Sydney Mason Collins was a wealthy man whose ancestors came from Chedzoy. He died in 1946 and was buried in our churchyard. As well as serving as a soldier he was a barrister, a fellow of Corpus Christi College and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities.In 1950 a bronze equestrian statue was erected on his grave. The statue, designed and produced by Cecil Thomas FRBS, depicted Mr Collins dressed as a Captain in the Royal Engineers at the time of the First World War. For almost 60 years this statue dominated the western side of the churchyard. It was a commanding presence, watching silently over the church and churchyard.Sadly, the statue was stolen from us in 2006 and the village was devastated. Despite extensive enquiries it was never recovered and is believed to have been melted down for the bronze. Some villagers spoke of feeling physically sick when they heard the news, some even broke down in tears. People looked back with fondness to their childhood and happy memories of playing at the base of the statue.In 2018 the Village Hall Trustees made an offer to the church and the village to reinstate the statue. This offer was gratefully accepted and a replica was commissioned from sculptor Richard Austin who lives in Wadebridge, Cornwall. In June 2020 the replica statue was installed. It is sculpted from ‘Antius Bronze’, a material developed by the sculptor which looks like bronze and is as strong as foundry bronze. There is no scrap metal value in ‘Antius Bronze’.Our picture shows (left) the original statue and (right) its replacement. The church and the village remain deeply grateful to the Village Hall Trustees for their most generous gesture.
The theft of lead from church roofs is on the increase and our insurers have said they’ll no longer offer full cover unless the roof is protected by an alarm. Although we’ve more pressing uses for our limited funds, we’ve regretfully decided that installing an alarm system is the only sensible option.The roof is now protected by sensors 24/7. When activated, video footage of what’s happening will be transmitted automatically to a control centre. If people are on the roof the police will be called and an external siren activated. The footage is automatically recorded and made available to the police to help them identify and catch the thieves.The lead is also already marked with SmartWater, as are all items of value inside the church. (SmartWater is a liquid containing a code, whose presence can be seen under ultraviolet light. It’s applied to valuable items, so that if they’re stolen and later recovered by police, their original owner can be traced after laboratory testing of a sample).
Safeguarding Children, Young People and AdultsThe Parochial Church Council of St. Mary’s Church Chedzoy has fully adopted the Church of England's Safeguarding Policy for children, young people and adults, a copy of which is available for download from the Diocese of Bath & Wells website.Our Safeguarding Officer is Linda Friend(e-mail: pcc1166-churchwardens@yahoo.com)Contact details for the Diocesan Safeguarding Team can be found by clicking on the Safeguarding link at the top of this page.The Parochial Church Council are committed to the safeguarding principles shown below.Safeguarding principlesWe are committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within our community.The Church of England will:· Promote a safer environment and culture· Safely recruit and support all those with any responsibility related to children and vulnerable adults within the Church· Respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation· Care pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons· Care pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons· Respond to those that may pose a present risk to othersThese policy commitments are based on our five foundations:· Gospel· Human rights and the law· Core principles· Good safeguarding practice· Learning from the past
Electoral Roll Privacy NoticeWho are we? The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St. Mary’s Church Chedzoy is the data controller (contact details below). This means it decides how your personal data is processed and for what purposes. Why do we process your personal data?We use the personal data you provide on the electoral roll application form to enable us to manage, maintain and publish the electoral roll in accordance with Church Representation Rules (CRR) to:• determine eligibility for attendance and participation at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and for election to the Parochial Church Council, deanery, diocesan and general synods where applicable;• calculate the number of representatives who may be elected to each of these synods in the following year;• undertake a review and revision of the electoral roll as necessary; and• publish your name and address, by exhibiting the roll in the parish church or the church website.What is the lawful basis for processing your personal data?1. Processing for the purpose of determining eligibility, creating the electoral roll and use of the roll to calculate numbers for election to synod is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. The processing is a statutory requirement imposed by the Church Representation Rules, which means that you must give us this information if you want to be included on the electoral roll.2. Processing for the purpose of determining eligibility and creating or revising the electoral roll is carried out in the course of our legitimate activities, as this relates solely to members the Church of England in connection with its purposes. 3. Processing for the purpose of publishing the electoral roll relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by the data subject. When you apply to have your name added to the church electoral roll, the automatic legal consequence as stated in the CRR, (Part I Formation of the Roll 1(8) and Revision of Roll and Preparation of New Roll 2(1), 2(3) and 2(7)) is that your name and address will be published, and by submitting your application form you are making that data public.Sharing your personal dataYour personal data will be shared within the institutional Church of England and with the general public.How long do we keep your personal data?We keep your personal data for 6 years after a complete review of the electoral roll.Your rights and your personal data Unless subject to an exemption you have the following rights with respect to your personal data: • The right to request a copy of your personal data which we hold about you; • The right to request that we correct any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date; • The right to request your personal data be erased where it is no longer necessary for us to retain such data;• The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request that a restriction is placed on further processing;• The right to object to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing and to have that processing stopped;• The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.Contact DetailsTo exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints please in the first instance contact the PCC Secretary at 01278 428641.You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.
