Autumn 2023

LOCAL NEWS
News
A Global Search and a New
Vicar for St Dunstan’s!
St Dunstan’s Church is
delighted to announce the
appointment of the Venerable
Richard King as the new Vicar
for Cranbrook.
Richard is currently Rector
of St John the Evangelist, in
Edmonton, Canada and along
with his wife Shelly will arrive
in the UK in October.
For the past seven and a half
years, Richard has been living
and working in Canada, before
which he held various posts
in the Canterbury Diocese.
He comes to us with a wealth
of experience and a passion
for being with and meeting
everyone wherever they are on
life’s journey. Richard lives and
breathes St Dunstan’s Church’s
vision through his faith, his
welcoming spirit, and his
compassion for all. As Richard
said to us recently, “Shelly and
I are now so grateful for God’s
grace and kindness in providing
the opportunity to come to be
with you.”
And commenting on his
Parish interview in June,
Richard said, “it was a
wonderful, action-packed
experience. I met not only
members of St. Dunstan’s,
but also people from the
community, including the
schools, parish council and local
businesses. In a thirty-minute
session, some of the children
from Cranbrook Church of
England Primary School put
me to the test with some
fantastic questions! That was
great fun. In all, I came away
with the sense that there is a
lot happening in Cranbrook;
that there is a great and shared
desire to work together to make
the community the best it can
be. It feels very much a gift to
be able to come and be part of
that.”
Richard’s appointment comes
after a thorough recruitment
and selection process, and
our thanks go to so many
members of the Cranbrook
community who responded
to a questionnaire last year.
Your responses, feedback,
support and prayers have been
invaluable.
Richard will be ‘Installed’
in St Dunstan’s Church by
Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin
on Wednesday 25th October at
7.00pm. Please do come along
and join the congregation,
community and friends of
Cranbrook for this joyous
occasion: everyone is very
welcome.
Royal
Planting
On 16 May, Adam Nicolson, grandson
of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-
West, planted three oak tree saplings
in front of Sissinghurst Castle to
commemorate the Coronation. Adam
and his head gardener, Troy, planted
three saplings: the largest to honour
King Charles, a medium-sized sapling
for Prince William, and a smaller one
for Prince George. You can see the new
plantings on the green, opposite the
reception area, where a centuries old
oak had stood.
Cranbrook Primary School
children Visit Local
Sustainable Printers
Two intrepid Year 6 Cub reporters were among six children from
Cranbrook Primary Newspaper Club who recently visited Sustainable
Print, in Cranbrook, to learn about the printing process. This ecofriendly
company produces the school newspaper, which is printed on
100 per cent recycled paper.
Sustainable Print is concerned about the environment so they
use crafted paper and at least 70 per cent or more recycled material,
including seeds, petals, elephant and reindeer poo, and grains. They
also use printing processes with less pollution and a better outcome,
resulting in less environmental damage and so less harm to the planet.
James Astell, director of Sustainable Print, lived and worked in
New Zealand for five years and that is where he picked up his ideas on
sustainability. “They are very much about flora and fauna, nature and
woodlands so I thought I would bring that back to the UK in 2017,” he
said.
He explained that sustainability is about finding a process that
produces a limited amount of waste. So when it comes to printing, it
means to be really good quality and it needs to be fit for purpose. “There
is always waste in most things, so we try and limit this as much as
possible”. During the visit, James explained that everything that doesn’t
get printed properly goes in the recycle bin and it will go back through
the process.
Apart from printing the school newspaper, they also print booklets,
folded flyers, leaflets, magazines, business cards, banners and posters.
“We have quite a few customers who want to use printers that are
environmentally responsible and eco-friendly,” mentioned James.
Edward Smissen and Isabel Lucas, Year 6
10 The Cake • Autumn 2023