A great deal has happened over the last month locally in support of Ukrainian refugees. As we go to press (mid-May), around 50 Ukrainian visitors have arrived in our area. What was the “Marton Area Ukraine Support Network” is now the “Congleton Area Ukraine Support Network”, and the Congleton area has been growing! Many from our parishes have been active not only in hosting Ukrainian guests, but in helping others to navigate the hosting process, in liaising with other organisations and with local government and MPs, and in many other areas. A pop-up boutique has been providing clothing, a house has been fully furnished, bikes and computers donated. While there would have been advantages of the government taking full responsibility for refugees, the current (volunteer driven) system has allowed the generosity of our local community to be expressed to fully welcome our visitors into the community. There are many more Ukrainians in the visa process, and homes being offered. You can find out more, and get involved, through a new website: causn.com.
The organ’s lofty and precarious position has been causing increasing concern. The retirement of the regular organist after more than 30 years has focused the minds of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) on the future, and they have agreed a plan of action which will transform the way the instrument is used while ensuring the original instrument’s future role in worship. The body which was to become Siddington PCC at its very first meeting in 1897 decided the church needed a bigger and better organ to replace an earlier smaller instrument and eventually commissioned Nicholson and Lord to build it. It was first used two years later during the 1899 Harvest Festival. An appeal resulted in 195 people raising £194, around £24,000 in today’s money. Apart from the conversion of the air blower from a manual pumping operation to being powered by an electric motor, the organ that is in use today is substantially unchanged from when it was installed 123 years ago.However, accessing the organ’s keyboard (or console) involves having to negotiate a narrow, turning staircase to reach a position which has very little space between the organ and the gallery front of the mezzanine floor, on which the instrument is located. This makes playing quite an unnerving experience, and is definitely hazardous, if not impossible, for older organists. Furthermore, the positioning of the existing console at the west end of the church means the organist is facing away from the clergy and congregation, with communication between the two both distant and difficult. One solution would have been to remove the organ, or the very least leave it unused, and install a modern organ in a better position, but there was opposition from within the church to that idea, including from the younger people in the congregation. Fortunately, a modern technological solution can solve the problem, The organ can remain where it is and can operate has it always has. A new console will be located in the main body of the church with the organist facing in the correct direction. This separate console and its peripheries will allow the organ to be played confidently by pianists, keyboard players and existing skilled organists alike, or even without any operators at all, from a much safer position at ground level. Even then, although we are fortunate in having a number of skilled organists to call upon, none of them can be guaranteed to be always available, in which case the organ will even be able to be used without an organist at the keyboard. Without delving into the details too deeply, the solution is the same as that which has allowed modern airliners to be "flown by wire”,Some of the present mechanical and stop actions will be removed and replaced with electrical or pneumatic devices, linked electrically to the detached console. All stop, key and pedal outputs on the console will connect via a micro processor and a small diameter core electrical cable. This all means that not only can the organ be operated from the remote console, but, all the actions of a skilled organist can be recorded onto a laptop linked to the console and then replayed, live and in real time on the organ pipes, in the absence of that organist. We are fortunate that one of the leading firms in the country which specialises in this kind of work is available to carry out the task, hopefully from the middle of this year. The project coincides with events to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the founding of All Saints Church, Siddington. The bulk of the cost of the project can be borne by a substantial legacy awarded to the PCC from the estate of a prominent member of both the village and the congregation, Michael Brew, who died in 2019. The PCC feel that this is not just a church project, but a community one also, as, for example, is the annual Redesmere Fete; and that the opportunity to contribute financially towards the cost of the project will be welcomed by many local residents and not just members of the All Saints church congregation. The technology is well tried but complex and therefore expensive, and the whole project will cost over £38,000.Contributions to the Organ Fund Appeal wil be very gratefully received. Payments can be made by bank transfer, cheque, or cash, with the preferred method being a Bank Transfer. Siddington PCC is a Registered Charity and donors who are taxpayers and eligible to pay by Gift Aid will enable the PCC to claim an extra 25% from HMRC on their contribution without any extra cost to themselves. Details of the various payment methods are as follows: By bank transfer to: Siddington Parochial Church Council, CAF Bank Account Number 00006480Sort code: 42-50-40 Reference: Organ and your Surname. By cheque to the above account and posted to:Mr J I Smith, Treasurer Siddington PCCWindy Arbour FarmSalters LaneLower WithingtonMacclesfieldSK11 9LL. Cash placed in an envelope with the donor's name written on it and placed in the letter box at the above address. (The letter box is large, secure, and easily accessible from Salters Lane)Gift Aid donations require the name of the donor and the first line of their address to be either emailed or posted to Mr J I Smith at the above address. The email address is johninghamsmith56@gmail.com. Adapted from an article by John Smith
James Balme of Historic Churches UK has released a new video entitled 'The Beauty of All Saints - Siddington'. It was partly shot using a drone, giving a vivid picture of where the church fits in the landscape and views of the building not available from ground level. It is particularly appropriate as the church reaches its 500th anniversary since consecration.Click here to see the film.
