Ray & Sylvia Hewinson

1979 Village Day. Gardens open to the public on the day 2 - 5 pm

Tinders, Hets Orchard, by kind permission of Mr. & Mrs. R. Hewinson

Ray Hewinson represented The Twinning Association on the Village Hall Committee from 1982 to at least 1986

Hallmark 1983. Parish Council Election. Sylvia Hewinson was returned unopposed.

Hallmark May 1983. The Black Horse 24 Hour Darts Marathon. Excerpts from the report --"Sponsors and benefactors assembled to see the start of of the contest when the first dart was thrown by Sylvia Hewinson who is the officer in charge of Merryfields. £700 was raised and will go for a soft play area for the children at the home.

Ray Hewinson was the Chairman of the Village Hall Committee in 1989 and 1990. He also wrote the Village Hall report for Hallmark on four occasions,

June 1989. Village Day. Ray and Sylvia Hewinson of Tinders, Hets Orchard opened their garden to the public from 2 - 5 pm.

Ray was the Chairman of Lacey Green & Loosley Row Village Hall Committee.

In January 1991 Ray Hewinson (Village Hall Chairman), wrote a letter to the editor of Hallmark from Portobello Cottage no 1.

Dear Ted,

It is encouraging to see the editorial and correspondence columns of Hallmark being used to raise controversial issues which effect the villages and the Village Hall. It is unfair to rebuke our District Councillor, Jean Gabbitas for the failures of the Council.

The fact is that she sits on the minorty side and can wield little influence over the majority party's policies. She can of course, represent the interest of her constituents of the villages and that she does effectively.

Betty Tyler' letter on behalf of the W.I. needs and deserves a response. If the W.I. does not wish to contribute towards the cleaning programme of the Village Hall then that is their choice. To suggest that a part-time caretaker can undertake the full programme of work required to keep the Hall up to an acceptable standard is a nonsense.

Betty's letter was published in the same wekk as a group of volunteers sanded, sealed and polished the Hall floor. Two of these were local tradesmen who gave freely of their time and expertise. One of them was a well-known editor whe spent his 65th birthday on his hands and knees with a sanding block.

The Village Hall can only survive through the efforts of organisations and individuals and we are grateful to those who give an occasional Sunday morning to help with the quarterly 'spring cleaning'. I do not believe that charity begins at home - there are far more worthy causes than the Village Hall. The fact remains however that without the Hall the villagers would be the poorer. The Hall cannot be kept to the standard from the moderate charges made to local organisatons.

1n 1991 the Management Committee will be raising funds to improve the Hall. We have already been promised help from one organisation and the Village Day Committee. The support of all organisations using the hall would be welcome. If the W.I. cannot help with the cleaning programme then they may be able to find some other way of contributing to its well-being.

The following obituary of Ray Hewinson written by Bette Tyler was published in 'Hallmark' in 2012 :-

Ray was born in Caerlion, South Wales and attended West Monmouth Grammar School. He was a scout leader for many years, then a Lance Corporal in the army. He trained as a teacher at Chalfont St Giles. His first teaching jobs were in Slough and Suffolk.

He then went to Residential School at Horsley Green as a teacher for deprived/difficult children from the Midlands. Then he was recruited to work for a charity in Pelzallotte Children's Village.

He then to work for the Oakenden Venture, a scheme to take children directly from prisoner of war camps, whose parents had not been accepted by countries to resettle after WW2 due to ill health. Ray opened a new home in Barmouth, North Wales, taught them English and social skills to the stage where they could attend normal local school. One of the camps Ray returned to was Dachau. Many of the children were still in touch with Ray to the day he died.

It was through the caring profession that Ray met Sylvia and they married in 1973. They moved to Bucks, where Sylvia opened 'Merryfields' the first new home in Bucks for children with very special physical and mental needs and lived there for a year before moving to Naphill, then Lacey Green.

Ray was Chairman of our Twinning Association. He and Sylvia accompanied children to Hambe for school exchange visits. He was also Chairman of our Village Hall Committee for many years. Ray had Parkinson's disease for about 9 years and despite increasing difficulties throughout, never complained.

He was a dear friend to many of us and will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him.