The Bridge Magazine - Summer 2019

All Saints Church Marlow
The Bridge
Summer 2019 - Free Copy
Thank you! After nine years as Director of Music, Martin
leaves us to take up a new appointment at Romsey Abbey

You’re The Vicar - What’s the Vision For This Church?
From time to time people ask me to
articulate our vision at All Saints Marlow.
I usually answer by talking about three
things: who we are (identity), what we do
(vision) and what matters to us (values).
Our Identity
The starting point is our identity: we are
ordinary people loved by an extraordinary
God. In Jesus Christ, God has given us a
demonstration of his life and his love. He
calls us to respond and to become his
children, adopted into his family. As we are
discovering, when ordinary people respond
to God’s extraordinary love the result is they
do extraordinary things.
Our Evolving Vision
As we see this happening in our church
community the result is not one vision, but
many. It is not just the Rector’s vision that
matters, but the vision that God gives to all
members of the church as he moves by his
Holy Spirit. What is our vision as a church?
The New Testament gives us our big picture
vision of what church is - the body of Christ
on earth. Practically speaking the answer is
complex and ever changing. God has given
vision for our work with refugees. He has
given us vision to serve the residents of
retirement homes. He has given us vision
to embrace the best of both choral and
contemporary forms of worship.
The list goes on: partnership with local
schools, training young leaders, working
with babies and toddlers, praying in
creative and inspiring ways, serving meals
and refreshments, visiting communities in
Romania, Burundi, Tanzania, France and
Greece to join in with what God is doing
there. Serving the civic community in Marlow,
starting up choirs, youth groups and worship
bands, adapting and developing our beautiful
buildings, engaging with issues of justice
and poverty, caring for the environment,
creating and developing a wide range of
small groups to foster community and growth
in faith. Caring for the bereaved, supporting
those in pastoral need, praying for healing,
enabling Sunday and weekday worship,
administration and communication, keeping
people safe, serving the wider community
and church through initiatives like Love
Marlow, Lighthouse, Wycombe Homeless
Connection, Christian Aid, The Children’s
Society and Wycombe Deanery. Giving
generously of our money to causes beyond
Marlow, sponsoring children, providing music
scholarships, cleaning, gardening and litter
picking, bell ringing, supporting marriage
and those getting married, welcoming those
who want to explore questions of faith…
In summary - we want to embrace and
support Spirit-led vision wherever it arises
in the prayerful hearts of our church family.
This is exciting, but can feel bewildering also.
Which is why I find it very helpful to consider
those things which remain constant.
Our Unchanging Values
Our vision evolves over time. But the things
that matter most to us do not change. Our
values remain constant and find expression
(or should do!) in different ways in all our
activity. We have expressed our values in
the follow ideas – expressed for ease of
memory as four pairs grouped around the
words: God, Makes, New Growth
GOD
Being led by God’s Spirit -
our top priority - actively following Jesus by
submitting to the Holy Spirit and the Bible
Giving like God -
embracing the call to give selflessly,
abundantly and joyfully - wanting others to
have more than we do
MAKES
Make a difference -
we are unashamedly big picture, believing
we are called to be a force for good in our

community – a transforming presence in the
world
Make a contribution -
we each have a unique call and a unique
part to play - we focus especially on growing
new leaders to play their part
NEW
Try New ideas -
God is endlessly inspiring and always
teaching us more - we love to take risks and
see faith as an adventure
Welcome New people -
we want to welcome everyone as Jesus
welcomes us, being unconditionally inclusive
- attracting those far away from God
GROWTH
Growth as disciples -
following Jesus is the best way any life can
be lived - we commit to loving God and one
another with the whole of our lives
Growth of young people -
we want to support family life, pioneer safe
spaces for children and young people -
preparing them for life, faith, decisions and
leadership
I’d love to hear what you think of these
ideas - please feel free to drop me an email
or come and chat after one of our Sunday
services. Your ideas matter and are part of
who we are becoming! May you discover
how to make your own unique contribution
to our vision as we follow our extraordinary
God together.
Martin Seymour: Thank You and Farewell
Following the announcement a few weeks
ago, we are preparing to say farewell to
Martin Seymour our Director of Music for over
eight years. We owe Martin an enormous
debt of thanks. During his time with us the
choirs at All Saints have flourished.
A few examples include:
Membership - despite inevitable fluctuations,
our choirs have been consistently well
supported
Music Trust - the launch of the Music Trust in
2012 has brought new resources to support
our choirs
Tours - to Marly-le-Roi in 2013, Budapest
in 2015 and Erfurt in 2017 have provided
lifelong memories
Young leaders - Marco Lemme, Tom
Brockington and now Harry Turnbull have
benefited from working alongside the choirs,
not to mention the many Head and Deputy
Head Choristers
Visits & socials - for the choirs, especially
the very well-attended annual barbecue in
the churchyard
Schools - links with Holy Trinity and
Sandygate have grown, but also with a
dozen other local schools.
On top of these very substantial
achievements, the most significant for me
personally, is that Martin has played a full
part in the wider leadership of the church,
getting involved in all kinds of leadership
decisions as we seek to follow the leading
of the Holy Spirit. This has brought ever
closer integration of our choirs and choral
music into the heart of the life of our church.
We have also seen Martin grow as a leader
(for example, did you know he is training to
become a qualified life coach?).
I also want to add a personal note of thanks
to Martin’s wife, Sarah, who has herself
become a much-loved member of our
church family and who has also played a
very significant role in the flourishing of our
choirs. Sarah is also the only bride I have
ever seen who moved to the choirstalls in her
wedding dress to sing at her own wedding!
It is no surprise that Martin, Sarah, Felix and
Harry have been called to exercise their gifts
on a broader canvas in Romsey. They leave
us on 30th
June with our love and prayers for
all the Lord has in store for them.
Dave Bull

Churches Together in Marlow - Tony Threlfall
At the AGM in January, Peter Hopkinson
stepped down as chairman and the
church leaders search for a successor
continues.
Next January, at the same time as the Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity, a quite separate
prayer activity will be offered within CTM.
A ‘Week of Accompanied Prayer’ is being
organised by Revd Mieke Gaynor, to bring
a spiritual retreat experience to people in the
place where they live. People taking part
(pilgrims), will meet with a prayer companion
for about 45 minutes each day for five days
at a chosen venue, usually in one of the
churches, and also commit to thirty minutes
of daily private prayer during this period.
All prayer companions will be qualified and
experienced spiritual guides. The week will
begin with a service on Sunday 19th
January
and end with a service of thanksgiving on
Friday evening 24th
January, for all pilgrims
and their prayer companions. More details
in the autumn. If you can’t wait until then
please do not hesitate to ask Mieke for
further information.
Four groups comprising 35 people followed
the USPG course ‘Migration and Movement’.
The format differed from the courses used in
previous years in that we were challenged
in the light of Bible teaching to consider our
response to specific situations. We also
benefited from having Vanessa Faulkner
to share her experience with refugees and
vision for Marlow Refugee Action.
On Good Friday, a reasonable number of
people gathered in Higginson Park for a
short service conducted by David Downing,
Kenneth Claassen and John Rumble. This
was followed by a ‘Walk of Witness’ up the
High Street to Marlow Methodist Church,
where Dave Bull, Matt Clark and Nick
Thompson led the worship. It was noticeable
that families no longer participate in the walk,
compared to the days when the route was
from Quoiting Square to Higginson Park.
During Christian Aid Week, a dedicated
group of house-to-house collectors hit the
streets and sponsored walkers tramped the
country. The money raised will help support
communities in need, including building a
health clinic in Sierra Leone where mothers
can give birth safely.
Kenneth Claassen has stepped down as
pastor of Newfield Community Church to
take up a new appointment at Marlow Baptist
Church. In the interim until a new pastor is
appointed, John Rumble will represent NCC
at the church leaders’ meetings.
New Organ Scholar
We are delighted to welcome our new Organ Scholar, Harry Turnbull, who was appointed
following auditions in April. Harry is in Year 12 at the Royal Grammar School and is
a very versatile musician, having Grade 8 Piano as well as being Principal French Horn
of the CMA Youth Orchestra. He has been having organ lessons for the past several
months with Tim Venvell, Director of Music at RGS, and is eager to gain experience and
develop his skills here, initially under the watchful eyes (and ears!) of Rhidian Jones.
Harry made his first appearance at the Sung Eucharist on Good Friday morning, when
he shadowed Rhidian, and has since played a more active part in services. We know he
will make a great contribution to the ministry of music at All Saints. The Music Trust
is delighted to be funding this scholarship - the first of its kind here - and wishes Harry
every success in his new role.

Thy Kingdom Come - Gill Taylor
In the week before Pentecost, thousands
of Christians prayed through the day and
through the night; in groups and on their
own; in churches and in the streets. Here at
All Saints we were part of this great wave of
prayer.
The ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer initiative
was instigated by Archbishops Justin
Welby and John Sentamu. The idea was
that throughout the Anglican Communion,
people would set aside time to pray for the
evangelisation of the nation; to simply pray:
Thy Kingdom Come.
First throughout the nation and then out into
the world, the idea resonated with Christians
from many nations and denominations; and
so it was with great joy that we joined with
them to pray. The Prayer Chapel was full of
resources to help people to pray, and was
open day and night between 12th
May and
9th
June.
The Prayer Chapel saw many visitors, some
regular visitors to All Saints, and some who
had never been before, who had just heard
about the prayer space and came to visit.
The installation using wool to mimic light
rays resonated with many people; and as we
prayed - we imagined God shining his light
into situations and people. During half term
we added some more light rays outside with
help from the children which encouraged
more visitors into the church.
I am very grateful to all the team who
helped create such beautiful prayer spaces.
Special thanks to Miya Wassing - who was
the source of the creative ideas, and Linda
Cassidy, Charlie Brown, Ellie Wartew and
Lora Wilson who put in many hours of
preparation into the Prayer Chapel.
I have been thrilled to hear people’s stories
of their time in the Prayer Chapel meeting
with God and enjoying their time with Him.
If you have any feedback or stories you’d
like to share, please feel free to email me
on: gill.taylor@4u-team.org or drop them
into the Parish Office.

It was just after Christmas 2010 that I came
from St Mary’s Woodford in North London
to take up a post as the new Director of
Music at All Saints. The previous Rector
Nick Molony had just retired and Clem Virgo,
my predecessor, a short time before that.
Between them I think they had racked up
some sixty-five or so years of service!
The church then valued its choral tradition as
it does today but there was little in the way
of contemporary worship and not as much
joined up thinking as now exists. Dave’s
arrival towards the end of 2011 marked a
new start and Sarah Fitzgerald joined the
team the following year.
Over the years the choirs have continued to
lead a variety of services from the weekly
communion to Choral Eucharists, Choral
Evensongs, the new (ish) monthly ‘Be Still’
service and then there’s Compline during
Lent, which I introduced towards the start of
my time here.
Alongside this regularity of the choir’s life
there have been other highlights. January
of 2012 saw the boys’ choir joining together
with the boys from Reading Minster to go
and sing Choral Evensong at Southwark
Cathedral. This is one of three visits the
choir has made there to sing, the latter two
occasions being a mixture of our boys, girls
and men. Later that year there was a special
occasion for the girls’ choir when I organised
for them to sing with the choir of St John’s
College Oxford. Several of the senior girls
stayed for the formal dinner with Elizabeth
McFarlane who had recently moved from
Marlow to become the chaplain of the
college. In 2016 we also sang with Reading
Minster, the Sunday Choral services in St
George’s Chapel Windsor. Another very
special occasion.
In 2013 the choirs sang at the launch of the
Music Trust attended by Andrew Reid the
then head of the Royal Schools of Church
Music. The RSCM’s ‘Voices of Life’ scheme
is used in many churches across the land
and lots of our choristers have attended the
RSCM Oxford three-day course at Easter,
singing with around 80 of their peer group.
At that course we’ve even had a hat trick
of boys being awarded the scholarship to
attend the Bath residential summer course. A
large number of boys and girls have passed
their Bishop Chorister exams with the most
recent contingent singing with the choir of St
Paul’s Cathedral at their awards ceremony.
We also headed for Paris in the autumn of
2013 on our first International tour! With
the help of the twinning association, a well
organised few days away gave us the chance
to perform concerts and services linking with
other congregations and worshiping together
leading services with music such as Haydn’s
Little Organ Mass. Great fun was had by
all including the girls singing all parts of the
Hallelujah Chorus on a river cruise around
the city. Marco Lemme also joined us as our
new organist on the retirement of Andrew
Horton. The first three ex-trebles joined the
back row including James Dexter who still
comes back from university to sing with us
even now.
More social events in 2014 saw the girls
going ten pin bowling and the young
gentlemen karting for the first time. This
ended up as more of an unintentional stag
do as Sarah and I got married in June on
a Sunday afternoon with the church full of
family, friends and congregation members.
With the combined choirs singing (including
Sarah and at one point, me conducting), tea
and cake for the choristers and parents in
the parish hall afterwards, all made for one
of the most special days.
2015and2017sawoursecondandthirdchoir
tours to Budapest and Erfurt respectively.
Many of those choristers had experiences
Music Matters - Martin Seymour

that they will never forget, being away as
a team singing in some historic buildings
and returning knowing that they were part
of something very special. And we returned
having not lost anyone in the airports! Thank
you to the parent chaperone team for all their
hard work, training and involvement in these
ventures.
Back in the UK the trebles have performed
concerts with many partner groups,
Berkshire Brass, Reading Male Voice Choir,
Taplow and Farnham Youth Choirs, A440
Choir and we’ve taken part a number of
times in the Beaconsfield Choral Festival.
Earlier this year we were also invited to star
in the Wallingford Youth Concert organised
by Anita D’Atellis who gave the inaugural
recital on the church’s new Yamaha grand
piano.
So looking back, we have done many
important and exciting events but moreover
it is the effect that being part of the choir and
church community has had on the individuals
and the people that we have interacted with,
that will be one of my special memories.
To see children come in at year three (or
sometimes even younger) and watching
them develop until they leave for university
with the choir being a central part of their
activities and life is very rewarding. To see
the boys stay on into the men’s choir as
their voices change when as teenagers they
could quite easily walk away as singing isn’t
always seen as ‘cool’ proves we’ve been
doing something right. Making a difference
in people’s lives is what the choir is about
for the individuals and for those who listen to
our music. I’m glad to have been part of that
in my time here.
Now in my ninth year it does feel the right
time to hand the baton on to someone else
to come in with fresh ideas and take the
choir into the next phase of its life. This is the
same at Romsey Abbey where I’ll be taking
up the post on July 1st
. It’s a bit like God
moving his chess pieces around! Certainly,
the experiences at Marlow will stand me in
good stead. My part in the way the leadership
team has evolved under Dave’s direction,
along with successive church wardens and
others, I believe was one of the reasons
why I was offered the position at Romsey
alongside any musical qualities that I have.
We have a very good organist in Rhidian
who is a real asset to the music department
and I’m sure will guide and support not only
the new Director of Music but our new organ
scholar Harry, too. Thanks need to go to,
too many to list here but include parents,
Jeremy Rowe for his continued advice,
Janice our librarian, the Occasional Singers
and especially Dave.
So, I hope I’ll see you at my last services
on June 30th
with the Occasional Singers
at the morning service and the combined
girls, boys and men along with ex-choristers
returning to sing at Choral Evensong at 5.30.
You’ll be welcome to come and visit Romsey
whenever you wish, it’s a beautiful building
founded in 970 and a welcoming community.

From Jeremy Rowe
From the moment that Martin joined us at
Marlow it was apparent that he brought
some very special gifts. Foremost amongst
these is his rapport with young singers; he
encourages, challenges and inspires them in
their musical endeavours.
In his work with the children, Martin seems to
be able to balance hard work, fun (including
crypt-time), and musicianship whilst ensuring
that every one of the choristers, irrespective
of ability or their attention span, is included.
During his time with us he has increased
the number of young choristers such that
we now have Junior and Senior Girls choirs,
and some of the boy trebles are now singing
the Tenor or Bass parts and are part of the
famous ‘back row’. The enjoyment of singing
with Martin is clearly a draw, despite all
the other extra-curricular activities that are
available to them, and this is surely a great
testament to his work at Marlow. Through
Martin’s efforts (and with Sarah’s help) many
have achieved the top Bishop’s Chorister
awards and have continued to sing after
leaving Marlow, and as a consequence they
have something that they will treasure for the
rest of their lives.
All of this takes not only musicianship,
but also a great deal of hard work. A huge
amount of time and effort has been spent
by Martin ‘behind the scenes’ organising,
planning, liaising with parents, schools,
working with the Music Trust, and recruiting,
amongst other things. This has also
extended to arranging various upgrades
to the Organ - CCTV and more channels
for stop combinations (very useful playing
aids). And within the last 12 months Martin
has succeeded in securing a wonderful
new Grand Piano, giving us many more
opportunities for high-quality music both
during services and in concerts. All of these
are part of Martin’s legacy, for which we are
Appreciations of Martin’s Contribution
extremely grateful. The choir has enjoyed a
number of Martin’s compositions, including
his Eucharist setting, all in his own style, and
very pleasing both to sing and to hear.
I have been particularly amazed at the
way Martin has been able to organise
such successful and enjoyable foreign
tours and - on a smaller scale - the various
trips to Reading, St Georges Windsor and
Southwark. Each one different and requiring
a huge amount of planning. These events
have all been extremely memorable for all
involved with musical results exceeding
expectations.
Aside from his conducting I have always
found Martin’s organ playing extremely
musical, and his accompaniment of hymns
and psalms are always fluent and inspire
good singing from Choir and Congregation
alike. Martin has always ensured that we
have an excellent series of assistants, and
with the help of the Music Trust (in addition
to the wonderful Rhidian!) we now have an
Organ Scholar - another way in which the
music at All Saints is helping to nurture the
next generation of musicians.
On a personal level, I have always enjoyed
our chats after rehearsals and services -
whether in church or in the Two Brewers,
and I have found Martin very willing to listen
and receptive to new ideas. I felt highly
honoured when Martin asked me to conduct
the combined choirs for his marriage to
Sarah.
So it is with sadness that we say ‘Goodbye’
to Martin and to Sarah. We will miss you,
especially the interesting motorbikes and the
variety of work-in-progress Reliant Kittens in
the churchyard! We thank you both for all the
things you have done during your time with
us, and wish you all the very best for your
new life in Hampshire. The Romsey-ites
have a treat in store!

From Rhidian Jones
Ifirst got to know Martin shortly after he
arrived in Marlow, initially only as a voice
on the telephone. At that time I was organist
at a church in Maidenhead, frequently
needing deputies for weekday services,
and he rapidly emerged as a particularly
reliable and able organist. A few years later,
when speaking on the phone, he mentioned
that All Saints Church was looking for an
organist. We were to meet in person only
at my audition, and the rest, as they say, is
history.
Martin has been quite the most delightful
Director of Music to work with. He is well
organised, clear in what he wants, tolerant,
patient and amiable in the way he gets it. We
all know of his unassuming charm, but also
of his detailed knowledge, understanding
and love of the Anglican choral and organ
repertoire. I always admire his quiet but
effective way with the choir - young people
and adults alike - leading us to recognise only
afterwards that we were actually working
quite hard! He has been encouraging of me
in ways he may not realise, and has been
significant to my development as a church
musician.
I shall certainly miss his earnest and cheerful
presence, and also that of his wife Sarah,
who has been very supportive. I send
Martin my very best wishes for his new post
at Romsey, in which I know he will flourish,
and I send both Martin and Sarah my very
best wishes for their new home in a different
area of the country.
From Janet Ramsden
For the last four years, I have had the
pleasure of working with Martin in
arranging a series of recitals on Friday
lunchtimes and Sunday afternoons.
Tirelessly enthusiastic about providing
opportunities for music making, he has
encouraged young musicians to take the
stage. Pupils from local schools as well
as from the Chiltern Music Academy have
performed in the church. He also has been
keen to promote local talent and there have
been excellent concerts from musicians
living in the neighbourhood.
The splendid new piano has proved to be a
great attraction for performers and audiences
alike. Martin has also encouraged a great
variety of groups and ensembles to use All
Saints as their concert venue. He has also
encouraged the provision of a wide variety
of musical events bringing both familiar and
new works to audiences. Martin, we will miss
you!
THE BRIDGE
The Bridge is published four times a year. The next edition is
Autumn - September/November 2019
Please submit copy to the Producer by August 23rd
Producer: Derrick Southon 01628 487588 or 07501 128605
e-mail: dhsouthon@hotmail.com

A few photographs across the
Wedding day
Singing all three Sunday services at St. George’s Chapel Windsor - June 2016
Choir tour to Paris - October 2013

years from Martin’s collection
y - June 2014
The Choir visit to Budapest - October 2015
Senior Girls off duty in 2015
He has grown up with the choir
and he is now singing bass!

Community News from Marlow’s Church of England Schools
Sandygate - Holy Trinity - Little Marlow Summer Term 2019
Sandygate - Headteacher - Mrs Sharon Reynolds
The outside learning environment at
Marlow C of E Infant School
When I walked around school one afternoon
recently, I was inspired by how much the
outside was being used for learning. It struck
me that you might enjoy finding out about
what we have been up to over the last year
to improve our outside learning environment
and how the children (and teaching staff)
have been using it.
As a school community, we have worked
hard to regenerate many parts of the school
grounds and we are now seeing the fruits of
our labour - although there is still work to do,
we have made great progress. Creativity, in
terms of how to use the limited resources at
our disposal, how to tap into different funding
streams and ideas on how to develop the
different areas, has come into play.
Using environments other than the
classroom as a place for learning has been
proven to improve the engagement of
pupils and as a result raise their attainment.
Learning outside the classroom is about
getting the children out and about, providing
them with challenging, exciting and different
experiences to help them learn.
At Marlow C of E Infant school we had
noticed that there were quite a few barriers
to using the ‘outside’ as a classroom and
these were mainly due to the lack of shelter
on the school site and what we did have was
old, in need of repair or just run down. The
decision was made to try and create ‘zones’
which we would work our way through one
at a time.

The Wild World
There has been a Wild World at Marlow
C of E Infant School for many years but it
had been neglected and under used so it
was neither safe nor very pretty to look at.
We have had a wonderful team of parents
and grandparents, led by Natasha Somers,
working on the regeneration of the Wild
World. The impact they have had on this
space is phenomenal.
We wanted to provide an environment that
the children could use and enjoy for their
learning and also one that created habitats
for wild life and mini beasts so the theme of
the ‘Wild World’ is now focused on different
areas which are named after the classes in
the school. The idea for each classes’ area
was developed with the children and all the
children in school, over the last 12 months,
have had the chance to be involved in the
planting of different areas.
The ‘Wild World’ team have worked on
creating an environment that focuses on
sustainability and biodiversity and they have
created a peaceful haven for all.
The areas include -
> Dragonfly ponds - home to tadpoles and
frogs
> Grasshopper Meadow (which is linked to
Eco Schools Blue Campaign)
> Butterfly Garden (Reused tyres in the
shape of Butterfly wings with planting to
encourage Butterflies)
> Ladybird Bug Hotel (Reused materials
stacked to encourage over-wintering bugs)
> Ant Hill (Interactive area with microhabitats
for minibeasts)
> Bee Hive (not real but with planting to
encourage bees)
We are very proud and incredibly thankful
for what has been created. The Wild World
is now a space which encourages outdoor
learning across the curriculum.

The Shelter
The gazebo which borders the Reception
playground was in need of repair and was
becoming unsafe to use. The Wild World
team renovated this and the children named
it ‘The Cocoon’ because they thought it
would be a cosy, safe place to learn. It is now
used as an outside classroom.
An additional shelter was installed during
the spring term and this takes pride of place,
nestling amongst the trees on the edge of
the main playground. It has the capacity to
hold a whole class of children and is being
used for all sorts of lessons. The ‘Canopy’
was partially funded by a successful bid
to the Healthy Pupil Capital Fund and has
been a welcome addition to the learning
environment.
The Playground
Over the year, the main playground has
been resurfaced and new playground paints
applied to encourage the children to be active
and engage in purposeful play. The plan is
to add paints to the Reception playground
during the summer term. Round the edges
of the main playground, the gaps in hedging
are gradually being filled in to create shelter.
Budgets are tight for all schools and Marlow
C of E Infant school is no exception to this
and you might think how on earth can they
afford all this? It is through the creative use
of second hand materials, applications for
funding from different sources, donations
and fund-raising carried out by our Parent
and Friends Association.
The project is not completed yet, and we
have plans for a reflection area, a prayer
‘garden’ and also the addition of a painting
on the end of one of our sheds which will
reflect the Christian foundation of our school.
We can always use help with this work, so if
you would like to get involved please contact
the school office.

The Federation of Holy Trinity and Little Marlow
Church of England Schools
Steve Butler - Executive Headteacher
Now that the better weather seems to
be approaching we’ve had great times
outside at both schools recently. At Little
Marlow we have a fantastic new outdoor area
for Oak class which our youngest children
are thoroughly enjoying making the most
of. Likewise at Holy Trinity we have a new
Multi Use Games Area which is proving very
popular among the children, providing much
needed additional space and a designated
area for ball games at break times.
As you will read in the Heads of School
pieces overleaf, both schools have been
very busy going on visits or having some
great engaging learning experiences within
school. The summer term is always a busy
one, and there is still a huge amount to look
forward to with Sports days, productions and
even more trips!
Both schools are currently practising
and looking forward to two local schools’
community events – the Love Marlow
Schools Choir Concert on 16th
June and the
church schools’ Praise in the Park service
on 21st
June, both taking place in Higginson
Park.

Holy Trinity - Mrs Field - Head of School
Ican’t believe we are already halfway
through the summer term already. We
have had an incredibly busy term already
with lots of different activities and visits
taking place.
Year 3 had a fantastic trip to the River and
Rowing Museum in Henley and it was a
lovely way to start our new topic: ‘Flow’. The
children explored the galleries, conducted
scientific experiments, learnt about the parts
of the river and went for an educational walk
along the Thames. We were lucky enough to
use the ‘Wind in the Willows’ audio guides
and explore the wonderful exhibition.
In April, Year 4 enthusiastically took part in
a day learning lots of history, focussing on
both the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings. The
children wore fancy dress and they looked
fantastic. The day began by using a giant
map and cubes to locate where some of
the tribes were located. They also took part
in a variety of competitions throughout the
day that involved the girls competing against
the boys. It was a very close contest but
eventually it ended with a draw overall. They
enjoyed solving riddles and taking part in
demonstrations. One highlight was getting
the opportunity to try some of Sir Teachalots
armour on.
Year 5 had three amazing days to begin
their topic ‘Beast Creator’. At school, they
had an introduction to what mini-beasts
are, researched where different species
live around the world, learnt about food
chains and explored the school grounds
for invertebrates. The highlight of the week
however was the visit to Woolley Firs
Educational Centre to experience some ‘real
hands on’ entomology under the watchful
eyes of the expert and friendly staff there.
Within this beautiful location, the children

had a go at pond dipping, a mini beast hunt,
meadow sweeping and tree bashing! All of
these investigations allowed the children
to find and study close up, the numerous
and incredible creatures that are found all
around us!
The Year 6 children focused on a book based
on the striking fictional story Rose Blanche -
by Roberto Innocenti. The children grasped
the opportunity to demonstrate their skills
and knowledge to write engaging character
and setting descriptions based on this book,
whilst showing a deep understanding of
what life would have been like for a non-
Jewish German child.
They also designed and constructed their
own ‘bespoke’ WW2 bomb shelter taking
inspiration from the Anderson shelter as
well as the Morrison shelter. They worked
collaboratively to come up with their own
unique design, which they constructed using
various materials. Once completed, they
then tested the strength of their structures
using improvised bombs.
We still have a lot to do this term including
Love Marlow, Praise in the Park, Sports Day
and of course saying farewell to our Year 6’s.

Little Marlow - Mrs Morris - Head of School
We have enjoyed a wonderful start to the
Summer Term at Little Marlow School.
Our new Foundation Stage outdoor area is
complete and the children are thoroughly
enjoying the new equipment and extra
space. They have purpose made sheds for
all their equipment so they can select tools
themselves and the new sandpit and water
pump are firm favourites. We are looking
forward to the final stage of the refurbishment
when the classroom is decorated and the
new furniture which has been ordered is
installed in the classroom.
Our children in Oak class have enjoyed a
super trip to Great Windsor Park as part of
their ‘Why do ladybirds have spots?’ topic.
Miss Burn was extremely impressed with
the Education Leader and the learning that
took place has been evident back in class.
Recently the children have also released the
butterflies which they have watched mature
from caterpillars.
Year One children have also been out on
a visit to Beale Park as part of their ‘Paws,
Claws and Whiskers’ topic. They loved
meeting the animals and are now able
to group animals and explain why they
live in particular habitats. They used their
knowledge from this topic to present to their
families at an excellent class assembly which
featured lots of drama, singing and art work.
Year Two children have stayed in school
for their ‘Wow’ day and enjoyed working
on the school environment as part of their
‘Scented Garden’ topic. With the support of
some very kind parents and donations from
Wyevale Garden Centre, the children have
planted seeds to grow their own flowers,
fruits and vegetables. They also considered
our school environment and how we can
improve this and make it a more pleasant
place to work and play. They painted large
wooden animals which were varnished and
displayed around the playground for all to

see. The children are now looking forward
to their transition visits to Holy Trinity where
they will take part in classroom work as well
as sports activity days.
We have lots to look forward to as we near
the end of term including singing for Love
Marlow on 16th
June and Praise in the Park
on 21st
June.

Smiles - Mission to Romania 2018 - Photo AlbumAll Saints’ Church, Marlow
www.allsaintsmarlow.org

Music for a
Sunday Afternoon

30th June 2019
3.00 p.m.

“Cello Through the Looking-Glass”
a musical journey exploring virtuosic and meditative music for
unaccompanied cello by Gabrielli, J.S. Bach, Sibelius, Tait and
others, performed and presented by cellist

Nicola Tait Baxter

Afternoon tea will be served after the concert

Admission Free
Retiring Collection in aid of All Saints’ Marlow Music Trust
Registered Charity No. 1164231

The Bridge Magazine - Summer 2019

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The Bridge Magazine - Summer 2019