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Epsom United Reformed ChurchNewsletter for October 2004 |
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Alan Wood I trust you’ve all been so busy with your summer holidays that you’ve not really noticed the seven-week gap since the last issue on 15th August. However, the photograph of the rostrum was taken on 15th August – at the start of the Olympic Games – and the Hollycombe Steam Collection visit was on 26th August; it all seems so long ago . . Anyway, here we are again with another bumper volume, with wide-ranging subject matter: we are even looking forward to Christmas, thanks to our Methodist friends and their plea for help for their Christmas Lunch. Were you at the Special Church Meeting on 22nd September? The discussion points are important for our church, and a lot of thought was put in and many ideas were generated – the same idea often emanating from more than one group. Have you had any more thoughts? The number of Anchor Boys is slowly increasing, and we rejoice in this. However, the new Programme Pack, which should originally have been out in August, has been delayed again until October. This does not give the Anchor Boys staff much encouragement, and they deserve better. Their efforts are applauded, and I know that they are grateful to the parents who stay and help. Most of you will already be aware of the fact that my old school friend David and I achieved our goal of cycling the length of the Canal du Midi. You can read about this later on. Although we haven’t done a final count-up, we reckon that we have raised over £3,000, and I’ll let you know next time what the final total is. The next event in connection with this is a press conference on 14th October at the Princess Alice Hospice, with local papers and perhaps local radio. We’ll be taking our bikes and the tent, etc., and hopefully generate even more interest and publicity. May I blow my own trumpet – or, rather, Eb Tuba – and tell you about a concert at the Leatherhead Theatre. This is at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, 31st October, and features the Mole Valley Silver Band, with which I play, and Regent Brass, a 1st Section band. Each band will play some pieces on their own, and they unite for others. One of the pieces is an arrangement that I made of a piece for organ that Charles Senior has played as a postlude. Come along and hear how it sounds from the massed brass! Tickets are £7 each, and may be obtained from the Box Office, tel: 01372-365141. Leaflets are in the church foyer. The concert is part of the Mole Valley ‘Arts Alive 2004’ promotion. (top)We rejoice to announce the birth on 11th October of a son, Joel Thomas William, to Simon and Sara Smith, son and daughter-in-law of George and Sheila. He weighed in at 8lb 2oz., and parents and baby are doing well. George and Sheila are bearing up under the strain! With sadness we report the death of Sybil Reed on 16th
September, and we express our sympathy to her brother, Frank, and
family. The funeral was held last Tuesday, 28th September. We extend our sympathy to Sandra Bullock and the family on the loss of Sandra’s mother, who died recently. Phyl Cary has recently moved into Epsom. We hope she will settle well in her new home and find rest and contentment. And the great news! At last Gwyneth has a moving date - 27th October. Hurrah!! It has been good to have Eileen Horsler back with us, following a lengthy time suffering back trouble. Marjorie Thomson has been with us in church recently and has also celebrated her birthday this month. We hope Archie and Doris Swan will benefit from
their holiday. Evelyn, Phyllis and Jock (not forgetting Morgan) are
also on holiday. Thanks from Edna Gessey ‘My sincere thanks for the beautiful flowers I received for my special birthday, and also for the cards so kindly sent. Thank you all so very much.’ And a distinctive 'thank you' message from Frank and Dorothy:  (top)
Musings from the Minister It is easy in the church to get preoccupied with the things we do, the people we like, our point of view, and so on. Sometimes we get frustrated when people do things we disagree with, or say things that hurt or hinder in some way. It is easy to lose sight of who we are meant to be, isn’t it? Jesus said that his commandment was ‘that you love one another as I have loved you.’ And he went on to say that his followers were his friends if they did what he commanded, that is, to love one another. I am giving you these commands, he said, so that you may love one another. Hmmm…not many feelings there, are there? No passion. No heart-throb. Jesus speaks of love, not in a warm and fuzzy way, but in a deep, moral way. The biblical word most commonly used for love is agape, meaning a moral love, a love that seeks the best for self and others. This kind of love is reciprocity, mutuality, and accountability between people. That is to say, Christians are called to love others, Christian or otherwise, with an agape love. This may sound like a lofty ideal, but it can be attained. . Friendship, like love, is not just emotion. Feelings alone are not enough to establish and sustain any relationship. We need emotion, too, of course, for some of our relationships, but emotion does not have to be part of love. Biblical love does not capitulate to feelings, but is motivated by what is best and right and true, regardless of feelings of affection. You have doubtless heard it said that you can love someone but not like them, and I think this is what they were getting at. You may not particularly like someone, but that does not mean that you should be nasty to them; quite the contrary, we should treat them as best we can. What might this have to say to our congregations? We may not always feel love for everyone here, but by golly, we had better act with love. If we don’t, then the whole thing will fall apart. That does not mean that we put it on, it just means that we accept others and treat them as Jesus would have done. Love and friendship build a congregation’s credibility by demonstrating that this relationship with Jesus, which we preach, really does matter to us. Not only must it matter with us, we must be able to communicate this to visitors and newcomers and to the wider community. Sometimes we must set aside our own agendas and take some time to speak with others we know less well, or to visitors or to people we don’t particularly like. Love one another as I have loved you, Jesus said. Pat. Secretary’s
Letter
I am sure we were all sad to hear of the death of Sybil Reed last week, just when we all thought she had recovered from her stay in hospital and had settled down in her new home at Priory Court. Sybil in my eyes has always been at Epsom U.R.C., in fact she taught my daughter in Junior Church and that was over twenty five years ago. Suzanne still remembers her with affection. We shall all miss her. On a personal note, we are awaiting the arrival of our second grandchild. As you can imagine, Abbie is very excited about it. We have overnight bags packed and the ’phone switched to high, just in case it decides to make an appearance during the night! A report about the Special Planning Meeting is included in this issue. I hope you find it worthwhile, and with God’s help we shall be able to put into action some of the subjects discussed.
DIARIES FOR 2005 Please place your order as soon as possible with Sheila Smith for a 2005 U.R.C. Diary. .The cost will be £4. 95p. each. Report on the Special
Church Meeting The special meeting held on the 22nd September to discuss the future of our church was very encouraging. After opening prayers and an initial introduction giving details of the Elders’ Meeting with the Provincial Moderator ( Rev Nigel Uden) we formed three groups for discussions. Each group were given the same questions, the first being about our Image and the second about the Vision for the Future. At the end of each session we reviewed each groups comments. It was the meeting’s wish that we should go ahead with some of the suggestions as soon as possible. Below are the questions asked and the comments received: Our Image. How can we improve our Image and what changes do we need to make?
Our Vision. What do we think Jesus would want us to offer to our community both individually and as a congregation.
If you were not able to be at the meeting and wish to add to or comment on the Groups’ conclusions please contact our Minister or one of the Elders. Your views will be valued. top)Harvest 2004 The church looked very beautiful and very DIFFERENT this year for our all-age Harvest Thanksgiving. We had lots of pictures of cows around the walls, complementing the wonderful displays of flowers, foliage and autumn berries. Why the cows? Because our theme was "Send a Cow", and more of that elsewhere in this Newsletter. We had black and white balloons instead of live Friesian cows, tied on to farmers' galvanized milking pails. We were encouraged to drop "noisily" our offerings into the pails! Was anyone else reminded of the hymn we sang in Sunday School a long time ago, "Hear the pennies dropping, dropping"? We listened to an interview by a ‘BBC reporter’ with three ‘farmers’ from the countries that grow some of our fruit and vegetables, and Pat showed us some exotic fruits that come to us fresh by air, and some supermarket foods that come to us from abroad. A special thanks to the Brownies who in their meeting had decorated gift boxes, written messages on them and filled them with gifts of food. At least one of the boxes brought was filled with freshly picked home-grown produce – perhaps a rarity these days. We sang lustily our harvest hymns, praised God in prayers and readings for his continued provision of all good things around us. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this such a special Harvest Thanksgiving.
Rostrum Arrangements Have some of you who sit towards the rear of the church been able to see more of Pat recently? As you probably know, ideas have been thrashed around as to helping communication between minister and congregation on Sunday mornings. These have included designing a lectern with steps and, as you will have seen, having a central rostrum on the blue carpet enabling the minister to be more visible and to get closer to the congregation. The trial started out with a pair of the rostra made by Neil Stuart many moons ago. Due to the amount of space taken by the two rostra, restricting free movement around them, one rostrum was removed and now the central lectern (borrowed from the Longhurst Room) stands on a single 8 ’ x 4’ rostrum.This matter has been under discussion at church meeting, and your ideas on what should happen here are sought. Please consider this and let any member of the F&GP Committee have your views and ideas. Are you inconvenienced by the rostrum? Do you like being able to see the minister better? Could the arrangements be made better? Please let us know. Thanks. Sybil Mary Reed Pat Hall’s words at Sybil’s Thanksgiving Service on 28
September 2004 No two people are alike and it is this very uniqueness that makes us loved not only by friends and family but also by God. We are here for a purpose, a divine purpose, and the hand of God has been laid on us all. Today we reflect on the way in which God’s hand was upon Sybil Mary Reed throughout her life and we give God thanks for the uniqueness that was hers. Sybil was born in the Welsh mining town of Blaenavon, in February 1913. After school in Blaenavon and Pontypool Girl’s School, she went to Goldsmith’s College, part of London University today, to train as a teacher and to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her mother’s death meant that Sybil was not able to complete her three-year course, as she had to return to look after her father and brother Frank. She went on to teach in Pontypool and Blaenavon, and must have led a busy life what with her interest in drama, and as a member of the Congregational Church, and her teaching. In 1957, Sybil moved to Ewell to be near her brother and his family. Sybil continued teaching, this time at the Ewell Girls’ School, retiring in the mid-’70s. Retirement for Sybil did not mean that she was idle, for she went on to help to found the Old Millhouse Retired Citizens Club, which meets to this day in the Ewell United Reformed Church. She served as their treasurer until her death. She attended the meetings of the Ewell Adult School and regularly took part. She was also a member of the Epsom Literary Society. She attended meetings of the fellowship group of the Ewell United Reformed Church and was a member of the Epsom United Reformed Church. Here she served as a Junior Church leader, and is remembered fondly by people, now in their forties, for the models they made. Gwyneth Smith recalled to me how Sybil took some youngsters to the London Dock to see ‘John Williams VII’, the last of the missionary ships that operated in the South Seas, which they supported with their ship ha’pennies, which you will know more about than me! She represented this congregation at CWM, served as Secretary of the Church Life Committee and became a member of the choir. In recent years, she sold raffle tickets at the annual Plant Sale and Mini Market. There was not much that could keep Sybil down, and through the kindness of friends was able to attend Sunday worship here until she was hospitalized this past spring. Sybil was very well thought of by those who knew her. She had a spark about her, didn’t she, that was inspiring, that made you glad you were in her company – an amazing gift. Asthma, which she had had for many years, and difficulty with walking, made Sybil increasingly housebound in recent years, but she still tried to keep up with friends. You will not be surprised to hear that one of her most important possessions was her address book. Sybil had many interests over the years, some of which I have already mentioned. Others were painting, holidays abroad, reading, and, of course, crosswords. When she could no longer ‘go abroad’, she took holidays just across the channel so that she could say she had been abroad. She was fortunate to be part of the community along Welbeck Close, and to have good neighbours. She was supportive of her family, for some time going in one day a week to sit with Lorna’s mother. The Gospels tell us that from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. Much was given to Sybil and she gave much in return. Much is given to us: more life, more time, more chances to learn and to serve, and from us more is required. Today we give thanks for the gift of Sybil’s life, but this is also an opportunity to thank God for what we are given, and to refocus our lives on the things that matter most in life. Amen. The Season of Remembrance
Christ Church will again be holding their Service of Remembrance on 14th November and for those that feel the need to attend there, I give details of their service: Christ Church, Epsom Common 10.15 a.m. At our Service there will be the usual representatives from the Epsom Branch of The Royal British Legion, members from all our uniformed youth groups and all those organisations who each year share in our Act of Remembrance. As you probably know, this Service features a wide variety of both music and participants who range from Guides and Scouts to adults representing the life of our town. The Deputy Mayor and Borough Councillors will be present to represent our Borough. I sincerely hope that you will be present with other members of your organisation, and nominate one of them to carry your wreath in the opening procession. The wreaths will then form the backdrop to our service and afterwards they will be taken to the Ashley Road War Memorial for laying at the afternoon service. Please accept my invitation, immediately after the service, to join us for refreshments in the hall for this will give us all an opportunity to meet and so keep in touch. As they say, there is then the Service of Remembrance held at the Ashley Road Memorial; this starts at 3 p.m., and usually has the Epsom and Ewell Silver Band playing. At 11:00 on 11th November there will be the usual Parade by the Mayor and Borough Councillors and members of the Royal British Legion with their standards to the short ceremony, including the Silence, at the Clock Tower. This is usually well supported by the public. (top)August in Toronto For me August 2004 has been a very special and exciting time as I travelled to Toronto in Canada from 3rd-7th to play handbells in the 11th International Handbell Symposium. The week prior to the Symposium a friend, two other couples and I toured the East Coast of the USA, New York, Niagara, Philadelphia and Washington before flying to Toronto on the Monday afternoon, ready for the opening ceremony the next day. There were 600 ringers taking part from Canada, Australasia, Japan, Korea and Great Britain ranging in age from 12 to 60. I was asked to join an elite team of nine from the SE region, ‘The Wandle Ringers’, of the 100-strong team of ringers from Great Britain. There were ten pieces of music that we had been rehearsing on a monthly basis. Each piece had a different conductor from each of the six countries, and every day we had massed rehearsals, ten in all, playing three pieces at each rehearsal; the conductors were allowed 30 minutes’ rehearsal time to start with, reducing to ten minutes at the final rehearsal as each conductor’s instructions had to be translated twice, between Japanese, Korean and English. We really had to concentrate and get it right – as soon as the red light appeared the conductor had to leave the podium to make way for the next one. As well as rehearsals we had daily workshops, mini-rallies when individual teams played a solo piece, a talent show, an international concert, a barbecue on Toronto Islands and a gift exchange – a fully packed programme! ‘The Wandle Ringers’ played a Welsh lullaby arranged by
Margaret Tucker. Our slot was 08:45 on the Friday morning, following our
rehearsal time of 10.15 the previous evening; it was an awe-inspiring moment
playing to 600 other bell-ringers. Pamela and the Great Britain Handbell Team The final concert took place on Saturday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre to an audience of over 2,000. The final piece was ‘Amazing Grace’, arranged and conducted by Malcolm Wilson of Dunblane, and we were joined by two Highland pipers from the York Highland Regiment in Toronto, a wonderful finale to an unforgettable and unique experience. The Symposium ended that evening with a sumptuous banquet at which the Symposium Bell was finally rung by a Canadian and was passed to Australia to await the 12th Symposium in Brisbane in August 2006. We said goodbye to our new friends, and everyone made their journeys back to their home countries. The six of us spent another day exploring Toronto, and had our final dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top of the CN Tower before flying home on the Monday evening. Churches Together in Epsom Join us as we pray for peace AN EVENING OF PRAYER for peace St Barnabas’ Church Temple Road, Epsom 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Thursday, 21st October TAIZE SERVICE of silence, prayer and music with the theme of peace St Martin’s Church Church Street, Epsom 6.30 p.m. Sunday 24th October (United Nations Day) National Blood Service at
Unity Hall Well, it has taken a long time, but at last the booking has been made: the National Blood Service will be holding a session at Unity Hall on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, 14th December, 2004, starting at 2.00 p.m. While at a donor session at Bourne Hall nearly a year ago, I got chatting to the nurse – as one does! – and said that we had a hall that could prove suitable. This was timely, as the NBS had recently lost a venue in Epsom. The nurse, Beverley Casery, née Hearne, had been in our Guides at the old church and Lecture Hall, so we also had a chat about mutual acquaintances of yesteryear. A short look-around by Beverley in January was followed by a detailed inspection in June, which proved that Unity Hall was satisfactory in all respects for NBS use. Since then I have been in communication with the Session Planning Team, trying to find a time when the NBS had a team free and Unity Hall was clear of bookings. We have offered Friday afternoons and evenings when Friday Zone is not meeting, but the NBS has not had a team available. Then they said ‘What about 14th December?’ I said it was not available due to the Kindergarten and the Toddlers’ Group. Then it transpired that the Kindergarten was breaking up for Christmas on 10th December, and The Toddlers’ Group was finishing on 7th; the Badminton Club has agreed to a delayed start to their evening. I got back to the NBS with the good news. This booking will, first and foremost, prove – or otherwise – the viability of Unity Hall for this purpose. Future bookings will depend upon the success of the first visit. Secondly, it will produce a good sum for the Church finances, and lastly, and probably most importantly, it will raise our profile in the local community, with many more people knowing about Unity Hall. (top)Afternoon Fellowship Thursday, 23rd September, saw the beginning of a new session. As is customary, we began with a Communion Service, led by our minister, Rev. Pat Hall. The October meeting will be on Thursday 28th at 2.30 p.m., when we shall have a Members’ Afternoon, with a ‘Bring-and-Buy’ table to help our finances. We would welcome any friends able to join us. Evening Church
Fellowship We are looking forward to our first meeting of the new session on 4th October, when we shall hear all about the ‘Hearing Dogs for the Deaf’. Then on 1st November our good friend Betty Hurley will present her selection of music entitled ‘Magical Movie Moments’. We look forward to welcoming you all. Women’s
Church Council As a result of the September Coffee Morning, the ‘Young Carers of Epsom’ received a cheque for £100.00. The proceeds of the October Coffee Morning, on 12th October, will be used to enable the Women’s Church Council to help them remember friends with a Christmas Card or a gift. May we look forward to having you with us? You will be assured of a warm welcome. (top)12th Epsom Brownie Guide Pack
The Brownies had expressed a desire to do some inventing, so at
our meeting on Wednesday, 22nd September, they were set the task of
creating a parachute that could safely transport a man made of cork and On Saturday 25th September there was a Division
celebration of the Brownies’ 90th birthday in the form of an
Olympic Games, held at the campsite in Epsom, and three of the 12th
Brownies attended. Each District in the Epsom Division was assigned a Continent,
ours was Asia, and each unit was then assigned a Country of that continent.
Twelfth Epsom Brownie Guides represented Pakistan and for the parade one Brownie
held a banner stating the country and another a large flag of Pakistan, and then
the rest of our Pack walked behind them waving smaller flags. We made a large
circle and recited the Brownie Promise, and then the Olympic flag was raised.
After each District had sung a song from their continent we all sang ‘This
little Guiding light of mine’ and then ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Brownies.
After the Mayor had said a few words, we all had our lunch after which the
activities began. There were several outdoor activities, but unfortunately these
were done mainly in the rain. Each District had a tent where various crafts from
their assigned continent were taking Anchor Boys Unfortunately the new programme pack for the Anchor Boys, which we should have received during the summer, will not now be ready until October. At the first meeting after the summer holiday we had five boys attending. Our theme for the evening was pirates. They played a game of ‘Port and Starboard’, and then each of the boys made a pirate using a cardboard tube as its body. Those that finished in time coloured a picture of pirates on board a pirate ship.
Pauline was unable to be at our next meeting when we had six boys, but we did have the help of one of the dads who stayed with his son. The theme was ‘lions’, and the boys listened to the story of Androcles and the Lion, and then they each made a lion mask. Wearing their masks they played a game of ‘Elephants Charge’, only it was ‘Lions Charge’ for the evening. Five boys came to our next meeting when Tuck told the boys a Chinese story and then they made Chinese lanterns. (top)Sponsored Cycle Ride along the Canal du
Midi Well, we made it! A total of about 370 miles, including some days of 45 miles, along tow-paths of very variable quality from tarmac to mud with tree roots, an assortment of camp sites and local produce (especially the bottled variety),and some magnificent sights gave us a holiday to remember, spiced with the thought of the wonderful amount of sponsorship which so many people have donated! We had excellent weather. It rained heavily, with thunder and lightning, on two nights, but it had dried out by morning and didn’t delay striking camp to get back on the tow-path. One morning it remained overcast until lunchtime; it must have rained very hard during that night as there were many large puddles along the track. The rest of our days the sun shone incessantly, and we were glad of the shade afforded by the wonderful plane trees planted each side of the canal during its construction. Memorable visits were made to the Airbus factory at Toulouse, to a three-day festival at Castelnaudary, to the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, to the magnificent town of Béziers, and to the Mediterranean at Sète at the end of the journey. One event that put rather a dampener on things was the intrusion one night into one campsite of some undesirable elements of the local populace, who cut open three tents to see what they could steal. Our tent was the only one where they found anything, and they went off with David’s handlebar bag, containing his mobile ’phone, passport, driving licence, traveller’s cheques, camera, an exposed film (the only irreplaceable item!) and several other things. This required visits to the local police and the district police to make a report, and many ’phone calls for insurance and money purposes. Luckily at this campsite the staff had actually made a copy of David’s passport, which greatly eased David’s return to the UK! This event aside, everything went well and we had a most interesting and enjoyable holiday, which has enabled the Princess Alice Hospice to benefit hugely from your generosity. A Timely Plea from the Methodist
Church Christmas Alone 2004. This is YOUR opportunity to help in a practical way to make a person who wouldotherwise be alone, join in a very special celebration on Christmas Day. As inprevious years we are planning to invite about 55 people, who would otherwise be on their own, for lunch on Christmas Day at the Methodist Church Hall in Ashley Road. Our guests who come from all over the town, really appreciate the opportunity to share this special day with others, and those who have helped in previous years have found it a very rewarding experience.
transport picking up guests from home at about 12.00 noon and taking them home afterwards at about 3.45pm - if you can't do both ways one journey would be great. Also we need hosts and hostesses who sit down to eat with five guests to a table, ten if hosts are a couple, and generally look after them from the time they arrive at 12.30 p.m. until
they go home at 4.00 p.m. We really want this very worthwhile venture to continue but we need YOUR help - please give some consideration to how YOU can help - we can certainly guarantee that you will feel that it has been both fun and very satisfying. Last year over 50 people from varying churches were involved in one way or another ensuring that no one feels it too arduous a commitment. Also if you decide to give it a go there is certainly no obligation for another year and we are sure you will enjoy the experience -
ring me NOW - my phone number is 01372 728535. However
if you can't help please pray for the venture and for the people who will be our
guests this year or if you are going to be alone on Christmas Day and would like
an invitation please let me know. Carol Stringer (01372 728535) Hollycombe Steam Museum A few of us travelled from Epsom to Liphook to spend a lovely afternoon at the Hollycombe Steam Museum. The weather was a bit uncertain as we left Epsom, but the sun was starting to come through as we arrived at the Museum. Fortuitously we arrived just after Pat, and we met together with the people from Ewell to eat our picnic in the car park.
Please note that the collection for ‘Commitment for Life’, usually made at Harvest, will be made on Anniversary Sunday, 7th November, our 316th birthday. A New Minister at Christ
Church, Leatherhead We rejoice with Christ Church, Leatherhead, at the recent induction of their new Minister. A very interesting mini-biography of Rev. Dean Tapley and his wife Lydia may be read in the September issue of their Newsletter, available on the table in our church foyer. Coffee Morning at Unity
Hall Come and join us at 10:30 this Saturday, 16th October, for another in our occasional series of Coffee Mornings in Unity Hall. This venue, being at ground-floor level, makes it easy for the less able to join their friends in a congenial atmosphere. The event this time is being organized by Junior Church. Remember that we old folks are worth a
fortune –
While I have become a
little older since I saw you last, Will Power – helps me to
get out of bed, and The Preacher came to call
the other day – I told him that I do that
all the time, no matter where I am: I always ask myself, "What am I here after?" "There is four errers in this sentance."
Comments, please! Copy for the next issue of the NewsLetter should be with the Editor by 31st October for publication on 7th November 2004. |
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It
really was very pleasing to see so many young folk and parents at the Harvest
Festival Service on Sunday. As always, the Church looked particularly lovely
with all the flowers and berries, etc. Bread made by the young folk during the
first part of the Service smelt delicious and tasted even better with coffee
after the Service. We do not know, as I write this, just how much we collected
for the "Send a Cow Project", but the buckets seemed quite full. Many
thanks to all. We now look forward to joining our friends at Ewell for Harvest
Lunch.
At
our first meeting after the summer break, we prepared over twenty harvest
baskets for the Harvest Festival Church Parade. Eight of the Brownies paraded at
the Service and helped with the making of bread for the congregation.
cocktail
sticks from the gallery in Unity Hall to the ground. They worked together in
groups of four or five, with each girl having her own specific task. There were 
six
groups in total, and they were all successful. Points were given for various
components, the way the parachute drifted and whether the man landed all in one
piece. When all the points were totted up all six groups had 17 points.
place,
and the Brownies were free to join in whichever activity they wished. Each
continent was given a colour that represented one of the Olympic rings, and the
girls were asked to wear a top in their colour. At the end of the event each
District formed a ring and interlaced with the other districts thus forming the
Olympic flag; then we all sang ‘Brownie Bells’ bringing the event to a
close. The Brownies who came were each given a soft toy and balloon before they
left for home, tired but happy.
We
were very pleased to have one of the Anchor Boys at the Harvest Church Parade,
and he enjoyed making the bread.
Not
every one who has helped in the past is able to do so this year, so we are
Once
inside we all went our separate ways, but met up with various groups as we went
round. Pamela had managed to get there with Joseph and Tammy, and Terry and
Joseph went around together enjoying the rides and side-shows. We all had at
least one ride on the steam train which was worth it just for the wonderful
views. There were rides there for all ages and most people tried them out. The
gardens there are very peaceful and well laid out with many varieties of trees
and shrubs and somewhere to sit with a ‘romantic view’. All of us that went
had a lovely time and recommend it to those who were unable to go.
