All went to plan on Saturday as members of Blockley and Bourton congregations and two dogs set off from Ebrington where we were kindly given tea, coffee and cake to build us up for our journeys! Some did the Ebrington to Paxford leg, some Ebrington to Blockley, where others joined us for lunch and the walk to Bourton. A few then walked back to Blockley via Batsford. Naomi and Roger had planned the morning route and Anne and Leslie Packer had planned the afternoon route. The achievement of the day was that of Derek Luff who, after many many months of pain and struggling to walk and a massive back operation at the end of July, set himself the challenge of walking between Blockley and Bourton churches. He did it in about 5 hours with great grit and determination. An amazing success for which we send huge congratulations. Thank you to all who sponsored us. Both churches have nearly reached their targets - it's not too late to donate!!
Sunday lunchtime we were delighted to welcome Maureen Sullivan from Arizona, USA and two other visitors from Canada who were in England to attend the memorial service for the crew of a Halifax bomber which crashed on Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham, in the early hours of 26 August 1944. Maureen's mother was pregnant with Maureen at the time so she never knew her father, Flight lieutenant Charles Maurice Howes, who was on board. Local organiser, Judith Wordsworth, had done some research and found that Maureen's ancestor, William Howes (Howe) had been baptised on 4 Jan 1802 at St Lawrence, Bourton on the Hill and also Abraham Howes was baptised on 2 Aug 1829 in our church. Although the records are in the archives in Gloucester, we could show them the font, the list of rectors, the Winchester Bushel measure which dates from that period and the church and churchyard. Naomi and Roger from St. Lawrence attended the memorial service and dedication of a stone and plaque which took place on Cleeve Hill on Bank Holiday Monday. It was a short moving service which ended with a flypast by an RAF Atlas aircraft. Read more at https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2024-08-26/the-cleeve-hill-plane-crash-80-years-on-what-happened-on-fateful-day
