Please let me know if you have any items, however small – it all adds up! I can collect! Thank you! Brenda Tel: 07790 825207
Stay and Play meet on Fridays from 10 – 11.15 in the church. During each session there is an opportunity for children to play and do craft activities, while their parents share a hot drink and a chat. Children then have a snack together before a bible-based story and some songs. All parents and carers are welcome whether from Goathurst or the surrounding villages.Kid’s night meets on a Friday night monthly in the village hall. There are games, crafts and activities for children, plus a light snack (burgers, pizza). Again, we welcome accompanied children from Goathurst and surrounding villages.‘Kids @ Goathurst’ Update July 2026: It’s now 5 years since our ‘Kids (young Goathurstians) @ Goathurst’ initiative to welcome and meet the needs of the influx of new young families to the village began; to help them get to know each other and to feel part of our community.Rev’d Nicki Bradford, newly arrived in our benefice, was tasked with leading our children and young families’ ministry, assisted by Brenda Smith, under the auspices of Goathurst Parochial Church Council.Weekly ‘Stay and Play’ sessions were held in the Tynte pew of the church from 10-11.15 am on Fridays, open to babies and preschoolers and their parents. Hot drinks for parents and free play, a craft activity and storytime (with snacks) linked to Bible stories, ending with familiar nursery songs for the children, and a special ‘Goodbye’ song reminding each child (and their Mummies and Daddies and sometimes Grannies!) that ‘God loves you’.Six months later, when this group was well established, monthly ‘Kids’ Night’ sessions for school aged children began, held in the village hall from 6-7.30pm, with the format of crafts, games and food. Whilst it was never intended that parents had to stay, they seemed to enjoy a cuppa and chat with each other as well as being alongside the children and to witness the developing relationships between the families over the years has been an unexpected blessing! The parents seem to value the sessions as much as the children!The format of these groups has remained very much the same. New babies have arrived, ‘kids’ have graduated from one group to the next and some have become assistant helpers as part of their D of E Awards. As Nicki moved on, there is now a team of leaders who have undergone the church’s safer recruitment process.As part of the Wilder Enmore and Goathurst initiative, the children have been involved in planting and creating a bug hotel, and an Easter Garden, with further plans to be implemented. There are also nature activity sheets freely available in the porch, for exploring the churchyard, which have proved useful holiday pastimes.Currently, we have 15 families involved. 6 children regularly attend ‘Stay and Play’ and the time has extended to 11.30. There are usually 12-14 at ‘Kids’ Night as well as parents. At both groups we are delighted to frequently welcome visiting friends and grandchildren. Some families come from further afield than the village and newcomers are always welcome. (Contact Brenda 07790825207.) The sessions are free, though donations are always welcome. Both the Deanery Youth Fund and the Goathurst Charity have given financial support to the groups for which we are truly grateful.We know that some parents and children visit the church at other times during the week to enjoy the space in the Tynte pew, which has been an added bonus. Church is not just for Sundays!P.S. If you have noticed the odd coin lurking in a pew, it will be because the children missed it during the weekly ‘treasure hunt’ at going home time! They delight in finding the hidden coins and posting them in the coin drop box-a fundraiser for the SAPP project so, if you have any spare coins, please do pass them to Brenda, it will save her changing notes at the Post Office so as not to disappoint the children! And do spot the dinosaur stickers in the Tynte pew that feature in a favourite song!For more details of either of these groups please contact Brenda Smith on 07790 825207.
St Edward’s Workdays - Spring and AutumnThe labourers are few but work willingly and are drawn from the wider community. We are so lucky to have the support of the community to keep our churchyard well maintained and looking beautiful. Each Spring and Autumn we have a day set aside to work on specific areas of the churchyard. Refreshments are provided and are most welcome!
The issue:The ‘heart’ has stopped beating and we villagers don’t know when it’s time to stop working and have a cuppa! Much of it is still in good condition but mainly lack of lubrication has led to it stopping. It needs dismantling, repairing, cleaning, lubricating, and putting back together.The History: the clock was a gift from Sir Charles Kemys-Tynte of Halswell House. It dates from 1734 and is by John Hunt, clockmaker of Bridgwater.Any clock of this age and provenance should score highly in any significance scale. Few church clocks survive from before this date. The clock was the first to include ‘Bridgwater Crossings’ (a type of wheel spoke) and a first to use cast brass wheels. The good news: The PCC has obtained the appropriate permissions for the repair work to go ahead. Work was scheduled to start in November 2022, with completion expected in February 2023. The overall cost was due to be £3450 and we have received grants from Churchcare/Pilgrim Trust for £1500, plus £1000 from the Leche Trust. Thank you to all those who attended a Cream Teas Fundraiser on a very hot afternoon in August 2024, and to all who gave donations towards the clock fund. £275 was raised and the chance to sit and chat in lovely surroundings was much enjoyed.(Thanks have already been expressed to all those who ‘laboured’ to make it possible.)To update you on the situation with the clock: the chosen horologist expected to complete the repairs by March 2023 and then by March 2024, by which time he already had the mechanism. Sadly, ill health intervened and he was unable to fulfil the contract and Cumbria Clocks (who work on Big Ben) have agreed to step in as per their original quotation which was £2,120 more expensive! The PCC had obtained grants to cover the original quotation, but now still have a shortfall of £1,855 to find by November when the clock should be back in situ. If you would like to contribute towards the cost the bank details are:Goathurst PCC; Account number 87313367; sort code: 60-03-27, please use the reference CLK with your surname.Many thanks, Goathurst PCC
