Page 14 - BR December 2023

December 2023 December 2023
THE LATVIA CANDELABRA
In Affpuddle church Visitors to the Parish churches in Bere
Regis and Affpuddle may have noticed
a multi- branched wrought iron
candelabra in each and wondered
where they came from and what they
are doing there.
In 1991 the small Baltic state of Latvia
became independent after 37 years of
occupation by Russia and forced
membership of the USSR. In 1944, George
Silavs, a Latvian- born resident of
Briantspuddle had escaped from Riga
with his mother and sister ahead of the
occupying Soviet forces . They made
their way, on foot, to Western Europe,
then to Australia and eventually to the
UK. In 1992 George was able to return to
Latvia to meet his father and other
members of his Latvian family for the first
time.
He came back with desperate stories of
the plight of the recently liberated
Latvians; shortages of all manner of
commodities, food; clothing, school
books and equipment and, in particular,
medical supplies and equipment. With the loan of
a coach and volunteer drivers from a coach
company in Bournmouth, an aid mission was
rapidly organised for the following year. The
coach was stripped of most of its seats, loaded
with donated aid items, and over the course of
about 7 days a party of volunteers made the
overland trip to George’s home- town of Ikskile in
Latvia.
During that first trip, we met members of the
Latvian Scouts who were in the process of re-
forming from the Soviet Young Pioneers movement
and promised to come to Latvia the following year
and help them set up a Summer camp for the
newly-formed Latvian Scouts and the many In Bere Regis church
orphans of forced Russian marriages.
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will give you a call to discuss what you would like. The last day for hamper orders is
Saturday 16 December.
th
You can order anything specific you would like, fruit and veg, meat, bread,
Christmas trees and dairy items. Order forms are in the shop now. Orders for
Christmas meats need to be with us by Friday 1 December but non-Christmas
meats will be available as usual. So save yourself the hassle of going to the
supermarket and order from your shop. The last dates for orders will be –
Saturday 16 December:
Friday 1 December:
Dorset Hampers
Christmas items from Curtis Italian Bakery items
Christmas Trees
Sargents Dairy items
Fruit & Veg
The last posting dates for UK mail (ie letters and cards) –
1 class – Wednesday 20 December
st
2nd class – Monday 18 December
For parcels and overseas mail see www. https://www.postoffice.co.uk/last-posting-
dates or check with the PO.
We still have calendars available in the shop at £6.00 each (including an
envelope) so please support what is a firm Briantspuddle Shop tradition!
Christmas opening hours: the shop and PO will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing
Day and New Years’ Day. Newspapers can be collected from the box outside the
shop on Boxing Day and New Years’ Day – they probably won’t have arrived by
9.00am so leave it until a little later to collect them. Please let us know in good time
if you are changing your newspaper order.
If you would like more information about the help we currently need and/or you
think you can offer some time to help keep the shop going please get in touch
with us at the shop on 01929 472000, e-m briantspuddle.shop@gmail.com or pop
in and see us. Our opening hours are:
Shop: 9.00am – 12 noon Monday to Saturday and 10am – 12 noon on Sunday.
PO: 9.00am – 12 noon Monday – Friday.
It is your shop, so please support it, either as a customer, or a volunteer, preferably
both!
Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle website: www.briantspuddle.info
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