A meeting for all those who regularly lead our Sunday intercessions in church will take place on Tuesday, 3 June at 8.00 pm. Please be there, not only to think about what we are actually doing when we lead people's prayers, but to practice using the microphone!

On Saturday, 7 June, Chimes Musical Theatre will be giving a concert at St Andrew’s, Kingswood. More details here.

On Sunday, 8 June, the Feast of Pentecost, we once again welcome the Guides and Brownies who have an important part to play during the 9.30 Sung Eucharist. It is possible that parking in Church Road that morning may be even more difficult than usual - we hear rumours of Carew Manor’s annual Fiesta, a car boot sale, and an open day at the Wild Life Hospital, all coinciding!

There is a diocesan Vocations Day at the cathedral on Saturday, 14 June, running from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, led by the bishops of Southwark and Kingston and by Janice Price, director of training in the diocese of Worcester. This is for all those who want to look at their own gifts and the ways in which they might be used in a wide variety of service within the life of the church. There is a fee of £3 for the day. Diana Harries has further information and booking forms, which must be returned to the address given on them by 31 May. More details here.

A pre-Confirmation group will meet in the Centre from 11:30 am for an hour on Sunday mornings, beginning on Sunday, 15 June. There will be six sessions, concluding on Sunday, 27 July, but not including Sunday, 13 July. If you are interested in being confirmed at St Paul's, Roundshaw on 14 September, please speak to Heather or Selwyn beforehand and then come along to these sessions - which are entirely painless and no previous experience is necessary!

MU speaker for 19 June is Rev'd Sue Peake, Hon Curate at Christchurch & St John the Evangelist, Clapham. A major part of her work is involved with the Springfield Community Flat, for one of whose projects St Mary's responded to a plea for teddy bears a couple of months ago. Its activities include two community crèches, a breakfast club, after-school clubs and groups for senior citizens, summer and Easter play schemes, and work with refugees and asylum seekers. She is a person of great enthusiasm, and will be talking about many of these aspects of her work, particularly the last, in an area of south London very different from our own.

Sunday, 22 June – Corpus Christi – is the annual occasion to think about Christ’s generosity in giving us the Eucharist itself, and to thank Him for all that it has meant and continues to mean to Christians. As usual we shall mark the day by asking all those who have a regular part to play in the conduct of the Sunday Eucharist – servers, readers, intercessors and ministers of the chalice – to attend the 9:30 service and be ‘re-commissioned’ for what they do to lead our worship around the year. So, if you fall into any of those categories, please do be with us once again for that service, so that we can thank you for your own ministry and pray for you as another year of it begins.

That same evening there is the now-annual Churches Together Music Festival, at 7 pm at St Elphege’s. As those who have been before will remember, this is not an evening of ‘Christian music’ but an opportunity for ‘Christians to make music’, and last year it was so well-attended and so well-supported by members and musicians from most local churches, that cars were actually being turned away from St Elphege’s bulging car park. Sadly our own choir cannot take part this year, owing to a prior engagement at an event at Finchcocks musical museum in Kent – but we hope that many members of St Mary’s will still come along and enjoy the talents of other churches and their choirs and musicians. Obviously there will be no evening service here that evening.

On Tuesday, 24 June (the Feast of St John the Baptist) there will be a Sung Eucharist at 7:30 pm.

Friday, June 27 - a special day on which Frank Davison celebrates his 90th (yes, 90th!) birthday. We all send him our warmest congratulations and best wishes for many more birthdays to come. Frank's faith in the Church is shared with us here.

10 am on Saturday, 28 June sees the flag go up for the St Mary's Car Rally - see details on Special Events page..

Evensong on Sunday, 29 June (SS Peter & Paul) will take place at the earlier time of 4:00 pm. It will be conducted by the vicar and choir of St Peter's, South Croydon who, together with their congregation, will have held their annual Patronal Picnic during the day in Beddington Park. I hope as many of us as possible will join them for this special Evensong.

What’s on in June?

SUN	1	EASTER 7
Mon	2	Magazine Panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way	6.00 pm
Tue	3	Parents and Toddlers Group meets in church	10.00 am
		Intercessors Meeting in church	8.00 pm
Wed	4"	St Mary's Guild Garden Party at 31 Carleton Avenue	2.30 pm
		Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
Thu	5	MU&OG. Clare Murden will give a talk on Aromatherapy. Church Centre	8.00 pm
Sat	7	Chimes Musical Theatre at St Andrew's, Kingswood	7.45 pm
SUN	8	PENTECOST
		Guides and Brownies present at the Sung Eucharist	9.30 am
Tue	10	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
WED	11	ST BARNABAS
Sat	14	PCC training morning. Church Centre.	10 am-1 pm
		Diocesan Vocations Day, Southwark Cathedral	10 am-4 pm
SUN	15	THE HOLY TRINITY
		Confirmation Group meets. Church Centre	11.30 am
Tue	17	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
Wed	18	MU Corporate Eucharist	10.00 am
Thu	19	MU&OG. Rev Sue Peake will talk about her work at the Springfield Community Flat. Church Centre	8.00 pm
Sat	21	St Mary's Court Trustees meet at St Mary's Court	10.00 am
		Quiet Day at Malling Abbey
SUN	22	CORPUS CHRISTI	11.30 am
		Confirmation Group meets. Church Centre
		Churches Together Music Festival at St Elphege's	7.00 pm
TUE	24	BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
		Sung Eucharist	7.30 pm
Wed	25	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
Sat	28	Car Rally in aid of Church funds	Starts 10 am
SUN	29	ST PETER AND ST PAUL
		Confirmation Group meets Church Centre	11.30 am
		Evensong conducted by the Vicar and Choir of St Peter's, South Croydon	4.00 pm

Advance notices for your diary

Saturday, 5 July – Gerrie and Eileen will be holding their ever-popular 'Pudding and Plonk' extravaganza.

The July wedding bookings will be taken on Monday 7th, not Monday 14th.

Monday 7 to Saturday 12 July – Richmond Shakespeare Society present their annual open-air production in the gardens of York House, Twickenham. Cassie gives details here.

Monday, 14 July - a visit from the new Bishop of Croydon - more here.

Readings for Sundays and Festivals in June

Sun 22 June

Corpus Christi

Genesis 14: 18-20 (page 261)

1 Corinthinians 11: 23-26 (page 262)

John 6: 51-58 (page 263)

Tue 24 June

John the Baptist

Isaiah 40: 1-11 (page 1098

Act 13: 14b-26 (page 1100)

Luke 1: 57-66, 80(page 1101)

Sun 29 June

SS Peter & Paul

Acts 12: 1-11 (page 1103)

2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18 (page 1105)

Matthew 16: 13-19 (page 1106)

Sun 1 June

Easter 7

Acts 1: 15-17. 21-26 (page 564)

1 John 5: 9-13 (page 565)

John 17: 6-19 (page 566)

Sun 8 June

Pentecost

Presented by Guides and Brownies

Sun 15 June

The Holy Trinity

Isaiah 6: 1-8 (page 573)

Romans 8: 12-17 (page 575)

John 3: 1-17 (page 576)

Sutton Deanery Synod

A meeting of the Synod was held on Thursday, 8 May, at St Dunstan's Church, Cheam. The speaker was the Rev'd Bruce Saunders, Canon Missioner, Southwark Cathedral and Executive Secretary to the Board of Church in Society. The Board consists of 28 lay people and 28 clergy, ie one lay person and one clergyman from each deanery in the diocese. It has a very broad remit, its purposes being mainly as follows:

* To provide resources, training advice, and stimulation for mission.

* To create networks of expertise.

* To help to give shape and purpose to key areas of the mission of the diocese.

* To represent the diocese in ecumenical London-wide and national forums.

It includes the following groups:

* Social Responsibility

* Urban Umbrella

* Ministry and Training

* Children and Young People (chaired by Nick Baines)

* Interfaith Relationships

* Relationships, Relationships and Family, MU

Bruce said that he is happy to come and talk to PCCs about any of the resources available. He said that church attendance in Britain was 8% in 2000 and would be down to 7% by 2005 and descending. He said that it is important for churches to make the Gospel mean something to the people of our times. He then challenged us to think about our churches and their purpose - are we about sustaining our present congregation or about making new Christians; or having lots of activities for people to 'come to' or creating confident Christians to 'go out' into the community to witness to our Lord in our homes, places of work and leisure. Where does our particular emphasis lie in these areas? He said that we are a Missionary people because God is a Missionary God - a fountain of self-giving love - pouring Himself out from the beginning of creation; creating new beginnings all the time.

Bruce said that there needs to be a shift from church-centred mission to a mission-centred church, but he knows that it is easier to talk about church than it is to talk about God. Nevertheless, "the church empowered by the Spirit is itself part of the message it proclaims. It is a fellowship which actualises God's love in its everyday life and in which justice and righteousness are made present and operative" (a quotation from Jurgen Moltmann). Rev'd Saunders reminded us that the church is always one generation away from extinction. We need to talk about God in a language people can understand; most people learn their theology from hymns, so we should be careful about which hymns we choose - the language of faith has to change.

Date of next meeting is 16 July at St Michael's, Beddington.

Jenifer Davison

From the registers

Baptisms

May 11 Freddie Robert Boud,

of 19 The Brandries, Beddington

May 11 Thea Caitlin Browne

of 8 Mallinson Road, Beddington

May 11 Sophie Clare Edgington

of 29 Oakmead Road, Croydon

Funerals

Apr 28 Lorna Patricia Steele, aged 66,

of 15 Royston Avenue

Daily prayer topics in June

Sun 1 The communication of the Gospel to the world

Mon 2 All who seek to spread the Gospel through music, art and writing

Tue 3 All who lead intercessions

Wed 4 Our Bible Study Group

Thu 5 Those who translate the Bible into other languages, Braille and voice recording

Fri 6 The Melanesian Brotherhood

Sat 7 The Chimes concert being given tonight

Sun 8 Thanksgiving for the gift of the Holy Spirit

Mon 9 Our Guides and Brownies

Tue 10 All who care for church buildings and property

Wed 11 Croydon & Kingston Area Councils meeting tonight

Thu 12 Those who feed the hungry

Fri 13 Those who shelter the homeless

Sat 14 The Vocations Day at Southwark Cathedral

Sun 15 Give thanks for the Anglican Church of Papua, New Guinea

Mon 16 All planning courses and events for the summer holidays

Tue 17 The police force, magistrates and judges

Wed 18 Prison Chaplains and Visitors

Thu 19 Brixton, Highdown and Downview Prisons

Fri 20 Local social groups for the elderly

Sat 21 The Quiet Day at Malling Abbey

Sun 22 Thanksgiving for the Holy Communion

Mon 23 The Diocese of Ely

Tue 24 Thanksgiving for the life of John the Baptist

Wed 25 The Probationary Service

Thu 26 Youth groups and workers

Fri 27 Nursery schools and play groups

Sat 28 Rejoice in all things bright and beautiful

Sun 29 Those being ordained in the cathedral today

Mon 30 St Helier Hospital and Epsom General Hospital

Now listen here…

Everybody is familiar with the work of the wonderful Guide Dogs for the Blind, which has existed since 1934. However, less familiar are the other Assistance Dogs organisations, which have developed over the last twenty years or so. Service Dogs assist people with a variety of physical disabilities; and then there are the Hearing Dogs.

All hearing dogs are trained to alert to sounds that hearing people often take for granted such as alarm clock, cooker timer, doorbell, telephone or baby cry. They are also trained to alert to danger sounds such as smoke alarm, fire alarm, carbon monoxide alarm or burglar alarm. The increased independence that this can give to a deaf person is indescribably valuable.

Chimes Musical Theatre was glad to support the Hearing Dogs at one of their concerts last year, and since then I’ve become very interested in the work of this organisation. One especially appealing aspect of their work is that the dogs are not bred specifically for this task. The average hearing dog is a small, mixed-breed dog who will very likely have been selected from a dog pound, rescue centre or as an unwanted pet. This means that not only do the deaf people benefit, but so do the dogs – who otherwise might have been destroyed. In addition, any dogs who don’t succeed in the rigorous training are placed as pets wherever possible.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is celebrating its 21st birthday in style by introducing the first-ever Hearing Dog Week, which will run from 2-6 June. During this week, the Charity is aiming to raise awareness of deafness and how hearing dogs can help deaf people.

If you know of or have seen a hearing dog in your area, then you will probably be aware of the difference that dog has made to its owner’s life. Perhaps you work with someone who has a hearing dog, or you live near one and have seen it in your local shops. If so, then why not nominate that dog for the Hearing Dog of the Year Award.

Or join in the special Togs for Dogs Day on Friday 6 June. This day is a chance for everyone, especially children, to learn about, and raise money for, people with a hearing loss who depend on their four-legged hearing aids. To take part, all you need to do is give a small donation of £1 to wear non-uniform clothes to school or the office for the day, or don an item of clothing that is burgundy in colour to match the hearing dogs’ working coats.

I also have some raffle tickets (prizes include a Land Rover, flights to New York and some cuddly dogs!) – please let me know if you’d like to support the Hearing Dogs in this way. If you have access to the Internet, you can read more about the charity’s work at www.hearing-dogs.co.uk

Cassie Tillett

Understanding the church year

With Whit Sunday, 8 June, we begin the second half of the Christian Calendar Year. During the first half of the year (Advent to Whitsuntide) the Church's focus has been on what God has revealed to Man, particularly through the history of the Christ becoming man and of his divine deeds on earth.

Now , in this second half of the year (from Whitsuntide back to Advent) our attention is focused on Man's response to God - through faith, through commitment, through loving deeds and through trying to understand Christ's transforming work within each individual man and woman.

So the smaller festivals of this second half of the year give us a magnificent opportunity. As we remember the lives of different saints down the centuries, we too can seek to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our own lives.

Rector’s wife found gender-bending in the Forest of Arden…

… no, not a headline from the Sunday Sport nor a Times crossword clue! Cassie has found herself cast as Rosalind (who spends most of the play disguised as a boy called Ganymede) in Richmond Shakespeare Society’s outdoor production of As You Like It. (The Rector will also be making a fleeting appearance as one of the singing Lords who accompany the banished Duke – except on the Saturday matinee, when he’ll be marrying people at St Mary’s!).

The performances are from July 7 (Mon) to July 12 (Sat) inclusive at 7.45 pm, with a matinee on Jul 12 (Sat) at 3 pm. Heather is co-ordinating a Parish outing for the Saturday evening performance on the 12th. Transport will be by shared cars and she will organise a lift if you need one - just sign the list on the table under the tower. There is another list for those who would like to go on another night - just sign, indicating which performance you want, and Cassie will organise tickets.

The venue is York House Gardens in Twickenham – next door to the church on the river. It’s a beautiful venue, with raked seating for the audience, so the sightlines are good. Now if you would all kindly pray for good weather…

Cassie Tillett

Chimes Musical Theatre

As if life weren’t busy enough…

Chimes’ next venture is a concert at St Andrew’s Church, Kingswood (on the A217 towards Reigate). This is to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of St Andrew’s, so the programme will cover (of course) the last 150 years of popular music, including opera, operetta and modern musicals. St Andrews has also generously offered to split the profits of the concert between their own maintenance fund-raising, and our own Rewiring Fund. Many of the cast will be familiar to those of you who saw our concert in support of the Tower & Bells Fund last November, and it promises to be a most enjoyable evening.

Tickets are likely to be popular, as we understand that our last visit to St Andrew’s sister church, The Wisdom of God (St Sophia) last summer was much appreciated. I have 25 tickets available – please let me know as soon as possible if you’d like to come. Tickets are £7 including interval refreshments. Visit www.chimesmusicaltheatre.co.uk.

Cassie Tillett

Also Coming Your Way…

Bara Brith, Cajun Chicken, Gado-Gado, Kefta or Yorkshire Pud…What can it be? Read the next magazine to discover more.

Meeting Our New Bishop

The new bishop of Croydon, Bishop Nick Baines, will be spending the whole day in St Mary's parish on Monday 14 July. He will be having a tour around the parish, visiting 'significant institutions' like schools, etc, and interviews and meetings with various people.

There will be a special PCC meeting at the end of the day, in which he will help us to discuss our mission plans for the next five years. Please keep Selwyn, Jenifer, Heather, Pat and Ian in your prayers as they prepare the day's timetable.

More important for everyone is that at 6:30 pm sharp that evening, in the church Centre, there will be a buffet supper so that everyone who wants to can have a chance to meet the bishop. This will be a meal of the 'stroll around with a plate and a glass of wine in your hand' variety, and if there are lots wanting to come, and it's a fine day, we shall probably end up strolling around the churchyard too so that we're not too restricted by the size of the Centre. It all helps to give him a flavour of what St Mary's is really like, and social events are certainly among the things we do best!

Naturally there will be lists up, tickets available, and all that sort of thing, nearer the time - but for the moment make sure you have the date in your diary. The PCC meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:00pm, so volunteers to get the Centre turned back into a meeting room speedily after supper will also be gladly welcomed!

Selwyn Tillett

Saints in June

Tue 3 The Martyrs of Uganda, 19th and 20th Century

Mon 9 Columba, Abbot of Iona,. Missionary, 597

Wed 11 BARNABAS THE APOSTLE

Mon 16 Richard, Bishop of Chichester, 1253

Mon 23 Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely, c.678

Tue 24 THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Sat 28 Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, teacher, c.200

Sun 29 SS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES

Called by God?

A Diocesan Vocations Day at Southwark Cathedral

on Saturday, 14 June. 10 am to 4 pm

with the Bishops of Southwark and Kingston

Guest Speaker: Miss Janice Price, Director of Training, Worcester Diocese.

Is God calling you? For all those who want to look at their own gifts and the way in which they can be used in a wide variety of service.

Application form from Sue Hoad: 020 7939 9433 or sue.hoad@dswark.org.co.uk

A very interesting and worthwhile day. There is no pressure to sign up or anything, but you will come away with lots of ideas, and there may be something you feel you would really like to do. I can highly recommend the day.

Jenifer Davison

St Elphege was here

The congregation of St Elphege's celebrated their patronal festival here at St Mary's on 30 April, a long-established annual event and a quiet example of the 'Togetherness' between our two churches.

As Father Hough said in his sermon, Elphege was a very English saint. Born near Bath in 954 AD he achieved his ambition to become a monk in spite of his wealthy mother's opposition. He later became Bishop of Winchester, which is why it is very likely that the Saint himself came to Beddington during one of his journeys round his diocese.

St Elphege was not one of the finalists in the Radio 4 'Today' programme's recent poll to nominate an alternative patron saint for England (poor George, what did he do to deserve this?), but he was much loved and respected - witness the number of churches dedicated to St Elphege along the banks of the Thames to commemorate the passing of his body from London to Canterbury, where he was buried with great pomp.

Pat Kingsbury

My Belief

The Church of England is the embodiment of the Word of God. A central point from which all who are seeking the Truth as to their knowledge and enlightenment of the spiritual part of their life.

Many today are turning to this way of life, for in it they find a certain peace and a better understanding of themselves and others. Where the lonely are not alone any more, but a member of one large family. For so many are crying out for spiritual comfort, for an ear willing to listen, to share the emotional strains and stresses which they are finding so hard to cope with alone.

It's this compassionate understanding and the sharing of the Word and love of God that the world is seeking today, and the Church is their hope of a happier and peaceful future.

Frank Davison

"Love Is A 'Doing' Word"

The Service of Consecration of the new Bishops of Stepney and Croydon took place at 11 am on 8 May at St Paul's Cathedral. But it was well before 11 that the ceremony began - with the procession of Readers, Clergy, Dean and Chapter of two cathedrals, the Choir a host of Bishops, the Bishops Designate, and finally the Bishops of London and Winchester and the Archbishop of Canterbury, all robed and converging on the Dome Sanctuary.

After the first hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation", the service continues in the usual pattern of the Eucharist. The preacher, Canon Wright of Westminster Abbey, is eloquent and erudite. He speaks of the Consecration as a new beginning and of the Bishops' duties, including the "deeply important" one of confirmation, calling their people by name as Jesus did Mary when he found her weeping outside the tomb. Calling someone by name is an act of love and an affirmation of them as an individual person.

The Bishops Designate stand before the Archbishop and are themselves called by their names as they are presented to the people. Then, after the Archbishop has read out their many duties - serving and caring for the people, guarding the faith of the Church, ordaining, baptising, confirming, ministering discipline, having special care for the outcast and needy - they are ordained. The Archbishop and then all the other Bishops stretch out their hands over their heads in blessing and protection: "Send down the Holy Spirit upon your servant for the office and work of a Bishop in your Church." They are presented with a Bible and Pastoral Staff. The services of the Eucharist continues and we all sing:

We are brothers on a journey

We are sisters on the road

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

I will weep when you are weeping

When you laugh I'll laugh with you

I will share your joy and sorrow

Till we've seen this journey through.

Brother, sister, let me serve you

Let me be as Christ to you

Pray that I may have the grace to

Let you be my servant too.

Pat Kingsbury

PS Extract from the introductory page of the Order of Service:-"Ecumenical representatives robe by the Light of the World in the North Transept." Does this mean that St Paul's also has a wiring problem? – PK

Some of the great whys and wherefores of life

Why are buildings called buildings when they are finished? Shouldn't they be called builts?

Why is abbreviated such a long word?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

Why is it that when you tell a man there are 400 billion stars he will believe you, but when you tell him there's wet paint he has to touch it?

What would Geronimo say if he jumped out of an airplane?

What do you call a male ladybird?

What hair colour do they put on the driver's licence of a bald man?

If you supermarket is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

If a fire fighter fights fire and a crime fighter fights crime, what does a freedom fighter fight?

Who's cruel idea was it to put an 'S' in 'lisp'?

Do you find it unnerving that what doctors doe is called 'practise'?

Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

They don't write 'em like that any more …

…and this was proved when our evening of 'NOSTALGIA' was presented with charm and humour by Peter and Joan Davalle. Starting with Vera Lynn (veterans of WW2 were purring) we were conducted on a Sentimental Journey (memories of Doris Day) via readings from Dickens, Oscar Wilde (including the famous 'handbag') and Masefield, where Sea Fever brought back memories of schooldays - "Learn that by tomorrow, boy."!

Musical numbers reminded us not only of memorable times but also of past favourite performers. The Nightingale in Berkeley Square (Hutch), London Pride (Noel Coward) came easily to mind, while the sound of the steam engine leaving the station recalled the heartache shared by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. All wonderful stuff.

Even the marvellous refreshments prepared by those wonderful St Mary's Ringers (including glasses of Chateau Coleman) were nostalgic - we had almost forgotten the joy of well-filled bridge rolls - and this feast was much appreciated. We gather that Pam Vernon even met someone with whom she was at school - nostalgia with a vengeance.

After the interval we were reminded of Under Milk Wood and Grantchester (where there is still honey for tea) and we even wallowed in the mud with Flanders and Swann and Remembered It Well with the assistance of Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold. Oh! What recall can do for our senses!

Finally, after Bing Crosby had again proved how wonderful the Bells of St Mary's are, we finished as we began by singing the song ourselves. Wonderful!

We hear that the evening contributed over £400 towards the Tower and Bell Fund, so thank you to everyone: to all the bellringers for their hard work and preparation; to all the audience for their attendance and applause; and especially to Peter and Joan Davalle for giving us not only a wonderful evening's entertainment, but for helping us to recall so many of our happy days.

Thanks for the memory.

Sheelagh and Reg Willis

More than old enough to know better

(A sponsored cycle ride in aid of the Tower and Bells Fund)

Almost continuous rain and drizzle throughout Friday, 2 May, boded ill for anyone contemplating a week of cycling, but the devil has a longstanding reputation for looking after his own, and he came up trumps the following morning when, after a brief photo-call with my wife, Kath, and Cathedral Ringing Master, Michael Uphill, I set off promptly at 8 am from Southwark Cathedral on the first leg of my cycle ride to York in bright sunshine and with a fresh following wind. One of the St Paul's Cathedral ringers signed my logbook at St Paul's and I then followed in the steps of the Romans with a steady climb northwards out of London along Watling Street.

Just beyond Edgware the shops and houses suddenly gave way to open countryside and I found myself plodding up Brockley Hill, a lane lined with trees in fresh green leaf, the hedgerows colourful with bluebells, stitchwort, herb robert and pink campion, and the air sweet with the scent of the creamy may blossom.

The Wagon and Horses at Elstree offered the prospect of rest and refreshment, which was enjoyed in the sunlit pub garden with only the gentle buzz of light aircraft passing overhead breaking the silence.

A friendly visiting chaplain signed me in at St Alban's Cathedral, where their target for tower and bells restoration is £1.5 million!! From there my route lay through the attractive villages of Sandridge, Wheathampstead, Kimpston and St Paul's Walden, birthplace of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, where the village pub, the Strathmore Arms, displays her family coat of arms.

After cycling 51 miles I reached my first overnight resting place, the village of Campton, near Hitchin. My bellringing friends were away for the weekend, but a kindly neighbour let me in and showed me around the house. Waiting for me was a comfortable bed, an ample supply of food and drink, and a generous donation to our bell fund.

Good progress was made on Sunday morning through the level, rich arable land of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Lunch was enjoyed at The Bell, Great Paxton. Just across the fields from the garden, GNER trains were gliding swiftly back and forth, offering a quicker and more leisurely way of reach my destination – but I doubted if a sponsored train ride would attract much sponsorship!

Siesta time followed, and then on through the picturesque villages of Offord Darcy and Offord Cluny to Godmanchester. This attractive town, standing on the banks of the Great Ouse, received its Charter from King John in 1212, three years before the Magna Carta, and seven years after its neighbour, Huntingdon. Perhaps best known as the birthplace of one of this country's most influential men, Oliver Cromwell, Huntingdon was described by William Cowper as "One of the neatest towns in England." A small square has a fine mediaeval church on its north side, an imposing brick built town hall of 1745 facing the church, and on the East side a small building with a Norman façade, built as a hospital in 1160. By 1565 it had become a grammar school, later numbering Cromwell and Pepys amongst its pupils, and now houses the Cromwell Museum. A War Memorial bears the following simple and moving inscriptions:

"To the men of 1914-1918 who wrought for mankind a great deliverance"

"Also to those who in 1939-1945 served and died to preserve our glorious heritage"

"To those who in the many wars since 1945 served and died to preserve freedom"

In the Fenland village of Ramsay St Mary, a large Union Jack was flying outside a bungalow which bore the name 'Hacienda'! A mildly inebriated local in The Lion gave me a generous, unsolicited donation on learning the purpose of my venture. At Farcet Fen I completed the first 100 miles of my journey and soon tall, brickfield chimneys appeared away to the north, indicating that I was approaching Peterborough. In the dark I circled the Cathedral, vainly trying to gain access to its precincts before pressing on to the village of Greatford, near Stamford, where I was due to spend the night. Brian Harris and I had spent a year together at Catterick Camp as civilians in uniform during our National Service careers. He and Shirley gave me a warm welcome, and sent me on my way on Monday morning with another generous donation.

May Day bank holiday was to prove something of a rest day as I meandered through peaceful country lanes towards Grantham, my next overnight stop. It was a perfect spring day and the countryside seemed to be slumbering in the warm sunshine. Large fields of vivid citron coloured rapeseed contrasted with the dark green of young cornfields. No sound of aircraft, motorways or trains disturbed the air, and the passing motorists seemed content to make leisurely progress along the lanes. One kindly couple stopped to offer assistance when they saw me repairing my only puncture of the week.

A fast downhill run brought me to into Grantham. That remarkable scientist, Isaac Newton, was born nearby and his statue stands in the main street. The town, which had its Great Fire six years before London, is dominated by the great tower and spire of St Wulfram's Church, and became better known in recent years as the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher, the shopkeeper's daughter who made good.

On Tuesday morning I decided that I could reach my target of 250 miles cycling without making the fairly long diversion westwards to take in Southwell Minster as I had planned. I therefore headed directly for Lincoln, hopeful that my sponsors would accept Beverley Minster as an adequate substitute for Southwell Minster. The road led up onto a limestone ridge which forms the spine of Lincolnshire and which is part of a limestone belt which extends from the Dorset coast to the North Yorkshire Moors. It provides excellent building material and was used in the construction of several superb crocketed spires that I passed, such as those at Caythorpe and Leadenham.

Nimrod AWACS aircraft were flying in and out of RAF Waddington as I took my siesta on a wide roadside verge. I awoke to find two ladies and a pretty young girl regarding me rather anxiously. One of the ladies assured me that the girl was a qualified first-aider, so I expressed with some regret that she would not be required to practice resuscitation on me! She proved to be a bellringer and seemed disappointed that I would be unable to delay my journey in order to join her at the local ringing practice that evening.

Lincoln Cathedral stands magnificently on a steep hill above the city, and with its vast west front and richly carved interior is one of our largest and finest cathedrals. The tracery in the Dean's Eye - the rose window in the north transept – is being completely replaced. Circular pieces of tracery, about 2ft in diameter, are being laid out on a template on the transept floor to check that they fit accurately together. Hopefully, sometime in 2004, a part from St Mary's will be able to visit a bellhanger's premises to see our ten bells, complete with new fittings, hanging in a brightly painted new metal frame, standing on the workshop floor, with everything checked and tested, before being dismantled and delivered to St Mary's for installation in the tower. What an exciting prospect!

Ivy Cottage, in the village of Sturton by Stow, was an attractive and inexpensive B&B already booked by Ringing Roadshow visitors. A pair of resident mallards were enjoying the extensive lawns and small pond when I set off on Wednesday morning for Beverley in East Yorkshire. Just outside the village I stopped to photograph a memorial, placed on a farmyard wall recently by a farmer and her son, commemorating the eight young aircrew (the youngest only 20) who had died in a plane crash there in 1943. The aircraft, a Lancaster bomber, had suffered structural failure while on a training flight.

Scampton airbase, just across the fields, is the present day home of the Red Arrows Display Team. During World War II the peace of this sparsely populated countryside must have been shattered day after day by the crackling roar of Rolls Royce Merlin engines as Lancaster bombers carried out test and training flights during daylight hours, whilst at night heavily laden with fuel and bombs they took off on bombing missions over Europe, many never to return. Almost 60 years to the day before my visit, 133 young British, Commonwealth and American airmen took off in 19 aircraft to carry out a precision attack on the dams of the Ruhr Valley in Western Germany. Only 77 men returned, and many of those died in subsequent operations. The 'Dambusters Raid' remains perhaps the most famous of all aerial bombing operations. Throughout Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, many museums and memorials, including those in Lincoln Cathedral and York Minster, commemorate the 50,000 men and women of Bomber Command who lost their lives in the five-year battle.

This area of North Lincolnshire seems to shun tourism: the attractive, stone-built villages have no teashops, and most of the few village pubs only open during the evening on weekdays.

Late in the afternoon I finally found a pub that was open to serve me refreshments. Without any recourse to Dick Turpin tactics, I received my second generous donation, this time from the kindly pub landlady. Perhaps a sponsored pub-crawl might prove remunerative, albeit rather expensive.

Fortified by beer and fish and chips, I made good progress to Beverley, a handsome Georgian town with a magnificent Minster and beautiful church of St Mary, both with fine, heavy rings of ten bells. When I set off early on Thursday morning on the last leg of my journey, cattle were grazing peacefully in a small pasture just across the road from the Minster. I had to cycle the 30 miles to my final destination, York, into the teeth of a strong and unrelenting west wind. En route I saw my first hare of the week, heard my first cuckoo of spring and, amid the watery meadows to the East of York, heard the beautiful burbling call of a curlew.

When I finally reached the lovely city of York, with sore posterior and tired legs, David and Christine Potter, members of a fine band of ringers at the Minster, were sympathetic to my needs – namely a mug of tea, an hours rest, a light supper and an early night.

I can now look back with the satisfaction of knowing that, thanks to the generosity of many friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even a few strangers, each one of the 268 miles I had cycled had earned a contribution of about £5 to the St Mary's Tower and Bell Fund. As a bonus, I had enjoyed six days, in the most beautiful month of the year, under the broad, sunlit cloudscapes of Eastern England. I had renewed old friendships and met many kind and friendly people. The tranquility of this unexploited part of England had been savoured at a leisurely pace. I had marveled at some of the superb churches and cathedrals of our mediaeval forefathers and developed a greater sense of gratitude for the men and women of earlier generations who had striven, often at the cost of their lives, to preserve our way of life.

Mike Chilcott

"Happiness is to find our joy in the common things of life, for so will youth abide in our hearts till the end of our days." M AUMÔNIER

15 June - Yes, it's Father's Day

The third Sunday in June is Father's Day. Ever wondered how the idea of Father's Day came about? Well, contrary to popular belief, it wasn't a marketing ploy by Clinton Cards! But we do have America to thank of course, and it happened like this …..

It all started way back in 1909 because a woman in Spokane, Washington, named Sonora Louise Smart Dodd. That year she heard a church sermon about the merits of setting aside a day to honour one's mother. Mother's Day was just beginning to gather widespread attention in the United States at this time. But Sonora Louise Smart Dodd knew that it was her father who had selflessly raised herself and her five siblings by himself after their mother had died in childbirth. So the sermon on mothers gave Sonora Louise the idea to petition for a day to honour fathers, and in particular her own father, William Jackson Smart.

Sonora Louise soon set about planning the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane in 1910. With support from the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA, her efforts paid off and a 'Father's Day' was appointed. Sonora Louise had wanted Father's Day to be on the first Sunday in June (since that was her father's birthday), but the city council didn't have time to approve it until later in the month. And so on 19 June, 1910, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane.

Gradually, other people in other cities caught on and started celebrating their fathers too. The rose was selected as the official Father's Day flower. Some people began to wear a white rose to honour a father who was dead, and a red one to honour a father who was living. Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday in June as Father's Day - a permanent, national holiday.

Today, Father's Day is a great time to celebrate any sort of male role models, like uncles or grandfathers, as well a dads. Certainly Father's Day has become a day for greeting card companies to rejoice, and sales of the most popular gifts for dad (shirts, ties, and electric razors) increase considerably. Perhaps most telling of all, though, is how children continue to see their fathers: a survey in America showed that more 'collect calls' to home are recorded on Father's Day than on any other day of the year. Well, they started it!

Transport Officer

Having succumbed to the persuasive charms of our Rector Selwyn I have agreed to try and co-ordinate transport for the most vulnerable in our Congregation.

The object is to link those needing transport with those who are willing to offer a lift on a regular or intermittent basis. However, I cannot do this without help, so please, look at the lists at the back of the Church - one for those seeking help and one for volunteers - and provide the necessary information for getting 'Transport Aid' up and running!

June Allen

PS I still hope to hear from those interested in BASIC FIRST AID. A session in the Centre is anticipated for September/October. J.

Wimbledon - June 23 - July 6

Here's some good news for all tennis fans: on 9 June, The All England Lawn Tennis Club and IBM will launch the Official Web Site for Wimbledon 2003 at www.wimbledon.org, providing fans with the fastest and most comprehensive coverage of The Championships anywhere on the web. You can follow live point-by-point scores of every point, game, set and match played at The Championships.

The Web Site will also feature live audio commentary of The Championships through its very own radio station, Radio Wimbledon, from 8am to 10pm every day of the Fortnight

Encouragement for all crackpots

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water to the house. The cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

In life, we're all cracked pots. But our weaknesses need not destroy our lives. God only ever uses imperfect people. Despite our flaws, God can still bless us and make us fruitful for him.

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