From the Rector - Moving into Easter…

This month is a very busy one, liturgically, as we move towards Holy Week and Easter.  The first Sunday of March sees the celebration of Mothering Sunday.  Although the festival is secularly celebrated as Mother’s Day, our focus on ‘mothering’ is not limited to our mums (important as they are).  For mothering is also an activity of God, which we evidence in the beauty of our world: a world brought into being by a loving creator.  Just as our mothers sacrificially gave birth to us, so God painstakingly brings into being every moment, every flower bud, every tear and every joy.  We see this mothering epitomised in the mother of Jesus.  Mary, said ‘yes’ to the angel and conceived the Son of God, she heard Simeon foretell that a ‘sword would pierce her own heart, too’ and of course she stood helpless at the cross as her son bled to death.  Her obedient love is testament to the best of mothering that we see perfectly in God and nobly in our own mothers.

But of course Mothering Sunday is a mini break in Lent – a pause for celebration, before we move into the passion of our Lord, which climaxes with Holy Week.  This period of eight days begins with the Festival of Palm Sunday (16^th March).  We shall begin our service at 9:30am in church and shall process around the church, signifying Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the crowds cheered him as the heir of David, and lay palm branches before him as he rode on the ass.  Although he is acclaimed a King, the humility of his mount (the donkey) signifies his defiance of the expectations of violent rebellion – a pointer to his dynamic, sacrificial acceptance of the violent hatred that is projected onto him, which we recall vividly on Good Friday.

So Holy Week starts with a day at Park Place, Wickham where we spend some time in quiet in the pleasant surroundings, taking a chance to allow every thing to catch up with ourselves.  Here you can read and pray, be quiet and sit or take a stroll around the grounds.  Trevor and I are always available for anyone who wants to get something off their chest or make their confession.  On the Wednesday of Holy Week (7pm) there is a service of Stations of the Cross followed by the Eucharist.

Maundy Thursday is the day that saw the institution of the Eucharist as the means for the church to celebrate Christ’s presence with us, but it is also a remembrance of Jesus inviting his disciples into ministry with him, when he washed their feet.  Within our service we shall hold the ceremony of foot washing (if you would like to volunteer, please see me), which is tremendously moving.  The service concludes with the stripping of the altar (signifying Jesus’ conclusion to the last supper and his imminent passion) followed by a procession to the Lady Chapel, which represents for us the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays with his disciples before being arrested.  We watch and pray with him until midnight.  This year we will be joined by the Youth Club, who is planning to get together for Maundy Thursday evening and Good Friday morning.

Good Friday sees us walk through the streets of Havant witnessing to the sacredness of the day in memory of the sacrifice that Jesus so memorably, bravely and decisively made for us all.  By taking upon himself the acceptance of obedience to God’s will – even though that meant suffering and death – he also accepted the hatred, envy, violent threat and utter rejection of the Jerusalem crowd – Jew and Roman.  We meet at St Joseph’s church at 10:50am and pray before our walk, which culminates in a service in West Street.  Light refreshment will be available in church after this service.

Following this, we are offering in St Faith’s a new service for Good Friday – one with music, readings and reflections.  This simple service will start informally, increasing in gravitas, and will be in 20 minute sections through to three o’clock.  The service will give time for quiet and meditative reflection as we approach the time of Jesus’ death on the cross.  After each 20 minute section there will be time for people to come and go, meaning that you can be there for as many or few of the sections you wish.

Of course Jesus’ amazing action and sacrifice is only part of the story.  Early on Easter morning the incredible took place, when God brought Jesus back to life having conquered death itself.  As we gather early (and by early I mean 6am) on Easter morning the fire is lit and our Paschal (meaning sacrificial) candle is brought into church, and our hearts shine with the new Easter light.  We parade the light through the church and reaffirm our baptismal vows.  The climax of the service is the first Eucharist of Easter, through which we enter into the heart of resurrection – the possibility of our own rebirth.

For those of you who prefer to make your Eucharistic celebration at a more sober hour, there is a celebration at 8am at St Nicholas, Langstone and again at St Faith’s at a special Family Service at 9:30am.

I do hope you can join us in these special services to prepare for the joy of Easter,

David

The Lindbergh Mystery

We have been reading in “Faith Matters” about the remarkable achievements and the ultimate tragedies of two women flyers, Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart.  Now it is the turn of a man.  No name in aviation history has quite the same magic as Charles Augustus Lindbergh.  His life produced triumph and tragedy in equal measure.  He won the adoration of the public and then their hostility.  As we shall see, the mysterious disappearance of his baby son, Charles, like the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann, provoked worldwide controversy. 

Lindbergh was born on 4 February 1902.  He attended the University of Wisconsin for two years when he left to attend a Flying School in Lincoln, Nebraska.  He obtained his Pilot’s Licence in 1922 and four years later he was flying a mail plane between St Louis, Missouri, and Chicago.  In 1927 he decided to enter a competition for a prize of $25,000, put up in 1919, for the first pilot to fly non-stop from New York to Paris.  Lindbergh, piloting a single-engine monoplane, “The Spirit of St Louis”, set off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, at 07.52am on 20 May 1927 and after a flight of 33 hours 32 minutes arrived at Le Bourget Airport, outside of Paris.  He returned to America a hero, feted everywhere by an adoring public.  He toured Mexico, Central America and the West Indies, worked as an adviser to different airlines and travelled some 30,000 miles to plot transatlantic air routes.  He also joined the United States Air Service Reserve.

In 1935, he moved to Europe where he came under the spell of Hitler, who in 1938 gave him a high decoration.  Lindbergh used the occasion to laud the power of Germany and announced that their Air Force was superior to any other in Europe.  This attracted very hostile headlines in the American newspapers and he became unpopular with the public who were becoming increasingly alarmed at the aggressive stance Germany was adopting towards the rest of Europe.  Lindbergh returned to the United States in 1939 and toured the country making anti-war speeches.  However, his unpopularity was such that he was compelled to resign his commission in the Air Service Reserve.  He also had to resign from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.  When the United States entered the Second World War in 1941, he immediately showed his loyalty by undertaking civilian consultancy work with the American Aircraft industry.  He also flew on government business in the Far East, often putting himself in danger.  In 1957 an excellent film was made, “The Spirit of St Louis”, about Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight, with James Stewart playing the part of the aviator.  The film was very well received and confirmed that Lindbergh was once again a popular hero with the public.  He continued to involve himself in aviation until his death on 26 August 1974 in Maui, Hawaii.

There is something missing I hear you say.  Yes! He was married - to Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who was the daughter of a distinguished American diplomat named Dwight Morrow.  But more than this, she was a well-known and prolific author.  Her best selling book was “Gift from the Sea”, published in 1955.  But there is still something missing!  Her last book was a diary she had kept from when her 16 month old baby had been abducted.  Yes, the missing element in the story of Charles Lindbergh is the Lindbergh baby.  I am afraid it is a very sad tale that we have to record next month

Roger Bryant

Wedding? Think Church

As we approach Easter we think of weddings and with that in mind the Mothers' Union decided to have a look at Wedding Fairs held up and down the country. They soon realised that while couples may be given the choice of marrying in places as wide apart as Gretna Green to Bali no mention was made about marrying in Church. So members are seeking to remedy that by having a stall at Wedding Fairs. They attended a course at the Bournemouth International Centre to prepare themselves and are now set to go.

Someone complained that quite often couples are not seen in Church prior to the wedding (apart from the Banns) and never seen afterwards but a moment's reflection made me remember I fell into that category! Not wanting to be married in "my" Parish Church (a highly fashionable Society church) I married in my husband's parish church but we set up home in a nearby parish and attended that church instead so I was seen neither before nor afterwards in the church in which I married. We did go back but it was locked.

The Mothers' Union has put forward the following prayer:

Lord, may your Holy Spirit guide and inspire our members as they attend the Wedding Fairs and meet the couples planning their wedding day. As Jesus blessed the sacrament of marriage by his presence at the wedding in Cana, so may our members' witness and their friendship encourage many to seek God's blessing on their union, in their marriage and their family life, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Please pray for them.

Sheilah Legg

In a Letter from a Friend

Put peace in to each other’s hands and like a treasure hold it,

Protect it like a candle flame, with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands with loving expectation,

Be gentle in your words and ways, in touch with God’s creation.

Put peace into each other’s hands like bread we break for sharing,

Look people warmly in the eye, our life is meant for sharing.

Give thanks for strong – yet – tender hands, held out in trust and blessing,

Where words fall short, let hands speak out, the heights of love expressing.

Reach out with friendship, stay with faith in touch with those around you.

Put peace into each other’s hands: the peace that sought and found you.

 

Memories of the Dambusters – Part 1 of 2

My wife and I with two friends joined a group of fifteen others on a coach tour which was described as a four day “Themed Break" dedicated to the remarkable achievements of the 617 Dambusters Squadron in 1943.  We were to visit Lincolnshire, home to the Royal Air Force and famous for its World War II airfields, and also to visit the area where the 617 Squadron practiced before embarking on their perilous attacks on the German dams.

On the first day of the tour we journeyed north to Tankersley which is situated between Sheffield and Barnsley and our base was the Tankersley Manor, a 17^th century manor house which had been converted into an hotel with a leisure complex and a restaurant that is noted for its fine cuisine.  On this first evening we were served dinner in a room separate from the main restaurant because we were joined at dinner by Paul Holland who had been chosen as the official 50^th Anniversary Artist to the Dambusters Squadron.  He was chosen from 200 applicants as his painting called "Salute to a Legend", which he submitted in the competition for this title, was chosen by the judges as the winner.  The painting was of a Lancaster bomber coming in to land on a moonlit runway and amongst the clouds in the background could be seen the ghostly face of Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC., the leader of the 617 Squadron who had been killed on another mission.  Paul Holland brought along a display of his paintings and we were able to buy prints and to talk to him about his work which also included wood turning and carving.

The next day we went to RAF Scampton that has a history dating back to 1917 and which is still in use by the RAF today.  It was in August/September 1943 that the base achieved a double award of the Victoria Cross when Flight Lieutenant Learoyd and Sergeant John Hannah won the award for their bravery during an attack on the Dortmund Ems^’ canal.  But it was in May 1943 that the base was brought to the very forefront of Bomber Command with the attack against the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams.  The raid was led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson and earned the station its third Victoria Cross.  It was on this airfield that the Dambusters were based and in later years the Dambusters film starring Richard Todd was filmed here.  When we arrived at the base we were met by the curator who took us to the small museum that is dedicated to the 617 Squadron and contains some 700 exhibits.  These included photographs of many members of the Squadron, uniforms and medals awarded to them and poignant letters written to and from the widows and mothers of the men who lost their lives on the various missions.  We were told that at one time the lives of these fliers could be measured in weeks from the date when they joined the Squadron.  There were boards on the walls listing the very many names of those who had died.  There were models and parts of the aircraft that operated from Scampton and personal memorabilia of the crews.

We were then taken on a tour of the airfield, passing the hangars where the Lancaster bombers were housed, then to the building where the crews were briefed, although we could not go inside, and on to the administration block where Guy Gibson had his office.  Finally we were shown the grave of Guy Gibson’s Labrador dog "Nigger" who was tragically killed in a road accident on the day of the raid on the German dams.  A plaque commemorates this event and his grave is carefully tended to this day.

We then moved on to The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirby which is owned and operated by Fred and Harold Panton and was conceived as a memorial to their elder brother, Pilot Officer Christopher Panton, and all others of the 55,000 aircrew of Bomber Command who lost their lives during World War II.  The centre is the home of a Lancaster bomber Mk2 NX611 named "Just Jane” and is one of the 7,000 built during the war with 5,000 being lost on operations.  “Just Jane” is housed in a large hangar together with a two seat Spitfire and many other items of interest including artefacts recovered from aircraft crash sites by the volunteers of The Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group.  Every summer this Lancaster makes several taxi runs under its own power along the runway and the Spitfire often gives aerobatic displays over this airfield.  On boards around the hangar are potted histories of all the RAF bomber squadrons that operated out of Lincolnshire airfields during World War II.  Also displayed are the crew names of all Lancaster’s lost by the two squadrons nos. 57 and 630 operating from this airfield during the war together with a selection of original letters sent to the widows and mothers informing them of the tragic news concerning their loved ones.  A notice states that these letters are deliberately shown so that the many young visitors to the Centre are made aware of the price that was paid, and often has to be paid in the pursuit of liberty and peace.

There are many original buildings still standing on the airfield, including the control tower which is set up as a working model with various figures in uniform and you can listen to the conversations between the operators and the pilots on a mock raid on Berlin.  The NAAFI still stands and we were able to buy refreshments and cooked meals here.  There was also a large section devoted to souvenirs, books and videos.

I continued to walk across the airfield despite the drizzle and a cold wind and came to a small chapel.  This was a particularly peaceful place for a rest and reflection, especially as I was the only one there and I sat for a while listening to the recorded organ music which was being played very softly over hidden speakers.  Again, on the Roll of Honour on the walls of the chapel were the names of 848 aircrew who gave their lives whilst serving with 57 and 630 Squadrons which flew from this airfield between August 1943 and VE Day, the 8^th May 1945.

From there I moved to another building which is known as the "Escape Museum” and which houses an interesting collection of items and details of aircrew members who had managed to evade capture or who had escaped from Germany and other parts of occupied Europe during the war.  There were forged passes and papers together with a selection of genuine German passes and documents, and accurate copies of German uniforms and civilian clothing that had been made from various pieces of cloth which somehow the prisoners had scrounged or had surreptitiously obtained.  The ingenuity employed was incredible.  There was also some clothing of a Jewish lady who had escaped from a concentration camp and walked half way across Europe to freedom.

Peter Appleby

 Part 2 will appear in next month’s “Faith Matters”

 The Choice

This is the beginning of a new day.

God has given me this day to use as I may.

I could waste it or grow in its height and be of service to others.

But what I do with this day is important because I have exchanged a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever;

I hope I will not regret the Price I paid for it.

Correspondence Column

Dear Mr Carter

Israel Harding

I was very interested to read the article by Roger Bryant on Portsmouth VCs in the December issue of “Faith Matters”, which I found online.

Israel Harding was a Great-great grandfather of mine, Portsmouth born and bred.  He served as a gunner in the Royal Navy, and was awarded the VC for his actions at the bombardment of Alexandria, Egypt, on 11 July 1882.  I attach a few details of his life and career which may be of interest.

Kind regards,                                                                                                                       Richard Garside

Israel Harding was born in Portsmouth on the 21^st October 1833 and following his education enlisted into the Royal Navy, first as a Cabin Boy, serving in HM.s.v. 'Echo' with his father, and subsequently being posted to all parts of the world.

[London Gazette, 15 September 1882], During the Naval Attack on Alexandria, Egypt, 11 July 1882, Mr. Israel Harding of Her Majesty's Ship "Alexandra".

"At about nine o'clock on the morning of the 11^th July, whilst Her Majesty's Ship "Alexandra" was engaging the Forts at Alexandria, a 10-inch spherical shell passed through the ship's side and lodged on the main deck.  Mr. Harding heard the shout "there is a live shell just above the hatchway", rushed up the ladder from below, and, observing that the fuse was burning, took some water from a tub near, and threw it over the projectile, then picked up the shell and put it into the tub.  Had the shell burst, it would probably have destroyed many lives".

Israel Harding was invested with his Victoria Cross by, Admiral Sir Frederick Beauchamp Seymour, C-in-C Malta, on 14^th November 1882.

  

From the Registers – February

10^th Baptism of Mason Tomos Hearne

11^th Funeral of Jack Stubbs

17^th Baptism of Reece Christopher Davage

More from our trip to Ghana: Bishop, Beads & ‘Grass-Cutter’

The photograph shows Fr. David wearing a chasuble in fabric designed for last November’s 90^th Anniversary celebrations of the church of St. John the Divine in Nsawam, St. Faith’s Inter-Diocesan West Africa Link (IDWAL) link parish.  As mentioned last month, IDWAL provides an important channel for communication and friendship, understanding between cultures, sharing faith, encouraging mission, and mutual support through prayer, correspondence and personal contact.  Its main priority isn’t financial support; but, given the economic disparity between Ghana and Britain, several parishes in Portsmouth Diocese provide support for Church and community projects.

Havant Deanery has links with Kofuridua Diocese, in which Nsawam lies, and churches in our area have agreed to support three projects initiated by that diocese. The first concerns Bishop Francis’ desire to establish a fund so a bank account can be opened to allow clergy and lay-workers to be paid through their banks, rather than by cash in-hand.  Clergy, who typically earn £20-£30 a month, often have long difficult journeys to reach Kofuridua from outlying areas - up to 36 hours, only to find sometimes that the cash isn’t available.  The second project concerns the purchase, and secure housing, of equipment for processing palm-nuts on a small plantation bought by the diocese some years ago to provide an income to support the church’s work (palm oil is the staple cooking oil in Ghana); we had an opportunity to visit this in 2006.  The third project concerns the building of diocesan offices and other facilities on a large plot of land given to the diocese outside Kofuridua; the aim is also to provide affordable housing and small-holdings here.  Currently, the diocese pays an extremely high rent for the top floor of a shabby block in the centre of Kofuridua; hence a lot of money could be saved.  Last November we spent a day in Kofuridua, where we met up with Bishop Francis and had an opportunity to discuss these projects.  We would like to share some extracts from our diary relating to that day. 

 Thursday November 15^th 2008

“Canon Seth needs to go to Kofuridua to see Bishop Francis about the Anniversary.  He’s invited us to accompany him since the bishop would like to see us:  it’s about an hour’s drive.  Seth, smiling, collects us in his car about 10.00am, the fan-belt squealing spasmodically.  He’s been up since 5.00am (there’s a daily communion service at 5.30am).  Leaving Nsawam, we pass through the neighbouring township which is a ‘tribal area’.  They’re preparing for the funeral of the chief.  He died 6 months ago, and his family have been quarrelling about the succession.  It’s feared there could be violence there this weekend; that’s why St. John’s anniversary procession won’t start from the church’s outstation here, the little Church of the Holy Spirit we visited with Fr. Felix last year.  We pass Nsawam Cannery, formerly the largest employer in Nsawam, employing several hundred people, but now sadly closed.  The focus of a long-running legal dispute, it was government-owned, but then passed into the ownership of a minister’s wife, according to the newspapers; now the machinery’s been removed.  The road surface improves.  We pass huge heavily-laden lorries, the ubiquitous orange-winged taxis, tro-tros (minibus vans), and pedestrians carrying loads on their heads – including a stately young woman balancing a single book.  People stare, curious, as we pass.

“Seth is easy to talk to and very frank, combining gravity, joviality, and good-humour.  We hear about his family, his experiences as a curate near Hull, and (impressively) his time as a missionary in the French-speaking African countries Cameroon and Gabon.  The French Catholic church was hostile to Anglicans, but he started with three priests and there were 24 by the time he left.  As a chief’s son, he understands the importance of the Church respecting local customs (e.g., in one place no noise during July) if it is to succeed.  We talk of prayer, and God’s use of us as individuals:  Seth’s last prayer each night is “use me, Lord”.

“Reaching Kofuridua, we go straight to the Bishop’s residence, a pleasant airy house outside town.  He’s not there and, while Seth tries to ‘phone him, his teen-aged sons bring us tea on the shady veranda.  It’s very tranquil, and over the wall we see distant trees in the huge plot of land intended for the diocesan project [outlined above].  At last we drive into town.  Kofuridua is the bustling capital of Eastern Region; the streets are better paved than Nsawam’s and altogether neater, but there’s the same plethora of small wooden huts housing shops and stalls at the foot of two - and three-storey buildings, several of which look like decaying colonial relics. 

“We reach the scruffy four-storey concrete edifice housing the diocesan offices on the top floor.  In the pot-holed car-park are wooden hut-shops of various kinds, dogs, children, and adults standing, sitting on benches or carrying things on their heads.  We climb the dark concrete stairway to the top, where we’re greeted amicably by diocesan staff and shown through to Bishop Francis’ modest office.  He’s seated behind his busy-looking desk, a serious, quietly spoken, friendly figure in his white Episcopal cassock and sash, purple skull-cap and red and white bead cross (from Kenya).  He looks pre-occupied and tired, but rises to greet us politely and warmly.  We chat about Nsawam and our hopes for St. Faith’s IDWAL link, about our follow-up visit to the school in Marfokrom [described last month], then about Havant Deanery’s support for his diocesan projects, and about his vision for these.  He explains how he’s concerned to get people on board so that they won’t just be seen as ‘the bishop’s projects’.

“Then it’s time for lunch at a nearby restaurant, for which we’re joined by two visiting English canons.  We must present a strange spectacle filing through the crowded mid-day street: a bishop in his robes, a clergyman in dog-collar, a white woman in a Ghanaian dress, two English clerics in knobbly-knee shorts, and me bringing up the rear.  The bishop moves with gentle, solemn dignity through this incongruous scene.  At the restaurant the canons play it safe with soup and scrambled egg, but I’m feeling adventurous and opt for ‘foufou and grass-cutter’ – a large wild rodent the size of a cat.  Seth seems surprised and delighted at my choice and opts for ‘banku’ and fish.  Both dishes are eaten Ghanaian-style with the fingers (right hand only!), each diner receiving a large glass bowl of warm water and a squeezy bottle of soap to wash with.  Foufou is a large ball of paste, prepared by pounding casava root with a wooden post for a long time.  It’s served in a bowl of spicy chilli and tomato soup, which also contains the meat (or fish).  Ghanaians love it.  The grass-cutter tastes a bit like gamey rabbit, but with overtones of dry grass (!) - I suddenly wonder if I shall live to regret my choice, but I don’t.  It’s an enjoyable meal.  Despite the bishop’s protestations, we and the English canons insist on paying – the total for six of us comes to £12 including drinks.

“After lunch, we have our photo taken with the bishop.  Then we go to meet his wife, Mary, who is going to show us the famous open-air market, where we aim to buy jewellery to sell to raise funds for Janette and Nana’s visit, and for the school in Marfokrom.  Driving through the crowded streets, we stop outside her small wooden hardware store, its wares decoratively arranged outside – spades, pick-axes, buckets, spanners, etc.  She comes to meet us, a pleasant determined-looking woman.  When we reach the market, most stalls are packing up, but a couple, including a large jewellery stall, are still open.  An enormous range of necklaces and other items is on display.  Many beads are made by melting crushed glass, a traditional local craft– frosted greenish, bluish, yellowish, or clear; others are painted with minute patterns.  Seth says smilingly ‘leave this to us, which ones do you want?’  There’s so much choice, it takes an age as we choose, asking prices as we go, Seth and Mary arguing amicably but firmly in Twi with the smiling, rather bemused proprietors.  Finally, we’re done.

“It’s getting dark as we set off back to Nsawam.  Then, on the trunk road linking the coast to the northern border we meet a huge traffic jam.  Seth is frustrated since he still has several people to see – he calls them on his mobile as we sit stationary in the darkness behind an enormous lorry.  A police Land-Rover with flashing blue lights passes.  We never do discover what the hold-up was, but at the back of my mind is Seth’s earlier comment about the trouble in the tribal area.  We finally get back at 7.30pm, though it seems much later.  Canon Seth, who’s been up since 5.00am, still has people to see”.

There is still much to tell about our memorable visit to Nsawam, and the hospitality, friendship, and faith we found there.  We pray that it may be possible this year for Nana and Janette to visit St. Faith’s.  With the editor’s permission, in another article we’d like to share something of the contact we had with them and others during our visit, including two days spent in the Kingdom of Ashante the historical heart of Ghana.

Mike and Ann Fluck

Town Fair 2008

This year's Town Fair will be on Saturday 6^th September, so please put it in your diary now.  This year's committee are planning ahead and hoping to build again on last year's successes, so please make every effort to keep this date free.

 London 2 Paris Rowing Team Charity Concert

To be held on Easter Monday 24 March at 6pm in St. Nicholas Chapel, Langstone.  Classical Guitar by Claude Lorea - pieces from J.S. Bach, S.L. Weiss, H. Villa Lobos, and F. Tarrega.  Tickets £10.00 in aid of the Langstone Lifesavers Appeal and available from Deborah Gilbert 01243 770693. 

The Langstone Cutters Rowing Club is rowing in a race for charity from London's Big Ben to Paris' Eiffel Tower starting in May 2008.  The Appeal will provide funds to charities that save lives at sea - the RNLI - and on land British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK. Further details are available at www.langstonecutters.com. 

 Congratulations to Choir Members

Congratulations to Katherine Faulkener for the award of the dark blue level of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) on 3 February 2008 and to Imogen Walsh for the award of the light blue level.  Welcome to the new probationers: Amelia Atchison, Sophia Gibbons and Eleanor Toole.