...keeping you in touch
with your church family
May 2020
Parish contact
details:-Team Rector:
The Reverend Bob Kenway
Email: rakenway@gmail.com
Tel: 01249 812340
Team Vicar:
The Reverend Linda Carter
Email: lscarter@btinternet.com
Team Vicar:
The Reverend Teresa Michaux
Email: tmx256@hotmail.co.uk
Parish Administrator:
Mrs. Sadie Kenway,
Church House,
30 Church Street, Calne, SN11 0HU
Email: calnepcc@gmail.com
Tel: 01249 816522
A Prayer in Lockdown
The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked.
John20:19
Ever present God, be with us in our isolation.
be close to us in our distancing, be healing in our sickness,
be joy in our sadness, be light in our darkness,
be wisdom in our confusion, be all that is familiar when all is
unfamiliar,
that when the doors reopen we may, with the zeal of Pentecost,
inhabit our communities and speak of your goodness to an emerging
world.
Church addresses - No services are taking place during the crisis
Holy Trinity Church,
Quemerford, Calne, London Rd, Wiltshire, SN11 0AR
St. Mary’s Church,
Church Street, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0HU
St. Peter’s Church,
Blackland, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 8UQ
Website: www.parishofcalneandblackland.org.uk
Find us on facebook @stmaryschurchcalne
Church House is closed during the corona virus crisis.
Above:Easter Cross outside St. Mary’s Church
A
s I write this piece it is still April, Easter is to come and we are in lock down. What is to come is uncertain, how will the virus progress, will we still be in lock down. But in the midst of confusion, sadness and despair there have been countless stories of good deeds of people offering service to others, and we have come to appreciate those in ‘humble’ jobs in our shops, our post and our refuse collection and not least all those serving in the NHS the emergency and police services. The Queen in her broadcast took us back to the times of war in our lands and reminded us of the need to have the resolve to be steadfast in the face of our situation. But there remains one great difference in our situation; the lock down. Sharing our troubles is good for our mental wellbeing but this is made very difficult at this time. Many who live on their own can commu-nicate with others using the computer and do their shopping on line but there are those whose main means of contact is the telephone or even the letter, the written word.Our Church has been working hard at communicating with us, suggesting read-ings prayers and even services so that we
can be with one another and our readings for Holy Week, a time of despair will have exploded into the joy of Easter. It will have been different for us being apart and separated so in what ways has it affected our faith, our attitude to Church our perceptions of where we are and where we want to be. If it seems tough for us to be apart then consider our brothers and sisters in the Sudan, how do they cope with the wars there, the poverty, and no certainty of the future? Consider the situation of Christians living under the threat of persecution. Think of those who live far from any Church and may only be able to have a priest and Communion a very few times a year. Our troubles have given us an opportunity to reflect on others and to be thankful for what we have. VE Day on May 8th was planned to be a great celebration of the end of WW2 and the beginning of peace. At this time I do not know what will happen but whatever form that takes we as the Body of Christ in this place have the victory and with God’s grace and love we will grow in our Faith and in Service to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Enid Powell
Dates in May 2020
Ascension Day - Thursday 21st May
Pentecost Sunday - 31st May
W
e are very fortunate that
the tower of St Mary’s
Church has a good record
of the bells being rung for all sorts
of events. The picture above is of
the entry for VE day in 1945. It says
that the bells were rung from
12-1pm, then the ringers went to
Heddington to ring from
1.30-2.30, back to Calne from 3pm to
4pm, back to Heddington from
5-6 and again at Calne from
6.30-730. Our bellringers had hoped to
ring for the 75th anniversary on
8th May this year, but that seems
very unlikely as all bellringing has
been stopped by the corona virus
lockdown. We look forward to
celebrating another VE Day in due
course:
Virus Eradication Day!
75th Anniversary of VE Day
Left: Here is another photo from 1945 of a children’s fancy dress celebration on the Recreation Ground in Calne on VE Day 1945. Do you know anyone in this picture?Calne Fairtrade in 2020
F
airtrade in Calne has taken a tumble with the sad loss of the Coop Food Store in April. The Coop was the foremost retailer of Fairtrade goods and support. The Coop, their manager, Jackie Shackleford, and her staff have been wonderful and consistent supporters of Calne’s Fairtrade Campaign. Calne Community Area Fairtrade Group has always had a Fairtrade stall in the store during Fairtrade Fortnight, and more recently Jackie had produced some outstand-ing displays of their own (picture left). Furthermore, the Coop had been sup-plying the Community Hub with free Fairtrade tea and coffee which sadly will now cease.On the upside… The Fairtrade Foundation have extended Calne’s Fairtrade Town renewal application date to August from March, giving us more time to complete the application due to the Corona Virus situation.
We were delighted to welcome Tesco to our Fairtrade Fortnight event on 5th March with their stall. We would like to thank their new manager
Ashley Brooks for supporting the campaign in arranging this. We hope to see more support from Tesco in the coming year.
Kingsbury Green Academy had their Year 8 Fairtrade Day in February (before the lockdown) preceded by a Fairtrade Assembly which was led and attended by the deputy Mayor Cllr. Rich Jones. See KGA Year 8’s Fairtrade artwork at http://www.calnefairtrade. org.uk/kgaart2020.html
Across the World - Kenya Some of the members of the wider Wiltshire Fairtrade group, have had some online video meetings (recorded) with Patrick Kaberia a Tea Farmer from Kenya, who came to our Fairtrade Fortnight Event in 2017 at Calne Town Hall - greeted by the then Mayor Cllr. Tom Rounds (picture left). Patrick and his family are in lock down very much like us, except that their situation is far more precarious, yet we find them in good spirits more concerned about our welfare here - what an inspiration! Stan Woods, Chairman - Calne Community Area Fairtrade Group 8th April 2020
Editorial
Team:-Sue Twyman, Jane Ridgwell and Jack Robinson.
Illustration, Graphic Design and Layout:- Alex Grenfell.
And finally...
If you organise any groups or events in the parish and would like them to be included in this newsletter then get in touch with the editors.
We would also love to have articles about the different groups in the parish to spread the word more widely and encourage people to come along.
Please Email or give copies of items to us in plenty of time for the next newsletter, the deadline is 10thof the preceding month.
Memories of
VE Day
1945
‘
I
n late 1944, when it looked as if the war would be coming to an end, it wasdecided to have a special ‘welcome home’ ready for the men and women of Calne who had been away in the forces... The Mayor of Calne, Councillor Cyril Thomas, inaugurated a fund to make sure this great welcome back came to fruition... Obviously the fund did well because, after expenses were taken out, the sum stood at £325.18s.The gift of an initialled wallet and a signed certificate was handed out to all returning ex-service men and women. A dinner was given in the Lansdowne Hotel on the 6th June 1945 to ex-prisoners of war.’ ( from John Whiles book Calne at War 1939-1945)
Ann Spearey was employed at the solicitors Spackman, Dale and Hood at 1, Patford Street at the time of VE Day and recalls putting out a Union Jack flag at the front of the office, in spite of some views from the senior clerk that this was frivolous.
It was a time of many street parties and it is reported that even the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret went out on the streets of London celebrating and dancing. As we all experience a short period of restrictions today in 2020, we can imagine the joy that was felt on that day, mixed with sadness at memo-ries of those who had died in the conflict.
Calne Food Bank is operating from Church House during the Corona Virus lock-down. Opening hours for those in need of food or to receive donations are Tuesday and Friday 12noon-4pm. Phone 01249 816522 before visiting.
