Herald - Issue 420

Page 28 • The HERALD • 10th March 2022 v WE’VE BEEN YOUR LOCAL SINCE 1994 v Motherly Love – The History of Mother’s Day The earliest history of Mother’s Day dates to the ancient annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to maternal goddesses. The Greeks used the occasion to honour Rhea, wife of Cronus and the mother of many deities of Greek mythology. Ancient Romans, too, celebrated a spring festival, calledHilariadedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess. It may be noted that ceremonies in honour of Cybele began some 250 years before Christ was born. e celebration made on the Ides of March by making o erings in the temple of Cybele lasted for three days and included parades, games, and masquerades. e celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome. Early Christians celebrated aMother’s Day of sorts during the festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honour of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. In England, the holiday was expanded to include all mothers. Mothering Sunday e more recent history of Mother’s Day dates to 1600’s in England. Here a Mothering Sunday was celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter) to honour mothers. A er a prayer service in church to honour Virgin Mary, children brought gi s and owers to pay tribute to their own mothers. On the occasion, servants, apprentices, and other employees staying away from their homes were encouraged by their employers to visit their mothers and honour them. Traditionally children brought with them gi s and a special fruit cake or fruit- lled pastry called a simnel. e custom of celebrating Mothering Sunday died out almost completely by the 19th century. However, the day came to be celebrated again a er World War II, when American servicemen brought the custom and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales. Present Day Celebrations Today Mother’s Day is celebrated in several countries including US, UK, India, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, and Belgium. People take the day as an opportunity to pay tribute to their mothers and thank them for all their love and support. e day has become hugely popular and in several countries phone lines witness maximum tra c. ere is also a tradition of gi ing owers, cards, and others gi to mothers on the Mother’s Day. e festival has become commercialised to a great extent. Florists, card manufacturers and gi sellers see huge business potential in the day and make good money through a rigorous advertising campaign. ExxonMobil Fawley Helping More Schools Deliver STEM Subjects ExxonMobil Fawley is delighted to announce that it will be helping many more local schools deliver Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects over the coming year. e number of educational establishments, both primary and secondary, which will bene t from the company’s Link Schools’ Programme has Riccardo Cavallo and Richard Henderson from ExxonMobil Fawley with the Orchard Junior School plaque gone up from 10 to 19. And this means that hundreds more youngsters will be able to take advantage of the extra educational funding from the Fawley site. Hamble Primary, Hythe Primary, Marchwood Church of England Infant School, Marchwood Junior School, Orchard Infant School, Orchard Junior School, Waterside Primary School, Wildground Infant School and Beaulieu Village Primary School are the latest schools which will each receive funding to spend on STEM subjects. ey join Black eld Primary School, Fawley Infant School, Cadland Primary School, Manor Church of England Infant School, Wildground Junior School, Applemore College, Noadswood School, New Forest Academy, Hounsdown School and e Hamble School already bene ting from the programme. Each of the schools on the programme is presented with a special plaque to mark the partnership. Angharad Vaughan, ExxonMobil Fawley’s Community A airs Adviser, said: “We have a proud tradition of supporting education and employment and are delighted to now be able to support more local schools. We believe STEM is such an important focus for young people and have seen our funding used for everything from text books and scientific calculators to educational software and safety equipment.” Jo Fenton, Senior Teacher and Science Lead at Orchard Junior School, said they were delighted to be included in the new Link School Programme. “Without a doubt, it is the practical element of science that causes the most excitement among the children and in each lesson there is one specific skill being worked on and observed by the teacher so that they are aware of the different elements of practical work. One key issue can be budget restraints, meaning children have to work in larger groups than we would prefer. This funding will enable us to replenish tired or faulty equipment to enable children to work in smaller groups and have increased opportunities to engage in quality discussion with a work partner.” Community groups that are helping local people look a er their hearts can now apply for a £10,000 grant from national charity Heart Research UK. One grant will be awarded to each of the 12 regions in the UK, with the rst ve grants of the year being funded by instore donations from Subway® restaurants across the country. e grants are available for new and innovative projects that promote healthy hearts and are aiming to reduce the risk of heart disease in their community. Since 2001, Heart Research UK has awarded over 300 community grants, directly bene ting the hearts of over 70,000 individuals and countless wider community and family members across all regions of the UK. Cardiovascular disease is one of the world’s biggest killers, and the aim of the Healthy Heart grants is to work preventatively within communities that may be marginalised or not have much access to health resources. Projects should deliver health initiatives such as cooking skills, healthy eating and accessible exercise and should promote mental wellbeing and encourage people to be active. e grants are only available to not-for-pro t organisations, including charities, community groups, voluntary organisations and sports groups. e opening and closing dates for applications will be staggered across the regions, with Wales being the rst to have opened from the 31st January. Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “Through the Healthy Heart grants we hope to encourage people across the whole country to make healthier choices and give them practical help to do so. These grants are available to ensure everyone has the chance to benefit from a healthier, happier and longer life. We’re looking for new and innovative projects that really have an impact, especially if they aim to improve the health of at risk or hard to reach communities.” To nd out which region you’re in and the full list of opening and closing dates for applications, please visit: www. heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-heart-grants For more information, please email: healthyheartgrants@heartresearch.org.uk £10,000 Grant Available for Healthy Heart Community Projects across the UK Make Mother’s Day EXTRA SPECIAL Quality Giftware, Bespoke Gifts, Personalised Gifts MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL Have a photo printed on Slate for just £13.95 • Mugs £5.95 ******** NOW SELLING GENUINE AMERICAN CANDY ******** Blissful… Looks small from the outside but a MASSIVE range on the inside - Come in and see for yourself Open 7 Days a Week Tel: 023 8178 1711