St Andrew's Church - Cherry Hinton Cambridge

It's been a long time

2010-02-16T11:26:00.002Z

It's been a long time since I did my blog,due to illness and whatever.
Lot's of new things are happening in the Church and Centre.
We have a new website being organised at present and once that
is up and running I hope to do a blog or similar on that. Recently the Mayor
of Cambridge and Councillors came for a Sunday morning service. Here is
a picture (copyright Nigel Luckhurst).

Garden Flowers

2009-05-22T11:25:00.002+01:00

Just a few flowers to brighten up your day.

FLOWERS IN MY GARDEN

2009-05-22T11:17:00.003+01:00

Summer is coming - flowers are blooming!!

EILEEN AND BARRIE'S WEDDING

2009-05-22T11:12:00.004+01:00

It was a lovely day for a wedding, the sun shone and the atmosphere was one of joy and love.
May your marriage be blessed with joy and love everafter. I caught this reflection in the window of the wedding car of children blowing bubbles.

The three musketeers in the Churchyard

2009-05-18T09:30:00.003+01:00

Caught on camera checking out the churchyard in May 2009 - The Vicar and the Churchwardens

Missie the cat

2009-03-27T21:09:00.003Z

My cat Missie had to be put to sleep this week as she had a terminal illness. She was a cat full of character. She loved people - particularly children- and she was a loving cat to us in the house.
We buried her in the garden with a prayer hoping that she would meet her beloved brother Moses in cat Heaven and we sang 'all things bright and beautiful'.

SIGNS OF SPRING IN THE CHURCHYARD

2009-03-21T20:44:00.003Z

There are a few signs in the churchyard that Spring is here. The weather forecast for next week isn't good, but at least we know that Spring is on the way.

Its been a long time

2009-02-19T16:04:00.005Z

It's been a long time since I last did a blog - Christmas and illnesses and the snow all contributed to too much time passing. Here are some pics from before and after Christmas at church.

Here are the Autumn leaves in the churchyard,
the Christmas tree in the church and the choir at the Carol Service

Youyou blowing out her birthday candles

2008-10-30T23:58:00.003Z

My student Youyou is from Beijing in China and often comes to church functions. She says she has learned a lot of English from speaking to people in our church.
Here she is celebrating her birthday at home.

Missie the cat in thoughtful mood

2008-10-30T23:55:00.002Z

Candles to lighten our days

2008-10-30T23:49:00.004Z

There's something about candles that brings a feeling of warmth and serenity. In our busy and sometime frightening world, here is a picture of some candles in the church to lighten our lives and bring peace to our frenetic days.

Autumn in the Churchyard

2008-10-29T22:12:00.013Z

Little Bunnies Playgroup

2008-10-29T21:54:00.007Z

The Little Bunnies Playgroup meets on Mondays and Wednesdays each week in the Church Centre from 9.30-11.30a.m. It is an active group that provides interesting play for children and much needed contact for parents. Come along to the group on the above days and find out about it.

FRIENDS OF ST ANDREW'S CHURCH CHERRY HINTON

2008-09-13T21:04:00.002+01:00

The newly formed 'Friends of St Andrew's Church Cherry Hinton' is looking to involve people in the Group which aims to raise funds to maintain the Church and Centre. They particularly want people in the community interested in this medieval church building. (You do not have to be a regular church member) If you live in Cherry Hinton or near area and want to offer your help or your talents in any way please contact the Organiser - Louise Dobson on louisemac@ntlworld.com - she will give you all necessary information.

Is this the last rose of Summer in the churchyard?

2008-09-03T22:31:00.004+01:00

It has hardly been Summer this year, but the last roses are still in the churchyard. The volunteer gardeners tell me that the leaves are starting to fall already and this year has been a busy one with grass cutting because of the excessive rainfall.

If there is anyone out there who would like to do some voluntary work, helping keep the churchyard tidy, then their help would be greatly appreciated. The Autumn clear-up is imminent and help is always needed.

If you would like to help, please contact the Vicar (see website details)

WALES IN THE RAIN

2008-09-01T20:57:00.005+01:00

Here are some pics of the sea in my original home in the Gower, near Swansea S Wales. Recently I went to see my family for a long weekend break. Even with the rain it was GREAT.

Flowers in the church

2008-08-31T21:35:00.010+01:00

Recently there have been some lovely flower arrangements in the church.
Here are some photographs.

IN MEMORY OF CLAUDE

2008-07-19T21:53:00.004+01:00

Claude had a difficult life as a stray for 8 years in the district around our house.
Two years ago he used to sit on the table in the garden in the sun and my other cats used to accept him. He was too wild to pick up but gradually we enticed him nearer and nearer the house with food. One day he appeared in the doorway, obviously unwell, and I put him in the cat basket and took him to the vets. He was there for 10 days with a bad infection due to a cat bite. The vets cured the infection, stitched up his wounds (he was always in a fight) , castrated him and took some bad teeth out. We then took him on as our cat. He turned out to be a gentle, loving cat who enjoyed his home comforts. A few weeks ago he wasn't well, so I took him to the vets again - they thought it was an infection that could be cured by antibiotics. He didn't improve so I took him back to the vets again this week. The vet said he was badly dehydrated and took him in to put him on a drip and check his blood. The vet rang me later that day to say that Claude had a serious infection that was untreatable. She recommended that he be put to sleep. So I said yes as I didn't want him to suffer another day. I brought him home and we buried him in the garden that he loved. We sang 'All things bright and beautiful' and did a little prayer hoping that he was playing in cat's heaven. The other cats in the house have been quiet since he has gone. Bless you Claude for the joy and love you gave us while you were here.

N E W............'FRIENDS' of St Andrews's Church Cherry Hinton

2008-07-09T18:09:00.004+01:00

To help maintain the Church building and Centre, and to fund repairs, the FRIENDS of St Andrew's has recently been formed.

St Andrew's is the oldest building in Cherry Hinton and the maintenance and repair of the building is becoming an enormous burden on the congregation. This group is appealing to the wider community to become involved in any way, however small, to help raise funds for this purpose.

The FRIENDS, headed by Louise Dobson, is hoping that people will contact her to offer their services involving fundraising or to give their talents in some way to help with events. So if you are interested in any way, or feel you can be called upon at some time to use your talents .......CONTACT LOUISE email: louisemac@ntlworld.com

The FRIENDS (and Louise) will be on a ST ANDREWS stall at the Cherry Hinton Festival on 6 September 2008 on Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground. COME AND SEE HER THERE

OUR CHURCHWARDENS

2008-07-09T10:08:00.005+01:00

Roger and Gerald are our Churchwardens. Their role can be traced back to the l4th Century and is defined as 'elected to assist the incumbent in the discharge of his administrative duties, to manage such various parochial offices as by custom or legislation devolve upon him, and generally to act as the lay representative of the parish in matters of church organisation'. The role is very extensive, but here is a summary:

To inspect the fabric of the Church and produce an annual report
To keep proper records of lands and articles belonging to the Church
To keep the Bishop advised any matters they feel need to be brought to his attention
Responsibility for sidespersons
To maintain order and decency in the Church
Responsibility for cleanliness and overall appearance of the Church
To care for the safety, warmth and well-being of the congregation
To have a duty of care towards the incumbent

Nowadays this would include checking the electrical systems, lightning conductor and fire extinguishers. Keeping an eye on the churchyard and church finances, Health and Safety issues.
All as a volunteer!!!!!!

Roger is on the right and Gerald on the left.

Trees

2008-07-07T20:13:00.007+01:00

There are some wonderful trees in the churchyard. This photograph does not do justice to this beautiful tree which I think is a horse chestnut?! I can understand why the poem Trees was written.

Pam and Gill and their work for the church

2008-07-07T19:49:00.006+01:00

Pam is one of stalwart ladies of the church who works hard to keep the Centre kitchen and hall
in good order. She is involved in any functions where catering is required. Gill organises the flowers for the church and is involved in many fundraising functions. Where would the church be without people like these who give their time readily and voluntarily to keep the Church and Centre going? Many people help to 'keep things going' - in the church, the Centre, the graveyard, etc.etc. plus all those people who help with administration. St Andrew's is blessed with those generous people who 'do their bit'. Pam is the lady on the right (in a coral cardigan) and Janet(who is always helping) is on the left. Gill is on the right of the lst picture in a dark jacket (and Janet is on the left again). Here is a (silent) round of applause to everyone. (clap, clap, clap, clap)

Alex and Tom's leaving day

2008-07-06T21:52:00.003+01:00

Our theological students from Westcott House have been wonderful during the time they have been with us. We miss them. Here is a photo of them through the carved screen on their last day with Zoe our lay reader.

YET MORE ROSES!!!

2008-07-06T21:38:00.006+01:00

I can't believe the roses that are in the churchyard.

I keep coming across different ones!!

Ladies who make coffee

2008-07-06T21:34:00.002+01:00

More ladies who make the coffee after church on Sunday - they are always hardworking. And the coffee is good!!!

The Vicar on holiday with his family

2008-07-03T13:26:00.002+01:00

Here is our Vicar - Barry Linney having a well-earned holiday with his children in Devon.

ST. ANDREW'S SOCIAL ACTION AND PRAYER GROUP

2008-06-23T16:51:00.006+01:00

This blog is written by Alison. All the people named are part of St Andrew's Church congregation but the Social Action and Prayer Group is open to anyone who is concerned about social issues.

Zoe had the idea of starting this group for people who are concerned about justice and peace issues. We do not have grand ideas for solving the world's problems but we feel that each little thing we CAN do we WILL do and together we can encourage and support ideas.
We meet in Ayleen's house on a Monday evening - usually the second Monday of the month but this does vary.
We focus on a particular subject each time. At Christmas we had an information pack from Amnesty International about prisoners of conscience and we wrote to some of them following the excellent instructions given.
In May we went out helping deliver Christian Aid envelopes.
Recently we showed a film 'The Lord of War' starring Nicolas Cage about the Arms Trade. B.Ae has been in the news and I have heard reports about it, but still the film shocked me. The sheer callousness and inhumanity was horrific. Having seen the film Beryl was thinking about ways of 'doing something'. She was in Cambridge in the Oxfam shop and saw their display of (very attractive) cards - and decided to buy all birthday/occasion cards from them in future.
We end with a time of prayer together for the situations we have discussed.
We would welcome your input - ideas, suggestions or perhaps some sort of link up !
Please do get in touch. Alison tel. 248 541.

ST ANDREW'S CHURCH CHOIR

2008-06-13T22:27:00.005+01:00

St Andrew's has a small but enthusiastic church choir that are
looking for new members who are interested in church music and
want to sing. You don't have to read music, although it helps.
So if there are any young people or adults out there that would
like to come along, choir practices are on Thursday from 7.30pm
for an hour in the Church Centre. Church services are on a Sunday morning
from 10a.m. Being part of a choir increases musical knowledge
and you meet and make friends with people in your local community.
Come and have a taster on a Thursday in the Church Centre at 7.30pm.
Or email panwrites@ntlworld.com
if you want to contact someone to find out more. Our musical director is Dr Peter Harland (see above) and Rachel Godsill ( a professional singer) comes along from time to time to help the choir improve their singing.

LADIES WHO MAKE COFFEE

2008-06-12T17:12:00.003+01:00

Some of the ladies who work hard on Sunday mornings serving refreshments to the congregation after the service.

More plants in the Churchyard

2008-06-12T16:45:00.007+01:00

Here are more roses in the churchyard

FRIENDS OF ST ANDREW'S -WINE AND CHEESE PARTY

2008-06-12T15:30:00.009+01:00

There will be a Friends of St Andrew's
WINE AND CHEESE PARTY on
FRIDAY 27 JUNE from 7.30pm

We are encouraging people to join our new Group whose goal will be to raise funds to repair and maintain this beautiful medieval building and meeting place.

If you would like to ensure St Andrew's Church and Centre remains an important part of the heritage of Cherry Hinton - and a meeting place for many groups in the community, please come along to find out what's going on.

If you think you can help, or if you would just like to come along and see what the 'Friends' is all about, then you are very welcome.

MORE DETAILS FROM Louise Dobson 4 Speedwell Close
Cambridge CB1 9YZ or louisemac@ntlworld.com

ANGLO SAXON BURIAL GROUND

2008-06-12T15:07:00.006+01:00

In 1999 building work in Church End in Cherry Hinton (a short distance from the church)
during excavation work, workers found one of the most important cemeteries in this country. Over 660 burials dating from the 10C to the 12C were found with a little chapel bounded by a large ditch. The remains represent an unique resource and an assessment by English Heritage concluded that they were of national importance for future study. (Remains are kept to study to help illuminate the lives of previous generations and to help with modern scientific studies.)
It was hoped at one time that the bones could be buried in St Andrew's cemetery, but because of their importance, this is now not possible. However they are commemorated in the churchyard (see picture).

The Cambridgeshire County Council Archaeological Department have prepared a full report for anyone interested in seeing more details

Our Westcott House student

2008-05-28T20:43:00.003+01:00

Here is Alex snuffing out the candles after Sunday morning church

ROSES ALL THE WAY!!

2008-05-28T20:32:00.003+01:00

Here are a few pictures of the roses in the churchyard.

The ALTAR CANDLES

2008-05-14T16:22:00.004+01:00

I love these candles, particularly the colour of them. They stand on the altar looking simple yet beautiful

UNUSUAL WINDOW

2008-05-14T16:16:00.002+01:00

The vestry in the church is not open to casual visitors, but I thought you might be interested in seeing a very unusual window - very different from normal church windows. If anyone knows anything about this type of window, please comment.

The churchyard in May

2008-05-14T13:28:00.006+01:00

I do love the churchyard at this time of year, with all the new growth coming along. I guess the gardeners don't enjoy it quite as much - there is a LOT of grass cutting to do. If anyone retired feels they would like to help keep the churchyard tidy, get in touch with the Vicar, Barry Linney.

In the meantime, we can enjoy the bluebells, the primroses, the cow parsley and the new roses.
Come and walk around the graveyard on a nice day. It is very relaxing, quiet and peaceful.

ED'S FUNERAL

2008-04-04T09:55:00.003+01:00

Wednesday was a sombre day. St Andrew's church was full and Ed's family, friends and members of the community came to pay their respects to a good man. Many people stood at the back of the church. Barry Linney (vicar) shared the service with Chris Boulton and
Lindsay Meader (previously vicar and curate at St Andrew's). The music and tributes were very moving - Ed's son and daughter gave their tributes to their Dad - he would have been proud of them. The song Spirit in the Sky was played and at the end of the service Ed was taken to Brinkley cemetery with the sound of the song that was always played at the end of his discos - Take me home, Country Roads. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Ed Rule - Memorial Service

2008-03-28T22:54:00.004Z

The memorial service for our dear friend Ed Rule will be at St Andrew's Church Cherry Hinton on Wednesday 2 April at l2 noon. A very sad day for all of us.
May he Rest in Peace.

EASTER SUNDAY

2008-03-28T22:36:00.003Z

It wasn't a good day last Sunday. It was snowing and cold. But people turned up to see the church flowers at Easter and to have home-made cream teas. Church notelets were sold and there was a popular book stall. £500 was made for church funds.
It was hard work for the organisers, but an enjoyable afternoon for all of us.

The Tower in the Snow

2008-03-24T20:26:00.003Z

Easter at St Andrews

2008-03-24T19:54:00.007Z

Here are some pictures of the Easter Flowers at Church on Easter Sunday, some outside pictures and some of the weather on Easter Sunday morning.

SAD NEWS FOR THE CHURCH COMMUNITY

2008-03-23T13:08:00.006Z

Our dear friend and important member of our Church community,
Ed Rule, died on Good Friday after a short illness.
He was a highly involved and active member of our Church
and had recently retired as Churchwarden. He was a very well-known
and greatly loved person in the community and the world
is a sadder place without him.

R I P

Memorial service for Ivy Pamphilon

2008-03-14T11:37:00.002Z

Recently one of the church members died. A memorial service was
held in the church recently to give thanks for her life. It was an
unforgettable service. Her family and friends read extracts from notes
she had made about her life - a truly amazing life. The music played
was beautiful and her daughter in law played the harp during the service - so lovely.

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING INTERESTING TO SEE IN THE CHURCHYARD

2008-03-14T11:29:00.004Z

Every time I look in the churchyard I see something interesting. Particularly the flowers are beautiful there most of the year round. I see people sitting in various areas, enjoying the weather when it is good and relishing the peace and quiet surroundings. At the moment the Spring flowers are out. Here is a view for you to relish.

23 March - Flower Festival at St Andrews

2008-03-13T16:07:00.005Z

It's an early EASTER this year, but we can look forward to seeing the flowers in
St Andrews on 23 March, EASTER SUNDAY at 2-5pm
Come and see the beautiful flower arrangements
and have a home made cream tea.
IT IS NOT TO BE MISSED.
Put in in your diary now!

THE TOWER IS FINISHED BUT THE QUEST FOR FUNDS GOES ON

2008-03-11T22:23:00.004Z

Have you looked at the Tower of St Andrews recently? It is finished!! Everyone concerned has
raised £250,000 and the £40,000 needed to complete the project has had to be borrowed and
money will need to continue to be raised to pay this money back.
Here are some before and after pics.

Dreaming of Summer

2008-01-20T23:08:00.000Z

A picture of part of my garden last Summer. Roll on!!

It's a cat's life!

2008-01-20T23:04:00.000Z

This is just one of my six cats -Alabama - relaxing at home!!!

Flowers in the church

2008-01-20T22:58:00.000Z

We have group of ladies who
do floral arrangements. This is
just one decorated window.
I like it because it is simple but
effective.

Conversation in the churchyard

2008-01-20T22:53:00.000Z

I think this looks like two old ladies having a chat - what do think?
Send me your appropriate captions for the photo!!!

Your comments would be welcome!!!

2008-01-20T13:37:00.001Z

Do you remember Cyril Fletcher and his odd odes? Well I sometimes feel like him when I write my snatches about St Andrews. Cyril had the advantage of a live audience for most of the time, while I feel that my audience, if any, are largely silent! Perhaps my comments are boring - what I have to say is uninteresting. That may well be true, but it would be nice if you commented from time to time - even to disagree - so that I know someone out there reads my blogs! St Andrews is the oldest building in the village and even if it is taken for granted by some of Cherry Hinton's residents
and ignored by others, it stands prominent at the corner of the High Street - an every present reminder of our need for stability and spiritual sustenance - in good times and bad.

Here are a few photos to sustain you in dreary January.

CHRISTMAS PAST

2008-01-08T23:18:00.000Z

Advent and Christmas have whizzed past - lots of work for the vicar and church members getting ready for all the services on at this time of the year. Suddenly it is all behind us and we are moving forward in the New Year.
May you all find peace and contentment in 2008.

Autumn in St Andrews

2008-01-08T22:49:00.000Z

Autumn has come and gone and I still have photos in my camera of the church at that time.
Some of the churchyard and some of the Harvest Festival. I hope you enjoy looking at them

Over the last few months

2008-01-08T22:34:00.000Z

Things have happened very fast, starting with my computer dying and all the work involved getting a new tower etc. You don't realise how much you rely on your computer until it is not there!! However, I have now got a new tower and things are running comparatively smoothly. Luckily St Andrews is still there and the Tower is still under repair which means that the bells could not be rung at Christmas and New Year. While most of the money has been raised, we still need another £40,000 to pay back loans that have had to be taken out to pay for work to be done. So we are carrying on trying to raise money where we can.
Our notelets will be on sale throughout the year - if you need notelets to send as cards or for messages, then contact me on panwrites@ntlworld.com. They cost £2.50 for 6 with envelopes - original views of the church painted by local artists. Shown is one of the six different pictures on the notelets.

NOTELETS OF ST ANDREWS CHURCH FOR SALE

2007-11-30T19:51:00.000Z

Six drawings were printed after the Big Art Day in St. Andrews in July this year.
They were made into notelets and six mixed notelets with envelopes are for sale in the church for £2.50 a pack. Contact Marian Martin-Emery on 240181 or panwrites@ntlworld.com if you want to purchase these original notelets of the
OLDEST BUILDING IN CHERRY HINTON. FUNDS TO THE TOWER APPEAL.

TOWER APPEAL STALL AT THE CHERRY HINTON FESTIVAL

2007-09-25T13:52:00.000+01:00

The weather stayed fine for the Festival Day. On the Tower Appeal stall we had photographs of the inside of the tower while it is being repaired. We were also raffling a handbuilt racing bike and playing our bagatelle game. One of our helpers, Heather was fascinated by the bicycle brought along by another helper, Dave. She rode around the grounds on the chopper bicycle in the afternoon having a great time.
Here are some pics on the day.

THE TOWER BEING REPAIRED

2007-09-25T13:35:00.000+01:00

The tower is shrouded in sheeting and scaffolding. At last the work is being done.
Although most of the money has been raised through grants and events, we have still had to borrow £40,000 to carry out the work and this has to be paid back. We are still appealing for donations to raise this money. If you havent seen the tower recently, here is a pic!

The churchyard is interesting all year round - just a few pictures for your interest

LONG TIME NO SEE

2007-08-09T09:57:00.001+01:00

My computer has been playing up and has had to be sent off for repairs so I havent been
on my blog for a long time. Hope that some people are reading this somewhere and missing me! Dream on!

Things have been going on regarding the Tower Appeal. The scaffolding is up now and the work has started to repair the Tower. Hopefully by the end of the year, most of the money to pay the bills will have been found. However, we have had to borrow some money to make up the total and this will need to be paid back. So even though the overall Tower Appeal will finish in December 2007, we will have to continue fundraising to pay back the monies borrowed. Such is life.

Hope that you will continue to support our fundraising efforts as and when they happen. In the future the church will have to continue fundraising to build up a fund for fabric repair. The upkeep of the building is very expensive and we hope that as well as our own efforts, people in the community will come forward to help us look at ways of raising the regular money to keep the building going!!!

In the New Year we will be holding a Thanksgiving Service for all those who contributed to our fundraising.

I will be back shortly to let you know what other things are happening at St Andrews.

YET MORE PICS FROM THE BIG ART DAY

2007-07-05T21:23:00.001+01:00

Rose working hard on her painting.

Alison's drawing of the inside of the church

Maureen's window painting.

PICTURES FROM THE BIG ART DAY

2007-06-28T17:11:00.000+01:00

Here is Joan showing her lovely watercolour and Maureen engrossed in her painting. Rose's image of the church building. More photos tomorrow

A few pictures to brighten your day

2007-06-17T20:20:00.001+01:00

Here are some of the church members chatting at a bring and share lunch and roses in the churchyard.

JUNE AROUND ST ANDREWS

2007-06-15T21:21:00.000+01:00

This afternoon is wet and cloudy and it is hard to remember the days we had of sunshine earlier on. Hopefully this will not last long and we will have the hot summer we have been promised!!
I try and go around the church and churchyard on a regular basis taking pictures where I can. With the work on the Tower about to start in July, I thought I would take some pics before the scaffolding goes up!

THE CHURCHYARD IN MAY

2007-05-13T21:29:00.000+01:00

Whatever the time of year, there is always something interesting to be seen in the churchyard. The cowparsley and large daises are beautiful at the moment. The roses are just starting to come out and there is an air of peace and tranquility. The oak leaves are pretty and I remember tracing them onto paper as a child.

The LOOSE CHANGE COLLECTION

2007-05-13T15:16:00.000+01:00

One of our Tower Appeal Committee - Heather Squires - has been organising a loose change collection in the church. Just a bucket put out for any loose change that people have in their pockets, or collect at home. In the Lent period, this raised over £100 for the Tower Appeal. This loose change collection will continue through the year and we thank those people who contributed and hope that people will support it in the future

How things look different from different angles

2007-04-21T17:54:00.000+01:00

Taking photographs around the church and churchyard recently, it occurred to me how different things look from different angles. And you can miss things that have been there all the time that you haven't noticed, even if you have been passing them for years. I am trying to photograph parts of the church that people perhaps dont notice or at least dont see. When I look at the results I am surprised how beautiful things can be - just a small corner or a flower or a gravestone, or parts of the church interior. I guess it's the same with people. You think you know them and then they show themselves in a new light, or surprise you with an idea or part of them that you hadn't seen before. Looking at the wider picture, you might like to come and visit the church and environs sometime - the church community may be different from what you think.

Churchyard Flowers in April

2007-04-20T15:21:00.000+01:00

Most of the daffodils have gone now, but the primroses and tree blossom are still around in the churchyard. There's a star=like blue flower which is lovely but I can't name. There are always the few unusual gravestones to look at. I have put up some pictures for you to see. Oops, one of my cat got in there!!!

THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED!

2007-04-20T14:42:00.000+01:00

Its been a busy time over Easter in the church with the various activities that go on at this time. Before that, the Barn Dance was held at the Village Centre, but we didnt make a profit on it because of the high cost of hiring the Centre. I would have thought that as this was built for the Village, there should be some limits on when local organisations book this. £400 for an evening seems a lot and I may speak to our local councillor about this and see what can be done for any future bookings. Here are some pics of the evening.

Hello there Kirt in New England USA

2007-03-13T17:02:00.000Z

Thank you Kirt for your comments.
I have looked out some photographs of the Tower for you but my camera is not good enough to get closeups. When the work is being done I will be getting some photographs taken from the scaffolding. I quote you from the brochure that was sent to every house in Cherry Hinton last year.
'St Andrews Church Cherry Hinton is a Grade 1 listed Building, dating back to circa 1200. The last major work on the Tower was in the reign of Henry VIII.
The Tower is now in urgent need of structural repair - the parapets - made of local stone (quarried nearby) are deteriorating. The cement render is cracked and is allowing water in. Architects have advised that without repair the Tower will become a safety hazard'
Repairing the Tower will be a major architectural project, requiring the services of specialist stonemasons and substantial scaffolding. ' The overall costs are rising annually and are now in the region of £250.000!!

I hope this is enough information for you for the time being, Kirt. Regards to you over the water.

I looked for the last snowdrops..........................

2007-03-12T17:51:00.000Z

I went to the churchyard looking for the last snowdrops - and they there were in a small clump, soon to be fading away ..................

HAVE YOU SEEN INSIDE OUR BEAUTIFUL CHURCH?

2007-03-11T21:20:00.000Z

Perhaps some people have not been inside our church to see some of the interesting things and some of the interesting people. I have put up some pictures for your interest of the inside and a picture of some of the servers who assist the vicar during the service. Particularly this morning I noticed the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows which lit up the inside of the church. If anyone would like information on some of the interesting bits inside the church, make a comment and I will find out about it and let you know.

Thank you Laurence dsm

2007-03-11T18:19:00.000Z

For your kind remarks about some of the blogs.

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE TOWER APPEAL?

2007-03-11T17:50:00.000Z

You will know that St Andrews has a problem with funding the repair of its Tower.
Do you think that you have a responsibility with regard to the ancient building in your parish?
How would you feel if it could no longer operate financially? Or that it had to close?
I wonder if anybody feels that our ancient church is important to them and our community.
I think it is very important. It has stood there for centuries, supporting the people in our community and being supported by the people in the community. DO WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED? I think we all probably do, but remember this building belongs to the people in Cherry Hinton - so please use it and support it financially. The Church Centre is available for you to book for your children's party or social event. The church is here for your weddings and baptisms and for the sad times when our loved ones die.
You are, of course, always welcome to the services that are held in Church - details on our website. Or visit the church and churchyard when the church is open.
St Andrews is about welcome and friendship, companionship and community. Dont let that die through lack of financial support for the building.

SO I hope that some of you will read the Blog and decide to help in some way. Through some fundraising activites, through donations, through ideas about where and how we can ensure a regular income so that the church building can be maintained. WE NEED YOUR HELP.
PLEASE LET ME HAVE YOUR COMMENTS!!!!

Churchyard Flowers in Spring

2007-03-11T16:42:00.000Z

I have been taking my camera around the churchyard over the last few weeks, picking up the small areas of spring flowers. On the days I went, the sun was shining and although it was chilly, there was an air of peace around. There were the last of the snowdrops, daffodils, hyacinths , that small yellow buttercup-type flower (name forgotten) and primroses. The trees were covered in beautiful pink blossom. I have always enjoyed going around churchyards since I was a small child. I used to regularly visit the churchyard where an uncle was buried - walking around, looking at the different sorts of headstones. I was particularly fascinated by the occasional child's gravestone - one of a standing angel was very beautiful. Even as a child, I felt a comforting sense of quiet. The church and churchyard is there for the community to use when people need to find a sense of quiet and peace in their busy lives. Come and visit when you need a space to contemplate.

THANK YOU ANGEL

2007-02-27T21:17:00.000Z

Thank you Angel for your helpful comments. It is soooo good to get comments from people. I do hope that as we progress, people will comment more and more. I know to get to the Tower Appeal blog is a bit of a maze, but the important thing is to encourage people to look on the website in the first place!! If you have any ideas on how to get people checking the website, I would like to hear them!! Particularly I am interested in getting links with people in other churches and other countries even to see how they raise money to maintain their church.
I will talk to our webmaster to see if she can make a quicker link to the Weblog.

I can't tell the Vicar that he should do a weekly blog. Certainly Barry Linney is very supportive of this Weblog - he has put some details and pictures up recently, if you would like to look.
He is a pretty busy man and of course has a young family, which is limiting on his time. But I am sure he will from time to time put up some items. I , however, will pass your comments onto him.

The people in our Tower Appeal leaflet might not want to be named. Certainly one of the pictures is of one of our churchwardens and other members of the church, together with visitors, at Colville School during one of our yearly fundraising efforts. The other picture is another of our churchwardens with the children in the church doing a Christmas presentation.

One of the pictures inside and one on the outside of the leaflet shows the wedding of two of our congregation - and a gorgeous day it was!!

Thanks again Angel - keep commenting please!!!!

Its that time of year

2007-01-23T15:33:00.000Z

Its that time of year when things are dark, miserable and coldish. However, today is quite nice, and although its cold, it is at least sunny! We dont really want to put our noses out of doors if we can help it ....
but ..................there are things to look forward to in 2007. The Tower Appeal fund is steadily growing due to the generosity of individuals and the hard work of people and those members of the TA Committee who are organising events. We are very grateful indeed and hope that in 2007 we will raise all the money needed for the Tower Repair.
We are looking for millionaires out there who are interested in old buildings....... DO YOU KNOW OF ONE!!
On the other hand you may have a contact who would be interested in giving a donation or interested in helping or initiating some fundraising. If so please contact me on panwrites@ntlworld.com. We will live in HOPE!!
There are events in the pipeline.............................. a concert in April with Rosemary Wheeler and friends, An Art Day in June when you can come along and do a painting of the inside or outside the church, in May theSoham Brass Band concert,later on a day when you can have your favourite Hymn sung or reading done. AND THERE WILL BE OTHERS......................... so cheer up and look ahead to things happening in St Andrews Church for the TOWER APPEAL. SPRING IS HERE.

Hello Marcus

2007-01-12T10:23:00.000Z

Thank you to Marcus for his kind and positive comments to one of my blogs about the Tower Appeal for St Andrews. I take the point about a personal perspective on the blogger. My nickname is Pan (not Pam by the way)
and I have had this nickname since a child (to do with my liking for Pan Yan Pickle - for those who can remember it!) . I tend to use this name when I am on the computer, as my name seems quite long and clumsy. We have a very small fundraising team, including the Vicar and one of the churchwardens - and three other volunteers plus a Treasurer. I am one of the fundraising team ( a woman) See my picture!! I am going to take a picture of all the team soon to put on my blog. I am a regular member at St Andrew's Church and sing in the choir. My interest in saving the Tower is because of the history of the building, some parts going back to the 12 Century. It has been a central part of our community all this time, although in recent days many people do not use the church as much as in the past. In those days the congregation used the church and its grounds as a central part of their daily life. I feel strongly that the building should be preserved for future generations. In earlier times, the congregation maintained the building with many people being tradespeople (and without the health and safety regulations!). St Andrews is used for many other activities, not just for church services, and
there is certainly more scope for the church and our small Centre to be used in other ways to include all our local community. Personally, I find the church community very supportive and I feel my life would be less rich if I didnt have the people in the church community to be in touch with and be supported by. We also have a lot of fun and laughter and ...............another one of the important things in my life ............MUSIC.
Unfortunately, the costs of maintaining the church these days are frightening. The Tower Appeal repair costs are increasing on an annual basis and the general running costs to keep the building lit and warm are very high.
So we need to keep on trying to find funding for the Tower and for the church maintenance where we can.
You live near the church Marcus, come and see us sometime. I am surprised that you didnt get one of our small brochures that we posted to every house in the Village - detailing all the problems with the church tower and ways of helping. If you let me know where you are by email (mine is panwrites@ntlworld.com) then I will pop one round to you.
We need to have ideas and feed-back fromthe people in our community to help us achieve our fundraising tasks.
If you felt you could help us in some way Marcus, even with ideas (and you seem to have very good ones)
we would be delighted to hear from you. And you dont need to be a member of the church or of any particular faith to be part of our community. THANK YOU very much for your comments Marcus.

where are your comments?!!!

2006-10-13T14:35:00.000+01:00

Any organisation is only effective if it meets the needs of its users. SO WE NEED YOUR COMMENTS on how you think the Tower Appeal is going and what we need to do to get more money in to SAVE THE TOWER.

Your opinion is important so let us know what you feel? ALL OPINIONS WELCOME, EVEN CONTROVERSIAL ONES!!!

2006-09-24T21:57:00.000+01:00

This is an informal way to keep people up to date with what is happening with the Tower Appeal at St Andrews Church Cherry Hinton in Cambridge. You can find details about the building and the problems it is having with its Tower on the main website. This is something many old churches are facing. Time has eroded the fabric of the Tower and it needs a large sum of money to put it right. Hopefully it wont fall down before that!!!

The maintenance of the church is the responsibility of the congregation, but it impossible for the congregation to meet the large bills - hence the fundraising activities.

We have just had a stall on the Cherry Hinton Festival Weekend on the recreation ground at Cherry Hinton. It was a fantastic weekend - glorious weather and the fun of seeing the large variety of stalls and meeting the people in Cherry Hinton who had come together to make this weekend a resounding success.

St Andrews had a small stall, but there were lots of fun things to do to keep people interested. Do you remember those games we had as a child - covering the coin in a bucket of water and highest score for the old fashioned bagatelle game? Well those went down a treat for the old and the young. There was a paper quiz and shoulder massages for 40p to relieve any tensions.

A large board showed pictures of things happening with the church community.
The Tower Appeal brochures were handed out and many people were interested about the problems with the Tower and many kindly put a donation in the box provided.

I came away from the weekend with the feeling of fun and happiness - the atmosphere was great and everyone felt they had gained a lot from the experience. The Festival Committee deserve a large gold star!!