Sustainable Shapwick Somerset Levels Three Michael Hills rise Out of its heart Topped by three churches A few miles apart Three landmarks in history Shrouded in mystery Rising from its soggy plain Towered Tor of Druid fame Brent Knoll where giants fought Hurled rocks without a thought Burrow Mump near Athelney Was King Alfred’s territory Once the sea lapped round their shore Now they’re in the sea no more Climate change and melting ice Could change all that in a trice Could be islands once again Rising from the soggy plain Mysterious they will ever be Whether in or out the sea. It's been great to see some of the uncut areas of gardens as part of No Mow May over the last few weeks, although given the weather, it seems like the whole garden has gone wild! The Sustainability pages of the new Shapwick Village website have a 'Contact Us' section. The aim of the page is to put you in touch with someone in the village who has already installed alternative energy sources, moved away from oil or installed a car charger. Whilst they will not be able to recommend what you do, they may be able to answer some questions on their set up, any issues they encountered or unforeseen problems. We are planning an Autumn litter pick, probably late September or early October, so look out for dates nearer the time. As the hedgerows die back, it will no doubt reveal a summer's worth of rubbish. Finally we are working with the Parish Council on a wild area on the Village Green. If you are interested in supporting this, please drop me an email at sustainable@shapwick.org/ RICH TWEEDY Every blessing, Rich Tweedy vicar@poldenwheel.co.uk Personally, I think there should be an extra option on the ballot paper, for ‘None of the above’ (which I wrote in once for an election a few years ago). Alternatively, as they do in Election Reflection 3 SUMMER I S SUE | J ULY 2 0 2 4 On July 4th we have the opportunity to vote for our next government. So when you read this, it will be all in the balance or maybe just decided. This is a privilege that we should not take for granted – even if we feel cynical about the candidates and their parties. We only need to look at the fake elections in Russia (in which any credible candidate was either banned or, in Alexei Navalny’s case, killed), or the totalitarian regimes in China or North Korea, to realise what a privilege it is to live in a democracy. We are free both to vote for our government and to criticise those who govern. STEVE POLDEN The most dangerous situation for a democracy is when the very process itself is questioned. Whatever else may be said about the upcoming presidential elections across the pond, it is extremely troubling when one of the candidates has declared a previous election to be rigged merely because he lost. That is why we should honour, uphold, and pray for the democratic process itself in this election – whoever wins / has won. There is another freedom which we should not underestimate, either: the “freedom of thought, conscience and religion”, as enshrined in article 9 of the UK’s Human Rights Act. There are many countries in which Christians are persecuted for their faith (often those in which militant forms of Islam are dominant). Like the freedom to have free and fair elections, this is a privilege which we should never under-value. American elections, they should leave a blank to write in your own candidate. Either of these would be an option for those who are thoroughly dis-satisfied with all the candidates, while still honouring our democratic political process. Dora’s Poetry Corner DORA WATKINS
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