What's on at St. Mary's Whaplode
Latest News
The Primary school now has a Bishop's Visitor appointed, the first time in over 9 years and the message from the Headteacher Mrs Grist is that the school are looking forward to working with Capt Paul Whiteley. This is an important area of the school's development within the Lincoln Diocese, as they get the Bishop's message delivered by the Bishop's Visitor, as well as them becoming a friend and supporter of the school, keeping everyone informed in what is going on both at Lincoln Cathedral and the wider part of the Diocese.
The Church now has a new and updated Welcoming Notice Board at the main gate. The design incorporates the insignia of Canterbury, Lincoln Diocese both old and new versions and the Whaplode Crest. The latest up to date security systems have now been incorporated into the church, which means that all those sensitive areas are alarmed, especially the roof area. The system is so sensative that the minute movement is detected on the roof area, the alarm is sounded and the control centre are alerted with an immediate call to the police to investigate. It is so accurate, that any chance metal thieves are likely to remove the roof material, they will be caught before they can get back down to the ground. Another recent change is the introduction of removable barriers in front of the main gates, thus replacing the lock and chain that was used previously. The barriers are designed to prevent vehicle access into the churchyard, unless disabled people are visiting and the barriers are removed.
After many trials and tribulations, we are now much closer to having proper effective lighting and wiring systems throughout the whole church. It is hoped that with a successful application for the required Diocesan Faculty approval, the system may be ready for the Flower Festival.
During the past year several U3A groups have been on orgainised tours of the church. These are proving to be quite popular events and some of the local congregation volunteer to provide refreshments for the visitors, which all go down a treat - if you know of such a group and they are interested in visiting the Church, please contact either of the Churchwardens.
On Sunday the 3rd March we held a United Service of Songs of Praise and were delighted that the Bishop of Lincoln the Rt Revd Christopher Lowson gave the address. We were also pleased that his wife Susan could come along, together with the Bishop's Chaplain Sal McDougall. As the service included all the other four parishes that Revd Richard Morrison has responsibilty for, the churches centre aisles and much of the south and north aisles were quite full. After the service the Parochial Church Council provided a mixed finger buffet, as well as teas and coffees, enjoyed by everyone.
It was a great opportunity for us to show the Bishop and his guests some of the wonders of St Mary's Church, as well as them being shown around the Snowdrop Walk. One of the guests asked if we could identify a bird smaller than a wren with a yellow streak through its head - unfortunately it wasn't until later in the day that we realised it was 'goldcrest' quite a rare visitor, but not quite as rare as the 'Muntjack deer' seen by Mr Willingham, one of the Churchwardens.
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