On the 19th July this year we celebrated the Bicentenary of George Edmund Street, the architect of St Mary’s with a Heritage Day. St Mary’s was Street’s first commission at the age of 22 years and he went on to be famous culminating in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.The day dawned sunny and bright, a good omen for the day ahead. We gathered together in St Mary’s at 9.30 for a service of Holy Communion celebrated by Fr Jake. Coffee was then served giving those present, time to look at some of the information and displays in the church. We were then treated to a very interesting talk by the Rev Canon Michael Warner, who spoke about the life and works of our famous architect, G E Street, the first vicar George Rundle Prynne and the history of St Mary’s. There is always something new to learn and we were all interested in what he had to tell us.Following the talk Diana Osborne led a large number of those present on a tour of part of the churchyard, giving an insight into the history of some of the people buried there, areas of particular interest and about the plants and wildlife found there. A pasty lunch followed and it was good to see so many people both inside the church and outside on the seats and steps in the sunshine, enjoying a traditional Cornish lunch. Those inside the church were treated to some Victorian music provided by Fr Jake Loewendahl on violin accompanied by his wife Olivia on the keyboard. The music was greatly appreciated by those present.The afternoon session began with a talk by Mr Michael Swift on stained glass windows, particularly the windows in St Mary’s. We were amazed to find that the windows had a historical value of their own, putting it on a parallel with the importance of the church being Street’s first commission. Medieval stained glass in churches was mostly destroyed during the Reformation and they were replaced with plain glass, however at the time of the building of St Mary’s there was a renewed interest in stained glass and churches were being built in the Gothic style with windows showing Bible stories and religious images. St Mary’s was one of the first in Cornwall to have both, with the scenes from the Crucifixion, above the High Altar and Mary and her mother in the Sanctuary and Saints in the Chancel windows. Also the number installed far outnumbered other churches in Cornwall during the Victorian period. We are all looking at the windows with different eyes now and seeing things that we had not seen before and were all fascinated by the talk given.There was then another chance to go around the churchyard and to look at the church and have a cream tea, while our talented organist Angeline played the organ which had been built originally for St Day Church in 1858 and moved to St Mary’s in the mid 1950’s.The day ended with a short service of Compline, in thanksgiving and praise for the wonderful day we had all experienced. During the service we said Psalm 122, the psalm that had been chanted at the service in 1848. The Rev Canon Michael Warner said at the end of his talk, he wondered what Street, and all attending the first services held in St Mary’s, would think of the building today, and what would we ask Street if we met him. So many changes have been made to the interior although the outside remains the same beautiful rose colour it always was. Everyone who came had obviously enjoyed the day and it was a day we can be proud of. Fundraising was not the ultimate or initial reason for the day, but people who came were generous and we received £426 in donations towards the Fund to restore the Organ, for which we are extremely grateful. Thank you everyone.Anne Weaver
The last day of term for all those who attend Par Little Lambs was on Tuesday 9th July when the children decorated a homemade bun from the kitchen of Ann Dewings, who also made various colours of icing – not too runny! – which the children spread over their bun and added sprinkles – a lot of fun! After the usual play time, riding bikes, pushing prams and walkers, creating “unusual” plates of food from the kitchenette, and becoming airline pilots with the box of airplanes, a lively music making session followed with Fr Derek and his guitar. Derek has been music making with the children all year and enjoys himself as much as the children do! It has become a tradition, at Little Lambs, that on the last day of term we have a “Teddy Bears Picnic” in place of the usual refreshment time. The children each brought a (small) picnic box of food and sat around a range of ‘teddy bears’ to enjoy their picnic. ‘Teddy’ has had a complete makeover since the 1950s! He came disguised as an elephant, a rabbit, a lamb, a spotty dog, a frog and a wooden caterpillar! There was even an ‘older’ hand knitted teddy…. who we all thought had a likeness to Fr Derek? We also had a once loved teddy from a charity shop and an enormous teddy bigger than any child! It was a fitting way to enjoy each other’s company on the last day of term.The Little Lambs display board is now looking complete with a beautiful rainbow - each colour created with a different material or texture, which the group has been working on since April. The rainbow has been the theme throughout the summer term, so the board includes a giraffe – yellow, a flower – red, a green pasta bracelet, some orange wax rubbed animal shapes, a grape vine and a blue mermaid - suitably clothed!17 toddlers are now registered with the group, so we do have a few vacancies if anyone would like to join us. This is a Parent/Carer & Toddler Group who meet every Tuesday, during school term time at 10am – noon in the Bishop Gott Hall Memorial, Par Green. There is always an activity, singing and music making, a picnic time, play time, story time and free play time. There is also a baby corner for the under one-year olds. Please contact Jill--carmears@hotmail.com for further information.Jill Hore
Little Lambs ‘Spring’ news * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Following the joyous occasion of the Nativity Pay and the generous donations of £111 being sent to Little Harbour Children’s Hospice, the children looked forward to the excitement of Christmas Day and all that goes with it - the ripping open of numerous presents from family and friends, tucking into a Christmas dinner and family games. Some of the children would not be returning to Little Lambs as they were now entitled to attend nursery at various schools, and so the number returning to group in January would be less. Nevertheless, we need not have been concerned. A poster on the PL24 Facebook page had young families exchanging conversations about us and as a result 6 new families have joined us bringing along 7 toddlers. Great News! We began the new term with a ‘Mucky Pastry’ activity, making animal shapes and generally having a marvellous time! Some children even took some pastry home to use again! They all made animal shape sandwiches the following week. Choosing a filling was a bit difficult - cheese spread, lemon curd and red jam all sounded delicious. Ann even made a lemon curd sandwich for Fr Derek - which was very agreeable! During the cold spell we have been having our singing and story time in the hall, and Derek has been entertaining in the background for much of the morning while the children complete their activity and play with the toys. Some of the children just sit and listen to him play and chat away to him, which is delightful. Painting is always a treat and often messy, so aprons and a bowl of water are provided, and the animal prints came out really well. The display board has now a few of our creations on display, and will gradually fill up as the term progresses. Making sheep, hand painting trees, decorating cakes, making cards and planting seeds are some of the activities we are to cover during the coming weeks. If you know a family with a toddler or baby who would appreciate a couple of hours, in the warm, making friends, talking and watching children enjoying themselves in a safe environment then please contact Barbara 07752 138196. Jill Hore
