NUMBED shock is the feeling around the village, following the hasty farewell to Betty Davies, 74.

She died suddenly last week, after her usual evening of bowls in the village hall.

At least she didn't suffer, and the crowd of family and friends who gathered for the cremation service yesterday in Basingstoke were united to support husband Derek and their two sons through a very difficult time.

Betty was active in every aspect of village life, from her tireless efforts on the WI to her bowls skills on behalf of the village team.

We will miss her, and our thoughts and prayers are with all her family.

If you have an hour or so free at lunchtimes, Whitewater School would like to hear from you!

A position is open for a lunchtime supervisory assistant to help out over the lunch hour, so if you can keep an eye on things while the teaching staff take a well-earned break, please give the school office a ring on 762637.

They are also looking for local heroes to share a talent or skill with the children for next term's new Discovery Hour, once a week on a Monday afternoon.

It's a clever way of letting the children try a bit of everything without worrying about grades or assessments.

Congratulations to the Whitewater football teams who won matches against Dogmersfield and Rowledge primary schools last week.

Well done to all!