News & Features

As I write, Autumn is well and truly upon us, with blustery winds, misty, moisty air and leaves falling from the trees. So far, the temperature is generally mild for the time of year but it will soon drop, so we have put the portable gas heaters back in the church ready to keep congregations from freezing! About a month ago, we held the annual Pets and Harvest Thanksgiving service ‘up the hill’. This year, the rain was a very close threat, and we nearly decided to move everything inside the church, but then we saw a patch of blue in the sky ‘enough to patch a sailor’s trousers’ and we made the call to stay outside…… and our prayers were answered as it stayed dry until we had finished. The music was led by the Benefice Music Group, with Colin on guitar and Kathryn on flute, with the usual singers helped by Julie Dekker and Monty and Ottilie (dogs!) We were delighted so many joined us in spite of the inclement weather, and we all enjoyed playing ‘Who Am I?’ as well as singing traditional Harvest hymns alongside more modern songs. The collection went to the Leprosy Mission as usual, and donations of ambient food were taken to the Food Bank after Kathryn explained what a standard food parcel would be likely to contain for those in need. Our annual Harvest Supper takes place on 8th November in Rocklands Village Hall at 7pm. Tickets are selling well but if you would like to come and haven’t yet booked, if you contact me on 01953 483542 before 5th November, we may be able to squeeze you in. Tickets are only £10 for a two course supper+ tea and coffee (bring your own alcohol and glasses if required) and is followed by a performance by the Roskettes as usual. There will not be an Advent Lunch this year.

In November, we have our usual service on the 3rd Sunday, but then on 30th November, we welcome friends from all 12 churches in the new combined benefice to join in the Advent Carol service at 10.30am. This heralds the start of the Anglican new year and is a time of waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus and is always a very powerful service. It is not the easiest of churches to find, but if you follow satnav, the nearest postcode is NR17 1XW…Google maps calls the lane ‘St Andrew’s Lane’ for some reason but if you ask a local they will say ‘Church Hill’ or maybe Stowlay Lane!!? If you find Rectory Rd and go past the houses, you can see the church on your left so follow your nose after taking the next left!!! An important date for the diary is 7th December when we will be holding our Christingle service at All Saints at 3pm. The children arrive from 2.30 onwards and make their Christingles in the old schoolroom, then we have an informal fun service in church…..which is so meaningful and powerful as children celebrate Christmas without any of the commercial hype that threatens to take over its true meaning. Rocklands School choir will again be singing at the service, which is always a delight to listen to. More in the December issue, but please book the date in your calendar now!

There has been a lot of discussion about the repair of the vandalised stained-glass window at All Saints church and it has now been agreed that we will have the conservation job done on all three panels on the east window, including the installation of a protective guard so that it doesn’t happen again! The professional company who will do the work have advised that as the lead matrix is stretching on all panes, the window is vulnerable to water ingress which would cause even more problems with the structure, so we need to future-proof as much as we can. We are very grateful to villagers who have pledged support and made donations already; if anybody else would like to contribute towards the approximate £20 000 that the repair is likely to cost in total, please see Cor Dekker, the church Treasurer.

Voice Junction, the youth group who practice their singing in the VH on Mondays, have also offered to put on a concert to raise some funds so look out for details of this event too and get a ticket! A very small proportion of the cost should be covered by our insurance policy but the bulk still has to be found by us. The PCC has agreed that a bequest by Evelyn Harrand will be used to cover the shortfall as we think dear Evelyn would have approved of that!

When you read this, our Pets and Harvest Thanksgiving service will be over (we have everything crossed for a dry day so that it can be held outside as usual). The collection from this will be donated to the Leprosy Mission.

Our next fundraiser is the Harvest Supper which is on November 8th at 7pm in the Village Hall. (OK, harvest is well and truly over by then but we had to delay it for reasons beyond our control and we couldn’t think of a suitable alternative name that people would recognise as an event they like to come to!) There will be the usual delicious homemade supper with two courses followed by entertainment by the Roskettes. Tickets will be available in October so watch this space (or ring 483542 to reserve your ticket in advance) It is always a lovely event.

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