Saturday 2nd May. I join members of Shepperton
Aurora on a visit to the new home of Nigel and Mary Wilson, who left Shepperton
6 months ago and moved to the village of Mere, in Wiltshire to bring them
closer to family members. Mere is only about 1.5 hours down the M3 and A303
from Shepperton, but is worlds apart in terms of its rural location and quaint
village feel. The Wilsons were expecting to downsize, but their beautiful old
house (parts of it date back to the 17th century) is actually about
30% bigger than their previous one! The garden seems enormous, and they are
still finding out what’s in it, as different plants grow.
Nigel and Mary outside their new house
The visit was originally intended to be part of a longer
weekend away for the club, but there was insufficient support for that, so 16
of us went along today to have lunch with Nigel and Mary and spend the
afternoon with them. The DG and I hitched a lift with Doreen and Tony in their
very roomy VW Touran, and their Sat Nav cleverly guided us around a notorious
trouble spot on the A303 which would have held us up for 15 minutes. We were
very smug when listening to fellow travellers talk about the hold up near Stonehenge.
It is a well known bottleneck which may be sorted out if and when the proposed
tunnel is built which will leave the ancient monument in the kind of landscape it might have been
in centuries ago, with no traffic noise.
Stonehenge
Mere is very beautiful, I’m not sure whether to call it a
small town or a large village, as it is well supplied with independent shops,
has at least two pubs and three churches. Nigel and Mary’s house is at the end
of a lane, opposite a fine 15th century Anglican Church, St Michael’s,
which has one of the largest yew trees I have ever seen in its churchyard. The
tree must be several centuries old. Other trees in the church grounds have been
trimmed into some fine topiary shapes. It
looks a very well kept church. As he is a Catholic, Nigel attends St Mary’s
church, which has less architectural merit, being situated in a converted
wartime Nissan hut.
The house appears to have a steeple
We did have a hidden agenda for this visit which was not
revealed until we had all arrived. The club wanted to reward Nigel for many
years selfless service in his community and to the Rotary Club by presenting
him with a Paul Harris Fellowship. A Paul Harris Award is the highest honour
that a club Rotarian can aspire to, and in RIBI they are not given out lightly.
To qualify for a PHF a Rotarian would need to embody the Rotary principle of
Service Above Self to a very high degree, and there is no doubt that Nigel has
done so.
Enjoying the sunshine
He is a founder
member of Aurora, a Past President of the club, and someone who has quietly
supported the work of the Rotary Club with good humour and common sense, never
seeking the limelight, and never causing controversy. A deserved recipient,
then, and I was sure that as Consort to the District Governor, I would be
called upon to make the presentation, thus lending my innate gravitas to the
occasion. I had prepared a few words (no more than 20 minutes) during which I
intended congratulating him on receiving this honour, and how I felt that the
position of Consort should be developed so that I could present more of these awards.
Nigel realises the award is for him
To my surprise, Pauline Hedges took it upon herself to
present the award, even though she is only a President. The thought briefly
occurred to me that I should have grabbed the certificate and medal, thus
ensuring that I got to present them, but I didn’t want to cause an unseemly
fracas on this auspicious occasion, so I maintained a dignified silence. When Pauline gathered us all in Nigel’s garden for
a ceremony, I don’t think Nigel had any idea about what was coming, he probably
thought we had brought a house-warming gift or something. However, as Pauline
spoke, it gradually dawned on him that not only was a Paul Harris about to be
awarded, but he was to be the recipient. He took it very calmly, in his usual
manner, although I think Mary was probably more emotional when she realised
what was being awarded.
Proud Rotarian
A super lunch then followed, with chicken casserole being
followed by a range of desserts, and an enormous cheeseboard, on which I
noticed a slab of my favourite cheese, Dolcelatte. Some so-called friends unkindly suggested I
had too much of the cheese, but I only took one piece, admittedly quite a large
one.
Not much food left
After lunch a few of us went for a trek up the hill behind
their house, on top of which there was once a castle. It was decommissioned in
the 14th century and there is now nothing of it to be seen above
ground. It is rumoured that many fine old buildings in the village are built
with stone robbed from the castle. There is a good pathway up the hill, and in
10 minutes we had reached the top, from which there are superb panoramic views
in all directions. There is also a monument at the top, dedicated to all ranks
of the 43rd (Wessex) Division
who lost their lives in the Second World War.
We made it to the top
Nigel gets to grips with his house
Interestingly, the
busy A303 passes close to the other side of the hill, but most of the traffic
noise is blocked by it. Before this road was built, the main road to the South
West must have passed through Mere’s narrow streets. On the way down from the hill we passed a
small herd of goats, including several youngsters, and a young woman was
feeding them carrots, which they clearly were enjoying. They seemed very tame
and approachable.
Feeding the goats
At around 5.30 most of us said our farewells, and The DG and
I headed off with Doreen and Tony. The
Wilsons extended an invitation to any of us who wanted to come and stay with
them for a weekend (provided we don’t all come at once). Staying with Nigel and
Mary would probably be difficult for us, as the house isn’t very accessible for
wheelchairs, but they made clear that we were welcome to visit whenever we are
in the area. Traffic on the way home was light, and we made good time. It had
been a very enjoyable day, full of laughs and good fellowship.
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Don't step back Tony!
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