News
Great Dalby Church Easter News 2024
(March 30, 2024)Great Dalby Church News – Easter 2024
Our Vicar Revd Jane Walker looks after the 5 Burrough Hill parishes and lives in Somerby Rectory with husband Bill and puppy Mabel. Their 3 children have grown up and now live away.
Some of you will be aware of the long illness of Revd Neil Stothers, in charge of our wider Group of Villages. He sadly died last October. Local Vicars, including our Revd Jane have been helping out in those villages throughout his illness and now.
Our quaint Grade II* church of St. Swithuns seems to be much-loved and is kept in good condition by a small group of helpers.
The Great Dalby Dollop (fun run) was held again this year, with increased participants and profits. Paying our annual Insurance is vital, and is met by fundraising and regular giving.
Monthly Sunday services are well supported given the current trend in church attendance. The majority of our Parish Giving Scheme comes from people like you…either attending or happy to donate to keep this wonderful village asset alive.
We have had a few funerals in the last year. So good that people can return to a proper village church which is kept available for such services.
The churchyard is well-maintained by Martin Henshaw. Once a year he gathers a little crowd together to cart hedge-trimmings to the corner. Last Autumn we had a generous supply of beautiful cakes from Lindsey L to keep us going… much appreciated by the helpers.
We must also thank the Bellringers who love to ring our old bells. They are a small travelling group within our Cluster of churches. Talking of the Tower, thanks as always to John Sunderland for keeping the church alive, through the blue church clock.
We have an ongoing project with Severn Trent Water to get Mains water up to the church. The cost of the connection and the permission to go with it is especially off-putting, as the latest regulations state that the next stage of the process, taking the water underground to the church, ALSO has to be done within the 6 month permission. STW didn’t seem to understand that a churchyard was indeed a grave yard, and are now stipulating different water pipe. Welcome to the world of voluntary work. Yes, we are applying for grants.
We hope this Newsletter finds you well, and we thank you very much for your support.
Annie Johnson - Secretary
Susan Kent - Chuchwarden, Ruth Mann – Treasurer, Bill Johnson – Sidesman & Kathy Dickinson