Safeguarding at St Mary’s As the Church & Safeguarding have recently been highlighted by events resulting in the resignation of Justin Welby, I thought it appropriate, as St Mary’s Parish Safeguarding Officer, to address this subject, and any concerns, here in the Newsletter. I’m sure we have all been shocked and saddened to hear or read of past events involving John Smyth, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all victims who have suffered abuse within the Church. But firstly, I want to reassure readers that the C of E now has in place a rigorous process to prevent any abuse taking place, and that our own Gloucester Diocese has a highly qualified and competent staff to deal with any past and present abuse cases. Secondly, we must work to prevent abuse from happening. And a large part of abuse prevention involves training those within the church to recognise abuse and to know what steps to take, should it be encountered. This requires everyone with roles within the church to undertake appropriate safeguarding training. You may feel that your role within St Mary’s does not warrant safeguarding training (e.g. flower arranging, steward, choir member, bell ringer etc), but by not acknowledging the need for training, we are opening the door to abuse within the church. So keeping the Church safe is in the hands of all of us. For most people it involves spending 90 minutes doing an on-line course. Hopefully that is not too much to ask. Please see following details of courses & how to access them. If you have any problems let me know. Janet Edwards, Parish Safeguarding Officer meandhim2uk@yahoo.co.uk
St. Mary's came alive to the sounds of string instruments on Saturday 14th September to a nearly sold out event, skilfully and energetically delivered by four exceptional and world-class musicians. "Astonishing", "the best music I have ever heard played at St. Mary's" " I was transfixed" were some of the comments overheard at the end of the concert. The quartet performed three pieces by Haydn, Mozart and Schubert - all favourite examples. The Haydn was all sunshine, the Mozart more introspective and the Schubert (Death and the Maiden) dramatic. The Carducci performed all three with their trademark joy and subtlety. They held the audience in dramatic suspense until the very end and once released the audience gave rapturous applause, some with standing ovation. We are truly grateful to the Carducci Quartet for playing in aid of St. Marys. To date we estimate that this concert alone has contributed over £4000 to the church and this is likely to be added to through some generous donation and contribution from refreshments and programme sales. This concert would not have been possible without the time, direction and skill of the small organising committee and the army of volunteers on the night. Thank you to all involved and we are seeking able volunteers to help plan the next one for anyone with a passion for event organisation.
From Heather GortonEmail address: fairfordpcc@gmail.com or heathergorton31@gmail.com. Telephone: Office: 01285 712611 or home 01285 712428My office hours are 10.00 to 1.00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.I am also continuing to work from home so you can contact me at either the office (712611) or home (712428). The office is closed on Mondays and Michelle will be in on Fridays from 10.00 to 12.00. If you are sending in your articles, photos etc. for the bumper copy at the end of the month I will need them by 12 noon on the last Wednesday of the month. For the weekly newsletter I would still like articles in by Wednesday midday. Thank you to all who have contributed to the Newsletter over the past year. I rely on articles for the bumper issue so do please keep sending them in. My special thanks to Alison Hobson who keeps us up to date with past articles on the History Society which are always so interesting to Ann Nicholls for her weekly prayers and to Ingrid Morris who sends in her photos of the church and the area.
We are delighted to announce that St Mary’s has recently achieved a Silver Award in the A Rocha Eco Church Scheme. This follows on from our Bronze Award in May 2022.The award could not have been achieved without the involvement and encouragement of many people, and we are extremely grateful for everyone’s input, particularly in the churchyard.We shall be having a little break from the scheme now, but will continue with Eco Church activities, as action to prevent Climate Change and biodiversity loss is too important to be put on hold. Janet Edwards
