By John Firrell: When we first heard the sad news that Freddie and Diana were leaving the village, once we got over the shock, a number of us whose lives have been directly and variously affected by Freddie & Diana got together to plan our revenge. The substantial gathering today suggests the plían is working. Diana & Freddie Spicer – If they were a stick of rock, and you broke them in half, they would have Litton Cheney running all the way through them. So who are these people who now have the temerity to be leaving us? Surely this is Hotel California, where nobody ever leaves? Forgive me, but I am going to be talking mainly about Freddie’s contribution to our community, via the Parish Council, LATCH and the Litton Cheney Trust, but first asserting that none of Freddie’s efforts in these sectors would have been possible without Diana’s support – the absolute power behind the throne. My fellow conspirator, John Vercoe, will be covering St Mary’s church and all its connections, and there are elements in there that without Diana’s firm hand, things would not have happened or come about. Way back in the early 2000’s, Litton Cheney lost its shop and post office and its rusting Nissan church hall was in permanent decline. In 2004/5, the Parish Council headed up by Freddie were offered the opportunity of acquiring some land next to the school, subject to a house being allowed to be built nearby. The school was in desperate need of more space, the village needed a replacement for the almost derelict church hall – where better to build a new community hall than adjacent to the school, with easy access off School Lane. Fortunately the planners were convinced and permission was given. There was just the little matter of raising the funds, estimated to be close to £500K. Freddie not only became a trustee of LATCH (Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall), he even came up with the acronym, LATCH, and took on the role of Treasurer, whilst still at the helm of the PC. As Parish Clerk, and Hon. Sec of LATCH, I saw at first hand the contribution and effort that Freddie applied to both roles. The first set back was discovering that Lottery funds which had been the go-to source for funding village halls were being diverted towards the 2012 London Olympics. It was, quite literally, back to the drawing board. We are here in this hall today as testament to the successful funding of the hall (around £450K), plus the addition in 2013/14 of an annexe, which collectively included over £50k of mostly personal donations, and grants from within the village itself. You may be one of those generous people who was “persuaded” by Freddie into donating! Freddie stood down from the PC in 2012 but remained as LATCH Treasurer until he coerced Graham Hickling into taking it over in 2017, but not before Freddie had taken HMRC to a VAT Tribunal and secured repayment of £6,000 VAT, which HMRC claimed we were not entitled to. I recall the HMRC solicitor accepting defeat, even before the Tribunal chairman had given his verdict, victory partly secured based on the forethought of Eddy Fry placing a lintel in the east end wall during the construction of the hall, in readiness for a doorway to the yet to be built annexe. Freddie formally stood down as a LATCH Trustee last Thursday amidst several tributes, the promise of a tree planted in his honour, and a huge round of applause. Freddie’s administration of the Litton Cheney Trust certainly deserves mention. There are many students, residents, our school and village causes that have benefitted from the Trust’s benevolence, much of it guided by Freddie. That too is under new management. As with everything, we are but custodians, but it is what we leave behind that is our legacy. Thank you, Freddie, and thank you, Diana, for your unfailing support and superhuman efforts. Words will never be enough, but we will never forget the love you gave this community whilst you dwelt within its confines. We have several gifts for Freddie and Diana to remind them of their time here. Two bottles of Bride Valley fizz, two albums of memories beautifully put together by Beverly and Pete Dennis, and to come, a collection of artworks put together by the artists of Litton, which will be framed prior to giving. There is also a book with personal messages that is doing the rounds and that too will eventually find its way to Freddie & Diana. Thank you to all those who have generously donated to the gift fund which is still open. We now ask Freddie & Diana to make the first cut into this wonderful (gluten-free) cake made and donated by Alix and Andy King who unfortunately can’t be with us today but send their dearest wishes to Freddie and Diana. Today would not have happened without the help of numerous people who have contributed in various ways. A giant thank you to them and also to you for gathering to wish our friends, Freddie and Diana, bon voyage. If their departure is delayed too long we may be doing this again in a few months time!

On the 1st of March around 60 local residents/friends gathered at LATCH so say “farewell” to Freddie and Diana to mark their departure from the village. The event was a great success with - a super spread, lots of chat, several speeches and laughter. The speeches below, given by John Firrell and John Vercoe, are reproduced here in order that those unable to attend can see what was said.

By John Vercoe: To be invited to say a few words of thank you and farewell to Freddie and to Diana is an honour and a pleasure. As John has said, my focus today will be on the tremendous effort and energy that both have put into ensuring that St Mary’s Church continues to serve as an active and welcoming place of worship and a focal point for parish life. For 30 years, through times of challenge, change and renewal, Freddie and Diana have been staunch pillars of our church; faithful, dependable, hard-working and quietly devoted to the building and to those who use it. I have known them for almost twenty of those years and it has been a privilege to serve with them and to call them friends. I met Freddie shortly after I came to live in the village in 2006. He was looking for volunteers (and I use that word advisedly) to assist with rigging the weights and wires that drive the clock and strike the hours. The clock may look a bit Heath Robinson, but it is in fact a precision instrument. Everything needs to be properly aligned and calibrated if it is to work the way it should. Freddie has spent so many hours repairing and fettling it (or getting it going again when some hapless soul has forgotten to wind it - we’ve all done it), that there must have been times when Diana has thought he might have left home. The fact that he will not be around to look after the clock is only one of many reasons why we will miss him. Whenever I hear the clock I will think of him and probably take a quick look at my watch to make sure it is keeping good time, just as he does. I bet I won’t be the only one. Over the past fifteen years or so, Freddie and a team of carefully selected people, also known as people who couldn’t think of a valid reason to be somewhere else, have climbed to the top of the tower not once but twice to install and then replace a cockerel weathervane. The second one, installed in 2024, is made of metal and is gilded. It should last longer than the ten years of its wooden predecessor, but the gilding is fragile and it needs careful handling. That complicated the process of getting it up the tower and then installing it, without doing any damage. Thanks in no small part to Freddie’s efforts, the operation was completed safely, on both occasions, and without damage to people or cockerels. I have chosen to talk about the clock and the cockerels in some detail as those two projects say a lot about Freddie. I have come to learn that in his vocabulary, there really isn’t such a word as “can’t.” For him, there’s a solution to every problem — you just have to find it and find it he did, usually thru hard work and single mindedness.. Now, I’ll be honest — within our various working parties we haven’t seen eye to eye on everything, especially where ladders were involved. Some are braver than others in that respect and there have been a few lively debates along the way. What I value deeply is that even when we weren’t all completely aligned in our thinking at the start of a journey, we were always able to find a workable compromise; to do what was best for the church and the people involved; and to remain friends. Much of that was down to Freddie’s willingness to listen to the concerns of others and to then to go to great pains to address them. I think that speaks volumes about the man that he is. I could go on and on about demolition of the old church hall and provision of parking on the site, installation of a kitchen and toilet in the tower, provision of wi-fi in the church and installation of the electric piano. Freddie has been instrumental in them all. He has been Church Warden, Treasurer, fund raiser, bell ringer, chorister, fete organiser and bottle tombola supremo, handyman, grass cutter – the list goes on. In his spare time, Freddie has also been a volunteer driver for the Bride Valley Car Service. What spare time I hear you ask! This isn’t only about Freddie, however. Often behind the scenes, Diana has quietly gone about the business of ensuring that bread and wine are in place, vessels and vestments are available and linens clean and in order for services of Holy Communion; that the church is decorated for festivals and special services - Christmas, Easter, Harvest festival etc and that coffee and biscuits are available as and when needed. She has been a regular participant at our monthly working parties and the bank at the top of the car park and the area around the steps have been her domain That is why they look as nice as they do. But above all, she has been there to support and assist Freddie – together they are a formidable team. They have given their time, their energy and their wisdom. Willing to do the hard jobs. Willing to serve without fuss. Willing to stand up for what they believe is right. St Mary’s Litton Cheney wouldn’t be what it is without their faithfulness and their determination. I for one am grateful for their service, and I’m grateful for their friendship. Freddie and Diana it’s been an honour to serve alongside you. For me, you have been the fount of all knowledge - if I needed to know something about the history of the church, how something worked, or why something was done a certain way, you were the people to ask and you were always generous in sharing that knowledge. I will miss you. I’m sure I won’t be the only one. Thank you.

Response from Freddie and Diana Thank you to the two Johns for their kind and overly generous words, and to you all for being here today - it is very humbling for us both. We shall look back on this day with great affection and joy as we settle into our new abode in Wiltshire, and take with us extremely fond memories of our many years in the village and its people. We still have a few things to settle before we are on our way, and we hope to be in a position to individually say a proper goodbye to our many friends, many of whom are here today. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for the fantastic spread, the wonderful cake and the gifts, and to you and all involved. Freddie & Diana.