Members of the 3 small parishes of Eccles, Wilby and Quidenham gathered for a Service of the Word this morning, led by Peter Lotarius. His address took us to the roots of Mothering Sunday, the tradition of returning to our "Mother Church" Posies created by ladies from Wilby, were handed out to all members of the congregation for distribution to their relatives and neighbours.
Draw tickets have been sold with £500 raised.We are grateful to the following local businesses for their kind prize donations: 1st Prize by Di Newson in Wilby - original artwork; MSV Race Day at Snetterton; The Gamekeeper voucher, Harrow & Fearn voucher; Chet Valley fizz; Peter Beales rose voucher; Southwold pictureAs Wilby Church is not yet open, the draw took place at St Andrew's Quidenham after the Mothering Sunday service. We were delighted to be able to present the first prize to Jill, who was at the service.
Thanks to the dedication and vision of Wilby's community for the last four years, the generosity of our grant awarding bodies has resulted in a spectacular new roof for the chancel to assure watertight integrity, together with a rebuilt buttress to support the bulging north nave wall. None of this could have been achieved without our committed and enthusiastic architect, Ruth, putting together a team of restoration experts and contractors - in line with the Wilby philosophy of building 'communities of practice' - who were able to overcome setbacks and provide a roof that exceeded the original specification. The final part of the repair project will see a traditional lathe and plaster ceiling to recreate the 17th century replacement that was installed following the 1633 fire that destroyed the 14th century original.
The village came together on Sunday afternoon to gather in a sunny part of the churchyard for a brief act of worship. In her prayer of blessing, Reverend Sarah Walsh prayed for the wellbeing of the building team and gave thanks for the funding we have received to make the project viable. Particular thanks were given to the representatives of two grant bodies who joined us: Scilla from the Norfolk Churches Trust and Beatrice from the National Churches Trust.Sunday 15th October 2023
