Every year, from early September to late October, people from far and wide come to All Saints Church in Siddington to experience a traditional celebration of harvest time and to marvel at the unique display of over 1000 beautiful corn dollies.Corn dollies are ancient symbols, traditionally made from the last sheaves of a corn harvest which were supposed to contain the corn spirit. They were then kept over winter and broken open in the spring to release the corn spirit and ensure a good harvest for the coming year. Today they form a central part of the annual harvest thanksgiving.The Siddington dollies were all hand-made by the late Raymond Rush. Raymond was a local farmer and a stalwart of the church. He received Maundy Money from Queen Elizabeth 11 at Windsor Castle and in return he left behind one of his dollies. Fortunately, Raymond’s daughter Claire has developed her own skills in corn dolly making and so this spectacular tradition lives on.
If you have any names that you would like to be placed on the weekly pew sheet's prayer list, please would you email rural.daneside@gmail.com or leave a message on the vicarage answerphone on 01260 224447. It would be helpful if you could let us know which church you are with.It would also be very helpful if you could let us know when the name can be taken off the list. Thank you.
Help is needed please, to keep our lovely old churchyard at Siddington looking fabulous. We need to keep the setting for our 500+ year old church in its pristine condition as always. Mowing and general tidying, to have the approach and surrounds attractive, is all required. A few hours to aid the current team is now necessary.If you feel able to help, please contact Andrew Venables on 01260 224214.
James Balme of Historic Churches UK has released a new video entitled 'The Beauty of All Saints - Siddington'. It was partly shot using a drone, giving a vivid picture of where the church fits in the landscape and views of the building not available from ground level. It is particularly appropriate as the church reaches its 500th anniversary since consecration.Click here to see the film.
