Farewell


Life seems to have been ridiculously busy over the past two weeks with talks to give about the Dioceses Commission, training days for area deans and lay chairs, meetings at Church House and the usual run of services and other meetings. As well as that, organised by Vicki and the good folk of Christ Church Harrogate Centre, we have succeeded in moving the Archdeaconry office to Harrogate. My successor, the Revd Nicholas Henshall, has now been 'in post' for three days he is contactable on nicholas.henshall@riponleeds-diocese.org.uk 

So, sadly, it is time to say 'goodbye' on Archdeacon in the Dales. Thank you to all who have read regularly and to those who have dipped in occasionally. Thank you to all who have commented, encouraged or admonished either on the bolg or by e mail or when we have met. I now realise the potential of digital space to create community. Yes, it is a different sort of community from the one that meets face to face, and it not unrelated to that community as it brokers introductions of people with similar interests and concerns. It is also a community that can lobby for things. I have been astonished how many casues or concerns I have been drawn into through the online community and how much difference can be made by using the internet to organise debate, protest and mutual support. It is also an effective way to get into deep conversations with people about matters of faith. And it can be fun!  

I was delighted to see so many at my farewell service at St Mary's Richmond on 20th January despite the appalling road conditions. A huge thank you to all who braved the elements and also to those who sent their apologies - having broken my arm in the snow in 2009 I am always pleased when people decide to stay at home rather than risk their safety. I cannot reply to everyone individually, but I do thatnk you you all most sincerely for your thoughtfulness, love and friendship. St Mary's choir once again sang a superb evensong and the hospitality flowed. Thank you, too, to John Chambers, Antony Kirby, Colin Hicks, Gillian Lunn and the refreshment team for organising the occasion. It was good to be among freinds and, though we will miss you all a great deal, I am sure we will be back from time to time to visit - we definitely have North Yorkshire on our (short) list of places for future holidays!

Someone asked me what my most abiding memories of the Archdeaconry will be. 'Too many to say,' is the answer, but here are some:

• Slithering around on the ice in Aldbrough St John's on the way to an induction and being rescued by two kind people - one in a landrover and the other who had braved the elements to walk across the ice rink that was the village road.

• Visiting the church at Kirkby Wiske to take a harvest service and finding it almost entirely surrounded by water.

• Carols by candle light and harmonium at Thorton Steward.

• Arranging to meet a farmer in the fog 'at the third cattle grid' on the moors above Nidderdale. I had my doubts, but we connected up OK!

• Chips sitting on the wall with the bikers at Hawes after an evening meeting.

• An open air ordination at Stalling Busk on a sultry summer's evening over looking Semerwater. (I had to remind the congregation that even the mosquitoes are God's own creatures.)

• Complimenting a vet on his goat, only to discover it was a Norwegian sheep!

• Stopping the car in numerous places (The Stang, Buttertubs, the road from Leyburn to Grinton above Swaledale, the road down from Green How across Bewerley Moor to Pateley) just to thank God for the majesty of the land and to drink it in for a few moments.

• Going to countless churches and homes and schools and receiving a warm welcome.

• The wonderful food - I can truly say I have never tasted better food than in Yorkshire!

• Worshipping with 12 people or with 350, using the Book of Common Prayer or a powerpoint projector and Twitter, in a Grade 1 listed building or a tent, sitting on bales.

• The liveliness and willingness to serve of the people who identify themselves as Christian in every community.

Thank you all for 6 years I will never forget. I will keep you in my prayers, especially over the next few months as decisions are made about the future shape of the Church of England in Yorkshire, and hope you will keep me in yours! 

Noel Coward at Kirkby Overblow

Kirkby Overblow Dramatic Society will be performing two one-act plays entitled Still Life and Red Peppers, both from Noel Coward's Tonight at 8.30, a collection of ten short plays Coward wrote in 1935.  Still Life was one of the most influential plays from the collection and follows the lives of a suburban housewife and a successful doctor who meet by chance at a railway station. Their paths accidentally cross again the following week and without realising it they fall in love.  Many people will know Brief Encounter, the film that was made of the play in 1945 starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson.  Red Peppers is Coward's affectionate take on life in the music-halls of the 1930s.  George and Lily Pepper form a music-hall act which has been touring the provinces for years, still using the same routine that George's parents used before him.  Needless to say, the Peppers are slipping further and further down the bill.  The play involves two musical numbers from this routine, the last number going spectacularly wrong!

Performances from Thursday 29^th  November to Saturday 1 December.

 

The link to their site seems to be broken this morning, but if anyone wants further information or tickets, email me and I'll put you in touch.

Plans for New Yorkshire Diocese Released

Dioceses Commission announces details of draft scheme

The Dioceses Commission has released details of its finalised draft scheme for the reorganisation of Church of England diocesan structures in West Yorkshire and the Dales. In short, the proposal now is to replace the existing three dioceses of Ripon and leeds, Bradford and Wakefield and create a new single diocese. The report explains in more detail than was previously the case how, if  the scheme is approved by the three Diocesan Synods and the general Synod, the three dioceses will come together. There is also an accompanying document that tells us why, in the Commission's opinion this will be better for mission across this part of Yorkshire. The Commission has concluded  that a new single diocese would be the best way to meet the challenges and opportunities of the region.

The scheme provides a legal framework which would enable the following to happen:

• The creation of one new diocese of Leeds, also to be known as the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales.
• The appointment of a Bishop of Leeds in overall charge of the new diocese (the bishop will also be area bishop for Leeds)
• Bishops in each of the five areas (Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Ripon and Wakefield), dedicated to the parishes in their area and therefore more closely in touch.
• Five archdeaconries, of which the most northerly will be Richmond and Craven.
• Parishes on the Durham and York borders to remain within the newly created diocese.
• The Retention of the cathedrals in Wakefiled, Ripon and Bradford on a co-equal basis. Any possible future changes in staffing at the discretion of the diocesan bishop.
• The possibilty of the creation of a new pro-cathedral (Leeds Minster) in Leeds at some point inthe future at the discretion of the new Bishop of leeds.
• Providing a framework for the new diocese to decide its own organisational structure and ways of working. The Commission anticipates that this will allow the new diocese to make savings that it can reinvest in mission.

You can read the full Scheme and the accompanying commentaries here

http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/dioceses-commission/yorkshire.aspx

I shall comment further when I have had time to digest the implications but I welcome the fact that the Commission has recommended one new diocese, I think the Episcopal Areas and archdeaconries are workable, and I am glad that we are now much clearer about what the future holds. The bishops and senior staff are very willing to come to Deanery Synods and PCCs with a presentation about the Scheme and to speak to Diocesan Synod Members to answer questions and discuss anxieties between now and March 2nd when the Diocesan Synod has to vote on whether or not to adopt the Scheme. If you would like to take advantage of this please contact the Diocesan office or my office as soon as possible to book a date. Don't leave it until February!!

Latest on Ash Dieback Disease

The Forestry Commission has issued some useful information about Ash Dieback Disease (Chalaria Fraxinea) which may be of help to those of you who manage churchyards. The disease has so far mainly been reported in urban areas, parks and gardens not hasd yet been widely identified in the natural environment in Britain and so it is really important that we keep a watch out for any signs of it in our churchyards and take the appropriate action. You should report any suspected cases to

The Forestry Commission Research Disease Diagnostic Advisory Service 01420 23000 ddas.ah@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Ash Dieback Disease is caused by a fungus. The symptoms are leaf loss and obvious crown dieback and the disease will probably lead to the death of a tree. The features to watch out for are wilting and blackish-brown discolouration of the leaves, small lens-shaped legions or necrotic spots on the bark which enlarge to form canckers and then the wilting and death of shoots and branches, especially in the upper crown of the tree. The disease is probably spread by insects, rain splash and by the movement of leaves, twigs and branches from diseased trees. Frost can cause some of the same early stage symptoms.

Ash is a prevelant species in the broadleaf woodlands of the the limestone upalnds in the Yorkshire Dales, so we should be extra vigilant in order to try to stop it spreading. If you have ash trees in your churchyard, please inspect them regularly and please clean boots, equipment and tyres that have been in the churchyard well. It is recommended that you do not take equipment used in one place where there are ash trees into another woodland within 24 hours. You should also clean dogs who have walked near ash trees carefully.

There is information at

www.forestry.gov.uk/planthealth (put ash dieback into the search box)

www.defra.gov.uk/fera/plants/planthealth (put 'ash dieback' into the search box)

Our Diocescan Property Office has issued the following advice:
 

What should we do about Ash Dieback Disease?

If you find signs of the disease please take photographs and contact the Property Team at the Diocesan Office immediately (0113 2000 549).

 If you find no signs of infection this does not mean that your trees will remain

unaffected in the long term. Monthly inspections are recommended until further
guidance is received from the government.

Cowthorpe Gathers to Open Bert's Garden

 

Adjacent to the beautiful church of St Michael and All Angels, Cowthorpe, lay a piece of Glebe land. One of the Parish Councillors, Clive Billenness, spotted the fact that it would make an ideal garden - the only area of land in the village which could be open to the public and shared by all. Tockwith and Wilstrop Parish Council purchased the land and a garden was planned and planted. The result is a lovely, sunny corner next to the churchyard, lined with hedges and sheltered by trees, where there are see-saws and twirly saucers for children, seats for the less agile and flower beds for the horticulturists. Yesterday, the village gathered to open the garden which is called Bert's Garden in memory of Bert Rountree who lived opposite the site for many years. The ribbon was cut by Bert's daughter, Sarah. The Cowthorpe Hand Bell Ringers turned out for the occasion and entertained us with 'Grandfather's Clock', 'Oranges and Lemons' and other well known tunes before leading a rousing rendition of 'In an English Country Garden'. This was followed by a very interesting tour of the unique, historic parish church by Derek Gaunt (well worth another visit!) and a slap up bring-and- share tea at the home of Ian and Heather Hartley whose hospitality was particularly generous because their garden had been under water just a couple of days earlier.  English village life at its most resilient, sociable and very best! Thanks also go to The Revd Paul Spurgeon and Hunsingore DCC for their support with this project.  

 

 

An English Country Garden

 

How many kinds of sweet flowers grow

In an English country garden?

We'll tell you now of some that we know

And those we miss you'll surely pardon.

Daffodils, heartsease and phlox,

Meadowsweet and lady smocks,

Gentian, lupins and tall holyhocks,

Roses, foxgloves, snowdrops and forget-me-nots

In an English country garden.

 

How many insects come here and go

In an English country garden?

We'll tell you now of some that we know

And those we miss you'll surely pardon.

Dragonflies, moths, gnats and bees,

Spiders climbing in the tress,

Butterflies drift in the gentle breeze,

There are snakes, ants that sting and other creepy things

In an English country garden.

 

How many songbirds fly to and fro

In an English country garden?

We'll tell you now of some that we know

And those we miss you'll surely pardon.

Bobolink, cuckoo and quail,

Tanager and cardinal,

Bluebird, lark and nightingale.

There is joy in the spring when the birds begin to sing

In an English country garden.



 

 

With many thanks to Clive Billenness and Shaun Stothard for the photos.

 

All we like sheep...: Yorkshire Diocesan Reorganisation: a view from th...

All we like sheep...: Yorkshire Diocesan Reorganisation: a view from th...: A reorganisation based on community and mission. Or is it? Three Dioceses are to be merged,  but   how will this look from the rural...

A Hauxwell Heroine



St Oswald's Church, Hauxwell

Norman Arch, Hauwell Church

 

Today, I visited St Oswald's, Hauxwell, surely one of our more remote churches. There has been a place of worship on this site since at least the seventh century and possibly longer. St Paulinus is associated with the Christianization of the area and the site has Saxon remains. As you walk up the path to this gem of a building, an Anglo-Danish Preaching Cross in the churchyard reminds you of the fusion of Anglian and Dane, as invader and invaded came to acknowledge that they had a common Christian faith. There is a wonderful Norman arch, a font which has mediaeval and Elizabethan features and an unusually long chancel with several interesting memorials including one to Sir John Dalton who was killed accompanying Queen Henrietta Maria (Charles I's consort) from Bridlington to Oxford shortly before the Commonwealth and her husband's arrest, trial and execution. Reading all the memorials gives you a wonderful insight into the variety of life, rich and poor, short and long-lived, in a Yorkshire country village.

 

I was also intrigued by the story of a local girl, Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison, the daughter of the Rector of the parish. She was born in 1832, the tenth daughter of the Revd James Pattison and his wife Jane Winn, whose father had been Mayor of Richmond. From all accounts she had a fairly difficult childhood as her father suffered from mental illness and severely constrained the lives of his unmarried daughters. (Apparently he used to rebuke his unfortunate family from the pulpit!) In 1861, following the death of her mother, she broke away from home and, to begin with, took a teaching post. She then fell ill and went to Marske near Redcar to recuperate. Here she worked with the Christ Church Sisterhood, an Anglican Order  which was devoted to prayer and caring for the poor and the sick. The Order was inspired by the Oxford Movement and so this further alienated her from her father who was a strict Evangelical. Dora (as she was now known) was trained in nursing at the Cottage Hospital in Cleveland and the Order's convalescent home. This was the era of Florence Nightingale and the beginning of systematic training for nurses who were badly needed to tend the burgeoning populations of the industrial cities.  Owing to the fact that another of the Sisters fell ill, Dora was sent to Walsall in Staffordshire to help set up a hospital.       

 

 

 

 

By all accounts, this became a flourishing enterprise with facilities for surgery, men's and women's wards and a large out-patients clinic which Dora mostly ran herself, seeing almost 15,000 patients in one year. Dr Judith Gowland, in her 'Brief Life ' of Sister Dora, quotes from a pupil nurse who describes a typical day. At 6.30am Sister Dora came onto the wards, made beds, gave the patients their breakfast, led prayers and then dressed wounds. From 11am she supervised ward rounds and lunches, sometimes missing lunch herself if there were emergencies. From 2pm she ran the out-patients' clinics often seeing as many as 60-100 people. She dressed wounds (asepsis was in its infancy), set bones and extracted teeth - all pretty physically demanding work! From 5pm she would come onto the wards and 'there would be talk and laughter, hymn singing and stories' followed by supper and prayers. She carried this routine on for 13 years and, despite the odd physical collapse, made a huge impression on the local community by her dedicated care for those who had suffered as a result of colliery and ironworks disasters and during a smallpox epidemic. When she died in 1878, 18 railway men carried her coffin into a packed church.  The townspeople erected a statue for her and a stained glass window in her honour was placed in Walsall parish church. This daughter of Yorkshire had made a great contribution to healthcare in Staffordshire, bringing techniques forged on the battle fields to civilian hospitals at the height of the industrial revolution. She nursed in an age when nurses risked their own lives to care for patients with infections and contagious diseases.

 

On the walls of the peaceful church at Hauxwell and in the churchyard you can read the stories of those who died young and one wonders if these stories had their place in shaping the vocation of the young Dora as she sat, trying to ignore her father's frequent tirades against his own family. Today the church is well cared-for and welcoming with a beatuiful millenium banner made by villagers, a small exhibition and information for visitors. Next week is the harvest festival when the church will be full.

 

Water, Water Everywhere

The water meadows between Hutton Conyers
 and Nunwick at lunch time today

As the floods subside a little in the upper Dales our thoughts are with the people of Boroughbridge, York and Durham as the water rushes seawards tonight. Our sympathy and prayers are also with everyone who has suffered flooding in Teesdale, Swaledale, Wensleydale, Nidderdale, Wharfedale, at Catterick and all over the area yesterday and today - farmers, homeowners and businesses.

A Payer as Night Falls

 

As the water gathers force and travels with awesome speed,

Be swift to protect life and limb, O Lord.

As the water engulfs, unwelcomed, our land and dwellings,

Invade our hearts and spirits to keep us uplifted.

Shaken, yet hopeful, may we know there is an end

To flooding and a new beginning as the torrent subsides.

Emerging in the cold silence that follows the spate

May we see not just devastation, silt and tears,

But courage, resourcefulness and true grit.

Grant us to know, in full measure, pressed down

 And running over, Your sustaining, warming presence

This night, in the morning, at noon and always.

Amen.

 

You can follow the expected progress of the flood water on the Environmental Agency's website. The graphs for each river give the anticipated height of the water at specific times throughout the next 12 hours.

 

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/default.aspx 

 



New Minster for Leeds

 

The Revd Canon Tony Bundock, Rector of Leeds

welcomes representatives of the city, the diocese and Yorkshire

 

 

 

The Leeds Waits, Director Alan Radford

 

 

 

Mr Richard Strudwick reads the proclamation

 

 

 

The church of St Peter at Leeds stands on a site where Christian worship has been offered for over 1200 years. A Saxon Minster pre-dated the mediaeval church which was demolished in 1838 when the present church was built at the instigation of Dean Hook. This church was consecrated in 1841 in the presence of a congregation that included Florence Nightingale. On Sunday 2nd September 2012, the parish church was re-dedicated as Leeds Minster and the congregation, led by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the staff and PCC of St Peter's renewed their commitment to serve the city of Leeds.

 

 

 

Minster-making

 

 

 

Candles from Dewsbury, Beverley, Halifax, Ripon and York Minsters are lit and the Leeds Minster candle is presented

 

 

 

The flames representing all the Minsters of Yorkshire are united

 

 

 

Leeds Minster Choir and St Peter's Singers, director Dr Simon Lindley

 

Read more at http://www.riponleeds.anglican.org/news-485.html

Ripon & the Dales Social Media Surgery

Graham Richards, our archdeaconry children's worker, alerted me to this:

The first Social Media Surgery for local voluntary organisations will take place in Ripon this Monday 10th Sept at Ripon CVS' offices, Community House in Allhallowsgate from 6-8pm.

People need to book a place via email: reception@riponcvs.co.uk

This is a free service to all voluntary organisations needing help to learn how to use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Pinterest, etc for their work.

Graham is a real wizz at all these things and also good on how and why we should use them. It's really important to choose the media that you feel comfortable with and that will work well for you, so do book into this session (or subsequent ones) if you would like help either for your church or another group.

'And the Word became flesh' - Jesus came among us to show what God is like in a form that puts words and communication using words very much at the heart of God's relationship with us. I think that, had He been around today,  Jesus would certainly have used social media and IT to help Him communicate. On Friday morning we had the 'old wineskins and new patches' reading from the Gospels. Our very wise priest said that the old can have much that is of value and the new can have much to teach us - we need to discern the appropriate use of each. That is relevent to this - we need to participate in the ways people are communicating now and this does not alter the fact older methods of communicvation still have great power. I will be ever grateful to my father who, in 1987, gave me some money and said, 'go out and buy a computer and teach youself to use it - that is where the future lies.' I bought an Amstraad (you remember the ones with white on black type and a daisy wheel printer - even before the green on black screens?) I'm of the generation who have always had to teach ourselves to use computers and new media - we didn't have them at school or university - and so we are a bit nervous! If you feel like this about facebook, twitter, blogs, websites then this is probably the surgery for you! It's not difficult to get started, honest!     

Well Done Team Yorkshire!

Had Yorkshire been a country, it would have come 12th in the Olympic medals table, with 7 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze. What an achievment for one county! The first British medal of the games was won by cyclist Lizzie Armitstead from Otley and that set us off on a roll! Well done to Yorkshire's wonderful athletes!

Ed Clancy (Huddersfield) Cycling

Luke Campbell, (Hull) Boxing

Nicola Adams (Leeds) Boxing

Nicola Wilson (North Allerton) Eventing

Jessica Ennis (Sheffield) Heptathlon

Alistair Brownlee (Leeds) Triathlon

Jonathan Brownlee (Leeds) Triathlon

Tom Ransley (York) Rowing

Kat Copeland (North Yorks) Rowing

Andy Triggs-Hodge (Dales) Rowing

We also celebrate all their team colleagues who contributed to the remarkably high standard of sporting achievment and the great atmosphere. Lots of the volunteers came from the region and many gave up precious weeks of holiday to support the Games with enthusiasm. Wasn't it amazing? I'm looking forward to the Paralympics, starting on 29th August.

FunKey Newsflash

The FunKey Service at St Mary's Richmond has three bits of exciting news! After less than six months they will soon have their first baptisms AND on September 21st the Archbishop of York will be visiting them to join in with a service AND they have just launched a splendid new blog with absolutely up to the minute info and great pics! Well worth a visit.

http://funkeychurchatstmarysrichmond.wordpress.com/

God bless Roger the Rabbit from the FunKey website

Oswald's Outlook on Askrigg Antics

For those interested in local Dales news, or anyone planning to holiday in Wensleydale, there is an excellent and informative little website called Oswald's Outlook

 http://oswaldsoutlook.com/

Very well worth a visit! And many thanks to Christine Hallas, church warden at Askrigg, for drawing my attention to it.

Table Talk from the Oswaldsoutlook website

I have to admit that I discovered this as a result of a visit to St Oswald's church Askrigg where I was down to preach on 'Good Shepherd' Sunday.  I was quaking in my boots at the thought of preaching to the good folk of Wensleydale about shepherds! What could I possibly tell them that they didn't already know? And would my 'facts' be found wanting? Well, I needn't have worried - I asked them to tell me what they knew about shepherds and we pieced together a picture of what Jesus meant when He called Himself the 'Good Shepherd'. I had no idea that real shepherds can be strict disciplinarians with their sheep, throwing stones to keep them from wandering off on the wrong path, for example. How much more fun and more memorable to preach the  sermon to each other. (And it looks as though the Jubilee celebrations were good fun in Askrigg, too!)

Drama at Kirkby Overblow

For those who follow the fortunes of Kirkby Overblow's Dramatic Society, you will be pleased (but perhaps not surprised) to hear that, at the recent Wharfedale Festival of Theatre Drama Awards Ceremony KODS once again came away with a small stash of awards.

Best Stage Presentation trophy - awarded to Bruce Noble for his fabulous set

Best Cameo performance - was jointly awarded to Lindsay McKenzie and Simon Hawkesworth

Best programme design - awarded to KODS

Telegraph & Argos Trophy - awarded to Adam Mckenzie for "his excellent standard of directing and playing in a leading role"

Well done to everyone involved!! We look forward to your autumn production.

Share the Care

Imagine how you would cope if you were feeling generally very ill and tired and then you were told that the only way you could keep yourself alive was to have four hours of exhausting treatment two or three times a week in a hospital miles away from your home. This is the situation that faces people suffering from end stage renal failure (kidney disease). Haemodialysis, as it's called, is usually the only treatment available to people with severe Chronic Kidney Disease until such time as they can receive a transplant and as most of us know, the supply of translpant organs is not sufficient to meet the need, by a long way. Dialysis means that a person has to be connected up to a machine that takes the blood out of their system and pumps it through an artificial kidney which removes the toxins that are the product of every day living, and then returns it to them 'cleansed'. If the right equipment can be installed and if the person concerned has help and the confidence to undertake such a rigorous procedure each week, dialysis can be done at home. However, many people do not have the room to install the machines or they might not have a suitable water supply. Others simply can't manage the procedure themselves and may feel too ill to tackle it without on-hand medical supervision. This is where local hospital units that allow patients to come in and dialysis themselves with just a small amount of assistance are invaluable. If someone with kindey disease can travel a relatively short distance to a hospital with what's called a Shared Care Unit, they can be taught to manage their own dialysis fairly independently but  with on-call medical back-up if they need it. This means that fewer hours of medical practitioners' time are taken up than would be the case in a traditional dialysis unit and it also means that patients and their relatives can be supported and gain confidence in the procedures. They may then, at a later date be able to transfer to home dialysis.

At the moment people in our area generally have to travel to Darlinton, York or Leeds for dialysis. You can imagine that if you are also trying to hold down a job or look after children it can be extremely disruptive to have to travel so far. The York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has launched a SHARE THE CARE appeal. They are aiming to raise £200,000 in order to provide a shared care dialysis unit at Harrogate Hospital.

There are around 23,000 people with Chronic Kidnet Disease in North Yorkshire.  For 175 with advanced disease, dialysis is a life line. You may well know someone who has the early stage of the disease. If you would be interested in learning more about this project or helping to fund raise,  visit www.york.nhs.uk/fundraising or e mail lucy.watson@york.nhs.uk

You can also make donations via www.justgiving.com/yorkteachinghospital

Smooth and efficient dialysis in a location near to home can transform the lives of  people who often feel fearful and very unwell, enabling them to live normal lives holding down a job, caring for their families and enjoying activities the rest of us take for granted.

The Green Howards

There is great sadness in North Yorshire, today, with the anouncement that the 2nd Battalion the Yorshire Regiment (the Green Howards) is to be 'absorbed' into the wider Regiment in the most radical army re-organisation for 100 years. The Battalion is part of the Yorkshire Regiment which currently has four battalions and it is one of several infantry battalions to be cut or re-oganised in today's Army 20/20 review. The three remaining Yorkshire battalions will be merged with a Territorial Army Battalion to form a newly structured Yorkshire Regiment. The re-orgainisation will mean cuts and changes in deployment. Overall the number of regular soldiers will drop from 102,000 to 82,000 and the number of Reservists will double, rising to 30,000.

The Green Howards have a long and proud history, dating back over 300 years. They have fought in many campaigns including at the battle of Boyne in 1690, the American War of Independence (1775), the Crimean War (1854-56), the Boer War (1899-1902), World War I (during which members of the battalion won 12 VC's), World War II (where a member of the battalion, Sargeant Major Stan Hollis, was awarded the only D-Day VC). In more recent times, they have served in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Bosnia, the Gulf and Afghanistan. Five of their number where killed in Helmand province in March. general Sir Richard Dannatt GCb CBE MC DL was commissioned into the Green Howards in 1971. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the service given by the battalion.

The Green Howards have a special place in the hearts of the people of Richmond. Many who serve are drawn from the area around Richmond and Teesside and their families live there and their children attend local schools; many acts of commemoration and remembrance take place in Richmond town, where the Green Howards' Museum is situated in the market square; St Mary's Richmond contains the regimental Chapel and a prayer is said for the men and women of the Green Howards at the start of worship every Sunday. People are sad that this personal and historic link will be severed and determined that the long history of the battalion will continue to be remembered and told in the town.  Nearby Catterick Garrison is the largest garrison in Europe and the lives of people across the whole area are deeply intertwined with the Army, so there is a real sense of loss. The impact of the re-organisation is bound to have serious consequences for the area which already has high levels of unemployment. 

Our thoughts and prayers go to all those affected or saddened by the loss of one of the greatly loved institutions of North Yorkshire. There have been assurances from senior army officers today that the traditions of the battalion will be incorporated into the on-going life of the regiment, but that isn't quite that same as the life of the battalion continuing. 

To read more about the history and life of the battalion, and to see today's message from Major General Farquahar CBE DL, go to

http://www.greenhowards.org.uk

  

Snape Open Gardens

Snape Open Gardens - 14/15 July 2012.

Residents of the village of will be opening their gardens to the public over this weekend to raise funds for the two churches in the Parish. We are expecting at least 15 or more gardens of all types to be open between 11 am and 5 pm. Of course many more front gardens will be on display as you walk around the village . 

A map detailing which gardens are open will be available at the Institute and we will be asking all adults to pay £3, children are free.         

Refreshments and snacks will be available in the Institute from 12.00  to 4 pm 

For more details please contact either John Knopp on 01677470204 or Janet Seel on 01677 470823       

Ordinations

A prayer of Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) for all those being ordainded this weekend. This is a prayer that has always meant a great deal to me and yet has come to mean even more over time. A friend gave it to me on the day of my ordination as a Deacon
25 years ago tomorrow in Ely cathedral.

Thou who art over us,

Thou who art one of us,

Thou who art

Also within us,

May all see Thee in me also.

May I prepare the way for Thee,

May I thank Thee for all that shall fall to my lot,

May I also not forget the needs of others.

Keep me in Thy love

As Thou wouldest that all should be kept in mine.

May everything in this my being be directed to Thy glory

And may I never despair,

 For I am under Thy hand

And in Thee is all power and goodness.

Give me a pure heart that I may see Thee,

A humble heart that I may hear Thee,

A heart of love that I may serve Thee,

A heart of faith that I may abide in Thee.

To love life and all creatures as God loves them,

For the sake of their infinite possibilities.

To wait like Him,

To judge like Him without passing judgement,

To obey the order when it is given and never look back;

Then He can use you - then, perhaps, He will use you

And if He doesn't use you, what matter?

In His hand, every moment has its meaning,

Its greatness, its glory, its peace, its co-inherence.

Priests in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds

Bernadette Hegarty (St Peter's Harrogate), Antony Kirby (Richmond, Hudswell, Downholme and Marske), Diane Lofthouse (Moor Allerton and Shadwell Team) Jonathan Swales (St George's, Leeds), Lynn Thorius, (East Richmond Team Ministry), Gillian Trinder (Whitkirk), Chrissy Wilson (Pannal with Beckwithshaw).

Deacons in the Diocese of Ripon and leeds

Linda Boon (Sharow, Copt Hewick and Marton le Moor), Mary Bradley (Meanwood), Tim Laundon (Wetherby), Andy Patrick (St Mark's Harrogate), Hannah Smith (Leeds Parish Church)

Volunteering Opportunities

Did you know that the Alzheimer's Society is always looking for people who would like to volunteer? The Society offers a great range of support to sufferers and their carers and could not do so without the dedication of large numbers of volunteers. The kind of things they contribute varies greatly. Help is needed with fund raising, administration, maintaining information sites and libraries, providing transport and organising social events. Befriending someone with dementia, giving 2 or 3 hours a week to be with them, can mean that they can can continue a hobby or interest and that their carer can also have a break to do something that allows them to get out and find refreshment. Volunteers say it's fun and there's something for everyone no matter what your gifts. There is a proper induction programme, on-going training, one-to-one or group-based support and expenses are re-imbursed.

There are around 4,800 people with dementia of one kind or another in the Ripon,  Harrogate and Craven areas alone, two thirds of whom live in the community. By 2025 there will be over 1 million people with the disease in Britain and is is essential that adequate support and expertise in caring is built up over the next few years.

If you think you might be able to help, please contact

The Volunteering officer, Alzheimer's Society, Low Mill Units, Phoenix Business Park, Ripon HG4 1NSP  01765 690900  ripon@alzheimer's.org.uk

The national Alzheimers Society website also has a wealth of really useful information. If you go to the bottom of the home page and enter your postcode, you can find an excellent list of all the services in the Richmond and Hambleton and the Ripon and Harrogate areas.

 http://alzheimers.org.uk

Ripon Welcomes the Olympic Torch

19th June 2012

Photos by Dave Challoner

The Mayor and Councillors, the Dean and Chapter, the Horn Blower, members of the Army and the emergency services and many of the good folk of Ripon welcomed the Olympic torch into the city this afternoon. I understand it made a wonderful spectacle. Dave was there to take these photos. I was meanwhile dodging the ensuing traffic jams to be in Harrogate, at the Pavillions, where I was teaching a course on conflict (how to resolve it, not how to create it!) for the Clergy Leadership In Rural Churches programme. However, I did have the chance to see the torch while we were on holiday two weeks ago when it came through Machynlleth in mid Wales. In fact, I almost got to see it twice because we went up Snowdon the same day as the torch (though not at the same time!) Our thoughts are with everyone who is preparing for the Olymics - athletes, coaches, hosts, transport and emergency services and a lots of other people.