The Churchwarden’s responsibility in the report is to identify all those projects that have taken place during the past year.
I will start with the Horse Chestnut tree that was felled in May. It seemed a shame that this needed doing the tree having been there for over 200 years but it was diseased and had become unsafe. At sometime soon we need to replace it with a suitable new tree to be planted in that area. Any ideas or thoughts would be gratefully received!
In October we had our ‘Quinquenial Report’ (every 5 years) by the Church Architect that identified items for our attention. The overall report was for a well cared for church in very good repair.
First item was the guttering and down pipes from the roofs to be cleared (we do this every year).The builder did this and carried out repairs as necessary pointing out that there were areas that may need major repairs in the future i.e. the guttering on the north side of the nave where water has come in making a mess above the large painting on the wall. The builder did some remedial repairs here but suggests this is an area to keep an eye on.
Secondly we have had to have the gate pillars repositioned and re-pointed. The main gate seems to be struck by vehicles from time to time causing the problem. The north entrance gates were also damaged and needed rebuilding.
Further you may recall we had a pipe burst behind the south porch. This has been made good and all pipes buried and boxed hopefully preventing this happening again. Thank you Alan for organising this.
May I take this opportunity to thank people for their support and help in the past year. Cheryl has been assisting me in the church before and after the services and standing-in for me when I have not been able to make a service, she has been a great help both in the church and keeping my morale up.
My wife, Nan, has been a great support helping me when I dress the Altar on a Saturday and attempting to keep my feet on the ground when I might get up-tight about church things! Apart from looking after the borders and general tidying of the churchyard she has made curtains and hung them for the vestry and behind the organ.
The ‘Open Gardens’ last June were very successful and thanks go to all those who helped and supported the event. The gardens looked at their best so many thanks to the owners. The event took a great deal of organising and the small committee chaired by Helen met weekly for about 6 weeks - I believe the outcome was worth it.
The weather was not very kind to us this year and the Fete was a rather damp affair but still supported and enjoyed by many people in the Village.
Others we must never forget are the cleaners, flower arrangers and the ringers. It is easy to take these people for granted but it would be a very sorry place without them.
As we all know we lost our dear organist, Quentin, this year. Chris Jones has been playing for us when he is available for which we are very grateful. Also we must thank Angela for filling-in when Chris is not able to play especially during the Family services.
On the subject of Family services a special thanks to the mums who give their time to organise the service everyone seems to enjoy them – it’s a half hour service but we never finish and close the church before 12.30 or so.
We must never forget to thank our Rector, John, who I know never seems to stop working – he is supposed to take one day a week off, Saturdays, but rarely seems able to do so! Thank you again John for your love and support to us all not forgetting your wonderful sermons.

John Worledge