News & Features

First, the good news……. the annual Flower Festival that we were so busy preparing for last time took place over a very hot weekend at the end of June and I am pleased to say that we raised more money than last year. We had fewer arrangers this year, as we were a bit earlier than previous years so some regular contributors were away on holiday but our wonderful boss, Barbara, worked like a Trojan to make sure there were no bare patches in the church and the whole display looked and smelled as wonderful as ever! The girls in the tearoom also worked their socks off in difficult conditions, so a HUGE thank you to them as well. With no water or electricity in the church, even keeping the flowers watered is a challenge, not to mention providing hot and cold drinks and lunches all weekend for a large number of visitors!

The other exciting event recently was also a joyous occasion when the entire school walked to the church on July 4th in order to plant crab apple trees to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Rocklands School (in its present building, that is, as the first village school was built in All Saints churchyard in 1851 but was superseded after Forster’s Education Act of 1870, which required each village to provide a school for its children; it was to be a little while before education became compulsory or free, but it was a start!) The schoolchildren were joined by Little Rocky’s babies and toddlers who came armed with a motley collection of buckets and spades in order to plant one of the trees and the three classes of the school each planted a tree. Julie Dekker (Executive Head) gave a moving speech about the importance of a village, and expressed a hope that in 50 years’ time, when the school is celebrating 200 years, some of the children would come back and look at the trees they planted in 2025. Now, of course, we have the challenge of carting water up the hill every day to water the trees; we have installed water butts round the schoolroom but the small amount of rain we have had hasn’t been enough to even reach the taps! Our particular thanks go to the Grandads and one great-grandad who dug the holes for the trees (‘helped’ by 3 year old Freddie) during the Flower Festival and have been back daily to water and have also put wire guards round them to prevent wild animals from eating them. Fingers crossed that they will all survive (both trees and grandads!!)

We were very pleased that a local builder came and replaced the ceiling in the shed that houses our primitive loo and also made the roof watertight. The walls have been painted and although it’s still very basic, it’s a whole lot less scary using the facilities than before, as the spiders have been encouraged to live in the next shed, for the time being at least!

Now the bad news….we have had a couple of people out to look at the repairs to the vandalised window behind the altar and it is looking as if a five-figure sum will be needed to do a proper job. A small percentage will be covered by our insurance but removing the panel that had the rock thrown through it will compromise the surrounding Victorian window so to repair it so that the window will be there for future generations to look at, will cost a lot of money, which we will need to find ourselves. Many thanks to those who have kindly donated towards the repairs already…..we are looking into CrowdFunding to see if more funds can be raised.

Finally, please note that there is a slight change to the order of services in Rocklands in August as the first Sunday (3rd)will be at All Saints and St Peter’s will be leading the VJ service at the memorial gardens on Wayland Rd at midday on 17th August followed by refreshments at the Village Hall. Please join us if you can. 

Another month has passed and again I am left wondering where the time has gone! The weather has been very dry and the gardens are complaining (although I’m not!) but no doubt we will soon be saying it’s raining again and asking what has happened to the summer!

On May 28th and 29th, we are holding a Plant and Paperback Book Stall outside 72 The Street, Rocklands (next door to the school). Come along and buy your bedding plants and shrublets at very reasonable prices and pick up books to read during the summer at the same time! We are still ‘old school’, so it’s cash only, I’m afraid, but the PO will be open so you can get cash from there (and refreshments too!) All monies raised will go to keeping the little church ‘up the hill’ open.

In June we are holding another popular fundraising event which is the annual Flower Festival. This will run on Saturday and Sunday 28th and 29th when the beautifully decorated church will be open from 10.00 until about 17.00.

There will also be refreshments served from the original Victorian schoolroom, including light lunches, homemade cakes and savouries and the usual hot and cold drinks. There will also be a barbecue at lunchtime! On Monday 30th, we hope to have the church open again, but only drinks will be available in the schoolroom + possibly some cakes. And if that is not enough, there is a wonderful cake stall as well as a tent with bric-a-brac!

This year, on the Sunday, we are hoping to keep the church calm and peaceful for those who would like to have a quiet time of reflection in the morning, where visitors can sit and listen to some quiet music or maybe some poetry or readings as they drink in the wonderful aromas of the flowers and admire the displays, without hustle and bustle of chatter going on around them. After about midday, depending on what happens, it will be business as usual.

We look forward to seeing lots of visitors during the weekend - you can always be sure of a warm welcome at All Saints.

The sun is shining and the temperature is slowly rising so Spring perhaps has sprung and might be here to stay as I write on Good Friday?  (Traditionally, today is when potatoes should be planted, although I have never understood that ‘rule’, as Easter is very much a movable feast!)

The Cheese and Wine evening at the Village Hall last month, a joint venture with our friends at St Peter’s, went well. The Roskettes sang their hearts out and the food and drink was also much appreciated. Thanks to all who attended and/or contributed food/helped on that evening.

Due to ‘circumstances beyond our control’ (the imminent arrival of a grandchild!) there will be no “Barbara’s Day at Number 39’ this year but instead, there is a PLANT AND PAPERBACK BOOK SALE to be held outside 72 The Street (immediately next door to Rocklands School) on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th May from 10am till 3pm. This is during half term so we hope to see lots of people ……..there will be lots of things to buy at very reasonable prices and we hope the rain keeps off this year, after our experience last year!  All monies raised will go towards the upkeep of our beautiful little church (we can accept cash only, I’m afraid, but the Post Office will be open if you need to withdraw cash to pay for your purchases!)

A date for your diary is the Flower Festival on 28th, 29th and 30th June with the usual wonderful display of flowers in the church as well as a bric-a-brac tent and sumptuous refreshments in the schoolroom. We have put in an early but strong request for good weather so are feeling confident that it will be a lovely weekend for all to enjoy!  More details next month!

As has been widely publicised, this year marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day. There are few people left who actually remember that actual day, but it is nevertheless a very important date to celebrate, not war, but the peace that May 8th 1945 brought, especially in these turbulent times.  Rocklands will be remembering, both at the memorial garden in Wayland Rd on May 4th at 10.30 and at a celebration Ceilidh in Rocklands Village Hall on May 10^th 

With the lovely sunshine we have had recently, it is easy to believe Spring is just around the corner….at least when viewed from indoors!! By the time you read this, the vernal Equinox will have been and gone, the days will be getting longer and the clocks will have ‘sprung forward’ and hopefully, the temperature will have warmed up a bit!

The ‘Evening with Graham Cole’ event towards the end of February was a great success……many thanks to Graham for giving his time to help raise money for the church. Unfortunately, I was not well enough to attend but all reports have been excellent – thanks to all who supported as well.

As I write this, we are looking forward to the annual Cheese and Wine Evening at the Village Hall with the Roskettes providing the ‘cabaret’ act. I have no doubt those who attend will thoroughly enjoy the evening!

April brings Easter Week, starting with Palm Sunday on the 13th which we are celebrating as a benefice at a Café Church service in Gt Ellingham St James. Breakfast starts at 9.30 with an informal service at 10.30- if you have never been to a Café service, do please come along- it is all very relaxed and friendly and probably very different from the sort of service you imagine. On Maundy Thursday our friends at Rockland St Peter’s host an agape communion -again not a traditional style eucharist but nonetheless very meaningful and thought-provoking. (Agape is a Greek word for ‘love’ meaning the highest form of love or charity there is.) At All Saints we have the usual Good Friday service at 2pm on 18th to look forward to. This follows the Walk of Witness from St James’ church in Great Ellingham that leaves at midday. All are very welcome to join the walk and the service, including dogs. To celebrate Easter Day, we have a Shellrock benefice service at St James at 10.30, always a joyous occasion. We look forward to seeing you at any of these events/services.