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The St. Giles' Magazine was the first parish magazine published by St. Giles' Church, followed by the St. Giles' Courier, and these were edited by the incumbent at the time. It contained a letter from the Rector, details of services and collections (!) , reports from the various church organisations, and details of the Church Officers and Leaders of the church organisations. It cost the princely sum of 6d (2.5 pence in present day money) and was mainly purchased by members of the congregation.
In the early 1970s St. Giles' Church and The Congregational Church (now The United Reformed Church) decided to introduce a publication that could be delivered to every home in Ickenham. An editorial Board was set up consisting of the Rector of St. Giles, The Congregational Church Minister and three other members of the laity, and thus Ickenham Church News was born, and is still going strong today.
John Hillier took over as Editor in February 1977, and is still in that position today. The ICN is printed by Stanley L. Hunt (Printers) in Rushden, Northants., and we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the Company for nearly 30 years. We have 4,725 copies printed each month of the year with the exception of January and August. These are delivered by 102 road stewards, and a further 45 are mailed to people who have lived in Ickenham, and like to keep in touch with what is going on in the village, as well as 8 copies that are mailed to people in America, Canada and Australia.
Local organisations are encouraged to advertise their events in ICN at no cost, but donations are always welcome from anyone towards the cost of publishing ICN. We much appreciate the excellent support received from our Advertisers, some of whom have been with us for 30 years, but their payments do not cover the cost, so we have to rely on donations from local organisations and individuals.
John Hillier receives encouraging comments about ICN which are appreciated, but his aim is to put together issues that are of interest to the whole community, and not just those who attend the two Ickenham Churches. The 'hatches', 'matches' and 'despatches' (known as births, weddings and funerals!) are always a popular item particularly for those who receive their copy by mail and who no longer live in Ickenham.
We hope that those who are reading this item will be interested in the background of how the ICKENHAM CHURCH NEWS came to be a publication looked forward to for ten months of the year by Ickenham residents and those beyond the village.
John Hillier
The Story of St. Giles concerns a family who lived near Athens in the early part of the 7th century A.D. The head of the house was a wealthy man who exercised great influence in high places. He and his family were held in high esteem by all who knew them. Living a life of ease without the slightest effort on his own part, the young Giles, the son of a wealthy man, was unhappy and uneasy in his mind. As he wandered aimlessly in the beautiful countryside surrounding his home, he saw the plight of the peasants. Giving the matter some thought he left the comfort of his home, taking nothing with him, to drift pointlessly, seeking food and shelter wherever it was to be found. He went to France, and lived a monastic kind of life at Arles for a time. This did not satisfy him and he went on to Nimes.
Here, among the Garrique Hills, he found a cave in which he made his home. He was a kindly young man and offered spiritual help and guidance to all who sought it. He befriended animals too, so much so that a young doe shared his cave. She became so tame that she allowed Giles to milk her, thus solving one of his food problems. She seldom strayed far from the cave, the entrance to which was shielded by a dense thicket of thorny bushes.
One day a Gothic king was out hunting with some of his courtiers when the dogs gave chase to the young doe. She easily outpaced them and disappeared in the thicket guarding the cave. This happened on several occasions, and the third time the hunters gathered by the thicket and were rather mystified, for the bushes seemed to be almost impenetrable. One of the courtiers fired an arrow in the bushes at the spot where the doe had disappeared.
The hunters heard a noise which sounded like a gasp of pain. Thereupon they forced a way through the least dense part of the bushes and came upon the deer at the feed of Giles. He was seated in the cave entrance with the arrow protruding from his leg. The king was overcome by sadness at the turn of events and offered gifts of money as compensation. These were firmly refused. The king offered the services of his physician, which Giles gladly accepted.
From then on the king often visited Giles and frequently made offers of money. These offers were always refused, but the young man gave considerable thought to them. He suggested to the king that he should devote the money he offered so many times to the building of a monastery. The king was thrilled with the idea. He too had a suggestion to make, and that was that Giles should become the first abbot. In due course the monastery was built and Giles did indeed become its first Abbot.