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LIVING IN A COMMUNITY We live in a small community where the absence of a village shop, post office or similar community centre makes it more difficult for the village to have a natural centre. All the more reason for us to try and keep the parish magazine, 'our Valley News' in publication - and maybe now is the time for it to take on a fresh content with more contributions from the local parishioners. We do after all live in a community. The benefits of this were brought home to me on Good Friday two years ago when at 7.00am I drew back the curtains (prompted by the shouts of a three-year-old and the discomforts of seven months pregnancy!) to discover water - the river - in the garden, together with Mike I. "You'll be flooded," he said. "Hasn't happened since 1947," he added. Feeling more optimistic, and at the beginning of a Bank Holiday weekend, I was more relaxed: made tea, ate breakfast, put on washing machine, etc, etc. But as the water came into the hall I thought I'd better get dressed and when eight neighbours turned up to help I knew things were getting serious. Within one and a half hours our home was full throughout with three feet of water (very muddy water I should add). One of our cars was flooded, my three-year-old terrified, my 80-year-old mother-in-law fireman's lifted out, the patio has been ripped up and the hedges knocked down as we watched. The force of water is quite terrifying and the speed at which it happens alarming. I feel all the more for the poor of Bangladesh! But how nice to live in Lower Heyford. Before I knew it, friends and neighbours were moving furniture, lifting photo albums and books, catching things as they floated off and making constant offers of coffee, tea, beds and hot water. The practicality of being unable to live in your home for six weeks and having no amenities like a phone on which to phone the insurance company/carpet firms/electricity board, etc, etc, made me realise how good it is to live in a small community. If the Valley News helps to keep this kind of feeling together let’s all write for it! Here's to a healthy Valley News! E
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