Haslemere Parish Link Magazine - December 2020 / January 2021

Haslemere LINK THE PARISH MAGAZINE OF ST BARTHOLOMEW’S AND ST CHRISTOPHER’S

December/January 2021 Suggested donation for a printed copy: £2 1

Parish Contacts Rector Rev Chris Bessant 658107 rector@haslemereparish.org Deacon Curate Rev Justin Manley-Cooper revjustin@haslemereparish.org

Assistant Youth Minister Vacancy Children & Families Worker Victoria Martin families@haslemereparish.org First Steps Mondays in St Christopher’s 0-5 Year Olds Sophie Bessant & Victoria Martin (email as above)

LLM (Reader) Peter Sellars

641032

Church Warden Robert Fox 652055 Geoff Martin 641907 Deputy Wardens Howard Body 658762 Nick Beare 609630 PCC Secretary Cathy Moore 07593 814438 Treasurer Andrew Culshaw 658962 Stewardship Secretary Geoff Martin 641907 Outward Giving Dorothea Nattrass 653216 Director of Music & Organist Clive Osgood 07747 785 940 cliveosgood@hotmail.com

Parish Office The Link, Derby Road Haslemere GU27 1BS Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 9am-3pm office@haslemereparish.org www.haslemereparish.org 01428 644578

Pastoral Visitors Dorothea Nattrass 653216 Peter Sellars 641032 Pastoral Assistant Ruth Pattenden 653033 Ros Webb 648916 Bereavement Visitors Linda Donaldson 644473 Frances Gaiter 648843

Parish Administrator Bryony Atkinson

Homegroups: Vacant

Verger St Bartholomew’s Carol Skeates 642662 Link Bookings Carol Skeates 642662 skeatMalco@aol.com

Safeguarding Officer Cathy Moore 07593 814438 Mothers' Union Treasurer Sue Davis 661115 BRF Representative Sarah Mulliner 643504

Magazine Secretary Ann Lear 651570 office@haslemereparish.org Advertisements Manager: Geoff Martin 641907 Electoral Roll Officer Lynn Lemar 651435 Bell-ringers Paul Bagshaw 656129 Friends of the Parish Bernard Coe 651146 Flowers St Bartholomew’s Sarah Mulliner 643504 St Christopher’s Frances Reincke 607206 Church Care Group Roscelin Rees 651561 Churchyards Philip Hunt 644120 2

Facilities for the disabled Both churches and The Link at St Bartholomew’s have ramped access and space for wheelchairs. Toilets suitable for use by the disabled are available in The Link and at St Christopher’s.

Facilities for the hard of hearing Both churches and The Link have sound amplification and hearing loops.

Facilities for the visually impaired Both churches have good interior lighting and large print weekly notice sheets and service sheets.

Dear Friends .

I suppose you are all wondering what is happening for Christmas……actually I am too! But seriously, as I sit to write on 9th November the only thing I can guarantee is that something will happen. Sometimes painful experience this year has taught me to plan with my fingers crossed. On too many occasions our carefully laid plans have fallen over according to the vagaries of the national situation and the Church of England’s reactions.

So here goes for Christmas Plan ‘A’: On Sunday 6th December we shall return from lockdown to public worship (in theory). On that Sunday - and for 13th and 20th December - there will be 8am and a 10am services as ‘normal’. On 27th December there will be only the 10am service.

Also on 6th December the Families@4 team will be hosting a special extended afternoon session with the aim of making nice Christmas crafts that can find their way as gifts to the elderly and housebound who can’t easily make it out to services. There will also be a lovely Christmas film show in St Bart’s for the children and families afterwards.

For 13th December the traditional choral service of Darkness to Light will be once again run in St Bart’s from 6:00pm. This is a lovely atmospheric Advent service of the ‘O Antiphons’, sometimes known as the ‘Great Os of Advent’. The antiphons are of ancient monastic origins, which recite the names and attributes of Christ.

The much loved Christmas Carol and Nativity services are rather difficult to repeat in church this year, because of the restriction on numbers and moratorium on congregation singing (both inside and outside the church). There really is little alternative than to place them online. We plan to pre-record a 3

shortened carol service, which is then made available online for Sunday 20th December. Also, for the many families, there will be a home-based Christingle service over Zoom on the afternoon of 20th December. A costume nativity drama will be also pre-recorded for children and families, in place of the Christmas Eve afternoon crib services.

Finally, by the time we get to Christmas Day I am pleased to say that we can still gather for the Midnight and Christmas Day services according to the timings from 2019 - 9:30am at St Bartholomew’s and 11:00am at St Christopher’s.

Number restrictions will apply, so please ensure you book on. It’s unlikely to be possible for everyone to come to all the services they would like to.

The Church of England, being ever supportive and helpful, have provided a nice theme of ‘Comfort and Joy’ as a banner for Christmas this year. I hope to tell you more about that in due course. Indeed, this is an opportunity for many to get involved.

On that last note, I will be looking for volunteers to help with the pre-recorded carol and nativity services.

Oh, and one more thing…. it is hoped (but not guaranteed) that we shall be soon able to restart 10:00am morning services at St Christopher’s. We have been waiting for the live-streaming camera to be delivered, and the work on the organ to progress.

Although this is a rather cut-down version of Christmas, the work to prepare each element, and particularly the pre-recorded services, is considerable. Please pray for the team! Energy and creativity are what we need. Do please also find a summary of the Christmas services on a separate page.

God bless you all, as we anticipate the comfort and joy of Christ at the end of a year in which we have all have had to do a lot more giving out than receiving.

Rev Chris Bessant

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The Sundays of Advent and Christmas Sunday 6th, 13th, 20th December - Normal 8:00am and 10:00am services in church and live-streamed. Booking required.

Sunday 6th December 4:00pm - Families@4 is a special extended afternoon session with the aim of making nice Christmas crafts for the housebound. Booking required

Sunday 13th December 6:00pm - A traditional choral service of Darkness to Light in St Bartholomew’s (live-streamed). Booking required.

Sunday 20th December - We plan to pre-record a shortened Carol Service, which is then made available online that day.

Sunday 20th December 4:00pm - A home-based Christingle service over Zoom. Booking required.

Christmas Eve - A pre-recorded nativity drama aimed at children and families.

The nativity drama can be watched online from 10:00am.

Christmas Eve 11:30pm - Midnight Mass at St Bartholomew’s. Booking required.

Christmas Day Morning - 9:30am at St Bartholomew’s and 11:00am at St Christopher’s (live streamed) Booking required.

Sunday 27th December 10:00am - A service in St Bartholomew’s and livestreamed. Booking required.

Booking for all services via the Parish Website: Worship Service Booking.

At the time of publication, these dates are dependant upon the national lockdown ending on 2nd December. Please keep an eye on the parish website and email for possible changes.

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Ordination Day at St Bartholomew’s Saturday, October 10

From left to right: Bishop Jo, Revds Sheila Samuels, Tim Clifford Hill, Sandy Clarke, Justin Manley-Cooper and Bishop Andrew

Mingling outside church after the service: Above: Sandy and Chris Left: Justin and Sandy

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Justin and Bishop Andrew (photo Chris Lemar)

Revd Mary Bowden (All other photos by Sarah Mulliner)

Sandy

Chris and Sophie take a back seat, as Justin presides at his first service of Holy Communion the following day 7

Justin’s Ordination Journey A little while ago I had a lovely cup of tea with Evelyn Hughes. Evelyn’s first comment to me was, ‘Well you’ve had a rather interesting diaconate year!’

One’s diaconate year is the year you spend as a Deacon after Ordination before, hopefully, being Priested at a second Ordination. Well, Evelyn was indeed correct!

In summary, I spent the first five months of the year with Richard Bodle and his team at St. Albans, Hindhead, and St. John’s, in Churt. This was a lovely start to the year, with a great team that welcomed me whole heartedly into their parish and worship life. I learnt a lot from them Justin and Bishop Andrew all, but mostly that worshipping and (Photo by Robert Fox) leading in a slightly different tradition is ok. In fact it is a lot of fun and I cannot thank them enough for their kindness and patience with the new boy!

To arrive back in our parish just before Christmas was a lovely time of year to be back. I say ‘arrive back’ because, given my time at Hindhead and the time I spent on placement ay Holy Trinity Guildford, another highly enjoyable time, I had been away from the parish for about a year, give or take a couple of weeks here and there.

Of course all this seems so long ago now, but the attendances we all enjoyed through that Christmas period were fantastic, all riding on the back of Chris’ coattails as he brought his own special brand of energy and dynamism to the parish. Before long in the New Year the rumours of Covid had started and we were none of us quite sure what that would mean and how much things would change .

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I don’t want to dwell on those changes, they are now obvious to us all, suffice to say though, the parish responded admirably as we all knew it would. The kindness and loveliness of the community outreach has been overwhelming and something that I am sure will last a lot longer than Covid 19. However, another development was that as a Church we had to move into the 21st Century, some might say not before time! This was only possible because Chris had all the necessary skills to get the parish online, whilst himself under lockdown - not an inconsiderable achievement. The heart-warming thing is that the viewing numbers were way in excess of our normal congregations - live streaming is here to stay!

All that then is a back drop to Evelyn’s comment and not really what Ann has asked me to write about, sorry! However, it is important because were we not online, Chris would not have been able to respond to an SOS from the Diocese.

The Diocese had made a commitment that, having postponed ordinations to both deacon and priest in July, these would take place come what may in October. The Cathedral was considered inappropriate for mass ordinations and the Diocese decided to do seven local ordinations in parish churches, but needed volunteers from those that could stream the services. Before you could say Jack Robinson, Chris had his hand up and in the event the streaming of the service at St. Barts was the most professional of the lot.

This meant that I was to be priested in my home parish and church, which made it a thoroughly special moment for me. It also meant that Sandy would be priested at the church she served so well for so many years. I’ll never forget the moment when we were kneeling at the Altar, having been priested, and we both turned to each other with tears in our eyes. That whole day was an emotional rollercoaster that I hadn’t seen coming - there were times when I could barely talk without welling up.

In hindsight I think that is because it had been a very long journey to get to this point. It was also a reaction to Evelyn’s point that it had been an odd year, but also being priested in one’s home parish meant more to me than I realized and that is where I have to thank Chris and the whole parish for making everything so special. So a huge thank you, I owe you all a lot.

Rev. Justin Manley-Cooper Curate 9

Harvest Festival Flowers Since the church wasn’t filled to its usual Harvest capacity, here is an opportunity for those of us who couldn’t attend the service to see photographs of some of the beautiful arrangements made by Sarah Mulliner and her team.

Photographs by Cathy Moore 10

(Donations over the Harvest Festival period went to the Haslemere Food Bank) 7th October 2020 On behalf of Haslemere Foodbank I would like to thank you for the most generous donation of £450.

It is very much appreciated and will go towards buying vouchers and fresh fruit and vegetables for those people who are unfortunately less fortunate than ourselves.

Since Lockdown demand on the Foodbank has risen substantially, and it is with the generosity of those like yourselves at Haslemere Parochial Parish Council that we are able to provide so much more.

Thank you so much again and may I take this opportunity in wishing you all well.

With best wishes Aileen Assender Treasurer (The following refers to money raised at the Macmillan Coffee Morning held at St Christopher’s on September 23) Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Service Midhurst Community Hospital, Dodsley Lane, Midhurst GU29 9AW

6 October 2020 Dear Ms Reincke On behalf of all the team here, I am writing to thank you, and the Haslemere Parish Church, for the very generous donation of £1,500 that has been transferred online into our account.

We are hugely appreciative of this support as this money will go directly towards the continuing work of the Midhurst Macmillan Service.

Once again we would like to thank you for your kindness and support.

With warmest wishes from us all.

Yours sincerely Joanna Stuttaford Service Lead 11

First Steps Circle Time!

Whilst we are unable to run the much loved First Steps toddler group, Sophie and I have been having lots of fun producing First Steps Circle Time videos!

Each week we look at a different message from the Bible and act out the stories as well as singing lots of songs, talking through a craft activity and prayers. So far we have listened to Jesus on the Mount, been in the lion’s den with Daniel, re-enacted the feeding of the 5,000, learnt with Zacchaeus how Jesus will forgive us and found some lost sheep. Our filming takes place mainly in St Bartholomew’s Church and now our technological skills have improved we have become more mobile and even ventured to St Christopher’s!

We greatly enjoy having guests with us – Rita has joined us several times with roles ranging from the disciple Peter to sheepherder and Dorothea was a very credible ‘crowd’ in our film of Zacchaeus and, of course, Gracie makes weekly appearances!

Each week we also film a bedtime prayer which links to the messages for that week and is a lovely way for parents to pray with their children. Please do join us - we can be found on the Haslemere Parish YouTube page or we have our own page within Families on the Parish website!

Victoria Martin Children and Families worker

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As the church of Haslemere, we have decided that there has been too much gloomy news and that it is time to do something fun! The churches of St. Bartholomew, St. Christopher, All Saints Grayswood and in association with St. Stephens’s Shottermill, would like to support the whole community by sponsoring a Christmas shop window competition.

The aim of the competition is to have a lot of fun, to encourage local spending and to draw together as a community. There are four prizes to be won, each of which will be a wonderful Christmas hamper filled with locally-sourced goodies.

A judging panel will award the prizes for Most Innovative and Most Festive shop windows while the Community Choice winner will be decided by public vote. Voting can be done via the parish website, and a winner will be drawn at random from all those all those who have voted.

There is also a scavenger hunt for children. We’ve taken a number of images from windows across town. Can you find them all? All those who return a completed trail will be entered into a draw to win a £10 voucher to be spent in town.

Both the public vote and scavenger hunt will open on Thursday 3 December, closing date is Sunday 13 December.

Everything is being organized by volunteers from the Parish and nothing is being asked of the retailers, except beautiful windows. Please do support our retailers from Junction Place to the Museum, by adoring their efforts, saying that you are from the Parish and voting on line.

Full information on the parish website: Christmas Window Competition

Or scan QR code 13

Remembrance

Photo of Christopher Tanner’s picture taken on November 11th 2020 We will remember him Richard Reincke

St Christopher’s once more decked in swathes of poppies for Remembrance

Photo: Philip Hunt 14

Just a Thought… from Evelyn Hughes

Do you remember the ‘Good Life’ episode where Margot Leadbetter refused the Christmas tree she had ordered? It was a few inches shorter than she had specified. The hapless delivery-man was sent off with a flea in his ear and the offending tree. ‘Christmas is cancelled’, she told her neighbours. ‘Come and share ours’, said Tom and Barbara. Once she’d got over the indignity of wearing a party hat made from an inferior newspaper - and put up with Tom’s quirky sense of humour - she, along with Jerry, had the best Christmas ever.

In these uncertain times we can’t be sure how Christmas will pan out for us. We long to be with our nearest and dearest, and we could do with some festive fun. But, whatever happens, Christmas will not be cancelled! Jesus will still be at the heart of it. We shall marvel again, with John Betjeman, at ‘This most tremendous tale of all… The Maker of the stars and sea/Become a Child on earth for me?’

Advent is now upon the world-wide Church, with its traditional ‘wake-up’ theme. This year the whole of humanity has had a wake-up call. As if the bomb and global warming were not enough to worry about, along comes an ‘enemy’ threatening extinction, like some agent in a sci-fi story. The words of a Lenten Canticle come to mind: ‘Jesus, Saviour of the World, come to us in your mercy/We look to you to save and help us.’

Early on in the pandemic, Sophie (and Gracie!) brought a card to parish shut-ins with the message: ‘Put your hope in the Lord’ (Ps. 31:24). With progress made in the development of a vaccine, we hope the coming year will be a better one. But may we remember what the pandemic has taught us, and never again take the good things in life for granted.

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St Bartholomew’s C of E Primary School It has been wonderful to have welcomed all the children back in September following the lockdown period which meant that many pupils were away from school since March. The children have adapted extremely well to the changes we had to put in place and although school life looks ‘different’, learning is still very much alive and our curriculum is as irresistible as ever for the children and staff.

We have been able to hold some COVID-safe external trips which the children have thoroughly enjoyed. Year 2 have visited West Wittering and enjoyed paddling and beachcombing amongst other exciting things! Year 4 have had two days at CYE (Christian Youth Enterprise) where the children had a fantastic time sailing, doing an assault course as well as archery and other exciting pursuits. Year 1 enjoyed a fantastic trip around Marwell Zoo. The weather was perfect for strolling around the enclosures and chatting about the variety of animals and building on their knowledge of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. A visit to Butser Ancient Farm was also very much enjoyed by our Year 3 children.

Music School Dedication In September we held the official opening to our new music school at St Bart’s. The building was dedicated to our beloved pupil, Rafe Larby, and a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the external wall of the building.

We were honoured to be joined by Rafe’s family and also in attendance were Rafe’s classmates and his teacher, Mrs Lynch with his learning support assistants. Rafe’s father, Charlie, said some beautiful words about Rafe and encouraged us all to ‘let our imaginations run wild’ as this is how Rafe lived his life to the full each and every day. We held a minute of noise using percussion instruments to reflect on Rafe’s life and how much he meant to us all, as the song ‘Feels like something’s changing’ by St Bart’s choir was playing. In our spiritual garden we planted a cherry tree in memory of Rafe and Mrs Lynch led an emotional and moving tribute where each of his classmates planted a bulb in the ground to form a circle of support around the tree.

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Prayers were said by Mrs Lynch and we concluded by singing an energised rendition of one of Rafe’s favourite song from assemblies - Be Bold Be Strong.

The music school is now open to the community and it will be a centre of creativity and excellence that Rafe would have absolutely loved.

Outdoor Learning Rosy cheeks and happy faces were the order of the day as the sun shone on our two National Outdoor Learning Days in November. The children all had a fantastic time. Activities included: burning Guy Fawkes, toasting marshmallows, blindfolded problem solving, making campfires, symmetrical art, creating wooden tile pictures and loving nature art. We all fully embraced the theme of ‘Loving the Outdoors’ and the smell of bonfire filled the air!

Community Involvement Despite the current pandemic, we have still continued to support the community and other charities. For Harvest Festival we raised £300 for the Haslemere Food Bank and we held a mufti day for Children in Need where we raised almost £400.

During Remembrance Week, the children made poppies in class and supported the poppy appeal with their purchases of poppies and merchandise.

We are aiming to keep the festive season as meaningful and as ‘normal’ as we can. Although we are unable to invite parents in to watch their children in our Christmas productions, the children in years 1-6 will be singing carols around the Christmas tree in their class bubbles and our Reception children will be performing a nativity which their families will be able to watch from the comfort of their homes.

All these wonderful events and learning opportunities for the children would not take place without a dedicated team of teachers, learning support assistants and parents along with the support we receive from the church. We are, as always, very grateful to them all for the work that they do.

Charles Beckerson Headteacher 17

Friends of the Parish Like everybody else the Friends have been affected by the Covid shutdown. The organ recitals had to be cancelled and at the moment we can put no date on their resumption. However, other things have been going on and we managed to have a modified annual meeting via Zoom. We attach below the minutes of the meeting for interest.

We are keeping up pressure on the Diocese to get the final act of approval from the Chancellor for the Flemish Glass. Once received we are hopeful we can make progress as the various craftsmen are able start their work given a week or two of notice.

One thing that does cause us concern is the age of the committee. Too many of us are over 80! As Chairman, a post I have had for 11 years, I wish to step down as I am 88 next month. So if there are any volunteers to join us on the committee please let one of us know.

Bernard Coe (The photographs show various projects undertaken by the ‘Friends’ in the past)

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FRIENDS OF THE PARISH OF HASLEMERE Annual Meeting for 2019 by Zoom on 29th September 2020 at 6pm Present : Bernard Coe (Chairman), Rev. Chris Bessant, Hamish Donaldson, Liz Cook, Katherine Jessel, Chris Lemar, Geoff Martin (Treasurer) 1] Welcome from Bernard to the first meeting for some time and thanks to Hamish for organising Zoom.

2] Apologies from : Margaret Dent, John Worlidge

3] AGM Minutes for 2018 held on 16/10/2019 had been circulated, were approved unanimously and signed by BC. 4] Chairman’s report. BC commented on the active year of 2019 and particularly thanks to JW for organising the Organ Concerts which raised a net £1,032. HD noted that income from concerts has been remarkably steady over recent years.

Sadly only two so far in 2020 and no immediate prospects. The Luff gravestone had been refurbished thanks to HD initiative and funded by the Friends with subsequent reimbursement from The Haslemere Festival as it was seen as part of Haslemere’s history.

5] Flemish Glass. HD reported all was ready to go but waiting for DAC to approve which approval is being held up by lack of staff in the DAC office after too many staff furloughed! Estimated cost to the Friends will be c £15,000.

St C’s organ refurbishment will cost c £100,000 but initial stage covering the electrics will be some £30,000 and PCC has funds for this including a grant (yet to be made) of £8,000 from The Friends.

6] Treasurer’s Report. GM said accounts had been distributed and these were approved and signed by BC. 2019 had been a good year but only limited grants made as can be seen. Subscribers had remained steady.

7] Membership. BC asked about numbers and GM subsequently advised that there are 40 subscribers who give via standing orders (this unchanged since 2018). CL commented that publicity was not very good as he really hardly knew of The Friends until invited to join! Rev CB agreed to update the parish website with details and BC would provide these.

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8] Future Plans. Rev CB suggested from his previous parish experience that The Friends might take a more active role in organising events analogous the now defunct FROG group that had existed in the parish. The emphasis being as much on the social as well as the financial benefit.

Chris Lemar was proposed as a Trustee by BC and all approved.

9] AOB KJ raised the fact that The Gerald Manley Hopkins Society wants to put a plaque in the Church under his window. All agreed it would need DAC approval and further details awaited but agreed in principle to support.

BC proposed that these Minutes might be published in ‘The Link’ parish magazine and all agreed.

Rev CB wished his thanks to The Friends for all that they do formally recorded.

Meeting closed at 6.40pm

John Worlidge - An Appreciation Well, the Friends and the Parish will miss the friendly figure of John at the Organ Recitals. A founder member of the Friends, he was for many years its Treasurer and Secretary and under his stewardship it became the healthy and effective organisation of today.

Not everybody knew that John had been an oarsman of some distinction. While not the massive build of today’s Olympians, in 1952 he had rowed at no 5 (the powerhouse) in the GB eight at the Helsinki Games. They reached the final and narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth. This had to be added to his other achievements with the oar with St John’s , Cambridge and Leander.

He was supportive of his various rowing contacts but also of other charities such as Alzheimer’s (his wife had been a sufferer) and sailing. He was a keen 20

yachtsman and many of us were privileged to attend his splendid 90th birthday party in the prestigious surroundings of the Royal Yacht Squadron. One saw there his marvellous circle of friends John had read engineering at Cambridge and his old college was a recipient of his attention as was his alma mater, Marlborough. He went on to join BAT but seldom talked much about his achievements in the business world, quietly getting on with the job in hand.

John was very much a product of the ‘old school’, quiet, polite, impeccably mannered but very effective in what he did and supportive of his colleagues.

He will be missed not only by the Friends but by the Parish.

Bernard Coe and Hamish Donaldson

A call to potential beekeepers!

Have you ever thought about keeping honeybees? The Petersfield and District Beekeepers Association will be holding their beginner’s winter training online from Sunday 21st February 2021. The first introductory session will be free, with the subsequent 4 sessions costing only £40 (including a year's membership). When spring arrives we hope to move out into the training apiary for hands-on experience.

If you are interested, please email petersfieldbees@gmail.com for more details.

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In My Garden Philip Duly One of the highlights of Winter is the chance to observe the underlying structure of the garden which since late Spring, may have been largely obscured. This provides an opportunity for careful pruning of small trees, shrubs and perennials and, if required, the reduction of their height and breadth to create the space to fully appreciate their form, branches and stems that are mostly invisible in Summer.

Stems provide one of the few sources of longlasting impact in the Winter garden and there is surely nothing to compare with the colourful stems of the deciduous Cornus genus, otherwise known as Dogwoods, which I have chosen as this month's star plant.

These hardy, woody-based perennial shrubs, which are native to Siberia, China and the Korean peninsula, are easy to grow and will provide any garden with magnificent lime green, amber, copper, red and crimson stems from November through to mid-April. In addition to their vibrant colours, some of which deepen over time, the stems of different varieties when grown together will provide a kaleidoscope of colour and shape, providing further interest throughout the long dark months of Winter.

Perhaps the most popular variety is Cornus alba Sibirica which has deep red and crimson stems that grow straight. There is, however, no need for timidity when growing Cornus. Other varieties such as Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire which has stunning orange-yellow stems and Cornus sericea Flaviramea, with its luminous yellow-green stems, will grow outwards as well as upwards, entwining to form a thicket and therefore appearing to emanate from a cohesive single plant.

The origin of the common name Dogwood is thought to derive from Dagwood the very hard wood of the Cornus was historically used to make daggers and arrows 22

Valiant Riders & Striders Help Raise Funds to Repair Surrey’s Churches Impressive stories are being received about Surrey residents who took part in September 2020’s county-wide Covid-19 restricted Ride & Stride cycling and walking event to help raise funds to repair and conserve Surrey's churches.

This year's income from the event held throughout Surrey on 12 September 2020 is still being collected but is very likely to be significantly lower than previous years owing to Covid-19 restrictions. However, every penny raised counts and it has been heartening to know that some residents have done their utmost to take part and help out and that they have enjoyed the experience too.

One example is Graeme Aston who, with Sheila, rode his bike for All Saints Church, Banstead and says: ‘In good weather, I set off with Sheila to visit the churches local to Banstead. These were St Paul’s, Methodist Church, All Saints and United Reformed. We then cycled to St Peter in Woodmansterne. This was enough cycling for Sheila who left me to my quest!

I headed uphill to Chipstead to visit the lovely St Margaret’s. I then decided to head over to the Dorking area, which I knew would be good cycling as well as lovely churches to visit. En route I stopped at St Andrew, Kingswood, St Peter, Walton-on-the Hill, and Headley (with Box Hill) churches. After cycling alongside Box Hill, there then followed a steep uphill to Ranmore Common to visit St Barnabas. There I was rejoined by Sheila, who brought lunch for us.

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Refreshed from lunch, I then cycled round some of the Dorking churches. This involved some challenging cycling around the Leith Hill region to visit St James, Abinger, Holmbury St Mary, Christ Church, Coldharbour, before descending into Dorking. In Dorking I stopped at St Martin, which was open for a wedding. I stopped at United Reformed Church and Crossways Community Baptist before heading back towards Box Hill. My final visit was to St Michael in Mickleham. I decided that was enough and telephoned Sheila to meet me at the Cock Inn in Headley for a much needed beer.

During the ride, I visited 17 churches and covered some 75 kms. The weather was good all day. It was just a shame that due to Covid 19 restrictions the churches were not manned or, in most cases, open. Hopefully next year.’

Walking, rather than cycling, again for All Saints’ Church, Banstead, were Liz, Sarah and Emily Collier, who said: ‘We started our Ride & Stride challenge at Ranmore Common and our first stop was the Church of St Barnabas. We went through the Holy Trinity Church in Westcott, St John the Evangelist in Wotton, St James’ Church in Abinger Common and we finished with St Mary the Virgin church in Holmbury St Mary.

With the five churches and the round trip back to the car, we walked 15 miles in total. Rewarded with a nice pub lunch half way through the walk in Holmbury, altogether it was a very enjoyable day.’

Meanwhile, St Peter & St Paul's Church, Chaldon in Whyteleafe near Caterham has reported a record £750 raised from this year's Ride & Stride, which exceeds anything the church has done in the past and this impressive feat was achieved during the Pandemic too.

Reacting to the stories, Hamish Donaldson, Chairman of the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust, said: ‘We are really very grateful to everyone else who took part in Ride & Stride this 24

year as well as those churches that were able to safely welcome riders. Next year, hopefully post Covid-19, we will all be aiming for a record-breaking Ride & Stride event in Surrey to make up for the lost income this year.

Participants in the event are both church goers and non church goers whilst our work is about conserving the fabric of these important buildings for the benefit of all now and into the future.’

Ride & Stride is organised every year by the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust, a registered UK charity that is run entirely by volunteers. The charity was hoping this year to add to the £500,000 it has already raised in the last 20 years to give as grants to help repair the fabric and structure of Surrey's churches, chapels and meeting houses of all Christian denominations. Fifty per cent of the money raised from Ride & Stride goes to the participant's chosen church, the other half to the Trust to distribute to other churches. Donations are still welcome via the Trust's website.

More information about the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust, which is also looking for volunteers to become area organisers, can be found at : http://www.surreychurchespreservationtrust.org Richard Morris Trustee, Surrey Churches Preservation Trust

Cover Picture(s) Did you spot that the nativity scenes on the front cover of the magazine are those from the two churches? (top) St Bartholomew’s and (below) St Christopher’s. And looking on in the wings (right), we have the ‘Three Kings’ or ‘Wise Men’, waiting for their cue to visit St Christopher’s manger on January 6!

(Photos taken Christmas 2019 by AL)

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The Lt Lawson Memorial Because of the Covid lock-down, churches in Surrey could not be open for the annual Ride and Stride. So, to encourage visitors, I left leaflets in the porch at St Bartholomew’s, drawing attention to some of the interesting things in our churchyard.

The first one is the sculpture ‘Death and the Maiden’ which is at the top of one of the tombstones let into the church wall, just to the left of the South Porch.

Death and the Maiden was a common motif in Renaissance art, especially painting and prints in Germany. The usual form shows just two figures, with a young woman being seized by a personification of Death, often shown as a skeleton. Variants may include other figures.

In the corner of the wall to the left of the porch, there is a memorial to Lieut H S Lawson. Harry Lawson was 41 when he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery, having been Headmaster of Buxton College. His wife Janet came from Haslemere which is why the original wooden cross from his grave in France was brought here. The inscription reads: In Memory of Lieut H S Lawson 325 S B P C A Killed in action 5. 2. 18 It was a puzzle to work out what 325 S B P C A means - but read on.

Continuing round the church, if you look at the south wall of the Tower, near the edge and quite high up, you will see a circular carving; we believe this was 26

an early representation of a lightning conductor (left) - the lightning would go round and round the circle and thus be trapped In the north east corner of the churchyard is the memorial to William Luff with its amusing doggerel which has been the subject of a previous article in the Magazine.

One couple who took part in the Ride and Stride were very taken by the guide to the churchyard and I met them later to show them other interesting things but this time inside the church - such things as the Tennyson and Manley Hopkins windows, the St Cecilia Screen, the memorials to Hunter and Aitken, the plaques marking the Diamond Jubilees of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. They then did their own research into Lt Lawson and solved the mystery of 325 SB PCA. From the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website they found the original Grave Registration Form from 1922 (when they were sorting graves and creating the cemeteries). The entry for Lt Lawson is towards the bottom.

325 SB PCA is actually 325/S.B. R.G.A. being the 325th Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery. This meant that they were firing big guns - much larger than the horse-drawn guns that we see coming in at full gallop for the Queen’s birthday salute. The grave is not in a military cemetery but one of 31 buried in two rows in the local village church yard.

So the problem of Lt Lawson is now solved.

Hamish Donaldson

Virtual Santa Fun Run 12th December - 00:00 - 23:59

Location: Phyllis Tuckwell GU9 8BL For more information: mail@pth.org.uk or 01252 729400 27

Heroes of the Faith:

William Wilberforce Over the summer I want to look at some of my favourite Christian heroes. One figure who stands high is William Wilberforce (1759 - 1833). Although he is remembered mainly for leading the battle against slavery, he did an enormous amount of good in many other areas.

Wilberforce was born into a Yorkshire family and after going to Cambridge University, where he seems to have done as little in the way of studying as possible, he became an MP in 1780. He was to later admit that at this time he had no other ambition than to promote his own career.

In 1784 his life changed when he converted to the Christian faith. He took his new relationship with God so seriously that he considered becoming a clergyman, but accepted advice to stay in politics. He soon became involved with other Christians who were determined to work out their faith in changing society for the better. For many of them the pressing issue of the time was the abomination of slavery and the evil trade associated with it.

Wilberforce joined them and, gifted with eloquence, he became the champion of the anti-slavery cause and made it his life’s mission. Although bitterly opposed by those who had interests in what was a very profitable business, Wilberforce persistently introduced Bills from 1789 onwards to abolish first the slave trade and then slavery itself. Despite defeat after defeat he persisted until finally, in 1833, just three days before his death, the British government passed the Bill to abolish slavery. His lifelong battle had been victorious.

Wilberforce was also involved in many other social issues: he campaigned on behalf of single mothers, orphans, Sunday schools, juvenile delinquents and children employed as chimney sweeps. He helped set up many organisations such as the Church Missionary Society and the British and Foreign Bible Society, and was a founder member of one of the first 28

charities against animal cruelty, what is now the RSPCA. Although it has what is now an unfashionable title, his Society for the Suppression of Vice stood against many of the social evils of his day (and, sadly, ours): drunkenness, corruption, prostitution and animal cruelty.

In these days, when every figure of the past is scrutinised by whatever standards are currently held, there are those who might find fault with Wilberforce. He was as much a man of his time as we are of ours, and on many social issues was very conservative. Yet, as he would be the first to agree, the ultimate issue is not how any of us measure against the fluctuating and ever-changing standards that our culture creates, but how we measure up against those of God. Indeed, if we are to condemn, we should remember that to judge is to be judged. If we point a finger in accusation it means three fingers point back at us. After all, it is not as though we live in a time of no evils or injustices. Were he alive today, I think Wilberforce would be a busy man.

Let me suggest five things that challenge me about William Wilberforce.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

He applied his faith. As many Christians have done, before and since, he could easily have separated his spiritual life from his daily work. He didn’t. With Wilberforce there was a wonderful harmony between what he believed and what he sought to achieve.

He served in costly leadership. A small, frail man with poor health, Wilberforce willingly took on a role that he knew would make him a target. We may view him as little short of a saint today but for many of his contemporaries he was a man of dangerous ideas who deserved to be criticised and obstructed. He paid the price for leadership.

He had determination. Wilberforce persisted in his battle against slavery, not just for months or years, but for decades. He realised his calling and he stuck with it. His was truly a ‘purpose-driven life’.

He had wisdom. Wilberforce was a strategic thinker, sought the support of others and built friendships and alliances from as wide a circle as possible.

He guarded his spiritual life. With all his involvements and activities, Wilberforce could easily have had his faith crushed under the weight of his duties and responsibilities. Yet he knew that only God could be the source of the strength he needed. To the very end of his life he remained permanently dependent on the grace of God. 29

William Wilberforce was an example of a true conversion to Christ. Today, some are cynical of an individual ‘becoming converted’ or being ‘born again’. If any sort of change to faith is talked about, it’s that of a gradual process or some sort of ‘spiritual journey’. The unarguable reality with Wilberforce is that he did undergo a dramatic transforming conversion. He reminds us that conversions do happen, and they can have remarkable effects.

Finally, given that Wilberforce was already a Member of Parliament when he converted to the Christian faith, it inspires me to pray for the same thing to happen to today’s politicians.

J John Reverend Canon

Contributed by Frankie Gaiter

As written by kids 

 

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   



When the three wise guys from the east side arrived they found Jesus in the manger.

St John the Blacksmith dumped water on his head.

Jesus enunciated the golden rule, which says to do unto others before they do unto you. He also explained a man doth not live by sweat alone.

It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.

The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels.

The epistels were the wives of the apostles.

One of the opposums was St Matthew who was also a taximan.

St Paul cavorted to Christianity, he preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage.

Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony.

Contributed by Jane Slevin 30

Christmas Mulled Wine Contributed by Linda Donaldson Serves 12 In these rather dismal days I felt we all need cheering up and what better than a glass of Christmas Mulled Wine. This can be made and kept, covered, in the fridge for three days, so even if you are on your own, you can have this to look forward to in the evenings. For an extra boost, you can add a glass of brandy just before serving.

4 lemons 2 large oranges 2 bottles of red wine 16 cloves 2 cinnamon sticks 150g. (5oz.) caster sugar

Peel the zest very thinly from 3 lemons and 1 orange, and squeeze the juice. Thinly slice the remaining orange and lemon. Quarter the slices, put on a plate, cover and reserve for the garnish.

Pour the wine, 2 pints of water, citrus peel and juices into a large pan, and add the cloves and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmering point, cover and keep simmering for about an hour. Stir in the sugar to taste.

Strain and serve hot with the reserved orange and lemon slices floating on the top.

Drink and enjoy!

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The Christingle The Christingle Service had its origins in the Moravian Church of Marienborn in eastern Germany on Christmas Eve 1747, when the Minister was speaking to the children about Jesus having lit a blood-red flame of love in their hearts. He then gave every child a lighted candle tied with a red ribbon.

No one knows when the word Christingle was first used. It is thought that it comes from the old Saxon word ‘ingle’ for fire and means Christ-fire or light. Today the Christingle consists of an orange representing the world, with a candle lit to represent Christ, the light of the world. The candle used to be held in place in a goose quill split into branches on which are nuts, raisins and sweets, representing the created order over which Christ is King and of God’s goodness in giving us the fruits of the earth. A red frill at the base of the candle reminds us of Christ’s Passion.

Nowadays, the goose quill is usually replaced by cocktail sticks and nuts are omitted. The red frill is often replaced by red ribbon around the ‘equator’ of the orange. When I was a child quills were still used.

This Christmas may be different and like other church services over the last ten months the regular Christingle Service might be on-line. This doesn’t mean that children will miss holding their own Christingle. They are not difficult to make and children will love it.

When made (if they last long enough and all the sweets are not eaten) they look wonderful on the mantelpiece or dining table.

Frances Gaiter.

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A Poem for Winter

To Bless the Space Between Us John O'Donohue This is the time to be slow, Lie low to the wall Until the bitter weather passes.

Try, as best you can, not to let The wire brush of doubt Scrape from your heart All sense of yourself And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous, Time will come good; And you will find your feet Again on fresh pastures of promise, Where the air will be kind And blushed with beginning.�

John was born in 1956, into a native Gaelic speaking family, on the farm inhabited by previous generations in County Clare, Ireland. As the oldest of four children, he learned to work alongside his parents and uncle, developing a close kinship with the wild landscape, framed by an ethereal view of a limestone valley and the beckoning waters of Galway Bay. John, as a priest and academic, believed that it is within our power to transform our fear of death so that we need fear little else this life brings. That he died unexpectedly in his sleep aged 52, robbed the world of a genuinely original religious mind who, almost accidentally, became a bestselling writer.

The poem seems appropriate to our situation this winter, with all the concerns that the Covid-19 epidemic brings. I think particularly of those living alone in our community, who may be struggling with loneliness and missing their friends, children and grandchildren. Worse still, we are not sure how long the threat may last. But if we stay close to our faith and show generosity to all, then we will find fresh pastures in the spring, when freedom from fear of infection can enable us all to make a fresh start in a post-pandemic world.

Peter Sellars 33

A Victorian Lady’s Album It has been a wonderful experience to wander through this piece of history.

The old album is becoming very frail and I have now photographed every page and stored them for future generations. I do wonder whether the old paper and leather bound album will outlive my electronic storage. I’m sure it would amaze Nellie Beattie that her personal memories have been preserved and shared in this way.

For this final visit, I share with you all a seasonal entry, another fine Victorian homily, combined with a photograph and another drawing.

Contributed by Jane Slevin 1 “Not enjoyment, and not sorrow Is our destined end or way; But to act that each tomorrow Finds us further than today.”

2 “Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime; And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.”

J.F Aug.23.1889

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Happy Winter Old winter kissed the blushing maid, To old and young he held his hand “Who loves me in this guise” he said “Need fear no winter in the land.

On them I’ll ask my daughter Spring Her choicest blooms and balms to pour, The Summer on their path shall sing And Autumn bless them with its store.”

So be ye happy on the earth Whatever your name or station be Who mingle with your Yule tide mirth Your bounteous Christian charity.

Said Winter, and he strove to frown, “Why do you love me young and old?

The drifting snows my forehead crown, My heart is hard, my blood is cold.”

“Ah, no!” said both, “we love you well, For fresh delights remembered long; Your voice is merry as a bell, And all your accents sound like song.

So smile old Winter, smile again, You but pretend our foe to be; You warm and cheer the hearts of men; We love you for your jollity.”

With love from Isa. Robson 4/12/92

Said Winter to the maid I love, “What makes thee prize me maiden fair?

I strip the verdure from the grove And hush the music of the air.”

Sweet was her smile as she replied “Oh Winter wild, though this be true You come with Christmas at your side, You give affection work to do.

The suffering and the poor you seek, With kindly words and offerings free, You dry the tears on sorrow’s cheeks We love you for your charity.”

35

Churchyard Jottings

Philip Hunt It has been an interesting year for grave enquiries. Typically, someone wishes to locate the grave of a family member – often a grandparent. Such enquiries normally start at the Parish Office and Bryony then forwards them to me. It is far easier to deal with these through email, rather than field telephone enquiries. If the enquirer has provided insufficient information there is the opportunity to engage with them in writing. It is useful also to be able to send a photograph of a grave to the person as this helps them locate it, should they wish to visit, or to provide something tangible if they are unable to do so.

Enquiries are not just from the UK – they have come from Australia and New Zealand, for instance. People’s response to a successful search can sometimes be quite overwhelming.

One example is an enquiry from a gentleman from Carlow in the south east of Ireland. He was seeking further information on John Tyndall, the celebrated physicist, teacher and mountaineer. Tyndall was born on 2 August 1820 at Leighlinbridge, County Carlow. He latterly lived in Hindhead and is buried in Derby Road churchyard. The intention had been to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth with an exhibition and seminar at the Carlow County Museum. As this could not take place, St Bartholomew’s Church afforded a little consolation by providing some photographs of John Tyndall’s grave, spruced up for the occasion. There are plans for a statue to be erected near his birthplace when circumstances permit.

36

John Tyndall’s grave

A more typical enquiry came from a couple in Manchester. It transpired that they had made an annual journey down to Haslemere for about 15 years.

Initially, this was to visit surviving relatives in the Guildford and Godalming areas but, latterly, to trace the family background which was Haslemere based.

The lady had been born in Camelsdale but her husband was a Mancunian. Their enquiry bore fruit and we were able to trace her great grandparents, buried in Derby Road churchyard. Her initial enquiry had been to trace a great uncle who, when his mother had died in 1941, was admitted to a long stay hospital, Botley’s Park, Chertsey – now the site of St Peter’s Hospital. Although the family later established that he had been cremated at Woking Crematorium, we were able to locate his parents who are buried in the main churchyard at St Bartholomew’s – in what we regard as the “new rows” parallel to the wall along Derby Road. This prompted a visit to St Bartholomew’s by the couple in September and a most pleasant and informative hour was spent with them.

Indeed, this is a story without an ending as the tour disclosed yet further information, which will no doubt keep the two genealogists busy during the winter months and prompt a likely return visit too.

The Building of St. Christopher’s (Part 2) I left the first part of this story with the Rector Revd. George Aitken saying that if the new church ‘should come to port in 1902 it will be a proud day for Haslemere’.

The site chosen was half an acre at the junction of Bunch Lane and Farnham Lane owned

by Mr Peter Aylwood which he was willing to sell.

Some reports say he gave the land saying that the church had been good to his workers. In his report for 1901, given in early 1902, the Rector says ‘On the Bunch Lane site we hope to be able to build a church which, tho’ simple, small and economical in style, yet shall be reverent, beautiful and thoroughly good throughout.’

37

The architect appointed was Charles Spooner, one of the generation of architects inspired by the ideals of William Morris, identified with the later phase of the Gothic revival, those specially interested in the craftsmanship side of architecture. His special bent was for decorative details, woodcarving in particular. These can be seen in abundance in the church - the flowers, fruit and leaves around the pulpit for example.

A tender for the work was accepted from The Haslemere Builders, a local cooperative, a profit-sharing business owned by a prominent Quaker family the Hutchinsons. The church was to be built of local Bargate stone.

In January 1902 the Rector writes that the architect’s plans had been received and he states that he can build a church to accommodate 200, faced with stone, capable of being enlarged to double the size. The church would be set back from the road to enable this if necessary. The church would have a low tower, just in keeping with a country church, and all of this for around £2,700.

In Spring 1902 The Building Committee discussed the matter of the dedication of the church. Maybe half a dozen saints were discussed and the Rector made it clear that his preference was for St. Christopher, the Christ-bearer, but if the committee did not want a legendary saint, he would consider that the church (as being a Mission Church) should be dedicated to St. Francis. In August the Bishop of Winchester Randall Davidson (Haslemere being then in his diocese) wrote to confirm that in his judgement the new church should be dedicated to St. Christopher ‘a saint whose story has been entwined in the life of the Church for long centuries and is one of the most beautiful legends we have.’

Raising the money needed for the project was vital. Contributions flooded in and the Rector’s sermons and letters in the Parish magazine were powerfully persuasive. In May 1902 he writes: ‘But here in Haslemere as I write, the one thing I must speak about is the effort we are calling upon you to make in order 38

that we may put in hand the building of our new Church. It is a good thing to picture it in our minds’ eye as it will stand one day soon, there at the corner of Bunch Lane, carrying down to those who shall come after us some little token of our care for them and their children.’ He quotes William Blake’s poem and speaks of building Jerusalem ‘the City of the Holy and Healthy Life ‘ when referring to the new Church. He appeals for donations for this: ‘Two thousand sovereigns stand between us and the Church which we want to dedicate to God and our brothers at the far end of the Parish. And yet it is not only the money alone for which I would ask you. The golden ladder which brings our dreams out of Heaven and realises them on earth is never built of guineas. It is our sympathy, our interest, our readiness to help and give, our power to sacrifice our own present pleasure for the good that may come to others through our giving - it is these things that build the ladder. If we care enough we shall not grudge our money. Where the heart is there will be the treasure also’.

Aitken follows this up in his sermon in April on ‘The Rewards of Giving’, reminding his congregation that ‘there are no pockets in your shroud’. He continues, ‘The Church, which if God will let us, we are going to build at the other end of the Parish is not a mere matter of stone and timber. If it is rightly built, and rightly served, rightly used, we look forward to its being a new centre of righteousness and fellowship, a new herald of peace on earth and goodwill to men, a new witness to the presence of God incarnate in human life, a perpetual reminder to men and women to live as those whose common Father is in Heaven, whose common Brother is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.’

The laying of the Corner Stone of the Church was carried out in November 1902 when the Bishop of Winchester’s wife, Mrs Randall Davidson, drove by horse and carriage from Farnham Castle to perform the task. According to reports in the Parish magazine, the weather was fine and a hollow square had been formed in the middle of which was the Corner Stone with its scaffolding and pulley high above the ground. The people and choirs sang, including ‘The Church’s One Foundation’, and after a short service the actual laying took place.

For a few minutes it hung in the air while the mortar was prepared, and a bottle containing several objects, including a copy of The Times for the day, a short inscription on vellum, coins and signatures of those involved was placed in the cavity beneath the stone. Then the workmen slowly turned the windlass, the stone descended into its place - not to be moved again, let us hope, for twice a thousand years - and Mrs Davidson, having levelled it and tapped it with her 39

mallet, declared it well and truly laid. Mrs Davidson said how warmly she and her husband felt about the work in Haslemere. It seemed to her ‘that everything in Haslemere ought to be of the best because in such beautiful surroundings it did not seem fitting that anything but the best should be allowed to stand.’ A cheerful meeting at the Educational Hall (site of the Mission Services) followed, where ‘The Legend of St. Christopher’ was sung as a carol by the choirs.

The foundation stone can be seen in the church to the left of the organ marked with a simple Maltese Cross. Exactly 100 years later in November 2002 the congregation buried a second time capsule as close to the foundation stone as possible. This one contained some coins of the new decimal money, a commuter rail card, a mobile phone, a drawing of the church by 6 year-old Thomas Fox, a card signed by the congregation and several other items.

At the meeting after the 1902 foundation stone-laying it was reported that a further £1400-£1500 were needed to complete the building - that is the upper part of the tower and the Sacristy (now called The Upper Room), and Mr Spooner made it very plain how greatly the appearance of the Church would suffer by the proposed mutilation. No sum ought to be allowed to stand between the Parish and a Church worthy of Haslemere.

The Committee did not feel justified in commencing the building until two-thirds of the expenditure was in sight. And on 5th April 1902 only £1,070 had been raised towards £3,500 required. Further appeals for funds were made and many generous donations received, but two alternative plans were suggested, one was to reject Spooner’s design and ask him to submit plans for a cheaper church, and the second was to delay the building for 6-12 months, in which the project might be abandoned. Aitken had a hard fight with the Building Committee and the plans were agreed.

William Sillick, a reporter for The Haslemere Herald for over 50 years, writes about raising the finances. In his article celebrating St. Christopher’s Golden Jubilee in 1953 he says: ’There were dramatic incidents in the fulfilment of this scheme which was an outstanding example of Mr. Aitkin’s gifts of lucid persuasion and grim determination. But for his insistence and infectious enthusiasm it’s probable that the church would never have been built and today it stands as a memorial of his foresight and devotion.’

Frankie Gaiter 40

Virtual Light up a Life Service to be Livestreamed This year’s Light up a Life service will be livestreamed from outside Guildford Cathedral, for people to watch at home.

With Christmas approaching, many of us find our thoughts turning to loved ones whom we would usually spend the festive season with, but who are no longer with us. Traditionally at this time of year, local Hospice Care charity Phyllis Tuckwell holds its annual Light up a Life service, to remember all our loved ones.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions, Light up a Life will be a little different this year, but Phyllis Tuckwell is pleased to announce that the service will still be going ahead.

Light up a Life will take place this year on Monday 7th December. Because of Coronavirus, and to keep everyone safe, the service will be live streamed from in front of Guildford Cathedral, at 7.30pm, so that all those who would usually attend can instead watch it from home. It will include carols and prayers as usual, but instead of the Hospice Christmas tree which everyone would traditionally gather around, this year Phyllis Tuckwell will be projecting a giant Christmas tree onto the front of the Cathedral. During the service the tree’s lights will be ‘switched on’ in memory of all those who are sadly no longer with us. Phyllis Tuckwell will also project onto the Cathedral the names of all those who are being remembered this year. You can watch the service live at www.pth.org.uk/lualservice2020 and it will also be recorded, so it can be watched at a later date.

‘We are so pleased that we are still able to hold our Light up a Life service this year and are very grateful to Guildford Cathedral for hosting this special and poignant virtual event for us,’ said Claire McDonald at Phyllis Tuckwell. ‘We hope that on the evening of 7th December, people across our community will 41

join with us online, and take a moment to reflect and remember with fondness all those we have loved but who are sadly no longer with us.’

To keep everyone safe, Phyllis Tuckwell kindly asks that you do not go to the service at the Cathedral on 7th December, which is just being filmed for streaming, with no access for visitors. However, you are more than welcome to visit the Cathedral on the evenings of Tuesday 8th or Wednesday 9th December, when it will be lit up again between 6pm and 10.30pm. If you do visit, please respect all social distancing and safety advice.

Anyone who would like to remember a loved one - whether they were cared for

by Phyllis Tuckwell or not - is invited to watch the service. If they wish to, they can make a dedication in memory of that special person, and have their loved one’s name projected onto the Cathedral and added to the Book of Remembrance, which can be downloaded from www.pth.org.uk. Dedications must be received by Friday 27th November to be included, and everyone who makes a dedication will receive a commemorative card displaying the name of their loved one. You can make a dedication by picking up a form from one of Phyllis Tuckwell’s shops or calling their Fundraising team on 01252 729446.

Alternatively you can visit the charity’s Light up a Life website at www.pth.org.uk/lual,where you can dedicate a light on their virtual night sky. All dedications which are made on the virtual night sky by Friday 27th November will also be projected onto the Cathedral.

Every day - including throughout the pandemic - Phyllis Tuckwell supports and cares for over 250 local people who are living with an advanced or terminal illness, such as cancer, but it has to raise over £20,000 a day to do this. Its annual Light up a Life service is provided completely free of charge, and there is no minimum donation for making a dedication, but any donation you wish to make will help Phyllis Tuckwell to continue to provide its vital care.

From the Registers Funerals: Ann Marie Hibberd – 6 October 2020 Edward John Worlidge – 26 November 2020 42

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Needs volunteers to staff the office or drive clients to medical and dental appointments.

Mileage allowance paid.

Please call 01428 652505 www.careinhaslemere.org.uk

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FALLS PREVENTION CLASS Exercises to music, held at the Link on Tuesday afternoon.

For more details please contact Sophie Patrick on 07748 845931

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The Merry Harriers , Hambledon Road, GU8 4DR 01428 682883 enquiries@merryharriers.com

Opening times: Monday: 17:30—23:00 Tuesday—Saturday: 11:30— 23:00 Sunday: 12:00—20:00

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Bluebells Cancer Support Centre at Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary Burrows Lea, Hook Lane, Shere, GU5 9AL Bluebells is a friendly, sharing group for anyone affected by cancer.

We laugh a lot, cry a little, share experiences and support each other.

Do come along one Thursday to see for yourself!

We meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 11am— 1pm ending with a relaxation session.

We like to keep in touch and know how you are at other times too, so please feel free to contact Carolyn Low on 01483 203540 or email Carolyn.graeme@hotmail.co.uk

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SUNDAY SERVICES (GATHERED WORSHIP) 8AM HOLY COMMUNION | ST CHRISTOPHER’S 10AM PARISH EUCHARIST | ST BARTHOLOMEW’S (Live-Streamed

haslemere Parish)

2ND & 4TH SUNDAYS (RESTARTS JAN 2021)

4PM FAMILIES@4 | THE LINK 6PM EVENSONG | ST BARTHOLOMEW’S (Live-Streamed

haslemere Parish)

Booking required for all gathered worship services: www.haslemereparish.org/worship/worship-service-booking/

Or call 01428 644 578

WEEKDAY SERVICES (ONLINE) THURSDAY COMPLINE 9PM Dec: 3rd, 17th, 31st

&

| PARTICIPATE VIA Zoom

Jan: 14th, 28th

CHURCH OPENING FOR PRIVATE PRAYER ST BARTHOLOMEW’S: ST CHRISTOPHER’S:

TUESDAY & FRIDAY 10AM-12PM THURSDAY 1PM-3PM WEDNESDAY 10AM-12PM

To access all live and recorded services, please visit: www.haslemereparish.org/stay-at-home/live-service-streaming/ 48