Following the Prime Minister's announcements on Sunday 10th May, it has become clear that it is extremely unlikely that we will be allowed to run the Band Concert on 27th June and there is no indication as to when this sort of event will be allowed. We had hoped that the situation may have improved enough for outdoor gatherings of less than 500 to be permitted by then but that is not to be the case. Our health and safety has to take precedence over leisure activities which is sensible. We had considered moving the event to August but that did not prove possible and, of course there is no guarantee that it would be allowed then. It is therefore cancelled for this year. On a brighter note however, Mr & Mrs Burrows have very kindly confirmed that they are happy to host the event in 2021 so we have something to look forward to, albeit a long way off, This cancellation is disappointing for us all but is particularly disappointing to our Church as have had to cancel or postpone many events and we had hoped that this event would be a celebration of our return to some sort of normality as well as raising money for our Bell Restoration appeal. It would also have been a further celebration of the VE Day 75th anniversary.If you are amongst the 209 ticket holders who have paid for their tickets, you can either return your tickets with a stamped addressed envelope for me to send you a cheque refund (sorry we do not yet have BACS facilities on the Church bank account) or alternatively you can keep the tickets and use them to attend next year's event. The date of next year's event will be announced in October so you can claim a full refund up to 31st October 2020 in case next year's date is not possible for you. I will endeavour to send out refunds within 7 days of receiving returned tickets.
<span style="font-size: 1rem;">At the time of writing this (10th April) we are all in the depths of the very odd but necessary restriction brought about by the Coronavirus Pandemic. this has completely disrupted everybody's lives and plans. The Church is no different and we have had three weeks now since we were allowed in the Church and are looking forward to a very strange Easter. Looking forward we are having to make decisions about those events in our Church calendar that are established parts of our community life. None of us knows what the situation will be in a month let alone several month's time. Below is the latest status of events over next 4 months.</span>Annual Church Fete This was planned for 6th June. With the type of fun event this is and the amount of food serving we anticipate that there will still be restrictions in place that allow this to proceed. We have therefore taken the decision to postpone this event in the hope that we can rearrange latter in the year on Saturday 5th September.Open Air Picnic Concert at Barham HallWith a limit of 499 people attending including the band; it being held in the open air in a wide open space; and no food being served, we are still very hopeful that this event can go ahead on 27th June as planned. Mr & Mrs Burrows and the Band are still happy for it to proceed if the regulations allow. The band have the music and are practising in their homes so that they are ready when they can get together. If in the event this proves impossible in June, we will look to rearrange it later in the summer - we all need something to look forward to. In the event that the concert is postponed all ticket holder will be able to claim a full refund by returning their tickets if the new date is not convenient or if we cannot arrange a new date. Therefore tickets are very much still on sale at the discount price of £12 until 20th May and thereafter £15 each. You can obtain tickets from Roger Colthorpe 5 Phillipps Road.with Cheques payable to Claydon & Barham PCC. Please ensure that you include a self-addressed envelope and an email address or, if not, a phone number so that you can be advised of any changed arrangements.At the time of writing over a third of the tickets have been sold.J-Team Holiday ClubThis is scheduled for 12th to 15th August when we hope the restrictions will have been lifted and it will be safe to proceed. The leaders are taking advantage of this time of confinement to prepare early so that they can be free to enjoy the summer. Applications for this year's J-team will be invited from 1st May and will be allocated on a strict first come first served basis in each age group. Application forms will be emailed to all previous attendees and others can receive an application form by emailing rogercolthorpe@aol.com. The club is open to all children currently of primary school age and the fee for the three days is £12 per child. In the unlikely event that this event has to be cancelled the fees will be refunded.
During this unprecedented crisis we will not be holding any services in order to safeguard as far as possible our congregation and our ministry team. This follows the announcement made by the Archbishops made on 16th March. We encourage our congregation to join in Sunday Worship broadcast by the BBC or streamed on Facebook by our Cathedral.Our Church will remain open during this period seven days per week between 10am and 4pm at least for private prayer. If you encounter others whilst in the Church please maintain the recommended minimum distance of 2 metres from others.
It was announced in December that The Revd Carl Melville, currently Rector of Claydon and Barham, Henley and Gt Blakenham, has been appointed Rector of the Bacton Benefice (Bacton, Wyverstone, Cotton, Wickham Skeith, Old Newton, Gipping).Rev Carl's Sunday will be 15th March and will be marked by a 10.30 Benefice Service in Claydon High School followed by a shared lunch in the nearby Community Centre. His licencing and installation as Rector of the Bacton Benefice will take place on Thursday 2nd April at 7.30pmPlease pray for Carl and both Benefices during this period of transition.Revd Carl says: 'I look forward to the next stage of my ministry with the Bacton Benefice. I will of course find it very difficult to leave Claydon having built up many friendships in and out of Church circles. The love and sense of community that has surrounded me over the past 3.5 years has been immense.”
