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3 Although rarely the hottest month of the year June is the sunniest month in this country, generally regarded as the start of summer. In this issue we celebrates the promise of the season, starting on the cover with a vibrant picture of June’s birth flower, the rose. As we approach the solstice we look at the importance of the sun in other civilisations and cultures (p15) and we ponder how we can enjoy a sunny summer holiday without compromising our carbon footprint (p17). Prolonged periods of sunshine can of course be soporific, making guidance on how to avoid the ill effects of the last of the cardinal sins (p7) particularly timely. To reinforce the message we are urged to speak out against injustice and inequality (p5 and p25) and to take action to alleviate their impact be that thousands of miles away (p31) or closer to home (p29). Finally, as he prepares to move on we look back with our Pioneer Curate, Wayne Davies, at his time in the Ludlow benefice (p9). Lesley Harling (Editor) 07309 263730 This month’s cover: Photograph: Lesley Harling Golden rose Graphic design: Nicky Luck [email protected] Printing: Signworx Hereford Moreton-on-Lugg, Herefordshire CONTENTS The Common Good 5 The sin you’ve never heard of 7 Saying goodbye - Revd Wayne Davies BEM 9 Sing anyway! 11 PCC meeting - April 2024 11 A little girl in a big and powerful family 13 Arts@StLaurence in June 14 Here comes the sun 15 How are you going on holiday this year? 17 Sunday services in Ludlow 18 The snuggle for existence 19 What’s on in June 23 Warfare or welfare? 25 From the registers 27 St Laurence’s flower arrangers need you 27 Connecting our community 29 Chancel concerts 2024 30 We pray for more 31 Poets’ Corner: Edward Thomas 33 From pulpit to footplate 34 On the impossibility of keeping silence in church 35 Children’s page 36 Book reviews: Quiet and The King of the Sky 37 Parish directory & copy deadline 38 Opinions expressed in contributed articles in this magazine are those of the contributor and do not necessarily represent the position or opinions of the PCC or Editorial Committee.
4 Seafood bar now open Friday & Saturday Open Wed & Thur 10am-1pm Fri & Sat 10am-3.30pm
Local elections have been and gone. Every day we read of a broken society. The pot-holes grow deeper; the ‘workshy’ on benefits are urged back to work while the support to enable them to do so is cut back; unpaid carers are persecuted for minor infringements of earnings rules; the River Wye is endangered by agricultural pollution and raw sewage and Thames Water is on the brink of collapse; commitments to redress climate change are reduced; the very organs of state are being defunded, automated and outsourced to private providers. For some the notion of the profit motive, once summarised as ‘privileged people gaining privileged access to privileged people because of their privileged position’, has overtaken the concept of service. As the state of our rivers, the Covid enquiry and the ongoing Post Office enquiry have illustrated, bonuses, personal gain and share options now appear to determine actions. What’s going wrong? What kind of society do we wish for? The cultivation of virtue must be at the heart of any religiously based ethics. Both the public and private sectors must honour virtue – once described as ‘doing good without reward when no one’s looking’ – to regain public trust. Let’s talk more about justice. To seek the common good is to aim to give people what they deserve as members of the same human family. It is the antithesis of the individualism, the narcissism, the narrow nationalism that has for example captured the American right; and now enshrined by law in this country in the deficiencies, the immorality and the dishonesty of the Rwanda Bill. When we distance, dehumanise a targeted group – migrants, ‘the poor’, the disabled, the mentally ill – when we make them ‘them’ as distinct from ‘us’, when we remove their rights and fail to respect their dignity, we dishonour them, treat them as less than fully human. Pentecost, celebrated on Sunday 19 May this year, challenges Christians to live dangerously, to question the status quo: poverty and the level of universal credit; the growing need for food banks; the state of the NHS; climate change; justice – be it human rights, or a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work; problems of migration; a halved aid budget; repairing the ravages of Covid. These are all moral issues – so what would a moral approach to each of them be? A Christian might think the goal to be Jesus’s image of the Good Shepherd [John 10]: nurture, care, goodness, love; one flock with one shepherd, practical, inclusive, caring for the outsider, the outcast, the lost. Living together, koinonia, community. Revd John Perry THE COMMON GOOD Ladies window, St Laurence’s
6 Extra Sunday services this month Celtic Prayer An Evening Liturgy St Laurence’s Church, Ludlow Fourth Sunday of the month 6pm A simple service in a style used by the Iona Community Call Caroline on 07557 983940 Sunday 23 June Fourth Sunday CHORAL EVENSONG 3.30pm In the chancel Sunday 2 June First Sunday CHORAL MATINs 11.30am In the chancel Sunday 16 June Third Sunday Benefice Services 10.00am at St Laurence’s 10.00am at St John’s Sunday 23 June Sunday 30 June
7 I am currently on interim study leave to complete (God willing) my PhD thesis. It focuses on one of the seven deadly sins, not necessarily the most popular of topics when the idea that human beings might be sinful creatures in need of a Saviour has rather fallen out of favour in our society. Even more obscurely, the sin I’m writing about is the one most people have never heard of: acedia. It’s often translated ‘sloth’ which is usually associated with laziness, which isn’t normally seen as much of a sin. Maybe an annoying characteristic, but not a sin. But as I’ve come to realise it’s far more complex than that, and may even be the prevailing sin of our time, all the more insidious because we’ve largely forgotten it even exists. Acedia is a toxic combination that occurs when desire and anger become disordered. It makes us either withdraw into inactivity or hide in restless overactivity, in an effort to avoid engaging with God, or with fellow human beings, or with the tasks God has given us to do. That’s why I’m suggesting this is the hidden but very real sin of our time. It has been called the container of all other vices because it triggers the other deadly sins. Far from being almost trivial sloth is potentially lethal for our spiritual lives, if left unchallenged. But, thanks be to God, it needn’t be. Like any other sin acedia has been overcome by Christ on the cross. We can know God’s grace, forgiveness, and strengthening in our daily battle against the sins we know all too well and this sin of acedia, whose name we may never have heard of but now may recognise. Recognising it is the first step in overcoming it and these prescriptions for those suffering from acedia, written more than 1500 years ago, could have been written yesterday: First, pray short prayers, not long ones. The mind can wander and fall prey to acedia when praying long prayers. Second, set yourself a short task, and don’t get up or do anything else until you’ve completed it. Third, physical work can snap us out of an acedia attack in the mind. Fourth, try a warm bath (yes, really!) though a bit less practical if acedia strikes while you’re at work. Fifth, the one that usually makes people sigh in startled relief: tears. Because tears break down the shell that acedia has built around the soul and bring healing. Now I must stop procrastinating and get on with the work of writing about acedia and how, by the grace of God, we may overcome it. Archdeacon Fiona the sin you’ve never heard of Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon (Wikimedia Commons)
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9 Saying goodbye ... Our Pioneer Curate, Revd Wayne Davies BEM, is leaving Ludlow at the end of June to become Vicar of Holmer with Huntington, Hereford. So, what have you been doing for the last seven years? Seven years? That’s the longest Sarah and I have ever spent in one place! It’s been quite a journey. I arrived as an outreach worker for St John’s, an idea which Kelvin developed while working with Revd Ashley Buck at Cleobury Mortimer. The pilot scheme was adopted by the diocese in six places and I became an Intergenerational Missioner. Sadly, it didn’t yield the scale of results we had hoped for and is now discontinued. It was all about building relationships - perhaps it needed more than the five years we had. For me, though, it was perfect preparation to help me understand the church and its wider mission and also led me to ordination – just as God told me to do when he spoke to me in the shower years ago. I never thought I would make it. We have been so blessed to expand the church’s each into new areas. My official job title was Pioneer Curate but I never saw myself as a ‘pioneer’. I don’t do anything brand new. I just take what we have and, hopefully, make it more accessible, taking people on a journey of faith that shows them how much God loves them. And now, much to my surprise and with some trepidation I’m going to have my own parish. How are you feeling about the move? It’s exciting but I can’t quite believe it. The hardest thing now is leaving Ludlow. I’ll miss the people and the town, It’s been such a beautiful and rich experience in lots of ways. I’ve learned loads, loved loads and been accepted in all levels of the community. And the family? They’re all looking forward to it too. Is there one special moment from your time in Ludlow? The first time I administered communion, alongside people I had been journeying with for so long, making eye contact with those who were receiving the sacrament. Serving communion is the greatest, most precious privilege ever. One hope not yet fulfilled? I hoped to have a bigger impact on the young people in the town - hopes of having more youth in the congregations did not transpire, though I have been fortunate to work in our high school and college and see the Living Room take off. I’m confident that the seeds planted will come to fruition in God’s timing. Challenges ahead? Nurturing great relationships in a new environment and avoiding having the corners knocked off me. I’m just hoping I can foster the same amount of love as I have received from Ludlow.
10 The Marches Choir presents a concert performance of excerpts from Georges Bizet’s Carmen Sunday 30th June at 7.30pm The choir, together with opera singers from Aberystwyth, will present all the main musical highlights of this thrilling opera in the magnificent ballroom at Walcot Hall, Lydbury North. The concert will feature some of the best known and loved of all operatic arias including Habanera and Seguidilla, the Flower Song and the Toreador Song. Tickets £15 (children and students free) 07779 314609 via www.ticketsource.co.uk or on the door WISE WOMEN Calathea Arts are excited to bring their poetic production Wise Women to the beautiful, atmospheric St Leonard’s Churchyard in Ludlow this Fringe. Home, history & heritage - an outdoor storytelling experience. Modern day – meet Margo. After accusation and ridicule at university will she stay home here in Ludlow or return to finish her nursing degree? 1649 - Margaret is facing charges of witchcraft … again. The wise woman of the village, this is the last time she provides anyone with a herbal remedy! Treading the same path, 375 years apart, will these two women find the answers they are searching for as they fight back against the society that oppresses them? This production is produced by Calathea Arts, co-written by Charis McRoberts and Ruth Mestel with thanks to The Friends of St Leonard’s Churchyard. Starring Annie Thorpe and Skye Witney. Tickets can be found on the Ludlow Assembly Rooms website for 22 June at 12pm and 2pm.
11 PCC NEWS Summary of PCC meeting held on Monday 22 April 2024 Nine (9) members of the PCC attended Resolutions: support for application for Christian Ministry Course; support for appointment of chalice assistant; approved appeal for increased planned giving; approved final draft of licence for Ludlow Town Council to install CCTV data relay equipment in church tower Finance: St Laurence’s adopted by Ludlow Food Centre and Plymouth Estates as sponsored charity Policies: reviewed and re-adopted CCTV policy Discussions: staffing after curate leaves; return to No 2 College Street and official launch of Stephen House; funding for lay pastoral worker for Stephen House; annual meetings; creation of welcome pack for new congregation members; relationship between PCC and Friends of St Leonard’s churchyard Committee Reports: received from Arts@StLaurence, Fabric, Liturgy, Local Pastoral Visitors and Outward Concern committees Date of next meeting: Monday 3 June A copy of the two latest confirmed PCC minutes is available on the noticeboard at the back of the church. All confirmed minutes can be viewed in the parish office. SING ANYWAY! Are you one of those people who have heard about the benefits of singing together but have yet to really experience it? Were you told as child that you ‘couldn’t sing’ – and believed it so never dared try? If so, a new venture in Ludlow might be exactly the chance you need. Run by Gersom Engels and Stéphane, pianist and guitarist, the Dawn Chorus meets at Oscars, in the Assembly Rooms, at 8.30am each Thursday for 45 minutes of singing together. Participants are encouraged to ‘give it a go’, often suggesting the choice of music themselves - anything from the Beatles, to popular folk songs. The start time may seem a little daunting but those who have made the effort to get there all say the same: starting the day with a song is invigorating, joyful and energising! A great man once wrote, ‘Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway’. • £6 for a single session • £4 per session if paying per half term • No commitment required! • No need to book in advance • Just ‘rock’ up and join the chorus. Contact Stéphane 07984175075 Give it a try It works!
3212 PALMERS ANNUAL MEETING - 9 JUNE The Conservation Trust for St Laurence Ludlow is holding its annual meeting on Sunday 9 June at 2pm in the chancel of St Laurence’s church. All supporters and friends are invited to join us for the meeting and afterwards for tea and cake. 5 The Angel, Broad Street, Ludlow, Sy8 2PG Open tea at st laurence First Monday in the month at 3pm. All welcome. Monday 3 JUNe
13 A LITTLE GIRL IN A BIG AND POWERFUL FAMILY The most pretentious monument in our church is probably that erected to the 10-year-old Ambrosia Sidney, daughter of Sir Henry Sidney, for 26 years Lord President of the Council in the Marches of Wales. Sister to Sir Philip Sidney, the muchfêted Elizabethan poet, scholar, courtier and soldier, her lavish memorial was erected jointly by her father and her uncle Ambrose, Earl of Warwick. The text on the monument is baldly prosaic and practical and it does nothing to set the pulses racing. But, though Ambrosia herself was too young to have been involved in any way, she links St Laurence’s directly with some of the most dramatic events of the Tudor era. The Duke of Northumberland mentioned as her grandfather was none other than John Dudley, the right-hand man of the sickly young king Edward VI. While king Henry VIII was fairly lukewarm about Protestantism, having his own reasons for wanting to leave the church of Rome, his son Edward was a zealot. Aware that his Catholic sister Mary was next in line to the throne, he sought to bypass her by nominating the safe Lady Jane Grey as his successor. Jane was married to John Dudley’s son Guildford. As every student of Tudor history knows, on king Edward’s death, John Dudley was unsuccessful in his attempt to place the ‘Nine Days Queen’ on the throne and he soon lost his head, as did his son Guildford and Lady Jane. Ambrosia Sidney’s mother was Mary, one of the many children of John Dudley, so the executed Guildford and Jane Dudley were her uncle and aunt. But, as well as Ambrose after whom she was named, she had another famous uncle who must have fascinated her, Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, the unreliable favourite of queen Elizabeth I Hugh Wood
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15 Here comes the sun As we head towards the summer solstice after a very grey and wet few months, it is easy to see why so many ancient cultures worshipped the sun! Here in Britain, even before the arrival of the Celts and Druids, the summer solstice was celebrated by lighting bonfires and feasting to encourage the sun to ripen a good harvest and the festival of Litha was among the most important in the pagan year. Across the globe, sun worship held significant importance in the spiritual and cultural practices of various ancient civilizations, some of the best-known being the Incan, Mayan, and Aztec cultures. The Mayans worshiped K’inich Ahau, the Sun God. The Incans viewed the sun as a powerful deity known as Inti. The Aztecs took sun worship to a whole different level. They feared that the sun would disappear if they didn’t perform daily rituals sacrificing human blood and hearts to their sun god, Huitzilopochti. They called themselves, the People of the Sun and prided themselves on being fearsome warriors. In Central America, only noble families, great warriors and high ranking officials were allowed to wear gold jewellery and costumes of bright feathers. The gold jewellery was often in the shape of a disc to represent the sun. These were worn and used for sacred religious practices. When the Spanish began exploring the Americas, they were hugely excited by the gold they saw, and much of it made its way to Spain through trading or pillage. In 1519 Cortes sent a vast amount of golden coins, jewellery and statues to Charles V of Spain. The items were much admired - the abilities of the Aztec and Mayan artisans far outshone While the gold plated Azuni necklaces and earrings that are sold in the Shop at St Laurence have a rather less ancient history, they will still add a touch of brightness to your day, however you plan to celebrate the arrival of summer. The Shop at St Laurence Mobile: 07833 866485 www.theshopatstlaurence.co.uk Open Mon—Sat 10am-5pm
16 141A Vintage & Retro Collectables Centre Open Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat 10am - 5pm Closed Tues & Sun 141A Corve Street, Ludlow SY82PG 01584 877 572 /141A @godsellmark LOCAL MAN wishes to buy Antiques, Bric à brac, Collectables and Deceaseds’ Effects Please call 01584 892128 07508 809710 Skip Hire, Waste Management & Recycling Tenbury Wells, Ludlow, Leominster, Craven Arms and Victoria Allen Funeral Services An Independent Family Business Pre- Paid Funeral Plans Home Visits Always Available 24 Hour Service 01584 879035 Foot Health Practitioner Angie Lennox 07977 108391 for Appointments Toenail cutting Corn & callus removal Athlete’s foot Foot massage Home visits available Diploma Level 4 Registered & fully insured Garden maintenance Michael Doyle Plantsman Over 30 years’ experience 07855 930641 [email protected]
17 As summer approaches thoughts turn to holidays and possibly their green credentials. I did not travel on an aeroplane until I was 10 when we flew to Europe for a last family holiday before my sister left home. Of course in those days there was no thought of our carbon footprint or the effect that flying had on the environment, just the excitement of travelling to foreign parts. Most of my childhood holidays were taken travelling up and down the Lancaster canal on our boat which was moored five miles from our house. Perhaps I was building up some ecocredentials We didn’t travel much outside this country when our own children were small, mainly renting countryside cottages. As the children have grown, we have seriously upped our air miles. Our son spent a year studying in Japan for his degree so of course we had to visit him. We also fitted in a holiday to the US before that. We then completely blew our carbon emission ‘allowance’ by living in the Falkland Islands for 3 years. There are no easy ways to travel to and from the Islands except by plane. We travelled home 3 or 4 times and our children travelled out to see us. Whilst we were living there our daughter moved to Switzerland so more air miles have been spent visiting her and her family, though we have also travelled by car a couple of times. My brother hasn’t helped the families’ credentials either as he lived in Dubai for a number of years. Though he has now moved back to the UK he still has to return there from time to time for work. He was amused on a flight recently when he was given some slippers by the cabin crew. These slippers were in a bag advertising their great eco-credentials. This seemed a little bizarre when travelling in a very eco-costly plane. I’m not sure the slippers were enough to offset the carbon cost. Anyway, this summer my husband and I are holidaying with family in Italy, travelling by car with my brother and his wife. This seems a good way to travel though they are only going one way and I worked out that my husband and I will need to catch at least five trains and a plane in order to visit our daughter enroute and get back home. Maybe not so green after all. One way of offsetting the carbon cost of a holiday is to invest in companies who work on eco-projects around the world. This is an area I have not yet explored fully. Maybe that could be my holiday reading! Hilary Walters how are you going on holiday this year? Notes from an eco-worrier
18 Anglican St Laurence, College Street 8.15am Holy Communion (BCP) 10am Parish Eucharist For livestream/recording - link at https://stlaurences.org.uk/live-stream 11.30am Choral Matins 3rd Sunday 3.30pm Choral Evensong 1st Sunday 6pm Celtic Prayer - evening liturgy 4th Sunday t 5th Sun Joint benefice service with St John’s Contact [email protected] 01584 872073 St John, Gravel Hill 10am 1st, 3rd & 5th Sundays Holy Communion 2nd & 4th Sundays Morning Worship 5th Sun Joint benefice service with St Laurence’s Contact [email protected] 07545 438892 St Giles, Ludford 11.15am 1st Sunday Family Worship 2nd & 4th Sundays CW Holy Communion 3rd Sunday Lay-led Worship Contact [email protected] Ludlow Baptist Church 10.30am Sunday worship Contact [email protected] Ludlow Elim 10.30am Service at Elim 11.30am Online Contact www.ludlowelim.com 07791 483284 [email protected] Ludlow Methodist Church 10.30am Sunday worship Contact [email protected] Ludlow Quakers 10.30am Meeting for worship Contact Cynthia Prior 01584 831855 St Peter's Roman Catholic Church Mass 11.00am Sunday 9.30pm Monday-Friday 6.00pm Saturday (Sunday Vigil ) Morning prayer 9.15am Monday-Friday 9.45am Saturday Contact [email protected] SUNDAY SERVICES in Ludlow
19 The snuggle for existence What are the best metaphors we could use to describe biological things? You might be used to hearing phrases like ‘your genetic blueprint’ or ‘survival of the fittest’, but are they helpful or even accurate? Some of these words fail to capture the wonder and joy of understanding something new about the nature of living organisms. I learned that one researcher was using the phrase ‘The Snuggle for Existence’ as a way to convey the idea, familiar to biologists, that cooperation is at the heart of the living world. For example, every cell more complex than a bacterium contains minute energy factories, each one containing its own piece of DNA – which makes it a sort of miniature cell, hidden away inside the larger host cell. These ‘mitochondria’, as biologists call them, turn raw materials from the host into chemical energy. In this way, everyone benefits: the mitochondria now have a safe a place to live, and the host receives the energy it needs. There are many more examples of organisms working together to produce something that is more than the sum of its parts, where often the individual parts could not survive on their own. ‘The Map of Life’ is a way of describing the regularities we see in biological processes. Eyes, legs and wings have emerged in the living world again and again, and why not? If the properties of light and gravity remain constant, we should expect living things to find the same solutions to seeing or getting around. When we look at these organisms’ family trees, we see they share a common ancestor that had no eyes, or no wings. These structures have developed completely independently, or you could say that the paths of the living world have converged on the same solution. That’s not to say they had a conscious goal, but that the world has certain properties, and those properties have channelled biological processes in certain directions. None of these stories gives us definite evidence for God. Science simply provides data, which can often be interpreted in several different ways. Perhaps the world just happens to be full of mathematical regularities, maybe there’s an overarching physical law we don’t yet understand, or perhaps there are multiple universes and ours happens to be the one in which life has arisen. But I believe that the observations scientists make about the living world are compatible with the existence of the God described by Christian faith. More at wondersofthelivingworld.org Dr Ruth M Bancewicz Faraday Institute for Science and Religion Image by Alana Jordan from Pixabay
20 LUDLOW LOCAL LISTING Books & Stationery Castle Bookshop 5 Castle Street Ludlow Booksellers and Stationers Free ordering service 01584 872562 [email protected] Teme Valley Insurance Brokers For your Home, Car, Business or Farm quote Call Mark or Sue on 01584 290055 [email protected] Insurance Services Dan Pritchard Garden Services Fully insured - reliable - experienced - competitive. Lawn mowing / hedge cutting / tree surgery / pruning / turfing / planting / landscaping. Call Dan on 07779182636. Covers Ludlow and surrounding areas. Gardening Ian Mackay Quick response, local and reliable. No-obligation fixed quotes. Domestic installation and repairs. Landlord & homeowner safety inspections. Condition reports for house sales. Contact Ian Mackay on 07736 303297 or email [email protected] Electrical Artwork Ludlow Castle Gallery Quality affordable picture framing and artwork. Fast friendly service. Unusual gifts and cards. Find us just before the Castle Cafe or contact on 01584 878527 Myriad Organics 22 Corve Street 01584 872665 myriad-organics.co.uk Ludlow's widest range of organic produce: fruit & veg, wholefoods, groceries, meat & dairy, vegan & vegetarian, natural cleaning products, bodycare & cosmetics. Waste-free shopping options & refills for cleaning products. Local delivery and our popular organic box scheme. Food
21 Reynolds of Ludlow furniture Wanted by local collector and researcher; any condition considered; will collect. Good prices offered. Tel: 07967 134116. Wanted Frames by Sebastian Bespoke picture framing 6a Pepper Lane Tel: 07815 111554 Picture Framing Matthew Lenthall IT Services Computers, phones and all things technical. Support and maintenance. 12a Corve Street, Ludlow 07828 081163 or 01584 877946 [email protected] IT Services Wellbeing Silver Lantern Counselling www.silverlanterncounselling.co.uk A confidential space with someone trained to listen and be with you as you explore your experience. Discover how counselling can help. Arrange a free 15-minute initial telephone consultation. Call Julia on 07785 473785. Email: [email protected] ADVERTISING RATES 2024 - 25 (for 12 issues) Full page - £370 Half page - £225 Quarter page - £120 Eighth page - £70 Classified - £42 Rates for part-year available on request Contact the Parish Office on 01584 872073 or [email protected] If you use the services of any of our advertisers please mention that you found their details in the Ludlow Tower.
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23 WHAT’S ON AT ST LAURENCE’S In JUNE Monday 20 May – Sunday 2 June Beatrix Potter display 10-5 Saturday 1 1.00pm Organ recital - Emma Gittins Monday 3 3.00pm Open tea Wednesday 5 6.00pm Holy Communion Sunday 9 2.00pm Ludlow Palmers Annual Meeting Conservation Trust for St Laurence Ludlow Monday 10 - Sunday 23 10-5 Ludlow Photographic Club display Wednesday 12 1.00pm Chancel concert Sunday 16 11.30am Choral Matins Wednesday 19 1.00pm Chancel concert Sunday 23 Benefice Eucharist 10.00am (at St Laurence’s) Celtic Prayer 6.00pm Wednesday 26 1.00pm Chancel concert Thursday 27 10.30pm Intercessory Prayer Group Sunday 30 10.00am Benefice Eucharist (at St John’s) MIDWEEK Daily prayer Mondays 9.30am Holy Communion First Wednesday in month 6.00pm Intercessory Prayers 10.30am Fourth Thursday in month Tower bells practice Mondays 7.30-9.00pm Handbells practice Tuesdays 6.00-7.15pm Choir practice Thursdays 6.00-8.30pm AND AT ST JOHN’S Daily prayer Wednesdays 9.30am Tea and toast Wednesdays 10.00am Holy Communion Wednesdays 11.30am For the latest news about services go to https:// stlaurences.org.uk/google-calendar/
24 Summer chancel concerts 2024 Wednesday 12 June Licensed to Trill recorder consort Wednesday 19 June French Horn ConneXion Wednesday 26 June Ypotryll Mediaeval Music Ensemble
25 warfare or welfare?
26 Advertise your business in our award-winning magazine Spaces still available See page 25 for rates Contact 01584 872073 or [email protected] Ludlow Curtain Company The Stables, Station Drive, Ludlow SY8 2PQ Tel 01584 875533 [email protected] Here for all your soft furnishing needs, from curtains and all types of blinds to cushions, upholstery and curtain poles. Fabrics now available on the roll.
27 FROM THE REGISTERS AT ST LAURENCE’S Baptisms 28 April Annika Rose Menko 12 May Kelsey-Marie Patricia-Ann Bradley-Brooke Funerals and Memorial Services 6 April Helen Sherry (Garden of Rest) 10 May David Froggatt 1 May Michael Keith May 10 May Roger Froggatt 3 May Mark Schubert (Shrewsbury crem) 11 May David Lutyens AT ST JOHN’S Baptism 28 April James Richard Watkins St Laurence’s Flower Team needs you! For a large church, St Laurence’s has a very small, but dedicated, team of flower arrangers. None of us is professionally trained; we just like flowers and all they mean to people. We are now looking for new members. Please do think about joining our friendly team. If we have enough members, it will mean only doing a pedestal every five or six weeks. If you think you’d like to have a try, working alongside an experienced arranger, please contact Sue Thornley on 01584 872292 or via the Parish Office at [email protected]
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29 Hands Together Ludlow is a registered charity that fills the gaps, provides opportunities, and supports the most vulnerable in the community by bringing volunteers and beneficiaries together through a range of services. Vulnerability isn’t only created by low incomes and our projects include Befriending, Ludlow Men’s Shed, Good Grief Café, Company at Christmas, Community Lunch and much more. In 2023, we worked with 551 individuals across our projects and over 200 people visit our community fridge each month. We also develop and maintain networks to ensure effective cross-organisation working. We couldn’t help everyone we do without the support of the town, especially our 100+ volunteers. Community fundraising and local donations are also vital to our activity and sustainability. Local resident and HTL trustee, Nick Young, ran the London Marathon for us this year. The photo shows Nick in action at Mile 12 along Tower Bridge. He said the secret to his success was down to a secret weapon, Eccles cakes! We certainly think these paid off! So far Nick has raised over £6,200 which is simply amazing. We are so grateful for his support and to everyone who has donated; the funds will allow us to continue (and develop new ways) to support the people of Ludlow. Earlier this year, we launched a Friends Scheme. It takes the whole town to work together to build and maintain an equitable, safe, empowering and futurefocused environment for all, visitors, and residents alike. As a Friend of Hands Together Ludlow, you will be investing in the people, the place, and a vision for HTL to grow and develop alongside the needs of the town. By signing up as a Friend, you can also become a member and have a voice with voting rights at our AGM. To join as a Friend, or to find more ways you can support us, you can visit the Support Us page of our website www.handstogetherludlow.org.uk Find out more about what we do by visiting us at 15 Lower Galdeford, SY8 1RU between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday, or visit our website. Hands Together Ludlow, connecting our community Nick with the HTL team (LtoR): Julia, Nicola, Susie, Nick, Andy, Abi
3016 Join our chess group for people aged 50+. It’s free to play, and chess sets are provided, or you can bring your own. For more information please call: 01743 233 123 email: [email protected] or visit: ageukshropshireandtelford.org.uk Ludlow Library 7 Parkway Ludlow SY8 2PG Join us every Friday 2.00-4.00pm Blue Hills Choir Summer Concert Saturday 6th July 2024 3pm St Mary the Virgin Church Bromfield SY8 2GP Come and hear the Blue Hills Choir provide another entertaining programme of Classical Choral pieces Tickets - £10 Under 16s - free including a glass of wine or nonalcoholic beverage and snacks. In aid of St Mary’s Church Tickets at the door or from [email protected]
31 I first saw hunger in Mexico City in the 60s and I was horrified. I had not seen street beggars in Belize, where I had spent the previous year, nor in post-war food-rationed UK. Group discussions at school ‘putting the world to rights’ focused on Ban the Bomb. Sixty years on there is still visible hunger in Mexico's cities although it is decreasing – from 43.8% of the population classed as living in poverty in 2016 to 36.3% in 2022. But Mexico is considered an upper-middle income country. Here in the UK we have food banks and lunch clubs to alleviate the situation for some, if not all. But, many are too ashamed to come forward for help. That hunger exists in welfare-state Britain is shameful but we do have an infrastructure; we can commit to rectify the situation. Sadly, in the developing world this is not so. Yes, we see wonderful work in Ludlow and elsewhere, with many working alongside communities to support the needy. However, supporting people here does not relieve us of our obligation to support the global majority. Every night an estimated 783 million people around the world go to bed hungry. Whatever its benefits industrialisation has devastated the lives of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Droughts are pushing four million people in northern Kenya into severe food insecurity and hunger as livestock die and crops are destroyed. Christian Aid works with local partners, the Pastoralists Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA) to enable communities to meet their basic daily needs. Conflict is the biggest driver of hunger; 70% of the world's hungry live in areas afflicted by war and violence. Conflict displaces families, makes farming dangerous and disrupts local and global food supply chains. In wartime it can become nearly impossible for families to grow or buy food. Nallyon Hambule in Northern Kenya, who received cash support and a hygiene kit through Christian Aid's local partner, said, “I am happy for this cash as I can now buy food for my family, from the market. We pray for more". We may not be able to put a stop to conflict, but we must endeavour to do our bit to alleviate the effects of climate change. The more of us who sign up to take action, the greater will be our impact. We could make fewer air flights, buy more (or only) British food – no more strawberries in January! We managed it during rationing (says she of a certain age!) and surely we could all do it again? Please remember in your prayers all those who are starving and let's help to build their independent futures through our giving. Claire Wilcox we pray for more
32 Alexandra House Diamond Life Healthcare Fully trained carers provide high-quality personalised care We provide Domiciliary Care 24-hour Live-in Care Domestic Care We are always looking for reliable caring staff Please ring and speak to our friendly team 01584 872233 Email - [email protected] Website - www.diamondlifehealthcare.co.uk
33 Poets’ corner - EDWARD thomas This poem was recommended to us by Michael Day. If you have a favourite (short) poem which you would like to share please send it to the Parish Office and tell us why it is important to you: [email protected] Adlestrop Yes. I remember Adlestrop — The name, because one afternoon Of heat the express-train drew up there Unwontedly. It was late June. The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat. No one left and no one came On the bare platform. What I saw Was Adlestrop - only the name And willows, willow-herb, and grass, And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, No whit less still and lonely fair Than the high cloudlets in the sky. And for that minute a blackbird sang Close by, and round him, mistier, Farther and farther, all the birds Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Although better known now as a poet Thomas spent most of his life, unhappily, working as a journalist and writing to earn a living and keep a family. For years he was a prolific writer of essays, literary criticism, biographies, reviews, pieces about natural history and fiction. In 1913 he met the American poet Robert Frost who encouraged him to write poetry, which he did although publishing his first poems under a pseudonym fearing that he would not be taken seriously as a poet. Thomas joined up, at the age of 37 and in poor health, to fight in World War I and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Arras on April 9 1917, just three months after arriving at the front and most of his poetry was published posthumously. Thomas’s poetry featured detailed scenes of the English countryside, often quietly lamenting modern society’s increasing alienation and disconnection. Without writing directly about the war the poems frequently reflect on the effect of war on individuals and on the natural world. Another recurring theme is a profound sense of solitude, echoing the intermittent depression from which Thomas suffered for much of his life. Edward Thomas was born in London of Welsh parents and was educated at St Paul’s School and Lincoln College, EDWARD THOMAS 1878 - 1917
34 This the inspiration for the famous Fat Controller, Riding through his parish streets on mastodon steamroller, A Medieval knight at arms astride his snorting charger, For all the world, a proud mahout, munificent maharajah. Thus Edwin 'Teddy' Boston, the Sutton Cheney Rector Pursued his parish duties, this devout genuflector To the deity of Steam – what service could be better? In oil-stained green overalls and clerical beretta. The streets of Cadeby trembled as he thundered through the town, Aboard his six-ton roller, which he'd christened Thistledown. ‘To do a bit of shopping’ or ‘some marriage preparation’ Said Teddy – always ready with some saucy explanation. He called on Reverend Awdry of Thomas the Tank-Engine fame, To admire his model railway, adding lustre to his name. The pair got on so famously that our stout Savonarola, Immortalized in print and paint, became … the Fat Controller ! Two ferro-equinologists, two champions of rail, Two ordained arch-enthusiasts whose passion did prevail. No diesel or electric engine ever can compete With Flying Scot, Majestic Mallard – never obsolete To those who justly celebrate the golden age of steam: Symbols of an epoch when British genius reigned supreme! Ian Barge With thanks to Fergus Butler Gallie's Field Guide to the English Clergy The appeal to the clergy of ferro-equinology has for long been a topic of some fascination. Reasons for this are as mysterious as the Incarnation itself. To the true ferro-equinologist, only steam fires the passion. Perhaps the most celebrated embodiment of such passion (after the Revd Awdry) was the Rector of Cadeby cum Sutton Cheney, the Revd Edwin 'Teddy' Boston (1924-86) FROM PULPIT TO FOOTPLATE
35 ON THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF KEEPING SILENCE IN CHURCH Revd Dr Gary Bowness continues his tongue -in-cheek letters from ‘Uncle Eustace’ to Darren, his city centre curate nephew … The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Your remark that you rather liked the silence we keep before starting Services gave me pause for thought. I suppose all things are relative. I know that the noise your congregation makes before worship resembles a packed stand on the football terraces any Saturday afternoon, but the days seem long-gone when I could expect our congregation to sit in real silence for ten minutes. There’s the sound of the treasurer counting the previous day’s jumble sale takings, of the ladies at the back asking each other when the fish van will next come round and of Major Hastings’s deafening whisper as he comments on some women’s choice of hats. Add to this the weekly competition between the organist and the bell ringers to see who can make the most noise, the roar from the choir vestry as they all complain they don’t like my choice of hymns and the sound of books, umbrellas and collection money being dropped. I sometimes suspect that an informal rota is arranged whereby people volunteer to drop heavy objects in rotation, thus maintaining a constant clatter, for which no single person can be held responsible. There is also the weekly ritual when the verger – always waiting until the church is full – goes round each microphone, giving them a bash and bellowing ‘Testing, testing’ and relishing the echo as it bounces off the walls. The only time the noise level drops significantly is if the congregation see Miss Simpson sidle up to me to have one of her confidential little chats about someone in the village. Everyone knows that her information will provide more than enough to keep gossip flourishing for the following week. Equally, periods of silence during services are rarely welcomed; some find them threatening, but the majority simply assume it means I have lost my place. I gave up after one occasion when, on announcing we would say the Lord’s Prayer and then leaving a time of silence for recollection, a choir member leaned over to me and whispered helpfully, “It begins Our Father ….” Your loving uncle, Eustace
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37 A tale of two birdies Among the many lovely children’s books in the Shop at St Laurence are two beautiful, illustrated story books with important messages to enjoy reading to, and with, any child. Quiet is the award-winning result of a first-time collaboration between the children’s writer, Tom Percival, and an illustrator, Richard Jones. Appropriately to us it’s about protecting a much-loved forest packed with birds and animals., the story of a little bird with a bright turquoise flash on her wing who finds it difficult to speak up among the other birds in the forest. One day she sees a giant metal monster cutting the trees down and knows she must use her voice to warn the other creatures about the danger. At first no-one listens, but she gathers her strength and makes the other animals understand that the threat is real. In finding her own voice, the little bird grows in confidence and brings her community together and, through peaceful protest, they manage to rid the area of the monsters. The book sends a clear message about the importance of resisting environmental damage to natural environments. In addition, it’s a powerful reminder that everyone can and should use their voice to stand up for what they believe is important. There is a time and place for everyone to be heard. The second book, The King of the Sky, is written by children's author Nicola Davies and illustrated by Laura Carlin, winner of the Bratislava Illustration Biennale and the Bologna Ragazzi Prize for Illustration. It is a touching, quiet tale about a little boy who has come to start life in a new country (which by the look of the illustration could easily be Wales) and a pigeon. And who doesn’t love a pigeon – well racing pigeons anyway? The boy feels a long way from home in the dusty, rainy ex-coal-mining town. Nothing is familiar until he makes friends with his neighbour, an old man called Mr Evans, who keeps racing pigeons – the sound of their cooing reminds the boy of the pigeons in the main square in of his home in Rome. One day, Mr Evans hands the boy one of the pigeons and says it’s his. The boy calls it Re Del Cielo, or King of the Sky. Together the two pin their hopes on a race across Europe and this special bird they believe can win it – which (spoiler alert) it does. Nicola Davies’ beautiful story considers the strangeness of new places, especially their smells, and the simple acts that can make people feel part of a new community.
38 Ludlow St Laurence Parish Office 01584 872073 Office Administrator Nicky Luck Finance & Strategy Director Peter Nield Gift Aid Secretary Michael Hunt Social Media & Press Kate Garrett-Nield Director of Music Michael Oakley Custodian Matthew Lenthall Conservation Trust Chair Ian Marshall PCC Churchwardens Dick Franks 892019 Lesley Harling 07309 263730 Assistant Michael Davies 07970 434822 Churchwarden Electoral Roll Officer Dick Franks 892019 Safeguarding Officer Dick Franks 892019 PCC Secretary Lesley Harling 318309 Bible Reading Penelope Bridstrup 876992 Fellowship Flowers Sue Thornley 872292 Monthly Prayer Group Sandi Burley 873155 Tower Captain Richard Bracher 811514 Ludlow Tower editor Lesley Harling 318309 Find this and previous issues of the Ludlow Tower on line at www.stlaurences.org.uk Ludlow St John Parish Office Nicky Luck 872073 Churchwarden Mike Beazley 873570 Treasurer Mike Beazley 873570 PCC Secretary Mike Beazley 873570 Electoral Roll Sue Thomas 0792990671 Ashfords Benefice Rector Revd Lynn Money Parish Office Jemma Saer 831203 Bromfield Benefice Rector Revd Justin Parker Parish Office Martin Scott 07493 247184 COPY DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE TUESDAY 4 JUNE There is no guarantee that material submitted will be included. Please send articles by email to [email protected] We are happy to receive contributions and suggestions for inclusion in the magazine. Please limit items to no more than 400 words, except by prior agreement with the editor. Parish of Ludlow Saint Laurence Registered Charity No 1132703 PARISH DIRECTORy Ludlow St Laurence Parish Office, 2 College Street, Ludlow, Shropshire. SY8 1AN (currently closed for refurbishment) e-mail: [email protected] website: www.stlaurences.org.uk For appointments (Monday or Thursday 9.30am-12.30pm at Hands Together Ludlow (Lower Galdeford) call 01584 872073 Rector: Revd Preb Kelvin Price 07799 243867 Pioneer Curate & Intergenerational Missioner: Revd Wayne Davies BEM 07545 438892
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