An excellently devised event which drew a significant number of people from the Moreton benefice to St Andrew’s Church at the beginning of this month.
Our thanks to all who organised, attended and provided for this event in any way, and especially to Marie Randall who co-ordinated all the arrangements, who writes: ‘We had a very moving service in St Andrews on 4th March. It was very poignant and certainly helped us remember and pray for the people of Ukraine at this awful time for them. We gave out packets of sunflower seeds for people to plant – the sunflower is actually the national flower of Ukraine!’ Two images illustrate the occasion.
Christmas Eve Manaton…………….Children’s Crib Service 4.00 pm Moreton……………..Crib Service 5.00 pm North Bovey………..Midnight Mass 11.00 pm Lustleigh…………….Midnight Mass 11.30 pm Manaton……………..Midnight Mass 11.30 pm Christmas Day Moreton………………Christmas Communion 10.00 am North Bovey….……..Family Service 10.30 am Lustleigh……….…….Family Carols 11.00 am Manaton………………Family Service 11.00 am
Moretonhampstead’s church clock is once again ticking away and striking the hours and quarters after having been silent for a few years.
The clock was
installed in 1937 and was originally wound by hand, but an automatic winding mechanism
was installed over fifty years ago to eliminate the need for someone to climb
the church tower regularly to wind the clock.
Over the years,
the clock and its winding mechanism had been maintained and repaired as
necessary, but the automatic winding mechanism had become increasingly
problematic as the years took their toll – with repairs becoming increasingly
expensive and spare parts more difficult to source, and it became impossible to
repair about three years ago and so the clock fell silent.
Since then the church
and the community have been working to have the clock restored and, thanks to
the generosity of the Friends of St Andrew’s and a grant of over £10,000 from
Viridor Credits, the clock mechanism has been completely stripped, cleaned,
repaired, rebuilt and a new automatic winding mechanism installed by church and
public clock specialists Cumbria Clocks.
The church, the people of
Moretonhampstead and visitors to the area are delighted that it is now ticking
away again and that the bells sound out the hours and quarters from its
prominent position on The Sentry in Moretonhampstead.
Click on the arrowhead (just above, on the left) to hear the chimes!
The photo below shows Luke Ridge from Coldridge, on the staff of Cumbria Clocks, working on the mechanism.
Remembrance Sunday will be observed on 14th November at all churches in the Moreton Benefice, except in North Bovey where a simple Act of Commemoration will take place, as it always does, in the lych-gate porch entrance to the churchyard on Armistice Day itself, Thursday 11th November at 10.55 am. This will be followed by refreshments.
Services on Remembrance Sunday are as follows:
Moreton Holy Communion …………………………………….. 9.30 am Manaton Service of Remembrance ………………………. 10.55 am Lustleigh Service of Remembrance ………………………. 10.55 am Moreton Act of Remembrance at War Memorial ….. 2.45 pm – followed by a Service of Remembrance in St Andrew’s ……. 3.00 pm
