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CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR
PARISH MAGAZINE!!
The Parish Magazine
is produced in the
Parish Office and
edited by Elisabeth
Cooper and David
Robinson. The
editors are always
looking for articles
for publication;
your contributions
can be sent to the
parish office by
email to:
office@parish-of-dartmouth.org.uk
. Or left at the
parish office in
“hard copy” form.
Please let us have
your articles by the
15th of the previous
month.
THE ANCHOR CLUB
A new venture was
launched on 28th
October. The Anchor
Club, named after
the symbol for
St.Clement’s, was
formed. The Club is
intended for
children, young
people and families.
It will take place
once a month on the
fourth Sunday of
each month in
St.Clement’s Church
at 9.30am, which is
a bit early for
some, especially in
the winter, but it
may not seem so bad
in the summer.
Invitations have
gone out to all
families who have
been to our churches
for baptisms in the
last five years and
to recently married
couples, who are
known to be living
in the area.
The Club is unlike
anything seen in
St.Clement’s before.
There is no order of
service and no books
are used. Everything
that people need
will be projected on
to a screen. All
members will be
issued with badges.
Attendance to date
has been small, but
promising and
comments regarding
the Club’s
activities have been
greatly encouraging.
Although the Club is
still in it’s early
days, new families
have become members
of the Club, and are
wearing their Anchor
Club badges with
pride.
The children are
involved as much as
possible during the
service with action
songs, music makers
and other activities
along with stories
from the scriptures
and a time to say
their prayers.
Images also are used
as much as possible
during this service
as a way of helping
our young members
understand the
theme.
It is hoped that the
Anchor Club’s
membership will
increase over the
next few months and
that more badges
will be being worn
around the town.
Advertising is
essential to the
progress of this
Club, so if you come
into contact with
young people and
families perhaps you
could suggest this
once a month Club to
them or give them
one of our flyers!
However, if you
don’t come into
contact with young
people, please would
you pray for this
venture, asking God
to bless our work
with young people in
helping them to see
something of God’s
Glory.
All are welcome at
the Anchor Club.
The next service
will be Sunday 24th
February
PRAYERS FOR PEACE
Our world is a funny
old place. There are
areas of calm and
beauty, as well as
places where there
is blood and
violence and
despair. If what we
are concerned with
is that everyone
should have a fair
chance, then we can
never forget the bad
places. And there
are millions of
people in the world
for whom life is
unpredictable,
violent, unfair and
tough.
Every Friday at
11.30am we have
Prayers For Peace in
the Lady Chapel of
St. Saviour’s, which
bring to God our
worries and
anxieties about the
lack of peace in
parts of the world.
It’s just a chance
to remember for half
an hour the misery
that people cause to
people, and to make
it known that we
care.
There is always room
for anyone who want
to come. It’s a
fairly formalized
but very straight
forward half an hour
at the end of the
week to which you
are very welcome.
ST CLEMENT'S PROJECT
Things may have
seemed a bit quiet
lately as regards
the plans to
modernise and
improve the interior
of St.Clement’s.
Despite this a lot
of work has been
going on. The
Architect produced
his first ideas in
March 2002. Since
then there have been
numerous meetings,
visits and
consultations. Many
changes and
developments have
been made to the
project since those
early ideas.
The members of
St.Clement’s
District Church
Council have done a
great deal of
thinking about the
needs of the church
and the community as
we look to the
future.
An artist has produced impressions of
what the interior of
the Church will look
like after the work
is complete. These
are on display
soon.
Also a management
group has been set
up by the PCC to
handle the actual
work and the
financial
arrangements.
In order to
undertake any major
work in a church
building a Faculty
has to be obtained.
Churches are exempt
planning permission,
because the Church
has its own legal
process for
approving work of
this kind. It is an
extremely thorough
and rigorous
procedure. At times
it seems very
frustrating, but it
does mean that our
church buildings are
not spoilt by ill
considered plans or
the use of the wrong
materials. The DCC
has been supported
by the St.Clement’s
Project Group, which
did a great deal of
work in developing
the plans. Recently
another group has
been set up to
manage the project
and the funding of
it. To obtain a
Faculty we first
have to obtain a
Certificate from the
Diocesan Advisory
Committee, who
advise on whether a
Faculty should be
granted. It is good
to report that the
application for this
has been submitted
and we await the
response.
St.Clement’s have
some money, which
has wisely been put
aside in the past
from legacies, but a
major appeal will be
needed. There should
be details of this
available soon.
Ideally the money
needed will be
raised, or given,
very quickly and a
long drawn out
appeal avoided.
For those who do not
know what is
planned, the project
involves these basic
elements,
1. Disabled access
via the North Door.
This involves
lifting the floor a
few inches to its
original level and
lowering the door
step. Also a small
porch will be
included.
2. Disabled Toilet
under the Tower and
a new screen at the
back of the Church
3. Catering
facilities at the
North West end.
(There is only a
stand pipe at
present)
4. A movable screen
across the
St.Francis Chapel to
make a Choir Vestry
5. The Font to be
moved to the south
to make it possible
for a Baptismal
party to gather
around it.
6. The pulpit to be
moved to the other
side of the Chancel
Arch so that it is
in a more central
position.
7. A new altar will
be positioned below
the Chancel arch,
where it will be
visible from all
parts of the Church.
8. The present pews
will be replaced by
moveable seating, so
that the interior
can be used in a
flexible way when
necessary.
9. Access to the
bell ringing chamber
will be provided via
the tower steps.
10. New Choir Stalls
will be installed.
11. New heating and
lighting. The
heating will use the
existing boiler.
The result should be
a beautiful,
prayerful church
building, which is
attractive and
adaptable for other
suitable uses.
ST CLEMENT'S PROJECT
UPDATE - JANUARY
2008
It is great to
report that we have
received general
approval for the
reordering scheme in
St.Clement’s Church.
This is the first
stage in the process
of obtaining a
Faculty, the legal
document needed for
any work on a Church
building can be
undertaken. The next
stage is for the
Architect to provide
more detailed plans.
In particular these
are needed for the
heating and lighting
designs. When they
have been obtained
the formal
application for the
Faculty will be
submitted.
Obviously it will
cost a lot of money.
A certain amount of
money is available
in the Church’s
reserves, but
nowhere near enough
to cover the cost.
An appeal will be
launched in the New
Year. It is worth
mentioning now some
important features
of the appeal;
It will be an appeal
to the whole parish,
which is the same as
saying the whole
town. St. Clement’s
was built before
1200 and is probably
the oldest building
in the town. It is
the Parish Church,
originally linked
with Torre Abbey.
Not only is it an
ancient centre of
worship, linking us
with Christian
people, who have
worshipped and
prayed on this site
for over 800 years,
but it part of our
local heritage. It
therefore deserves
support both from
the Church and from
the wider community.
It is important that
people share in the
work of improving
their Church. We
might think it would
be good to receive a
huge legacy out of
the blue, which
would pay for it
all. Actually this
would not be so. The
Project is much more
likely to succeed if
people are behind
and have invested
their time and the
energy and hopefully
some money into it.
Parishioners will be
asked to do two
things. They will be
asked to raise money
and also to give
money. These are
quite separate
things, which should
not be confused.
Many ideas have
already been
provided about how
we can raise money.
More ideas are
invited. Please do
suggest any ideas
you have for raising
money. Hopefully
there will be
further details of
what is planned
before long. As
regards giving
money, the hope is
that people will
think very deeply
about this appeal
and make donations
according to their
means. We are a
varied society in
Dartmouth, probably
more than most
towns, and nobody is
in a position to
tell someone else
what they should
give. On the other
hand it is
legitimate to
suggest that people
make a comparison
with other spending,
especially spending
on inessentials.
It would be good to
get the appeal
complete within the
year. Some Churches
erect thermometers
outside, which often
stay in place an
awful long time. Let
us try and avoid
that. A good date to
aim for would be
St.Clement’s day
2008, 23rd November.
The appeal will be
extended beyond the
parish to those
people and
institutions known
to have a link with
the parish.
ST CLEMENT'S PROJECT
UPDATE - JUNE
2008
There has been a lot
of reporting of the
progress of the work
at St.Clement’s
Church. Hopefully by
now most people will
have seen the plans
and the artist’s
impression of what
the Church will look
like after the
Project is complete.
We have received
informal approval
from the Diocese.
There have been many
frustrating delays,
but now the District
Church Council
believes it time to
start raising the
money.
On the basis of the
advice of the
quantity surveyor
and taking into
consideration all
funds available to
us, it is clear that
there needs to be an
appeal for £100,
000. It is a huge
sum, but we believe
to be achievable.
Our Project Appeal
Group is doing what
it can to raise
money from sources
outside the parish,
but inevitably the
main source will be
our parishioners.
Please note that on
July 12th there will
be a Gift Day in
St.Clement’s Church
from 10.00am to
3.00pm. All who
would like to help
with this essential
work are invited to
bring their gift on
that day
JOHN HAULEY, HIS
YEAR
Many like to assume
that Chaucer’s
Shipman is modelled
on the second and
most famous of the
three members of the
Hawley family (of
Allaleigh),who all
bore the name of
John. We give a
place of honour to
John Hawley at St
Saviour’s as the
benefactor who
provided for the
chancel to be built.
As we make our way
to the altar-rail we
tread upon carpet
that protects the
fine brass-work
above his tomb.
This John Hawley was
a man of great
distinction, twice
an MP, nine times
mayor and, as such,
charged in 1388 with
improving the port’s
sea defences by
building the
fortalice at the
estuary. Frequently
he was a leading
figure in the
improvised squadrons
of local vessels
instructed to
destroy the king’s
enemies. In effect
this virtually gave
licence to ravage
shipping in the
Channel and in
particular off the
north French coast.
Hawley and his
associates seem to
have been very
successful at
ravaging as, for
example, when they
raided the Norman
coast, captured a
number of ships and
seized 1,500 casks
of wine.
There is a fine line
to be drawn between
patriotism and
self-interest when
it comes to the
‘swash and buckle’
of life on the high
seas at that time.
As we come to
commemorate John
Hawley on the 600th
anniversary of his
death, the 30th of
December 1408, the
old arguments will
be renewed about
whether he was more
of a pirate than a
privateer. Collins
describes piracy as
‘robbery on the seas
within admiralty
jurisdiction’. A
privateer is defined
as ‘an armed,
privately owned
vessel commissioned
for service by a
government.’ From
the point of view of
a trading vessel,
with rich pickings,
it must have been of
little consequence
whether the robust
cog bearing down on
you with its mean
looking crew was
officially licensed
or not.
Although it is said
that ‘the wind
always blows fair on
Hawley’s Hoe’ it
could on occasion
turn against him. He
was, for instance,
imprisoned in the
Tower by Henry 1V in
1406 and ordered to
make restitution of
merchandise
illegally stowed
away in one of his
warehouses. We may
indeed ask ourselves
whether the spacious
chancel of St
Saviour’s was built
with conscience
money. Having said
that, it would be
wrong for us to
think of him too
much within the
context of our own
times. In his day
there was no such
thing as a navy,
royal or otherwise,
so it was left to
such stalwarts as
Hawley to defend our
shores. It seems
probable that when
it came to a fight,
at sea or when the
Bretons were
defeated at
Blackpool Sands, he
like Chaucer’s
Shipman ‘of nyce
conscience took no
keep.’ It was the
way of the world,
even for crusaders!
Personally I will be
delighted to turn
the spotlight on
John Hawley in 2008.
He represents
something of the
colourful,
significant and
often inspiring
history of our town
which deserves to be
celebrated. To many
in his day he was
‘venerabilis vir’, a
man of distinction
and something of a
national hero. Call
him pirate or
privateer it is
surely a matter of
semantics; even
Francis Drake was
charged with leaving
his post as
Vice-Admiral during
the battle of the
Armada to shepherd a
prize he wanted for
himself into a safe
harbour!
Nor is it of great
concern whether
Hawley is to be
spelt with a ‘w’ or
a ‘u’. These letters
were often
interchangeable at
the infancy of our
language (I always
thought the splendid
tugs of the Lower
Ferry were called
Hauley thanks to a
witty pun.) But we
may all be persuaded
to revise our views
when the new
biography of John
Hawley is published,
very appropriately,
to mark this very
special occasion.
What matters is that
we beat the drum,
blow the bugle and
make a merry din as
most surely he so
often did.
HAWLEY CELEBRATIONS
UPDATE
This year sees the
600th anniversary of
the death of John
Hawley. He was a
remarkable man and a
powerful influence
in the life of our
town. At the end of
June and in early
July there will be a
number of events and
activities to mark
Hawley’s death.
These are listed in
the “Hawley 600”
leaflet, but certain
things will take
place in St
Saviour’s, much of
which was built by
Hawley
First a specially
written play will be
performed in the
Church on the
evenings of 29th and
30th of June and on
1st July. It will be
performed by the
Dartmouth Players
and tickets are
£7.00.
On 4th, 5th and 6th
July there will be a
Flower Festival in
St Saviour’s, in
which all the
aspects of Hawley’s
life will be
depicted in flowers.
Admission is free,
but a festival like
this costs a huge
amount of money to
mount and visitors
will be asked to
make a donation. The
Hawley Brass will be
on display all week
In addition our
local schools have
given over two whole
days to Hawley.
There will be some
re-enactors around
the town from time
to time, so keep
your eyes open; you
may just run into
John Hawley himself
one day.
On the 25th July a
brand new book on
Hawley by Michael
Connors will be
published. It is a
carefully researched
account of his life
and achievements.
Also a smaller but
equally interesting
booklet is being
published by our
local History
Research group. The
Museum is mounting
an exhibition to be
shown at the Flavel
Centre. Sir Geoffrey
Newman is leading a
Hawley Trail,
visiting sites
associated with the
great man. Details
will be published
nearer the time.
Sunday 6th July is
Sea Sunday, when we
join with the
Missions to
Seafarers to think
about all who work
on the sea,
sometimes in
difficult and
dangerous
conditions. There
will be a special
service of Evensong
at St Petrox at
6.30pm at which we
will also remember
Hawley, who was of
course a seafarer.
There has been some
discussion about how
to spell his name.
Should it be Hauley,
as on the lower
ferry and Hauley
Road or Hawley as in
many books? The
second spelling has
been used here
because it the one
to be used in
Michael Connors’
book.
Some have queried
the reasons for
commemorating
someone who may have
not always operated
strictly within the
law. On the other
hand we would not
have St Saviour’s
Church without him.
Hawley was certainly
a mixture. Perhaps
he was like the rest
of us.
‘OUR MEN IN SOUTH
AFRICA’ - A Report
by Sam James
Since Christopher
returned back to
England, both Joe
and I have been very
busy in South
Africa. We quickly
built up a routine
at the school and
became very settled
into our two host
families; the
Matasimbas during
the week, and the
Allwoods at the
weekends. Both
families have
accommodated and
welcomed us
fantastically and we
have formed close
relationships with
them. The teaching
has not been what we
had expected. We
thought that we were
going to be teaching
assistants, and
generally helping
out at the school,
but we have actually
been doing quite a
lot of the proper
teaching in our
respective classes.
We didn’t expect it,
but it is quite
honouring to us that
the teachers feel
that we are
competent enough to
lead the class and
want to make use of
the skills we may
have. Joe teaches in
Grade 1 and 2, and I
teach in Grade 3 and
4. We cover basic
subjects like Maths,
English and Life
Skills, with the
additional subjects
of Social Science,
Technology, Natural
Science, Xhosa (the
local language), and
Life Orientation in
Grade 4. The
teachers
unfortunately do not
have very good
skills when compared
with English
teachers. They
haven’t received the
same training which
unfortunately
consequents in the
restriction of
learning, so the
project aims to
assist them as much
as possible to try
and up-lift the
children’s
education. Rewards
are rarely given to
hard-working
students, and weaker
students are not
helped quite as much
as they could be,
which is something
Joe and I have
changed. The
children have come
to respect us and
like us, purely
because we show a
lot of interest in
them, and encourage
them to learn. Each
child is so eager to
learn and it is
wonderful that they
appreciate the hard
work we are putting
into the school.
General jobs like
fixing tables and
chairs, painting
walls and
blackboards take up
some of the
afternoons, and we
have also made
shelves and a shower
for our own
facilities.
The first term at
the primary school
ended with us both
exhausted and ready
for the long summer
holiday. We were
pleased with how
well we had both
settled into the
school and had
become completely
involved in
everything that
happens at the
school. Over the
holidays, we were
still very busy, and
managed to travel
around a little bit.
We started off by
going to the nearby
mountainous region
of Hogsback, which
hosts tall
mountains, forests
and many waterfalls,
and was a relaxing
getaway. We then
went to the Addo
Elephant National
Park for our safari
trip. The first day
was spent travelling
round the game
reserve, where we
saw many elephants,
buffalo, tortoises,
and various species
of buck. The second
day consisted of us
going elephant-back
riding, which was
fantastic and a
unique experience,
although a little
painful! We were
meant to go on
another game drive
on the third day to
see rhinos and
lions, but
unfortunately Joe
developed muscle
spasms in his back
and we spent the day
in hospital in Port
Elizabeth. Joe
recovered quickly
thankfully. During
the rest of the
holiday we spent
time with the
Allwoods in King
William’s Town, and
a week with their
friends in the
seaside town of Port
Alfred. Christmas
was spent in Jubisa
with the Matasimba
family and we had a
wonderful time. It
was a little strange
celebrating
Christmas in hot
conditions, but it
was great to spend
the festive season
with our new family.
There was a big
birthday celebration
on Christmas Eve for
three of Thamie’s
grandchildren: Qhama,
Mahlubi and Sisipho.
This was as their
mother had come down
from Johannesburg
and they only get to
see her once or
twice a year. Thamie
is an amazing man,
and it is all thanks
to him that we have
settled so quickly
into our new
environments. He is
approaching seventy
but still works very
long hours in his
garden and tending
to his animals. He
takes pride in his
marvellous vegetable
patch, which is by
far the best in the
village. He and the
rest of his family
look after us very
well and it will
surely be very
difficult for us to
leave. Now we are
looking forward to
getting back to the
school so we can
begin teaching
different classes
and getting to know
more students.
ST SAVIOUR'S
CHURCHYARD
Recently there
has been an effort
to improve the look
of St. Saviour’s
Churchyard. It
occupies a very
prominent position
in the town and it
is important that it
is well cared for.
The Churchyard was
closed for burial
many years ago
because it was full,
although a small
area at the west end
was reserved for the
burial of cremated
remains, under the
supervision of the
St. Saviour’s
District Church
Council. This area
is now almost full,
and the District
Church Council has
decided that there
will no more
burials, except of
those where spaces
have already been
reserved.
Closed Churchyards
are the
responsibility of
the local authority
and St.Saviour’s is
maintained by
Dartmouth Town
Council. Generally
they do a very good
job, but are not
able to do much more
than mow the grass.
There are several
ways in which the
public, especially
regular visitors to
the Church yard can
help with the upkeep
of the Churchyard.
These particularly
concern the ashes
area.
1. Please remove
dead flowers. There
is no one else
appointed to do
this. There is a
compost bin provided
for all compostable
material and a
separate rubbish bin
for other material
such as sticks, rose
cuttings, oasis,
paper, plastic or
glass.
2. Please do not dig
up the ground around
the graves or plant
plants around the
graves. If you use
planters, please
look after the
plants in them or
remove them if they
die. Also please do
not place stones,
gravel or other
objects around the
graves. For obvious
reasons it is
strictly speaking
illegal to dig in
Churchyards anyway.
Also these things
make maintenance
more difficult.
3. Fortunately we
are able to leave
the Churchyard open
via the north gate,
but sometimes this
is abused. Bottles
and other things,
some very
unpleasant, have
been found in the
churchyard. Everyone
is asked to keep a
friendly eye on it
so that it may
continue to be a
suitable and
respected resting
place for the
departed and a
peaceful and
pleasant place for
the living.
REAL GIVING
The basis
Once in a while the
subject of giving
has to be addressed.
Some might say that
it is really the
subject of money,
but it is giving
that matters. There
is a basic belief
behind Christian
giving. This is that
the Church is the
people of God. It is
not a separate
organisation, which
we may or may not
choose to support.
When a person
becomes a committed
member of the
Christian Church he
or she takes on a
responsibility for
it. It is as simple
as that. If we
believe that the
Church is the Body
of Christ and has a
vital purpose in the
world, and if we
find it brings
purpose and hope to
our own lives we
need take our
responsibility very
seriously.
The need
Certain myths
persist. Some still
believe that the
Church gets money
from the state. This
is not true. A body
called the Church
Commissioners, which
was set up by
Parliament not the
Church, looks after
inherited money,
which supports the
church to a limited
extent, mostly by
providing clergy
pensions. Locally it
is sometimes said
that the Church has
plenty of money.
This is probably
because the Church
gets help with the
maintenance of
buildings from the
Dartmouth Trust.
This money is quite
limited and is not
available for our
huge running costs.
Last year in
addition to all the
day to day expenses
and heating and
lighting the parish
contributed £46000
to the Diocesan
Common Fund which
pays and houses the
clergy. This is not
far from a thousand
pounds a week for
this alone and is
totally provided by
parishioners..
Thanks
Fund raising takes
place during the
year, but the main
income of the Church
is from giving.
Thankfully we have
always had enough
people who take
their responsibly
seriously and give
generously. Their
regular guaranteed
giving is the
foundation upon
which the Church is
able to do its work.
The accounts last
year show that we
only just broke
even. This is
extremely worrying,
because costs will
only rise. It is
therefore time to
ask all church
members to think
about their giving
and ask whether it
has kept pace with
rising costs. The
best way is to
compare what we give
to the Church with
what we spend on
other things,
especially
inessentials. This
can be very
revealing. For
example if we give
the Church less than
we spend on things
like newspapers, or
coffee or drink what
does that say about
us?
Commitment
All are asked to
commit themselves to
regular giving. This
may be done by
banker’s order or
through the envelope
scheme. These make
sure our giving goes
on, even if we are
not able to get to
Church. All tax
payers are
encouraged to use
Gift Aid which
greatly increases
the value of the
gift. Our
congregations
contain a wide range
of people and means
vary. No one is able
to tell someone else
how much they should
give, but we should
all accept the
biblical principle
that we are the
Church and make our
own personal
decision
responsibly.
The Wonderful Web
More and more people
use the Internet.
For many people
Email is the main
way of
communicating. It is
amazing that you can
write something down
and someone else can
read it within
seconds anywhere in
the world. It is
surprising how many
people in Dartmouth
use it to keep in
touch with families
and friends. It is a
particular godsend
to those who have
problems with their
hearing and for
those who have
relatives and
friends abroad.
More and more
organisations have
their own Web Site.
The Diocese of Exeter
also has a web site
and uses the
internet to
communicate with
parishes. The
address is
www.exeter.anglican.org.
It has recently been
improved and
contains a lot of
interesting
material.
In the parish,
whereas only a few
years ago, the
minutes of meetings
were read out of a
big book, most of
them are now sent to
the members through
Email. There are
Email addresses for
the clergy and the
Parish Office and
they should be on
the back page of the
magazine.
Worship is our first
duty, and we try,
and hopefully make
the worship here,
both reverent and
accessible. What is
not so obvious at
first is the life of
the Church within
the community. The
Anglican Church has
always sought to
serve God through
the life of the
community.
Here in Dartmouth we
try to do that
through involvement
in all aspects of
local life.
Brace
yourselves
Generally speaking
we do not have to
keep having lots of
appeals to pay the
bills in the parish
of Dartmouth. We are
fortunate in having
a lot of regular
givers who are
absolutely crucial
to the life of the
Church. These people
make sure the
Churches are opened
and staffed week by
week. It is
generally reckoned
that in the Diocese
of Exeter the Church
needs an average of
£8.00 a week from
all Electoral Roll
members to do its
work. Thankfully we
have enough good and
methodical givers to
make sure our income
is maintained.
In addition we have
some historic funds
which are available
to help with
buildings. The
parish is unusual in
having three Grade 1
Listed buildings,
which means all
repair and
maintenance work has
to be done to the
highest standards.
Soon this may
change. We are now
approaching the
final stages of
planning for the
development work at
St.Clement’s. The
DCC believe they
have satisfied all
the agencies that
have a say in these
matters. These are
English Heritage,
The Victorian
Society, The Council
for the Care of
Churches The Society
for the Protection
of Ancient Buildings
and of course the
Diocese of Exeter.
It should be
possible to make the
formal application
for a Faculty to
undertake the work
soon. The work has
not gone to tender
but the Architect
has given the DCC an
indication of costs.
The total cost could
be as much as
£250,000. This is a
hefty sum for the
parish to meet, but
the DCC believe that
it is achievable and
that unless the
building is brought
up to date its
future is uncertain.
There are some
invested funds
earmarked for this
work and some money
from legacies.
However it is not
enough and an appeal
will be necessary.
Throughout the
process every effort
has been made to
keep parishioners up
to date with
developments and to
listen to people’s
views.
At the same time,
some vital remedial
work is scheduled
for St.Petrox. Last
year the gable end
was repaired and the
weather protection
improved. The next
step is to enable
the walls to dry and
then re-plaster the
interior which is in
a terrible state.
Again this will be
extremely expensive
and there are only
limited funds
available. An appeal
will be necessary.
It is worth
mentioning also that
the problems with
the Gallery at
St.Saviour’s are
being investigated
and the Architect is
preparing plans to
strengthen the
supports. Needless
to say this will
cost a lot.
In this parish
there are people
with a particular
link with one or
other of our
churches and it is
good thing to have a
particular focus for
our commitment and
devotion. At the
same time we are one
parish and there is
only any point in
having three
churches if they
provide something
unique within the
general work of
mission here. Thus
all parishioners
have an interest in
the matters and will
all be able to make
a considered
response to the
appeals when they
are made. Hopefully
the result will be a
better equipped
parish for its work
in the future.
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