyed when they find that a dog has been allowed to foul a pitch or a children's play area. When this happens people often avoid using that facility. Dog walkers can prevent problems for other people by keeping their dogs off the marked pitches and away from play equipment. They can walk their dogs around these areas instead of straight across the middle. The dog will have a longer, more enjoyable walk and there will be no conflict of interests. But by far the most important thing that dog owners can do is to pick up after their dog.
• You can help reduce this problem in your community by letting me know who the main offenders are and where and when they walk their dogs.
I would like to hear comments from dog and non dog owners on how they think this problem could be tackled. I am looking at providing areas in parks that dogs can be exercised freely and at the same time identifying areas that are not suitable for dog exercising. By approaching this problem fairly and encouraging dog owners and providing them with facilities for their recreational activity we can make sure that our parks remain safe for the whole community. Rod Mason
For further information please contact Rod Mason, Dog Warden at Test Valley Borough Council on 01264 368463