News & Features

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.

Day Lent Course

This will take place on Mondays, starting on Monday 10 March, and on the following Mondays; 17th, 24th & 31st March, 7th & 14th April. This course will be held in the Tower Room, St Andrew’s Church, Hingham at 11am, followed by a soup lunch afterwards. Donations for the lunch to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2025 raising money for YANA (You Are Not Alone) to help fund its telephone helpline. YANA provides rural mental health support for those involved in agriculture and other rural businesses affected by stress and depression.

To help us plan for the Lent course session and cater for the lunches, please email Caroline to let us know if you are coming to this; admin@standrewshingham.org.uk

Evening Lent Course

This course will take place on Tuesday evenings, starting on Tuesday 11 March and on the following Tuesdays; 18th, 25th, (1st April, 8th April). Time will be 7.00pm for a 7.15pm start. This course will be held at Orchard House, Church Street, Great Ellingham (Charles Mason’s
home).

To help us plan for the Lent course session, please email Colin to let us know if you will be attending; colin.thomas196@btinternet.com

Discussions will focus on Faith Journeys - how we came to faith and what it means today.

On behalf of RAS PCC, many thanks to Rev Tori for organising the Vision Day on February 1st. Seven of our PCC were able to attend ,and we found it an uplifting experience. Thanks too to those who provided refreshments etc – a good event all round!

On the following day, we celebrated Candlemas with an informal yet meaningful service remembering the presentation of Jesus as a 40 day old infant at the temple in Jerusalem, which included an impromptu dramatic presentation of the story with makeshift ‘costumes’ (aka tea towels!) and two origami doves that were launched by an 11 year old Joseph with enthusiasm. The Shellrock Music Group led the music, minus a couple of key members, but the congregation sang lustily, nevertheless. Everyone lit a candle remembering that Jesus is the Light of the World as we finished with ‘This little light of mine’ and we enjoyed homemade biscuits in the shape of a dove with our coffee after the service.

On February 17th the church held the funeral of Maria Christina Gathergood -Standley who had lived a very simple life in her isolated family farm on Swangey Lane almost all her 94 years of age. The service was well-attended and reflected her love of nature and all creatures. RIP Christina.

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) for All Saints will be held on March 15th at 10.00am in Rocklands Primary School hall (by kind permission of the Executive Headteacher). As this is the year for renewing the Electoral Roll, (where have the last six years gone??) current members will be contacted with a new form to complete. If anybody else would like to be included at All Saints, please let Cath Jones (cath@jones871.plus.com) know. We have been managing without a church warden for several years now, but we live in hope that, maybe this year, someone will be willing to take on that commitment. In the meantime, we continue to share the workload between us, where possible.

Following the Evening with Graham Cole, the next joint fundraiser with our friends at Rockland St Peter’s church is on Saturday March 22nd in Rocklands Village Hall (7pm) which will be a Cheese and Wine Evening. Tickets (available in Rocklands Community Shop or from John Brown, Julie Dekker and Cath Jones) are £10 each and include a glass of wine and food as well as entertainment by the Roskettes, who have been busy practising their repertoire for months. There is also a licensed bar and a raffle (donations of raffle prizes always welcome!)

We shall be holding a ‘Vision Day’ in Little Ellingham village hall on Saturday 1st February for all the churches associated with Tori’s Role as Priest-in-charge. This event is primarily to identify how we are doing now and what the future is to be as we move towards becoming one benefice. This will be an opportunity for individual members of our churches to have their voice. To put forward ideas, concerns, hopes and expectations.

Although maybe not the most important consideration, one question that needs to be answered is ‘What do we call our combined benefice?’ Currently it is ‘Gt and Lt Ellingham, Hingham, High Oak, Rockland All Saints, Rockland St Peter and Scoulton with Wood Rising’. Quite a mouthful, so if you have a better suggestion, please bring it with you.

Coffee and Tea will be available on arrival and throughout the session. There will be a break for lunch of soup, rolls, cheese and cake around half way.

If you cannot make this session but feel you have something to contribute, please inform Tori or Sue. Their contact details are at the end of these Ramblings as usual. Alternatively they both will be at the Benefice service on Sunday.

In January, we do not hold services at All Saints as it is so hard to heat the church and make it comfortable enough for our congregation so the next service will be Candlemas on February 2nd, which falls 40 days after Christmas and exactly halfway between Christmas Day and the Spring Equinox so the days will soon be getting noticeably longer very soon! It is an informal family-friendly service so we would love you to join us, even if you are not a regular church goer.

We have a couple of fundraising events to be held in conjunction with St Peter’s church in Rocklands Village Hall coming up. The first is ‘An Evening with Graham Cole’ (aka PC Tony Stamp from ‘The Bill’ ) who is going to talk about some of his experiences at 7pm on February 22nd. Tickets are available from Rocklands Community Shop and 07802 433611 priced at just £5 each and there will be a licensed bar and snacks too. This promises to be a really good evening so do please join us. Graham lives locally and his grandchild attends Rocklands School and we are very grateful to him for offering to do this evening for us.

The second event is the Cheese and Wine Evening, same place, same time but on March 22nd when we will again have a licensed bar, a cheese-based buffet and entertainment from the Roskettes. More details in the March ‘Rocklander’.

First of all, a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy 2025 to all our friends from across the two benefices from all at All Saints’ PCC. After ~3 somewhat challenging years, we have finally got a new priest-in-charge in 2024 and we welcome Revd. Tori to our fold with open arms! Next year is looking good!

Very many thanks to all who came to the Advent Sunday carol service on December 1st, to hear Archdeacon Steven Betts preach. We are especially grateful to John Brown and St Peter’s PCC for allowing us to use their larger (and warmer!) church for the service. Thanks too to all who provided delicious cakes etc for us to nibble on during the ‘chat’ at the village hall afterwards and for providing teas and coffees. All those I have spoken to found it a very productive morning and it was lovely to socialise with people we hadn’t met before.

At RAS we held the annual Christingle service in the afternoon on December 15th. We were so pleased to welcome 96 people to the service (46 youngsters and 50 adults) , most of whom are not regular worshippers. Rocklands School choir sang beautiful renditions of ‘A little road to Bethlehem’ and ‘When Santa comes to town’ all a cappella….and all the children from all year groups remembered every single word and hit the correct notes in the right order!! When the Christingles were lit and we could see all the little faces in the candleglow , and they sang ‘Away in a manger’ as generations of children have done before them at that very spot, there was an amazing sense of history and magic. The collection for The Children’s Society was made up to £100 by the PCC.

We have no services in January, as without electricity it is hard to make the church comfortable, so, after the ‘Midnight Mass’ on Christmas Eve (10.30pm) our next service will be Candlemas on February 2nd. This is an informal service which is always fun and lively….but please wrap up warm!