Rector's Letter

Great Oakley Rectory

August 2025

Dear Friends,
 The summer is here! We have just had the warmest days of the year so far as I write this in early July. I wonder if August will bring the sunny weather for the children (and teachers!) to enjoy during the summer vacation. Whatever you are doing, I pray you will have an enjoyable and refreshing holiday, whether a staycation or something more adventurous.

Did you know, according to BBC Weather, our cities can be as much as 10° warmer than the rural areas of our landscape. Urban areas tend to have a darker landscape of concrete and tarmac that absorb the sun’s heat. There is also much less greenery and areas of water that by the water’s evaporation keep things cooler. Waste heat from vehicles and air conditioning units - and humans – add to this effect. In the countryside, we are blessed with trees, rivers and lakes that provide natural cooling and a source of moisture. The sun’s energy is used in evaporating this moisture which leaves less heat to the land and air, limiting the temperature rise.

With climate change and extreme weather events that will alas become more common, we need to be extra vigilant and more neighbourly and caring for each other. Looking out for vulnerable people in our communities is not to be confined to the cold winter months. The message to keep hydrated is important and well circulated, but the very young and the elderly, as well as many of our pets, can be particularly adversely affected by prolonged heatwaves.

While we are in these summer months, as well as being neighbourly to those around us, perhaps we ought to take time to reflect upon the privilege of living in what is essentially a beautiful part of the Essex Countryside. With many lovely walks into the countryside from our villages and the river Stour and coastal beaches close at hand, we are blessed to live in a rural setting, not least because of the fresh and slightly cooler air we have over our towns and cities.

Psalm 24 verse 1 says, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.’ We care for our neighbour because they are known and loved by God; we care for creation for it is a gift to us from God, its beauty and wonder, its wealth and resources. I pray in these very hot summer days, that we will all be appreciative of this part of the world we live in; that we are mindful to care for one another in times of need and that we would take care to live as responsibly and sustainably as we can preserving a good future for the whole of creation.

Have a blessed and cool summer.
Best wishes,

John

Revd John Saxon