Tower and Town, March 2023 (view the full edition)Editorial: It's That Time Of Year Again!Winter gives way to Spring and the real new year begins. It's March! We have offerings from across a broad spectrum, none of which would be possible without the generous efforts of my many contributors, to whom my ever grateful thanks. We have March in many guises: astronomical, religious, classical, Bulgarian, pastoral and Ukrainian: Juliet Wood and Simon Brett writing about their forthcoming exhibition; Bob Holman writing about photographing Marlborough; Robin Nelson extolling the benefits of reading about Nature, and Reuben Mann reminding us that God is more interested in ministry than masonry. We have David Chandler encouraging us to take up bell-ringing, and Debby Guest telling us of some good reads, plus lots of news and information from our church communities. We also feature some lovely contributions from our Ukrainian friends. In this context Alison Selby writes: "February 24th marked 12 months since the invasion in Ukraine. Since then over 100,000 Ukrainian guests are now safe in the UK having arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. As the war continues, more refugees require ongoing accommodation and re-matching. "Around forty homes in the Marlborough area have hosted Ukrainian refugees (or 'guests' as we have come to regard them) during 2022. Many hosts have found it a very worthwhile experience and have been happy to extend the hosting experience beyond the two or so months that they originally expected. "Quite a lot of Ukrainian families have been able to transition to rented accommodation, but there remains a steady stream of one or two new Ukrainian small family units who are looking for another host in 2023. Some potential hosts who missed out in 2022 may now be in a position to try being a host. There is a good support network through Facebook and WhatsApp. Please contact Martin or Alison Selby on 01672 511128 to find out more or register your interest with Homes for Ukraine." David Du Croz |