Norton Juxta Twycross

CHURCHWARDENS PAGE

INTRODUCTION

The object of the Churchwarden’s page is to bring Parishioners up to date with matters affecting the Holy Trinity Church in general and the Building in particular.  The first briefing is on the Church Roof.  I hope to add, at a future date, a briefing on Church funding, a topic which is widely misunderstood and anything else, of which you should be kept informed.

May 2010

Parish Walk - Saturday 15th May

Dust off those walking boots, stout shoes or wellies in order to 'beat the parish bounds' (almost) on Saturday 15 May. We aim to visit all 4 churches in the parish and you are welcome to join and leave at any point.
Hot soup and a Ploughman’s lunch will be available at Swepstone Church Hall between 1.30 and 2.30pm for £3 per person.
Please let us know in advance if you would like lunch, to help the caterers, by contacting:
Jane Wilford 271140 - Trish Newbold 270126 - Brenda Sumner 270367

Itinerary and times:

10am - START - Norton Church (Prayer)
11am arrive at Appleby Church
11.15 depart Appleby
11.50am arrive at Culloden Farm (Prayer) (WC and probably ice-cream available)
11.55am depart (There is a quick walk back to Norton from here.)
1.40pm arrive at Swepstone Church (Prayer)
1.30-2.30pm - Lunch available in Swepstone Church Hall
2.30pm depart Swepstone
3.40pm arrive at Snarestone Church (Prayer)
3.50pm depart Snarestone
4.50pm arrive at NortonChurch via Culloden Farm
Do come and join us. All ages and dogs welcome.
Maps and further information will be issued on the day.

Meet the new Team Vicar

"I am really enjoying getting about the Woodfield Team and meeting so many different people.
On 15 May I will be at Norton juxta Twycross, where the Spring Fare begins at 9.30am and the Rogation Walk commences at 10am. A very busy morning!
*Change of date: I will be visiting St. Peter’s, Swepstone on 12 June, 10 am - 2 pm (not 5 June as previously advertised.)

Home Communion

If you are unable to get to church and would like to receive Communion at home, or know someone else in the Parish to whom this may apply, please contact Revd Stella Polashek 272707 or email stella38 @ tesco.net. If you are asking for someone else please check with them first.

Tots Praise

The next meeting will be held at 1.30pm on Wednewday 5 May at Swepstone Church Hall. All ‘0’ to ‘4’ year olds and their mums/carers are welcome to come along. There will be time for a Bible story, for singing, a craft activity and refreshments.

Appleby with Swepstone & Snarestone Mothers' Union

The next meeting will be on May 12 at West Hill Farm, Appleby Magna when Dorothy Bamford will be the speaker, this meeting will be after Holy Communion at 10.30 am The afternoon meeting will be held at West Hill Farm and will be a Pentecost Tea . We have asked members from Akeley West and Akeley South Deanery to join us. This meeting will be at 2.30 pm
Margaret Ward

Summer Walks

Our series of evening walks (with occasional longer rambles) start this year with a stroll along the canal from the Globe at Snarestone on Wednesday 26 May, setting off at 7pm.
For further information, please call Brian or Jane on 271149.

Children and Young People

Details of Pure GoLd (for 10 to 18 year olds) and services for Children and Young People will be found on the Services page

Woodfield Team News

Measham Church Ladies Group are having a talk on 4 May by Mrs Carole Smith entitled 'They told me I was adopted'. This promises to be interesting and any members of your group are welcome to join them. The meeting is in St. Laurence Church Hall in Measham, starting at 7p.m. There will be refreshments and a raffle after the talk. For any further information please contact Tricia Parkinson 270950.

Community Flower Festival

St.Johns, Donisthorpe 1 - 3 May 2010
An exciting venture! Many different village organizations are having floral displays in church – to show how much goes on in Donisthorpe, Moira and Oakthorpe and to celebrate life here. So come along and see the beauty that will be in church for these days of the early May Bank Holiday.
The church will be open on: Saturday 1 May from 10am – 4pm
Sunday 2 May from 11am – 4pm
Monday 3 May from 10am – 4pm
There will be light refreshments. Any profit from the event will go
towards helping to repair the tower, which is not in a good state of health!
There will be special services on Sunday at 10am and then at 6pm. The 6pm will be a Songs of Praise service where again we will celebrate the life of these communities, with a number of speakers from the village.

Measham Church fete

Saturday 22 May at 2pm
Come along to Measham church fete – there will be stalls, raffle and tombola, refreshments and other fun. It’ll take place outside if the weather is kind and indoors if wet.

Meditative/contemplative prayer at Measham Vicarage

Tuesday 11 and 25 May
These two sessions are for those who would like an introduction to a perhaps different way of praying (and for those who came to these sessions the other year and would like a refresher). There will then be sessions later in the year for those who want to explore more deeply. Those who’ve come on these 2 sessions before have valued them – so do you want to give it a go?
To book either ring Vivien on 270354 or sign up on the sign-up lists in church.

THE CHURCH ROOF

The Problem

You may be aware that over the last five years or so, we have suffered some plaster falls from the Church roof.  The main areas are over the Choir stalls, just inside the Church door and more recently, above the barrel organ.  The final fall has caused some damage to the barrel organ, which has been notified to our insurers.  Fortunately it does not appear to be too serious, but will at least require a clean of the organ and the repair of about four of the lead pipes.   However there does not appear to be any point in progressing with the repair until the cause, the roof, is sorted.

During the first week in July we had an inspection by the Church architect and a builder, experienced in old Church buildings.  The underlying problem is that damp is getting in and causing the horse hair, which binds the plaster and provides its strength, to rot.  The plaster then cracks, separates from the lathes and ultimately fails.

While it is likely that on the inside, the problem is localized, the advice is that there is no point attempting to solve the internal problems, until the external source of the dampness is solved.  The long and short of it is that the roof on the south side of the church needs to be replaced.  It may be necessary to do the north side as well, although that was done about 20 to 30 years ago.  The jury is out on that one.  These are the reasons why:

The Cost

We do not yet know the likely cost of the repairs, but it is likely to be in the region of £40,000 to £100,000, depending on what needs to be done on the north side of the roof.   It is hoped that the majority of that can be covered by a grant from English Heritage.  There are also other potential sources of grant aid, however EH usually expect us to meet some of the cost at least of supporting work ourselves. Unfortunately we have missed the deadline for this year’s English Heritage bids, but that is no bad thing as the preparation of the necessary reports and documentation is a lengthy process.  The good news is that the work is necessary but is not so urgent that it needs to rushed.

What next

We await the report of the Church architect and builder, which when I receive it, I will use to update the website, I hope including some pictures.  In the meantime please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or a spare £100,000 under your mattress!