NEWS FROM HART CHURCH JUNE 2024

“A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon” Old Proverb.

In June the sounds in the churchyard are filled with the music of nature, the bird song can still be heard, and many young birds are now on the wing. The cuckoo has fortunately returned and can be heard very early in the mornings. It is interesting to see the tiny honeybees flying from flower to flower collecting pollen. Hilary is anticipating planting some tiny early spotted orchids in secluded areas, we hope in time they will gradually increase in number.

The name of the month June comes from the Roman goddess Juno who was the goddess the Romans considered understood and supported love, marriage, and childbirth. It is not surprising that many people choose this month to celebrate their wedding. It was a Hart village custom that a group of local children knowing there was to be a wedding would fasten closed the gate in the churchyard, when the bride and groom came out of church, the groom hopefully had come prepared with a pocket of small change to throw over the gate. This was speedily unfastened, as children scrambled for the money and then departed to the village shop to invest in sweets. No one worried about calories, E numbers or not being good for children’s teeth. Both of my children looked forward to supplementing their pocket money with this tradition.

The Saxon people called June ‘Sera monath’, the ‘dry month’ I do hope this is correct and this is indeed the case for June. It is the summer equinox in the northern hemisphere starting 20th of June and the 21st is the longest day. Stonehenge and other solstice sites will be busy with many people following the ancient rituals. Midsummer Eve is the time of the full moon, known this month as a Strawberry Moon, so if you are out celebrating by jumping over a bonfire, merry-making, and dancing, look up to see the moon, it may look like a strawberry!!!

Over the next few months there will be several garden festivals and open gardens I do hope you may have the opportunity to visit. The special flowers for June are the rose, honeysuckle, and poppy, it is delightful to see rose bushes covered with blooms and smell a cascade of honeysuckle on a wall or archway. It is surprising how many positions in the garden poppies find a to grow. In Hart Church we have a special event, a commemoration, [see the separate advertisement.] A group of ladies in the village community wished to support the commemoration that 80 years ago there was the largest seaborn invasion in history, with the D-Day landings in Normandy, and at the same time support the Royal British Legion initiative. They have taken the international remembrance symbol of the poppy and are in the process, directed by Rev Janet of creating a cascading ‘Waterfall of Honour ‘with knitted / crochet poppies. The Church will be open for 3 days to enable people to visit and participate in the family activities. We have already raised £300 for the ongoing work of the Royal British Legion. We would like to thank the Squirrels, Beavers, and Cubs who have helped with this project. Do join us by visiting the Church and supporting the event.

Hart Village Hall is the venue for the Hartlepool Community Singers new Summer Concert. The concert is on Tuesday, June 11 from 7.30 to 9.30 pm.
Ticket price £5. Proceeds from the concert are to support Hart Church.

Hart Church is open Wednesday evenings from 5 pm to 7 pm. This enables us to welcome visitors, who can see and appreciate the many and varied architectural styles, carvings, and stained-glass windows. Perhaps have an opportunity for peaceful quiet reflection.

Anne Johnson.