Delabole Slate August 2022

Thank You Tricia
Delabole Methodist Church has an enormous amount to thank Tricia Molloy for. She had been involved with Methodism
all her life, in fact Linda, one of the many who attended Tricia’s thanksgiving service, remembered attending her Sunday
School class and one day being told that Tricia would not be her teacher the next Sunday, as she was getting married.
After the wedding Tricia and Rex lived in St Kew Highway but it wasn’t long before they were settled in Delabole, which
was very dear to Tricia’s heart. By now there were other roles to take on in church life - one of which was sewing
costumes for the Delabole Church Youth Group’s annual pantomime. Hundreds of people from around Cornwall packed
into the Wesley Schoolroom for the performances and another of Tricia’s jobs was selling the tickets for 25 years - and
making sure that everyone got their seat. What an undertaking!
Tricia and Barbara about to perform on Music Day 2019,
after receiving Thank You cards from the congregation
for all that they contributed.
them to contribute a display on a range of themes. People’s imaginations were wonderful
and their generosity in providing the flowers meant that much-appreciated amounts
were able to be handed over to Hospice Care - an organisation very dear to Tricia’s
heart. However, Tricia wasn’t just involved with the organisational side; in the early days
people would place their flower orders with Parkers of Camelford and at 6am she’d be
in the shop, sorting orders with Shirley and Di, transporting them back to the chapel and
hoping that everyone got the flowers they were expecting. Can’t describe the mess that
ensued but somehow by 10am on the opening morning the chapel was a riot of colour
and ploughman’s salads were ready to be served in the Sunday School - and she made
it look easy!
Tricia didn’t take herself too seriously though, as she was happy to dress up and take
part in the village churches visits to the school with the Open the Book team. She could
be seen most weeks donning biblical costumes and re-enacting stories from the Bible
for a school assembly - plus sometimes enjoying coffee afterwards.
There are so many things that could be said about her involvement and dedication but
we’ll move on to the late 1990s when Tricia took on the task of Senior Steward at the
chapel (even though she was heavily involved with many other village organisations) -
One of the offshoots from the pantomime was ‘ Delabole
Ladies’ - a singing group that toured local chapels and gave
concerts for church funds. Tricia was in the soprano section
and it was all (including the practices) great fun. We always
said that our popularity relied on the facts that we didn’t charge
and we’d bring a congregation with us in the form of parents
and friends. Singing and performing in chapels had always
been part of Tricia’s life - from taking part in church youth
festivals as a teenager to kicking off the annual Music Day at
chapel when Tricia, at the piano, and her good friend Barbara,
on the recorder, would launch into Lord of the Dance and you
knew you were in for a good time and the various charity stalls
that she’d arranged to be there would make a good profit.
Alongside this, in 1983, the first of the annual Flower Festivals
was held at the chapel - and so began (until the advent of the
virus) the raising of thousands of pounds for the Mount
Edgcumbe Hospice. Over the
years, Tricia contacted village
organisations and persuaded
Tricia (and friends) being
Holy Dusters (cleaners) on
Tricia’s 71st birthday
a position she fulfilled conscientiously and loyally to near the end of her life when she ensured that there were others
to take over. This role was not just a title but involved hands-on hard work from overseeing renovations and buildings,
to filling in forms, making sure there was a preacher in the pulpit on Sundays, to ensuring things ran smoothly and to
tidying the cupboard under the stairs!
My dad used to say, ‘Service to the community is the rent we pay for our room on Earth’ - Tricia, the Methodist community
of Delabole would wholeheartedly say that you didn’t die in arrears.
Rest in peace and rise in glory. HH
Delabole British Legion
All members were sorry to hear of the passing of our secretary, Patricia.
Patricia had been our secretary for 13 years, she took on the job even though she had other
commitments. She told us how her dad had been in the forces and she wanted the branch to continue.
Those 13 years seem to have flown by. Patricia always had everything organised and running smoothly, even when
unwell.
The branch was lucky to have her as a secretary and we do appreciate all the hard work she did for the branch.