Click - Parish of Greater Whitbourne

Page 6I read with interest the articleon Uncovering Family Ties inthe March magazine. I havebeen in contact with Audrey forseveral months now and amtrying to help her in her search.The wedding picture (right) hasno connection with Audrey’sfamily, but is a picture of myparents, Arthur Griffiths ofWinley and The Line House, andOlive Roper of Linceter.The lady mentioned, third fromthe right,m is my mother’s sisterMargery. My father’s sisterGladys lived at No 1 BadleyWood on her marriage toRaymond Prosser. My cousinGladys Jones (nee Griffiths)lived at Haytons, Badley Wood(where Pat and Kristin EvansIt is said that once a ‘For Sale’sign was put outside the churchat Whitbourne. It was a spoof, ofcourse, but it certainly raised ahuge furore at the time!And, of course, that reality CANhappen – we only need to look atthe signs outside Knightwickchurch to be reminded of what ispossible!However, all I want to do thismonth is to alert readers to thefact that across the GreaterParish we will be running aStewardship campaign over thesummer. The aim is to increaseawareness of the costs of runningour churches and maintainingour beautiful buildings.Ultimately, by raising awareness,we hope that more members ofthe community will become regular,tax efficient, givers to thechurch.Family history unravellednow live)on her marriage.Audrey hastold methat DonG r i f f i t h s ,ex-postmanon BringstyCommon, isher cousin.This is a different Griffithsfamily. Audrey has also toldme that her family moved toSuckley when her mother wasyoung and she remembersspending holidays at Yearsett.Kathleen HarrisChurch for Sale?“Oh no, here we go again!” I canhear the cries! Yes, we did run avery successful campaign in2003. That is over five years agoand a lot has happened. Then wewere faced with the threat of losingour Priest in our Parish. Werose to that challenge but timemoves on and we face differentchallenges now•Since 2003 the Retail PriceIndex has risen from 181 to 210– a rise of 16%.•We have recently had aQuinquennial Review of ourchurch buildings – urgent repairwork totalling £10,315 has beenidentified.•Many properties have changedhands resulting in a welcomeinflux of new families.•Some regular donors havemoved away or sadly died.Altogether, we feel that the timeis right to remind ourselves ofthe huge part in our communitiesis played by the church andits related activities and alsohow strongly many people feelthat a village without a church isa body without a heart.In April and May, local volunteerteams will be preparing a letterThe Parish MagazineArtist Tom Mence will hold anOpen House Exhibition on EasterSaturday 11th April, 11am - 3pmat Meadow Green Cottage,Whitbourne.All are very welcome, and pleasedo bring friends. A percentage ofproceeds will be going to St Johnthe Baptist Church, Whitbourne.pack to be delivered individuallyto each house in June. There willbe an invitation to a local meeting(with refreshments!) at whichwe will hold a discussion andgive everyone a chance to airtheir views and ask their questions.The aim is to hold themeetings in early July (weekendof 4/5) and there will be theopportunity to attend at UpperSapey, Saltmarsh or Whitbourne.More information will be madeavailable over the next twomonths, but please take timereally to consider the importanceof our churches to thewhole of the community andalso please think of volunteeringfor the local groups. If youwould like to participate, pleasecontact your local church wardensor the Rector.Thank you.Angus Stormonth DarlingHon Treasurer Parish ofGreater Whitbourne