NEWS
There will be an opportunity to thank Revd Josh and to say farewell over drinks and buffet after his final Sunday service at Barsham on 4th August.
At its July meeting the PCC learned that there are no immediate plans for the appointment of Revd Josh’s successor, though discussions are taking place. Sunday services will continue under Revds Jonathan, John and Desmond, and Revd Jonathan has kindly offered to provide pastoral support to any who seek it.
At the kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick the Summer Lunch took place at St Bartholomew’s, Shipmeadow on 17th July (cover photo). Excellent company and a very fine spread of food made for a most enjoyable afternoon for the 50 or so who attended. Huge thanks to those who helped in the planning, the provision and preparation of food and drink, the running of the raffle, and setting up and clearing away. The event raised £801.00, including £277.00 from the raffle.
There was a short ceremony in the rain on Sunday 30th June for the interment of the ashes of the late Philip Wills, former organist and choirmaster at Barsham. Colin Harris knew him of old and writes an appreciation below.
Congratulations to Bridget and Cheryl on being elected to represent the Deanery in the House of Laiety at the Diocesan Synod for the next triennium, commencing in August.
The Revd Dominic Doble has succeeded Revd Josh in the role of Rural Dean and was licensed by the Archdeacon of Suffolk at St Peter’s Spexhall on 14th July.
Haymaking in the churchyard, Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th July will be undertaken by a workforce under the supervision of the Probation Service with help from volunteers from our own church community. Once again, Chris Bardsley has kindly offered to provide a ploughman’s lunch. Do come for as much time as you can spare and please bring your own rake.
Chris Bardsley would love to have any unwanted costume jewellery, beads and cufflinks – but no earrings and nothing valuable – for her Jewellery Bonanza at the July sales table.
Congratulations to Doreen Springall who has recently ‘retired’ from writing her monthly piece in The Sheaf, having given faithful service as correspondent for Barsham with Shipmeadow since the magazine’s inception.
The sales table organised by Margaret produced a healthy £90.00 and Sarah Jane raised a splendid £120.00 for the Fabric Fund by running a market stall in Beccles.
We sent 125 items donated to the Food Bank in June.
FORWARD PLANNING
Saturday 14th September, 9am-5pm – the annual Suffolk Historic Churches Trust Ride, Stride and Drive. The SHCT charity raises funds for the repair and restoration of churches and chapels in Suffolk. Of the money you might raise by sponsorship, half comes direct to Holy Trinity Barsham and the remainder is placed in a central fund from which grants are made. Dick Carter is the Barsham organiser, and Cheryl Coutts is the Beccles area coordinator. They would be grateful for participants and helpers on the day, so please keep the date free in your diary!
Philip Wills, Barsham organist & choirmaster – an appreciation by Colin Harris
It was my privilege to bear the ashes of Philip Wills to a final resting place in the peaceful graveyard of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity Barsham on Sunday 30th June. I had hoped to render a few words appropriate to the occasion but decided not to do so as the rain became heavier and few of the mourners were attired for the precipitation.
My mind was cast back to childhood days, for Philip was the headteacher of the primary school I attended in Worlingham, a pretty, early Victorian thatched building funded and built by the Earl of Gosford who had married Mary Sparrow of Worlingham Hall. In 1956 the much loved and highly regarded Miss Janet Hadenham retired having completed 46 years of headship and Philip had the difficult task of establishing his own style of education. He was of course a young man, then only in his mid thirties, and introduced many innovations. Organised school holidays was one, and at a time when most children rarely ventured outside their county, a trip to Kent for us was of unparalleled excitement. I can still recall the splendour of Canterbury Cathedral, the magnificence of Dover Castle, the thrill of the Hythe to Dymchurch railway and above all the wonder of the Ashford railway works.
Another dimension Philip brought and imparted upon his pupils was his love of music. Very soon choirs and wind bands were formed and regularly competed at the annual music festival in Beccles. I can still recall our introduction to recorded music, an inspirational rendition of the Peer Gynt suite which for me lit the flame of a love of classical music. His musical talent soon led him to becoming organist and choirmaster at All Saints Church Worlingham which he undertook with great skill for a number of years before finally moving on to a similar role at Barsham. It is a remarkable achievement that by the time Philip retired in 1983, both he and his predecessor Janet Hadenham had served as headteacher for an unbroken spell of 73 years, a feat unlikely ever to be surpassed.
Time passed, I progressed through schooling and college years, employment, marriage and family and eventually retirement. From the depths of rural Norfolk Margaret and I moved back to Beccles and by an extraordinary coincidence found that Philip and his wife Jean were our neighbours. He of course did not recognise me, but was soon convinced as to my provenance when I produced the inscribed prize book I had received from him on leaving primary school. Although by then he was in his nineties, Philip remained fiercely independent, regularly holidaying with Jean in South Africa. I committed the cardinal sin of once offering him a lift to Evensong at Barsham; I could not have insulted him more than to imply at 98 years of age his driving capability was any less than mine. He continued to drive until shortly before his 100th birthday, when both he and Jean moved to Dell House. It was a strange, inverted symmetry, Philip had guided me in my early formative years, and I hope I was a good friend and neighbour in return during his final years.
AUGUST DIARY
Sunday 4th August – Tenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJosh Bailey.
Sunday 11th August – Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.
Sunday 18th August – Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.
Sunday 25th August – Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Jonathan Olanczuk.
Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, [email protected]