Page 3 - October 24

A New Editor and a New Look!
The Church and Village Chronicle started life in 1869 as the Parish Magazine. Over the
years it has changed its name several �mes and in 1945 se�led with its present �tle. In the
intervening years many many Vicars and Editors have been and gone, including Bridget
Osmond my predecessor, to whom we owe our thanks.
So let me introduce myself. I am probably the first hairy
heavy rock guitarist to edit this auspicious tome, and
whose allegiance is primarily to the village having been
born and brought up in Hampton. I moved away in 1981
and have lived in Essex (where I married my wife Sara in
1984), Kent, Sussex and most recently France for some
10 years. We always came back to Hampton for
Christmas, returning to France in the spring. That all
changed in 2020 with Covid - the UK was in lockdown
and France wasn’t le�ng anyone in. We have been in
Hampton ever since as Covid finished our French
business.

With music being a passion I am keen to encourage
people to sing, play and perform. With this in mind, I
organise the Open Mic Nights in the White Lion (usually
the last Sunday in the month although Chris’s diary has
the occasional hiccup. Join us please! The next one is
th
October 27 . I have also set up a Facebook group “The Hampton Musicians Hub” to help
create a community for local musicians. And occasionally my Glam Rock band “Sweet FA”
appears at the White Lion - I’m looking forward to doing it again!
My family have been heavily involved in the village over many years. My Dad, Tony, sang
with the Hampton Singers, the church choir, manned the lights for the Hampton Players
and was a member of Probus. My Mum, April, ran the Hampton Guides and then the
Brownies for some 30 years, was Guide District Commisioner, was a Magistrate in Solihull
and Court representa�ve on the Fentham Trust, is President of the Gardening Club and can
be regularly found in church - doing the flowers*. My grandparents moved to Hampton in
1980. My grandfather, Stan Bamber was also president of the Gardening club, and donated
the Madge Bamber Plate which is s�ll competed for in the Spring Bulb Compe��on. He
was the Old Mayor of the Old Triponians, played snooker at the Fentham Club and could
reliably be found in the front bar of the White Lion. This is a tradi�on I proudly uphold.
So, for those who might think that my fairly recent appearance on the scene makes me an
“incomer” think again! I have been reading the Chronicle on and off for over 5 decades.
I welcome all contribu�ons to the Chronicle especially from local clubs, organisa�ons and
businesses, along with sugges�ons, and of course, the inevitable cri�cism. Bring it on!
Nick Worthington : hinachronicle@gmail.com : The Front Bar, The White Lion
* That’s the obituaries wri�en then! What a �mesaver.

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