NEWS
We were pleased to welcome Fr Desmond Banister for his first service as celebrant at Holy Trinity Barsham on 21st April.
On Sunday 28th April, Cheryl led a five-mile ramble for a group of two dozen walkers and canine friends from the Hempnall Sunday Walking Group and Barsham. Having explored the footpaths from Barsham Church to Beccles, the group paused to admire the view across the marshes from the terrace of St Michael’s in the town. The return route via Puddingmoor and the Angles Way, afforded the walkers views of Holy Trinity Barsham for the last mile, which surely sharpened their appetites for the delicious tea that awaited them there. Many thanks to Cheryl for skilfully organising the event and to all who provided the fine refreshments at journey’s end.
At the invitation of Bishop Martin Seeley, Bridget and Cheryl attended a tea and special service of Choral Evensong at St Edmundsbury Cathedral to celebrate the work of churchwardens in the Diocese. There were around 500 attendees, including 150 churchwardens. The Bishop said: ‘So much of the work undertaken by churchwardens to support the life and witness of our churches and benefices is often hidden and goes on behind the scenes. The service was a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude on behalf of the people, clergy, lay ministers and parishes of Suffolk.’ Here in Barsham, we are most appreciative of the work done on our behalf by Bridget and Diana, and now Cheryl.
Thanks to some generous donations, Dominique has been able to commission the construction of six swift boxes for the belfry and these have now been installed. Dominique has also sourced a sound system from SOS Swifts so that swift calls can be emitted to attract the birds.
In addition, Barsham PCC gratefully acknowledges a donation of £200.00 and a further donation of £200.00 from the Hempnall Sunday Walking Group event.
Colin and the PCC express a special thanks to those who have kindly and generously recently increased their giving whether by standing order, freewill envelopes or cash in the offertory bag, all of which greatly aid the finances and viability of Holy Trinity Church.
The sales table organised by Bridget raised a splendid £110.00.
The Food Bank was pleased to receive 237 items from us in April.
FORWARD PLANNING
Psalm-singing workshop, Saturday 15th June, 10am-3pm at Holy Trinity Bungay. This is a workshop for anyone interested in why and how to sing the Psalms: no prior experience and no particular musical skills are needed. Details and a booking form may be found at: https://www.psalmroar.org/suffolk
On Sunday 16th June the service will start at 11.15am.
The Deanery Synod is to be held at Barsham on Monday 24th June at 7.30pm.
The annual Summer Lunch at St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow will take place on Wednesday 17th July by kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick. Details to follow.
Harvest Festival Evensong & Supper will be on Sunday 13th October.
SNIPPETS – Swifts: Scimitars of the Sky!
Swifts are summer visitors to our shores, here just from May to August. These extraordinary birds feed and sleep on the wing, and land only to breed. A newly fledged Swift will shuttle between here and Africa for two or three years before finally landing to breed. They typically produce a brood of two or three chicks each year and they can live for up to 20 years.
The swift boxes recently installed in the belfry have been made to fit the Barsham belfry openings to a specification provided by SOS Swifts – Save Our Suffolk Swifts – a joint project between Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Suffolk Bird Group. The project has been set up to arrest the decline in swift numbers, which have fallen by over 50% in the past 25 years.
At Holy Trinity Barsham we are able to contribute in a number of ways to the objectives of SOS Swifts. First, we have installed the boxes to provide new nesting spaces, and since swifts are gregarious birds, we have installed six boxes. Second, we are installing a purpose-designed sound system to play swift calls to advertise the nest boxes, mimicking the low-level screeching that swifts make around existing nest sites and greatly increasing the likelihood that the boxes will be used. The best times to play the calls is between 7am and 9am, and from 7pm until dusk. The birds most likely to be attracted by the calls are adult birds that have lost a previous nest site and are looking for new sites, three-year-old juveniles looking for a nest site for the following year, and birds from an over-crowded colony nearby. We are told to expect that the birds might investigate this year and possibly use the nest boxes next year, or the year after: immediate occupancy is unlikely. Third, the churchyard and its surroundings are rich in food for swifts. The wildlife-friendly management of the churchyard and its wide variety of flowers and grasses make an excellent breeding ground and habitat for insects, likewise the Rectory paddock with its ponds, and the pollen and nectar strip and recently restored ponds in the field behind the church.
JUNE DIARY
Sunday 2nd June – First Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJonathan Olanczuk.
Sunday 9th June – Second Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 16th June – Third Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.
Sunday 23rd June – Fourth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey.
Sunday 30th June – Fifth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey.
6.30pm Benefice Evensong, All Saints Mettingham. Revd Josh Bailey.
Wednesdays at 8.45am – Matins at Barsham.
Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, [email protected]