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Scarborough Life
Scarborough Review
September - Issue 37
Popular vicar reflects on 14 years at St Mary’s Words and photos by Dave Barry Parishioners at St Mary’s Church in Scarborough bade a fond farewell to Rev Martyn Dunning when he stepped down as vicar. Martyn, 65, must be one of the most popular incumbents in the post he has held for 14 years. Martyn and Joyce Dunning “are going to be sadly missed”, says Rita Highton. “They are a fantastic team - I like everything about them”, says Rita. “Martyn’s not just a vicar, he’s a friend.” Janet Stephens agreed: “I like his quiet way of doing things. He has a good sense of humour you can have a good joke with him.” Rita and Janet are two of about 30 members of the church team. They help with hospitality, greet visitors arriving to look round the church and run the fair-trade shop and café. They open and close the church, from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and on Sunday afternoons. Rita and Janet were among a large congregation which assembled to say a formal goodbye to the Dunnings at a farewell service followed by lunch at St Mary’s Parish House, where the Rainbow Centre is based, just down Castle Road. Martyn officially retired on 5 August and moved out of the St Mary’s vicarage, in North Cliff Gardens in the Newby parish, in the middle of the month. Martyn and Joyce have gone to live three miles away from their daughter, her husband and two children, in Nottingham. When Kathryn Jackson learnt that her parents were retiring, she lost little time booking them as babysitters so she and her husband could go and see the northern lights in Norway in February. The couple’s son Richard, who lives in Sheffield, followed suit, asking his mum and dad if they could take care of their children when they go to Paris for four days in September. But looking after their seven grandchildren is all part of the deal when it comes to retirement. Their children and grandchildren have visited Scarborough many times. “They love coming up and going on the beach and so on,” says Joyce. Martyn will be turning his hand to homeimprovement when they move as their new house requires “quite a lot of work” and will be a good test of his DIY skills. Needless to say, Martyn and Joyce have made
many friends in Scarborough and will be returning on a regular basis. Martyn’s job will be advertised in September and whoever gets it will have to give three months notice in their current job. “There is usually a gap between vicars,” Martyn explains. “The vacancy can be up to a year.” Sitting in the 14th-century south transept, which is used as a Sunday school, Martyn and Joyce reflected on their time in Scarborough. Martyn succeeded Rev Bob Jackson in October 2002, after moving around Yorkshire a lot. He was ordained at York Minster and all of his ministry has been in the East Riding archdeaconry, which is part of the York diocese. “We’ve loved being here and we love the place, the coast, the walking, the Cleveland way and the moors behind,” Martyn said. In particular, he and Joyce have loved the church, St Mary’s with Holy Apostles, where Martyn and colleagues took turns to conduct Sunday services: two congregations at St Mary’s, at 9.30am and 11am, and one at Holy Apostles, at 10am. “We have loved the people here, we have loved working here and we have loved the ministry,” Martyn says. They have enjoyed their involvement with the Rainbow Centre and with the town’s other churches, with which Martyn has fostered good relationships. He has met other ministers at the Solid Rock café in Eastborough at 7am every Wednesday, to talk shop and pray. The meetings led to the creation of the Springtide churches group 12 years ago, developing trust and cooperation. Joyce says: “We have learnt a lot from people, about caring for others. I’ve run two home groups and for nine years have helped with the monthly Messy Church, which provides crafts activities for children and parents. It’s been good fun!” Martyn says the highlights of his tenure included visits by the archbishop of York, in particular an event entitled Sentamu by the Sea, at the Futurist Theatre. He says the archbishop “grinned from ear to ear” when manager Andrew Nesbit told him: “You’re the only man I know with the Doddy effect”, meaning that he had filled the cavernous auditorium. A similar event was held at the Spa. Martyn helped organise both, in his capacity as rural dean, a post he held from 2004-11. Long ago, the Dunnings lived in Malawi for two and a half years. Joyce taught in secondary schools and Martyn was a town
St Mary’s Church (To order photos, ring 353597) planner, working for the Ministry of Overseas Development. After coming to St Mary’s, they met other people who had lived in Malawi. Rev Joe Kinsella, whose mother Trish is the manager of the Rainbow Centre, took part in a series of projects with churches and schools in Malawi, involving eight teenagers and four adults. Joe is now a vicar in Rillington. The church has other overseas links. “One of our students, Beth Raw, just went to Moldova to teach English to students and talk about her Christian faith, as part of a mission to a university,” Martyn says. “A medical student, Laura Stuart, hopes to go to a mission hospital in Nepal next year for her elective,” he says. “I find it exciting that people come up through the church family and want to do important work like this.” Joe was a leader, and Beth and Laura were members, of the Holy Disorder youth group, which meets at Holy Apostles on Sunday evenings. “Young people have huge energy,” Martyn says, with admiration. Joyce adds: “I get really thrilled when I look around and see people who have come to faith in Jesus and grown to use their gifts. It’s thrilling to be part of people’s lives in their ups and downs, and they have been there for us too, during our ups and downs. It is wonderful to see the transformation in people’s lives.” Martyn leaves St Mary’s in excellent condition. The visitors book is full of comments recording how well maintained the church is, such as: “I can’t believe it’s this old and still in this condition.” “There is always some sort of maintenance work going on, securing the fabric of the building,” Martyn says. “When I came, they were working on the tower and baptistry.” Recently, a step leading to Anne Brontë’s
Martyn and Joyce Dunning grave was replaced by a slope, to enable easier access by wheelchairs and prams. The project was undertaken by Scarborough Civic Society. At the same time, damage to the graveyard wall was repaired by the Council. Paperwork has been holding up repairs to the clock on the church tower, which has been missing its hands since October. The hands should be reinstated by the end of September, Martyn says. The next maintenance work will see the most weathered stones and slates on the south porch renewed. Work will start at the end of August and take up to two months. Most of the cost will be borne by the Friends of St Mary’s.
Big cheque helps library stay open Words and photo by Dave Barry A coffee evening in Scalby has raised £510 to help keep Newby & Scalby library open. The event, at St Laurence's Church Rooms, was organised by Scalby Wives, who raise money for a different charity each year. This year it is the library. Isobel Nixon, who chairs the library trustees, visited the Wives with two colleagues to accept a cheque. Like countless libraries around the country, Newby & Scalby is waging a desperate battle to remain open. As reported in the last Review, a grass-roots <-- L-R: Elaine Lockley, Doreen Brooke, Shirley Turner and Val Humphreys of Scalby Wives present a cheque to Judy Woodroffe, Isobel Nixon and June Watson of Newby & Scalby library. (To order photos, ring 353597)
campaign was launched. A charity with six trustees has been set up to run and develop the library, which is now maintained by the local parish council. The county council wanted to close the library next April but has agreed to carry on providing books, equipment, IT support and training. But more volunteers are needed if the bold initiative is to succeed. The opening hours are contingent on people’s generosity with their spare time. The library will continue existing services and make its home service a priority. It generates a modest income through fines for the late return of books, DVD hire, photocopying charges, etc. But most of the money needed to run the place will come from government agencies, other community groups such as Scalby Wives
and their own fundraising. To sign up as a library volunteer or make a donation, send an email to snltrustees@ gmail.com or ring 01609 536602. The library doesn’t have a direct line; callers have to ring Northallerton and get put through. The library has Facebook and Twitter accounts which are easy to find.
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