The Vicar, Reverend David Nichol, had a busy week attending Easter services held in the parish by Powick, Callow End and Madresfield primary schools. Powick School's service (held at St Peter's Church) was entitled The Road to Easter with hymns and presentations of the events leading up to Easter - Jesus in the temple, the betrayal, Jesus sharing the Last Supper, his arrest and trial, the Cross, ending with his Resurrection on Easter morning. Year 6 pupils sang the Lord's Prayer from African Sanctus with music by David Fanshawe.

The family service for Palm Sunday at St Peter's Church included infant baptism when little Bradley Ryan Harris of Hospital Lane was welcomed into the church. The palm crosses were distributed and the congregation was shown how to make a cross using origami (the art of paper folding). The reading was read by Lynn Nichol with prayers by Meg Allsopp.

The local RSPB meeting held last Wednesday in Powick Parish Hall saw a capacity crowd listen to Professor Brian Cockayne with his excellent slides of the landscape and wildlife of the Orkney and Shetland Islands, punctuated with humour. The islands of Orkney boasted sheer sandstone cliffs and stacks of which the Old Man of Hoy is well known. These are home to many colonies of sea birds including fulmars, Arctic terns, Arctic skuas, guillimots, kittiwakes and razorbills. There were views of Skara Brae, the stone age settlement once buried by sand, and ancient "brochs". The Shetlands Isles lay further north and possess many RSPB reserves. Unst is the most northerly island with a nature reserve and the Muckle Fuga lighthouse. The island boasts the ancient settlement of Jarlshof, used from the stone age to the iron age. Once again the cliffs housed many species of sea bird including puffins and Arctic terns, a bird watchers paradise! Brian was thanked for his excellent talk and stunning sunsets and photography. During the interval bird seed and nuts were on sale plus second hand books. At the March meeting £70 was raised from the sale of books, boosting local funds for the RSPB.

Easter Day will be celebrated with Holy Communion at 8am and 11am at St Peter's. Offers of spring flowers and foliage would be welcome for decorating the church. Ring Jenny Hill on 830672 or Thea Wild on 831045.

Powick Ramblers held its annual general meeting in Powick Parish Hall last Monday when reports were given on the past year's activities. The chairman Peter Harris reflected on the work of the late Bill Ash, of his commitment to keeping the parish footpaths in good repair over many years. He will be sadly missed. Good wishes were to be sent to Colin and Edna Giles and their son Robert. The secretary Rita de Boer gave a report of the many walks that had taken place - 17 around the parish and many outside the parish, as far away as Tiddesley Wood, Earl's Croome, The Malverns, canal banks towards Birmingham and the Lickey Hills. A request was made for more leaders to come forward to lead walks. David Allen, treasurer, presented the accounts which showed a healthy balance of £321. Grants from both the county council and the parish council had been received towards the upkeep of the footpaths and new tools had been purchased. Membership at £4 per head per year had been slightly down compared with the previous year. Pat Ash gave a report of the working party which had way-marked the footpaths, wired the steps of stiles, built a new footbridge, erected kissing gates and strimmed many an overgrown path and lane. The committee agreed to continue for a further year.