In the formative years of the twentieth century, individuals such as Frances Heron-Maxwell, Vera Cox, Carine Cadby and Eva McLaren, among others, laid the foundations for innumerable strong, independent, resilient women who played important and vital roles in local life. This has continued to this day, and I’m sure we could all recall names, past and present, who have made a positive impact on our community. Last month, we sadly said goodbye to two more stalwarts of village life: Tammy Dykes and Dr Peggy Garrett. I only met Tammy several times, once visiting her at home and spending hours chatting with her about her late husband, David, who was a significant presence in the parish, as well as numerous other past residents. At almost 100 years old, she had a razor-sharp memory, and I enjoyed her company immensely. Dr Garrett was a familiar face to all of us who had children attending Platt School in the 2010s. As a school governor and parent helper, I admired her no-nonsense approach to life and her thoughtful, uncomplicated way of problem-solving. She was a keen supporter of the community projects I conducted throughout the Great War centenary and, like Tammy, integrated herself into all facets of Platt life. I can still picture her now, manning stalls at village and school fetes, sometimes with her Pokkles of Platt Woods books.

The weather at the end of May was uncharacteristically hot, with several days breaking monthly temperature records. The evenings were palpable and humid, and anyone walking through Platt Woods at dusk with bare arms and legs became a human banquet for mosquitoes and other biting insects. On the 20th, I photographed this year’s crop of Year Six Leavers in the woods, which, excluding 2023, when I briefly ‘retired’, is my twelfth or thirteenth year doing it. The image will appear on the cover of next month’s Village News and in the cohort’s leavers’ book.

Daisies outside the church, vibrant woodland rhododendrons, birdsong at dawn and of course, ‘Platt Cats’.

This is Platt at the end of May 2026.